The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is trying to enhance the scope and relevance of employment data through key improvements to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). Starting April 2025, key labour force indicators for the quarterly PLFS results will cover rural areas. The April–June 2025 quarterly PLFS results, inclusive of rural jobs … Read more
Pakistan has received the second tranche of US$1.02 billion (SDR 760 million) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced on social media platform X. The funds, part of the second instalment under the 37-month programme, will be reflected in SBP’s foreign exchange … Read more
The Southwest Monsoon made its onset over parts of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea on May 13, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed on Tuesday. “Southwest Monsoon has advanced into some parts of the south Bay of Bengal, south Andaman Sea, Nicobar Islands and parts of the north Andaman Sea,” the IMD … Read more
In yet another plea to improve the intricacies under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, financial experts and industry leaders have approached the government, proposing a series of sweeping reforms aimed at easing the bottlenecks for the industry, particularly with regard to the Input Tax Credit (ITC) framework. The move comes amid widespread concerns … Read more
India must work to improve its economic relationship with China and not rely too heavily on the United States, said Shaun Rein, Founder and MD of China Market Research Group, as the US and China announced a temporary easing of tariffs. Calling the current poor state of India-China relations “a real shame,” Rein said, “Prime … Read more
Mercedes-Benz and BMW have termed the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) a positive development while noting that it would not have much bearing on the prices of luxury cars in the country. Last week, India and the UK sealed a landmark FTA that will lower tariffs on 99% of Indian exports and would make it … Read more
Japan’s economy likely suffered a contraction in the first three months of this year, signaling underlying fragility even before US tariff measures started hitting the country in earnest, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Gross domestic product adjusted for inflation shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter on an annualized basis, according to the median … Read more
India will not provide any duty concessions on British wines and is offering only limited import duty benefits on UK beer under the free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, announced on May 6, according to an official. The other sensitive agri products where India will not offer any reduction in the import duty … Read more
The Bank of England cut its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25% amid concerns over the potential shock to global growth emanating from the tariff policies of the Trump administration. The decision Thursday was widely expected, though there was an array of opinions on the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee, … Read more
India and Chile have signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as both sides aim at strengthening bilateral relations ahead of the 1st round of negotiations scheduled for 26th to 30th May in New Delhi. The mutually agreed ToR were signed by Juan Angulo, Ambassador of Chile in India … Read more