Monday, August 24
China’s central bank reaffirmed its supportive monetary policy stance while signaling continued caution toward aggressive stimulus, reinforcing a shift toward securing long-term stability over immediate fixes.The People’s Bank of China vowed to guide borrowing costs to continue hovering at a low level, according to a Wednesday statement following its fourth-quarter monetary policy committee meeting. The bank repeated a pledge to step up “cross-cyclical” policies, a phrase suggesting it aims to look beyond short-term volatility and avoid excessive stimulus that could create structural imbalances.The statement didn’t mention a reduction in interest rates or to the reserve requirement ratio, which determines how much cash banks must keep in reserves, while the PBOC pledged to make u
The letter landed with a thud on Saturday in the inbox of Harvard University's president, Alan M. Garber.The message, from Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump's education secretary, conveyed an understanding of an emerging deal between Harvard and the White House that flew in the face of the terms the university had been insisting on.Garber felt he had made clear in recent negotiations that the university would not agree to pay the federal government to settle a monthslong battle with the Trump administration over antisemitism on campus and other matters.But McMahon's Saturday message said the opposite. In it, she thanked Garber for what she portrayed as his commitment to sending $200 million to the government as part of a deal.Garber wrote back to clarify Harvard's position. But, in res
New Delhi: As the year 2025 comes to a wrap, the insurance industry leaders bid farewell to the eventful year, calling it an inflection point mirroring broader resilience with the wider economy and are set to welcome the New Year 2026 with a bullish outlook.In 2025, India's insurance sector saw major shifts with the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025 enabling 100% FDI, fostering competition, alongside tech booms in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) for underwriting & claims, a surge in digital policy issuance, new products like usage-based & embedded insurance, and a significant push for enhanced regulatory governance and financial inclusion, driving massive capital inflow and market growth.Mayank Bathwal, CEO, Aditya Birla Health Insura
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) could inject another ₹1 lakh crore in February - March 2026 to ensure that banking system liquidity remains consistently surplus through the fiscal year-end, economists and treasury heads said.The move is aimed at encouraging banks to lower lending rates and boost credit demand.Liquidity has remained in deficit since mid-December, forcing banks to borrow daily from RBI - a sign of tight conditions that have constrained lenders from reducing rates despite a 25-basis-point policy rate cut by the central bank earlier this month."To ensure that banking system liquidity surplus stays at 1% of NDTL on a consistent basis until March 2026, there could be space for additional ₹1 lakh crore of OMO (open market operation) purchases in February-March 2026,"
Mumbai: India Inc is increasingly diversifying funding requirements by tapping non-banking sources such as equity markets and corporate bonds, reducing reliance on traditional bank loans. This trend reflects a structural shift toward market-based financing amid a rate easing cycle. Overall outstanding credit to the commercial sector - combining banks and non-bank sources - stood at ₹290.38 lakh crore this fiscal year till November-end, a 13.2% rise from ₹256.5 lakh crore a year ago. "This indicates that growth momentum has picked up and is likely to sustain with easy financial conditions and substantial liquidity infusion by RBI," said Gaura Sengupta, chief economist at IDFC First Bank.126165782 Of ₹290.38 lakh crore outstanding flow of funds, credit by banks to the commercial secto
IndiGo cancelled 67 flights across multiple airports on Thursday, citing forecasted bad weather and limited operational reasons, adding to the airline’s ongoing winter of turbulence amid regulatory scrutiny and a curtailed schedule.Data available on IndiGo’s website showed that of the total cancellations, only four flights were attributed to operational issues, while the overwhelming majority were linked to anticipated adverse weather conditions. Airports affected included Agartala, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Varanasi and Bengaluru, among others.The latest round of cancellations comes during the aviation regulator’s officially declared fog season.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has designated the period between December 10 and February 10 as the winter fog window, a time
