IMF predicts Indian economy to grow 5.4% in 2009

The International Monetary Fund projected Indian economic growth at 5.4 per cent in 2009, implying a slower growth in the second half of this calendar year.

In its twice-yearly World Economic Outlook released in Istanbul, the Fund lowered the projection for the next year by 0.1 per cent to 6.4 per cent.

The Indian economy grew by 5.8 per cent in the first quarter and 6.1 per cent in the second quarter of this calendar year.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman have expressed doubts whether the economy will grow at the rate of 6.1 per cent in the third and fourth quarters of 2009 due to an weak monsoon.

The economy grew by 7.3 per cent in 2008 and 9.4 per cent in 2007. If the IMF projections prove correct, it would grow at the least rate in recent years due to the global financial crisis and drought.

source PTI

Indian Exports still in red as world economy still under recession

India's merchandise exports fellh in August, with the value of shipments falling 19.4 per cent to $14.29 billion from $17.72 billion in the like month of last year.


Imports during August were valued at $22.66 billion, showing a drop of 32.4 per cent, while the cumulative figure for the five-month period was down 33.4 per cent at $102.3 billion, showed the data released by the commerce ministry.

also read -
Welcome the future of world economy

"Although the downtrend in our exports continued in August, it is worth noting the rate of decline has come down to below 20 per cent compared to 28-33 per cent in each of the preceding four months," said the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

"It would be a formidable challenge even to maintain the level of exports reached last year. This would mean we have to achieve a robust growth of over 32 per cent in the remaining seven months of 2009-10 to touch the $182 billion mark of in 2008-09."

The country's oil import bill also fell 47.4 per cent during the five-month period ended Aug 31 to $28.28 billion, from $53.74 billion in the corresponding period of last fiscal. In August, oil imports fell 45.5 per cent to $6.28 billion from $11.52 billion.
Welcome the future of world economy
Accordingly, the country's trade deficit during April-August was estimated at $38.17 billion, which was lower than the deficit of $60.73 billion during the like period last year.

Future World Economy - The fossil fuel free economy

greetings from himanshu to all the readers of the blog - so here i start -

we all must be thinking that world economic recession has ended...but wait a minute and rethink it again ! fuel prices are hovering at $72 per barrel in market and set to reach the $ 100+ per dollar mark in near future so the future looks dark again :(


The world economy should now start shifting from fossil fuel based economy to fossil fuel free economy which it is slowly starting to do.. but wait When the ongoing global recession will be completly over that is when the production in USA reaches the same level (before the recession) when all the factories start working again in full flow , when the asian countries start exporting goods to US at same rate , when the jobless claims in USA becomes nil and there are more job openings in there.. Have anybody thought what can happen then??

Well the crude oil prices would skyrocket and could well go beyond the $ 200 mark this time and a double dip recession will again haunt the global economy because presently the global economy is fossil fuel based economy and i think that the pace of shifting the global economy from crude oil based economy to crude oil free economy should increase considerably if we want that no recession should prevale any more in future, actually this is a very big task "SHIFTING OF GLOBAL ECONOMY FROM FOSSIL FUEL BASED ECONOMY TO FOSSIL FUEL FREE ECONOMY" presently in the world every thing is governed or in other words is dependent on prices of fossil fuels as everything uses fossil fuels.

and we all know that fossil fuels are limited and the middle east countries would never increase the production from present levels (for decreasing the prices) because if they do this now their own future would be very very dark. i think that was one reason that US attacked Iraq some years back to get hold of the key oil assets present in Iraq (kudos to Bush for such a shrewd thinking..) . the shift should be now gradually to the battery powered energy, nuclear energy, solar enregy(which i think would be biggest energy source in future .. in the same way as fossil fuels are today)

For protecting the double dip recession we should now shift our thinking from conventional sources of energy to renewable sources of energy like the sun, and wind i talked about few lines back. Solar energy would play a very important part in future for providing power to industrial units, cars, houses, transport, communication rather then fossil fuels, and world would become much safer place to live in. becauses there would be no threat of recession anymore once we shift from a fossil fuel based world economy to fossil fuel free economy in future.

probably in coming 20 years there would be gradual shift from the way we fulfill our energy demands today, middle east countries would be dependent on others (in contrast with today).. they would have very few sources of income in future for sure once the fossil fuels are only available in museums in future. so i can see that the world economy has to now shift to fossil fuel free economy as soon as possible .

