India’s tryst with oil shocks: How crude prices shaped economy and policy in last five decades

Every major oil shock has left a mark on India, sometimes through inflation, sometimes through foreign exchange pressure, and occasionally through wider economic change. The country’s 1991 balance-of-payments crisis unfolded against a backdrop of rising oil prices. High crude costs later pushed difficult conversations around subsidies, fuel deregulation and energy security. More recently, shifts in…

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India blocks China’s WTO panel bid over solar support measures, dispute set for next stage

India has blocked China’s request to establish a dispute settlement panel at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in a case challenging New Delhi’s support measures for the solar cells, modules and information technology sectors, PTI reported.China had earlier this month approached the WTO’s dispute settlement body seeking the formation of a panel after bilateral consultations…

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AIIB launches $10 billion support facility for countries hit by Middle East conflict, India among key shareholders

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has launched a $10 billion fund facility to support member countries affected by the economic fallout of the ongoing Middle East conflict, PTI reported. India is the second-largest shareholder in the China-led multilateral lender after China.The Beijing-headquartered bank said the newly launched Energy, Food Security and Economic Resilience Facility…

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Bankers pitch RBI-backed FX hedge

MUMBAI: Banks have made a host of suggestions on how govt could attract $30–$50bn foreign exchange, most of them involving the central bank subsidising the hedging cost of the foreign exchange.While the interest rate differential between India and the US is far less than the 4–5% in 2013, bankers say that the macroeconomic fundamentals are…

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