Pallavi Nahata

India's retail inflation is expected to stay within the Reserve Bank of India's tolerance band as seen in November, boosting hopes for a rate cut.

India's forex reserves, as reported by the Reserve Bank of India, have declined consistently for ten weeks, reflecting the central bank's efforts to stabilise the rupee.

The acceleration was reflected in both the manufacturing and service sectors, as companies across the two segments saw a faster upturn in new business intakes.

On a sequential basis, Wholesale Price Index rose 0.6%, compared to a decline of 0.5% from August.

November exports fell by 4.9% year-on-year to $32.1 billion. India's merchandise trade deficit widened to a record high in November.

New India Assurance and Aditya Birla Life Health Insurance were top performers in settling health insurance claims for FY23, with New India paying over 95% of claims.

Potato prices have continued to climb in December, reaching Rs 37.59 per kg, following a sharp increase in November.

Expenditure quality improved further with capital outlay increasing to 2.6% of GDP in FY24 from 2.2% in fiscal 2023.

Global supply disruptions and import duty hikes closer home, are making palm oil—a key ingredient in packaged foods—more expensive.

"If food price pressures wane on projected lines, this would open up the policy space to normalise rates," RBI Deputy Governor and MPC member Rajiv Ranjan said.