India's top 10 business houses/groups list

Following is the list of top 10 business houses of india when we see market capitalisation and net yearly turnover, the list is in descending order starting from biggest business house Reliance industries ltd



Rank 1 - Reliance Group led by Mukesh Ambani

net worth : 1,60,992 crores

Rank 2 - Tata Group led by ratan Naval tata

net worth : 1,23,176 crores

Rank 3 - ADAG Group led by Anil D Ambani

net worth : 89, 129 crores

Rank 4 - Bharti Group led by Sunil Bharti Mittal

net worth - 74, 500 crores

Rank 5 - Wipro group led by Azim Premji

net worth : 65,731 crores

Rank 6 - Sterlite Industries

net worth : 61,584 crores

Rank 7 - Delhi Land Finance (DLF Group)

net worth : 56,027 crores

Rank 8 - Om Prakash Jindal Group (JSW)

net worth : 41,487 crores

Rank 9 - ADANI Group

net worth : 27,015 crores

Rank 10 - Aditya Birla Group led by Kumar Mangalam Birla

net worth : 22,129 crores

Get ready to the world of fossil fuel free economies

Seven months ago, President Obama threw $787 billion of your hard-earned cash at a raging economic inferno -- but that's nothing compared to the $10 TRILLION that will go up in flames as the next economic crisis bears down on us.

We're on a collision course with financial disaster. Yet, a handful of the world's most savvy investors -- including Microsoft founder Bill Gates -- are quietly positioning themselves to secure massive profits. You can join them -- if you take advantage of the 3 opportunities revealed just ahead...

Dear Fellow Investor,


According to The Economist, "a fundamental change is coming" -- and sooner than any of us ever imagined.

You probably know all about it. The buzz has been building slowly for years -- and now it's deafening.

It's all over the nightly news and the pages of The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Time.

President Obama has made it a top priority for his administration... It took center stage at the Olympics... Now even the mayor of New York and the queen of England are preparing for it.

Yet you may not realize just how soon -- or how much -- it's going to impact our lives.

And I can almost guarantee you that nobody out there has explained the very best way for YOU to lay claim to your fair share of the profits that will come out of this inevitable crisis.

The world's foremost experts say $300 BILLION
will be generated -- in the next 5 years alone

That's why everyone from General Electric to Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan to British Petroleum, The Blackstone Group to Shell Energy -- and even billionaires like Bill Gates -- are racing to get invested.

It's also why I urge you to take the next few minutes to read this report in its entirety...

At the very least, you'll get the full story -- so you can decide for yourself if you'll be front and center when the big money starts rolling in.

Plus you'll get all the details on three immediately actionable investment opportunities that can help you cash in on this coming change -- and build the kind of wealth and financial security we all secretly dream about...

And I'll even show you how you can secure returns far greater than any of the legendary investment houses, companies, or innovators I just mentioned.

Shrewd investors just like you have already used this often-overlooked investment strategy to grow their portfolios by 2,941%, 6,771%, and even 21,201% -- in just the last 10 years alone!

I'll give you all the details in just a moment, but first let's discuss what many experts are calling...

"The Greatest Transfer of Wealth in the History of Mankind"

Right now -- while the rest of our nation struggles with a brutal recession -- a handful of sleepy, wind-swept West Texas towns are absolutely booming.

Not since the first railroad tracks were laid in 1881 have these backwater towns experienced such prosperity...

