-Livemint.com If Crude oil prices surge on tensions in West Asia, our import bill could soar India’s December trade figures deepen concerns about the health of our economy. Official figures show that merchandise exports dipped 1.8% from a year earlier to $27.36 billion, marking the fifth straight month of decline. A consolation is that imports fell by a larger 8.8%, helping narrow the trade deficit. But the relief could be temporary. If...

-PTI The retail pump prices of petrol in Delhi rose to Rs 75.69 per litre - the highest since November 2018, while those of diesel climbed to Rs 68.68, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. New Delhi: Petrol prices on Monday were hiked by 15 paisa a litre and diesel rates were increased by 17 paisa as global oil prices hit USD 70 mark in the wake of escalating...

-The Indian Express The August numbers mark the first contraction in core infrastructure output since April 2019, pointing to the continuing weakness in demand conditions. New Delhi: The growth of eight infrastructure sectors contracted 0.5 per cent in August following broad-based deterioration in output across as many as five sectors, including cement and electricity. But for a turnaround in refinery products — the largest constituent of the core sector — and...

  Is it the case that the global economic downturn instead of shrinking domestic demand has affected our economy more? If the aforesaid statement is true, then ideally the trade related data should indicate improvement in our imports and deceleration in the country's exports. However, that is not the case and we get a mixed picture.   A press release by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry dated 13th September, 2019 shows...

-The Hindu Business Line The government must simplify and rationalise GST, kickstart rural consumption, revive agriculture and tackle the lack of credit for capital creation, says former PM Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an eminent economist himself, feels that the Narendra Modi-led government needs to come out of its habit of headline management and address the economic challenges which the country is facing today. “We cannot afford to deny that India is facing...