Oil prices are nearly 40% lower than they were in June 2022, when fuel prices were effectively frozen; yet, consumers have not benefited from this decrease.
Petrol & diesel prices have barely changed since June 2022, even though oil prices have fallen 28% since then. This has boosted profitability of OMCs and dividend payouts to govt.
Rising oil prices and muted second quarter financial performance of key IT sector companies are other sources of potential volatility for Indian markets.
Brent crude futures & US West Texas Intermediate crude futures both rose 0.6% a barrel. Both benchmarks fell more than 2% Monday as diplomatic efforts in Middle East intensified.
Development leads to hopes that the Israeli-Palestinian crisis could de-escalate without engulfing the rest of the Middle East region and disrupting oil supplies.
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, including Russia, shook markets by announcing output cuts of about 1.16 million barrels/day on Sunday.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Sunday that US, Europe and China are all slowing down simultaneously, making 2023 tougher than 2022 for the global economy.
In 2022, athletes claimed they were asked to wind up training early at Thyagraj Stadium so that the IAS couple could walk their dog. Then came the memes and public outrage.
Instead of buying more Mirages outright in early 2000s, the requirement was tweaked in favour of a medium-weight, multi-role fighter with Mirage-like performance.
Pakistan not only has zero chance of catching up with India in most areas, but will inevitably see the gap rising. Its leaders will offer its people the same snake oil in different bottles.
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