-The Hindu The West’s attempt to cut Russia’s oil revenues without drastically affecting global oil supplies may be too fine a balancing act in the longer run The Group of Seven (G7) countries, the European Union and Australia have imposed a price cap on Russian sea-borne oil to make it harder for Russia to fund its war against Ukraine. Under the plan, which took effect on December 5 , Western companies that...

-The Hindu How are other export-dominated countries faring? Why is the government optimistic that domestic demand will counter the effects of declining exports? The story so far: India’s exports declined about 16.7% in October compared with the year-earlier period. This is the first slide reported for any month since February 2021. October imports rose at a much milder pace than earlier, most likely because of softening commodity prices worldwide, and trade deficit...

-Networkideas.org The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war sparked rapid and dramatic increases in some global trade prices, particularly for fuel products, wheat and fertilizer for which Russia and Ukraine are major exporters. It is now clear that these price changes were not due to actual changes in total supply, which remained largely unchanged (although source locations and trade routes shifted). Instead, market expectations amplified by media hype, financial...

There is some respite expected for India in terms of prices of imported commodities. This may ease the depletion of its foreign exchange reserves. The country has faced a widening of its merchandise trade deficit from US$ -17.91 billion to US$ -26.91 billion between October 2021 and October 2022. The commodity price data provided by the World Bank in December 2022 (termed as The Pink Sheet) shows that energy prices plummeted by...

-The Hindu Strong and effective gender-responsive policies and institutions of work that are oriented towards human-centred recovery needed in the Asia-Pacific region, says Gilbert F. Houngbo “Integrated policy agenda for a human–centred recovery that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient” is the theme of the 17th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) beginning in Singapore on Tuesday. In his report on the theme, ILO Director-General Gilbert F....