BUISNESS

The commerce ministry on Thursday held consultations with exporters to address disruptions in shipping, port operations and packaging arising from the ongoing West Asia crisis, PTI reported.Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal chaired two meetings attended by Shipping Secretary Vijay Kumar, export promotion councils (EPCs), commodity boards, shipping lines, ports and exporters.Officials said the discussions focused on…

IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday urged central banks to prioritise tackling inflation even at the cost of growth, warning that the global fallout of the US-Israel war on Iran will inevitably bring economic “pain”, PTI reported.“A word of caution upfront: this being a classic negative supply shock, demand adjustment is unavoidable. We cannot go…

The US economy grew at a sluggish 0.5% annual pace in the October–December quarter, lower than earlier estimates, as a prolonged government shutdown weighed on activity, AP reported.The Commerce Department revised down its estimate of fourth-quarter GDP growth from 0.7% to 0.5%, marking a sharp slowdown from 4.4% growth in the July–September period and 3.8%…

US stock markets opened muted on Thursday while crude oil prices surged toward $100 per barrel, as doubts over the durability of the US-Iran ceasefire dampened investor sentiment, AP reported.The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 40 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.2% in early trade after…

TOI correspondent from Washington: Iran has moved to reassert control over the Strait of Hormuz within hours of Israel’s continued strikes in Lebanon, putting a squeeze on shipping movement just 48 hours before talks are scheduled to commence in Islamabad. Tehran’s actions—ranging from enhanced inspections to outright halts of tankers—have contradicted US claims that the…

Applications for unemployment benefits in the US rose last week but remained within a stable range, indicating resilience in the labour market despite global economic uncertainties, AP reported.Initial jobless claims increased by 16,000 to 2,19,000 for the week ending April 4, up from 2,03,000 in the previous week and higher than analysts’ expectations of 2,10,000,…

US inflation rose in line with expectations in February, with further upside risks emerging from the Iran war, a trend that could delay interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, Reuters reported.The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index –the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge– increased 0.4% in February after a 0.3% rise in January, data from…

Equity benchmark indices closed lower on Thursday, with the Sensex tumbling 931 points after the previous session’s sharp rally, as renewed tensions in West Asia dented ceasefire-led optimism.The truce appeared at risk after Iran again shut the Strait of Hormuz following Israeli strikes in Lebanon, while rising crude prices, weak global cues and continued foreign…

Gold prices in India showed a mixed trend on Thursday with futures trading marginally higher while retail rates declined in several cities and rose in select markets.On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold futures edged up, supported by global cues and steady investor interest. The June contract rose Rs 175 or 0.12% to Rs 1,51,951…

TCS Q4 FY26 results: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT services major, reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 13,718 crore for the fourth quarter of financial year 2025-26. This is a 12% year-on-year rise in net profit.Revenue from operations also rose 10 per cent compared to the previous year, reaching Rs 70,698…