Connect with us
Friday,14-November-2025
Breaking News

Business

India, US make progress on mutually beneficial trade agreement: Piyush Goyal

Published

on

New Delhi, May 23: India and the US have made further progress on concluding a mutually beneficial trade agreement, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has stressed, amid talks with the US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick towards the first tranche of Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

India presents a compelling case to the US for a bilateral trade deal, given the outlook on growth and demography.

“Held a constructive meeting with Secretary Howard Lutnick for a mutually beneficial trade agreement,” said Goyal in a post on X social media platform on Thursday (US time).

The union minister further stated that the two nations are “committed to enhancing opportunities for our businesses and people”.

India and the US are working to sign the first tranche of BTA to bring down tariffs before the agreed timeline of the fall of 2025, as the the terms of reference for the pact have already been finalised.

Earlier, Goyal had said that “very good negotiations” with the US were underway.

“Looking at the growth, India offers in the next 25-30 years with a large, aspirational, young population who will add to the demand for goods and services, we believe India will be a compelling case to enter into a good agreement with the US,” Goyal had told reporters.

If both the countries come to an agreement on reducing tariffs, it would lead to higher trade for US and India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump have set an ambitious target of $500 billion bilateral trade by 2030 in a joint statement during the Indian PM’s recent visit to Washington, DC.

The US President claimed recently that India offered to remove all tariffs on American goods, but added that he was in no rush to finalise a trade deal despite the apparent breakthrough.

Business

Stock market ends on positive note over NDA’s huge victory in Bihar polls

Published

on

Mumbai, Nov 14: Indian equity indices recovered from early losses to end the session on a positive note on Friday as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) headed towards a landslide win in the Bihar elections.

The key indices remained volatile throughout the session as counting for votes for Bihar’s Assembly election continues.

Sensex settled at 84,562.78, up 84.11 points or 0.10 per cent. The share index started the session at 84,060.14, falling over 400 points against last day’s closing of 84,478.67 amid caution ahead of Bihar election results. However, the index jumped over 550 points from the day’s low to close in green.

Nifty closed at 25,910.05, up 30.90 points or 0.12 per cent.

“Indian markets today witnessed a roller-coaster session with the benchmark index Nifty showing sharp two-sided moves. In the first half, Nifty surged and tested the crucial 26,000 level before facing resistance and slipping lower later in the day,” Ashika Institutional Equities said in its note.

Volatility remained elevated as investors stayed cautious ahead of Bihar election results, which hold significant political importance.

Tata Motors, Eternal, Axis Bank, BEL, Trent, SBI, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finance, Adani Airports, Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints, ITC and NTPC were the top gainers from the Sensex basket. Infosys, Tata Steel, Tata Motors PV, ICICI Bank, Maruti Suzuki and Tech Mahindra ended the session lower.

Sectoral indices experienced a mixed approach with selling in the IT and auto sectors and buying in the FMCG, banking and finance stocks. Nifty Bank rose 135 points or 0.23 per cent, Nifty Fin Services jumped 95 points or 0.35 per cent, and Nifty FMCG closed 317 points or 0.57 per cent higher. While Nifty IT slipped 378 points or 1.03 per cent, and Nifty Auto fell 143 points or 0.52 per cent.

Broader market followed suit as well, with Nifty Midcap 100 closed flat, Nifty Small Cap 100 rose 68 points or 0.38 per cent, and Nifty 100 ended the session slightly up.

Rupee traded in a narrow range near 88.70 as the dollar index remained flat around $99.20, offering limited directional cues.

“With no major U.S. data releases due to the recent shutdown, the market stayed largely dependent on flows, where mixed FII activity and consistent DII buying kept the rupee in a confined band. Crude prices have begun to rebound, and if WTI sustains above $60, it may add fresh pressure on the rupee in the coming sessions. Overall, the rupee is expected to remain range-bound with levels seen between 88.45–88.95,” said Jateen Trivedi of LKP Securities.

Continue Reading

Business

Anil Ambani skips ED questioning, no virtual appearance allowed (Lead)

Published

on

New Delhi, Nov 14: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will not grant any virtual appearance to Reliance ADAG Group Chairman Anil D. Ambani after the latter sought it in response to a summons sent by the investigative agency to appear before it for questioning in a money laundering case, according to sources on Friday.

Anil Ambani skipped the ED summons to appear for the second round of questioning at the agency’s Delhi headquarters on Friday (November 14).

As per ED sources, no virtual appearance will be given to Anil Ambani, as requested. The regulator, however, has received an email from him regarding his availability via virtual means.

Anil Ambani, in a media statement, said that he is “willing to offer to appear by virtual means”, adding that he will “fully cooperate with ED on all matters”.

The statement claimed that “ED summons to Anil D. Ambani relate to a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) inquiry and not to any matter under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)”.

The summons concerns a 2010 domestic EPC contract for the Jaipur–Reengus (JR) Toll Road and concerns issues associated with a road contractor, with no foreign exchange component, it said.

“Anil D. Ambani is not a member of the Board of Reliance Infrastructure. He served the company for about fifteen years, from April 2007 to March 2022, only as a non-executive director, and was never involved in the day-to-day management of the company,” it added.

The ED had summoned Anil Ambani again on November 14 for questioning in the money laundering case against the conglomerate. He faced a gruelling, around nine-hour interrogation regarding an alleged Rs 17,000-crore loan fraud case at ED headquarters in August.

The financial probe agency had earlier attached 42 properties worth over Rs 3,083 crore in the bank fraud cases of Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCOM), Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd., and Reliance Home Finance Ltd.

Continue Reading

Business

India, Canada discuss ways to boost bilateral trade, promote investments

Published

on

New Delhi, Nov 13: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, discussed ways to further boost bilateral trade and promote investments, it was announced on Thursday.

Sidhu is in India to find opportunities to advance trade and investment linkages between the two nations.

“It was a pleasure to co-chair the 7th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment as part of the New Roadmap 2025 along with @MSidhuLiberal, Canada’s Minister of International Trade,” Goyal posted on the X social media platform.

The minister further stated that they discussed “avenues to strengthen bilateral trade, promote investments and deepen cooperation between our countries”.

During his India visit, Sidhu is set to promote Canada’s commitment to supporting and growing the well-established commercial ties shared by Canada and India, including artificial intelligence, clean technology and digital industries, and explore new opportunities for partnerships that benefit workers and businesses in both countries.

“This visit to India will reinforce Canada’s commitment to diversifying our trade relationships and attracting new investment,” an official statement quoting Sidhu said. “As one of the fastest-growing major economies, India offers significant opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers. Our commercial ties continue to expand — bilateral trade surpassed $30 billion in 2024 — and there is even greater potential ahead,” the statement added.

India is a key partner as Canada strengthens its economic links in the Indo-Pacific region under a comprehensive strategy for the region. In 2024, India was Canada’s seventh-largest goods and services trading partner, with two-way trade valued at $30.9 billion.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, held discussions on strengthening cooperation across key sectors, including trade, energy and security. Both leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Niagara.

EAM Jaishankar also praised the progress made under the New Roadmap 2025, aimed at enhancing bilateral ties between India and Canada and expressed hope for rebuilding a stronger partnership.

Continue Reading

Trending