Category : Economy

Industrial production contracted year-on-year in December for the third consecutive month, but inflation rate falls to 24-month low, reports Team IFM New Delhi, February 13: India’s industrial output shrank year-on-year in December, but a measure of good cheer was ushered in by official data released on Wednesday that showed the country’s annual rate of inflation...

The world’s second largest economy posts $31-bn balance contrary to slower growth and lower surplus predicted by economists, reports Team IFM Beijing, February 12: Cocking a snook at doomsayers, China on Wednesday said its trade surplus rose in January compared to the year-ago period, marking a remarkable turnaround from a sharp year-on-year decline the month...

Current Account Deficit on track to stay close to 2% of GDP this fiscal as bullion import curbs pull down imports, reports Team IFM New Delhi, February 11: India halved its trade deficit last month compared to a year-ago period, riding a massive fall in imports even as export growth remained sluggish, government data released...

The housing sector Down Under is booming as interest rates are near record lows and banks are rushing in to up lending, reports Team IFM Canberra, February 11: With liquidity from willing lenders pouring in, Australians are flocking to financiers for further home loans, pushing up prices of building units and keeping the central bank...

The ECB dashes hopes of action against deflation fears in the euro zone by keeping its benchmark rate unchanged even as Bank of England follows suit, reports Team IFM. Frankfurt, February 10: The European Central Bank (ECB) has discounted deflation fears and decided to keep its benchmark refinancing rate unchanged at 0.25 percent, mirroring Bank...

Slouching Dragon, Hidden Elephant 10th February 2014 With the Chinese economy apparently going into a sustained blue funk, India may benefit significantly from lower commodity and crude oil prices, argues Jagannadham Thunuguntla The remarkable resurgence of China’s economy since the 1980s is probably one of the most crucial developments in the recent history of the...

Retail, education and health sectors along with the government bring down hiring for the second straight month, but joblessness too shrinks, Team IFM reports Washington, February 10: American non-agricultural job growth in January shrank beyond forecasts, official employment data released here last week showed, though hiring in the construction sector rose indicating extreme cold conditions...

Depressed manufacturing activity due to a cold wave has affected new jobs aacording to the ADP National Employment Report, Team IFM reports Roseland, NJ, February 8: Depressed manufacturing activity in severe cold weather conditions dragged down recruitment in the American manufacturing sector in January, according to payroll-processing firm ADP’s monthly National Employment Report released ahead...

Central bank signals preference for low but stable interest rates, lower exchange rates but sparks rally in currency, Team IFM reports Sydney, February 6: Announcing a policy shift, Australia’s central bank moved away from its easing bias towards a more neutral monetary policy stance on Tuesday to leave the overnight bank rate unchanged at 2.5...

Dismal EU retail trade data ahead of a crucial ECB policy meet has raised the question whether expectations of an European economic recovery were too hasty, Team IFM reports Brussels, February 6: Christmas shopping seems to have brought little cheer for European retailers last December as sales fell compared to both the preceding month and...