In places like Sweetwater, Texas, abandoned buildings are being renovated and restored. New shops, hotels, and restaurants are opening left and right. Schools are going up, and highways are being built.

You might be picturing old-money oil tycoons like J.R. Ewing sitting in their mansions, sipping bourbon, and relaxing as their oil rigs pump all day and night...

But here's the real shocker... these towns aren't booming because of oil -- they're booming in spite of it.

You see, they're at the epicenter of a $300 billion movement that holds the key to keeping the U.S. economy from hemorrhaging TENS OF TRILLIONS of dollars over the next few decades.

"The simple truth is that cheap and easy oil is gone.
This is one emergency we can't drill our way out of."
-- Billionaire oilman, T. Boone Pickens

Whether or not you believe that "peak oil" is a geologic reality, the economic reality is that this year alone we will buy $700 billion worth of oil from countries that, as Pickens puts it, "don't like us very much."

That's four times the annual cost of the Iraq war -- and roughly equal to the amount that was picked out of taxpayers' pockets in order to "bail out" Wall Street. Projected out over the next 10 years our tab for foreign oil will come to a staggering $10 TRILLION!

That's a gut-wrenching amount of money to just throw away -- especially when our economy is in such turmoil. And from the looks of it, things are only going to get worse.

In 1970, we imported 24% of our oil. Today it's nearly 70% -- and growing.

And although we represent a mere 4% of the world's population, we use nearly 25% of its oil.

The unfortunate truth is that we are hopelessly addicted to oil. And the readily available supply of that oil is coming into serious question...

The CEO of Total SA, one of the world's largest oil companies, recently confessed that the world can't increase oil output beyond current levels.
The Wall Street Journal reports that output from the world's existing oil fields is dropping about 4.5% per year and by up to 18% per year at some of the biggest oil fields in the North Sea, Alaska, and the Gulf of Mexico.
The New York Times reports that many of the world's top oil exporters may have to begin importing oil within a decade to keep up with rising energy demands inside their borders.
Of course, the Saudis claim they have plenty -- some 260 billion barrels in reserve. Yet they refuse to let outsiders audit their reserves or confirm these claims.

And even if they do have all that oil, you can bet they have only one motive: to get top dollar for it.

In fact, more than 75% of the world's oil supply is in the hands of state-owned oil companies who are worried only about their own bottom lines.

To make matters worse, population booms in places like India and China have caused demand to skyrocket -- putting an even bigger strain on this ever-diminishing supply.

Last year we saw just how quickly the price of oil and gasoline can spike -- and how much havoc this can wreak on our economy and our way of life.

The good news is that there now is a solution that is both feasible and profitable...

"Plans for the end of the fossil-fuel
economy are now being laid."
-- The Economist

20 years ago, wind energy was nothing more than a coffee-shop conversation between tree-huggers and hippies.

But since then, technologies have improved immensely... designs have become exponentially more efficient... and America's energy crisis has reached an urgent breaking point...

Meaning that wind energy has gone from something that we ought to pursue to something we absolutely must pursue.

Luckily for us, wind is now a viable -- and profitable -- way to wean ourselves off foreign oil. But don't take my word for it...

Researchers at Stanford University concluded that wind power can satisfy global energy demand 7 times over -- even if only 20% of available wind can be harvested.

Green Chip Review estimates, "By 2020, wind capacity in the United States will have grown 360%."

And the Department of Energy recently confirmed that up to 20% of America's electricity can come from wind by 2030 -- maybe even sooner.

When you consider that number currently stands at just 1%, you can begin to see why in-the-know investors are so excited right now...

