The story so far: As the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz exposed the vulnerability of India’s supply chain for cooking gas, the majority of which is imported, the Union government invoked the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. While long-term steps are needed to diversify and reduce reliance on global suppliers and expand strategic reserves, the…
Old structure of Share market Bombay Stock Exchange Building. | Photo Credit: Mikhail Davidovich Benchmark indices dipped 2% due to a sustained increase in crude oil prices on Friday (March 13, 2026). Both Nifty and Sensex declined about 2% to close at 23,151.10 and 74,563.92, respectively. Nifty opened at 23,462.50 and touched 23,492.40 before slipping…
The growing trade deficit of India, which recently touched $34.68 billion due to a sharp increase in gold imports, has again brought an old challenge into focus. While monthly trade data often triggers reactive policy debate, the issue lies not in the import surge but in the structure of consumption, savings, and exports in India….
Global liquefied natural gas price volatility caused by the Middle East crisis is “very short-term”, Mike Sabel, chief executive officer with Venture Global, told the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum in Tokyo. Some 20% of global LNG supply is now offline with QatarEnergy LNG facilities shut amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which…
Image used for representative purpose only. | Photo Credit: AP The resumption of some flights from Dubai has allowed gold flows from this major global trading hub to partially resume this week, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday (March 13, 2026). Deliveries of physical gold to and from Dubai — a…
For SY2026, the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane has been increased by ₹15 to ₹355 per quintal for a basic recovery rate of 10.25%. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy Integrated sugar mills are likely to see moderate revenue growth of 5-8% in FY26, driven by improved sugarcane availability and stable sugar prices, a…
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks in the Lok Sabha during the second part of the Budget session of Parliament on March 13, 2026. Photo: Sansad TV via PTI Amid the $100-per-barrel oil shock, fears of energy shortage and supply chain disruptions arising out the West Asia conflict, the Centre has allocated ₹57,381 crore for an…
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. File. | Photo Credit: Reuters The U.S. has launched a fresh investigation into 60 countries, including India, to look into whether these countries have failed to ban the import of goods made using forced labour, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced late on March 12. The new investigation…
The new series of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the second data release of which was issued on Thursday, does not yet have enough historical data for robust comparisons, but does include enough information to provide clues about the future. Retail inflation in India quickened to a 10-month high of 3.2% in February 2026, largely…
American currency Dollar and Gold ingot combinations. Close up for dollar and gold ingot | Photo Credit: DoganKutukcu Gold prices fell by Rs 1,904 on Friday to Rs 158,399 per 10 grams against Rs 160,303 on Thursday due to a weak trend in the global markets. The yellow metal prices have retreated for a second…
