[ad_1] 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…

[ad_1] 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…

[ad_1] 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…

[ad_1] 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…

[ad_1] 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…