The wind industry is about to explode 20-FOLD in the U.S. alone.

from the motley fool

India's top earning business czars - latest list

Indian businesses are growing globally as they are venturing into new lands and deals, so the CEO's , promoters of such indian companies need extravagant salaries (which are still less when compared to their business strategies) so here is the list of top 10 earners of indian companies :

Rank 1 - Anil D. Ambani (chairman of ADAG group) - with salary of over 30 crore per annum..cheers for Anil Ambani

Rank 2 - Malvinder Mohan Singh of RANBAXY with net yearly compensation of 24 crores

Rank 3 - Sunil Mittal (Chairman of Bharti Group) - with net yearly compensation of 23 crores

Rank 4 - Markhand Bhatt (Torrent Power) got a whopping 200 percent rise in salary at 15 crore per year

Rank 6 - Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan (of Housing development & Infrastructure HDIL)

Rank 7 - Dr Y K Hamied (CMD of CIPLA)

Rank 8 - M K Hamied (joint MD of CIPLA)

Rank 9 - Sajjan Jindal, Vice chairman & MD of JSW Steel was comfortably placed at 9th position

Rank 10 - Sarang Wadhawan (promoter and MD of HDIL)

Recession easing - Govt expecting rise in corporate tax

(posted under Corporate tax updates) - i was just surfing on net about the economic updates and one thing is sure that recession has almost dimnished but earlier the news about a double dip recession were prevelant , but as the exports have increased and inflation has moved upwards again after a four months dip so the government particularly finance ministry has become optimistic and have already predicted that there would be marginal increase in corporate tax for coming quarter as banking and automobile sector has performed exceptionally well.


The finance ministry expects corporate tax receipts at 2.57 trillion rupees in 2009/10. Corporate tax receipts were at 493.39 billion rupees during April-August. "We are expecting a marginal improvement in corporate advance tax payments this quarter. The finance ministry had revised upwards its direct tax receipts target to 4 trillion rupees from 3.7 trillion estimated in the July budget.

Economy of austerity - ministral spending to decrease for fiscal year 2011

(posted under - politics of austerity, finance ministry updates) - The Finance Ministry in the Budget Circular for 2010-11 said, "The estimates (RE 2009-10) must confirm to instructions, which stipulate a 10 per cent and five per cent cut in non-plan, non-salary expenditure and other economy measures."

For the next fiscal, the circular added, "It is necessary to review the existing expenditure budget to priorities the activities and schemes, both on the plan and non-plan side and identify those activities and schemes, which can be eliminated or reduced in size or merged with any other scheme."


As part of its economic drive, the Finance Ministry, earlier in the month, advised ministries and departments to cut by 10 per cent expenditure on travel, seminars, exhibitions and other office expenses. In case of other non- plan expenditure, the they were asked to reduce expenses by five per cent.

The austerity move also includes complete ban on holding conferences in five star hotels.

These measures were announced as the Centre faces increasing burden on its exchequer following economic downturn and drought.

"There was further need for economy and rationalisation of expenditure in view of the current fiscal situation and that arising out of insufficient rains in large parts of the country and consequent pressure on government resources," the Finance Ministry had said earlier this month.

The Budget circular asked all ministries and departments to ensure that all schemes that have been discontinued, do not find mention in revised estimates for 2009-10.

source - economictimes

Cheers - Advance tax collections increases by 20 percent

(posted under - Advance tax collection) - Mumbai accounts for almost 40 per cent of the country's total tax collection.

The growth is likely to come on the back of a higher collection from banking, oil and gas and auto sectors, an Income Tax source said.

"Banks, auto and oil and gas sectors have done well. In fact, some of the banks have exceeded our expectations," the source said.

India's premier bank, State Bank of India has shelled out Rs 1,838-crore as advance tax while the country's second-largest, ICICI Bank, has paid Rs 501-crore as advance tax for Q2, the source said.


Another private bank, Yes Bank, has paid Rs 58-crore rpt Rs 58-crore as against Rs 33-crore it paid as advance tax in Q2 of last fiscal.

Tata Group companies, Tata Steel and TCS also paid a higher advance tax in Q2 at Rs 400-crore and Rs 220-crore respectively, source said.

