Business
India export ban shakes global wheat prices
Wheat prices increased after India imposed a ban on exports, stoking pressure on food costs as tight global supplies roiled international markets.
Futures traded in Chicago rose as much as 5.9 per cent to $12.47 a bushel, their highest level in two months, Financial Times reported.
Wheat prices have risen more than 60 per cent this year, driven up by disruption from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The two European countries account for almost a third of the world’s wheat exports.
India, the world’s second-biggest wheat producer after China, had filled a gap in markets left by decreased output from Ukraine thanks in part to a bumper harvest of 7 million tonnes last year, even as inclement weather reduced the crops of other big exporters.
But after denying it would halt exports, India reversed course over the weekend after domestic inflation surged to the highest level in eight years on the back of rising food prices, the Financial Times reported.
New Delhi said it was introducing the ban, with some exceptions, “in order to manage the overall food security of the country and to support the needs of the neighbouring and other vulnerable countries”.
“It just exacerbates the food shortage risk, particularly for developing nations and those historically dependent on foodstuffs out of that region,” said Robert Rennie, global head of market strategy at Australian bank Westpac.
The sudden shift followed two months of searing heatwaves in India, with temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius across swaths of the wheat belt.
Relief from the annual monsoon season could still be weeks away. Soaring food and fuel prices also prompted the Reserve Bank of India to raise interest rates this month for the first time in four years.
Tobin Gorey, director of agricultural strategy at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said the wheat export ban would be a “shape shifter” for global markets.
“The trade will likely need to replace at least some Indian wheat in the pipeline. We suspect that will create an initial flurry of trading but the market will take some time to assess the details,” the Financial Times quoted Gorey as saying.
The export ban was announced just days after the US Department of Agriculture forecast that global wheat production would drop for the first time in four years in 2022-23.
The World Food Programme said this month that the war in Ukraine had exposed the fragility of global supply chains to sudden shocks, with serious consequences for food security.
Westpac’s Rennie said the impact of the ban was likely to hit developing markets in Africa and the Middle East the hardest, as the developed world moved to shore up supply.
“It’s the humanitarian issues that are developing which, unfortunately, I think we should be more focused on,” he said.
Business
Bank strike: Customers urged to finish key transactions before 3-day nationwide protest

New Delhi, Sep 26: Customers of several public sector and old-generation private sector banks have been advised to complete important banking transactions in advance as bank employees’ unions prepare for a three-day nationwide strike starting September 28. The proposed strike is expected to disrupt branch operations across many banks and coincides with the sector’s crucial half-yearly closing period.
The strike has been called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which claims to represent nearly 90 per cent of the country’s banking workforce.
The unions are pressing for the implementation of a five-day banking week, along with pension-related reforms and other employee welfare measures.
In a bid to reduce inconvenience to customers, the government has directed public sector banks to remain open on Sunday, September 27, enabling customers to complete urgent transactions before the strike begins.
State Bank of India (SBI) has issued an advisory stating that while it will make efforts to maintain essential services at branches and offices, some banking operations could be affected during the strike period.
The bank has urged customers to complete critical transactions ahead of time and make use of digital banking channels, including YONO, internet banking, mobile banking, UPI, ATMs and cash deposit machines, wherever possible.
Bank of India has also alerted customers about the planned strike and advised them to rely on the bank’s round-the-clock digital platforms such as internet banking, mobile banking, ATMs, business correspondent points and UPI services for their banking requirements.
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are also expected to participate in the agitation, potentially widening the impact on banking services across the country.
However, new-generation private sector banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank are expected to continue normal operations, offering customers an alternative for routine banking services during the strike period.
Earlier this week, the Finance Ministry appealed to bank employees’ unions to avoid the strike and resolve pending issues through dialogue. The ministry maintained that a majority of the concerns raised by the unions have already been substantially addressed.
Business
Nifty, Sensex dip for 7th week amid high crude prices, bond yields

Mumbai, Sep 26: The Indian equity benchmarks posted notable losses for the seventh consecutive week, as crude prices stayed elevated and US bond yields surged.
Nifty declined 0.88 per cent during the week and added 0.34 per cent on the last trading day to reach 23,140. At close, Sensex was up 315 points, or 0.43 per cent, at 73,895. It lost 0.54 per cent during the week.
Markets came under heavy selling pressure midweek as benchmarks slid over 1.6 per cent on Thursday before a modest rebound on Friday driven by value buying.
Brent crude stayed above the $105-per-barrel mark for most of the week, while WTI crude also remained elevated above $90 per barrel amid continued geopolitical uncertainty and concerns over global oil supplies.
However, oil prices moderated toward the end of the week, and eased global risk sentiment, concerns of pressure on the import bill, inflation expectations, the rupee and corporate input costs.
Analysts said that the global bond market continued to add pressure, with the US 10-year Treasury yield moving above 5.10 per cent during the week. Elevated yields continue to tighten global financial conditions and can reduce the relative attractiveness of emerging market assets, they added.
Foreign institutional selling has intensified significantly compared with previous weeks and has become a major headwind for domestic equities.
Meanwhile, Iran has submitted a new seven-day proposal to the United States to end the ongoing conflict and reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifts its naval blockade, waives oil sanctions and agrees to a broader ceasefire.
The 23,000 zone remains the immediate support area for Nifty, while the 23,200 region remains the immediate resistance zone, said analysts.
Market participants are also keen on the trajectory of rupee, with persistent oil-related demand for dollars and continued FII outflows potentially keeping the currency under pressure, although RBI intervention has helped contain excessive volatility.
Business
LG Electronics India gets notice to pay up Rs 153.58 crore as customs duty

New Delhi, Sep 25: LG Electronics India Ltd has received a show cause notice from the Customs authorities for the recovery of Rs 153.58 crore as customs duty for allegedly not including royalty payments in the assessable value of certain imported goods, the company has stated in a stock exchange filing.
The show cause notice has been issued following an investigation carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), alleging non-inclusion of royalty payments in the assessable value of certain imported goods.
The notice, dated September 22, was issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Customs, Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai, and was received by the company on September 24.
Meanwhile, LG Electronics, along with arch rival and compatriot Samsung, are also facing an investigation for alleged wrong claims of concessional 5 per cent customs duty on imported OLED glass screens. The DRI authorities have expressed the view that the concessional rate is meant for the older LCD and LEDs used in products sold in the mass market. For OLED parts, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is of the opinion that both Samsung and LG should have paid a 15 per cent customs duty, according to a Reuters report.
LG Electronics is reported to have sent responses to written questions by the authorities on its OLED imports and has voluntarily deposited the money to pay for the difference in customs duty as estimated by officials.
Meanwhile, LG Electronics India reported a 27.2 per cent year-on-year surge in net profit to Rs 653 crore for the first quarter of financial year 2026-27compared with the corresponding figure of Rs 513 crore in the same quarter of 2025-26, driven by strong summer demand and premium product sales.
The company’s revenue rose 15.5 per cent during the April-June quarter to Rs 7,233 crore compared with the corresponding figure of Rs 6,262 crore in the same quarter of the previous financial year.
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