While Tata Steel paid Rs 230-crore as advance tax in Q2 of FY 09, TCS paid Rs 81-crore.

Indian Industrial output rises by 6.8 percent

(posted under - Industrial output, Economy of india) - Industrial output as measured by the index of industrial production (IIP) clocked an annual growth rate of 6.8% in July, making it the second consecutive month of buoyant industrial growth after a weak show that started last October, data released by the Central Statistical Organisation on Friday showed. The provisional IIP figure of 7.8% for June was revised upwards to 8.2%.

Analysts pointed out that a key reason behind the robust performance by the mining sector is Reliance’s KG basin facilities coming on stream during the first quarter of the current financial year. Within the manufacturing segment, the 8.8% growth in consumer goods, the highest in eight month, suggested that the domestic consumption story remains strong in India.

Inflation rises to -0.12 percent from -0.21 %

(posted under - Inflation updates) India's food prices jumped an annual 14.8 percent by end of August after a dry spell hurted crops, adding to concerns inflation could climb above the comfort zone of policy makers and herald an end to a soft monetary stance.

The widely-watched wholesale price index fell by a steeper-than-expected 0.12 percent in the 12 months to Aug. 29, its 13th successive fall, mainly due to statistical aberration caused by last year's high energy prices. The WPI figure compares with last week's 0.21 percent annual decline and a market forecast for a decline of 0.08 percent.

The food articles index accelerated to a 14.8 percent rise, from a year earlier, from 14.5 percent the previous week, as drought engulfed nearly half India's districts, hurting summer crops and forcing the government to intervene to bolster supplies and crack down on hoarding.

Finance minister says not to exceed borrowing target

India's government will not borrow more from the market than its budget target for 2009/10.

The government plans to borrow 4.51 trillion rupees ($93 billion) in the fiscal year to fund a fiscal deficit forecast at 6.8 percent of gross domestic product.

-economictimes

India to invest upto $10 bn in IMF

India is to invest up to $10 billion in the International Monetary Fund as part of a major thrust to wrest a greater say in the running of international financial institutions, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in recent BRIC countries meetings being held at london.

"India has decided to invest up to $10 bn of its reserves in notes issued by the IMF," Mukherjee said after a meeting of the finance ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) in London.

The Indian pledge is part of a total of $80 billion that the four BRIC countries will invest into the IMF in order to replenish its fund aimed at helping out countries that are struggling in the current financial crisis.

China will account for $50 billion of this amount, and the rest will be borne by India, Russia and Brazil.

In return, the BRIC countries want a greater say in the running of the IMF and other international financial institutions such as the World Bank, including a larger share of quotas and voting, said Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega.

Part of the BRIC meeting was joined by US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in a move that Mukherjee described as "an acknowledgement of the group's emergence as a key voice in global economic and financial issues".

Cheers - no service tax on goods transported through trains

The government has withdrawn a proposal to impose a 10 per cent service tax on goods transported by rail, to check price increases of products such as steel, cement and coal.

The revenue receipts of the state-run Indian railways, which opposed new tax proposal, have been adversely affected since September last year due to economic slowdown and decline in exports.

During April-July period, railways' receipts from transport of commodities rose by 4.77 per cent to 182.75 billion rupees as against Rs 174.42 billion during the corresponding period last year.

Indian Exports decline by 28.4 perc

(posted under - Indian exports news & updates) - Yet another sign of prevailing economic crises is that indian exports fell by a whopping 28.4 percent to just $13.62 billion. Imports also fell sharply, with both oil and non-oil imports registering a decline during the month compared with the year-ago period, according to government data released on Tuesday.

A sharp 37% decline in July imports to $19.62 billion resulted in a steep fall in the trade deficit to $6 billion during the month, compared with $12 billion in July 2008. The commerce department, however, is not taking it as a positive development.

FIEO expects the export sops extended in the FTP announced last week to start showing results by the beginning of next year.