Desert storm may last long.

The Dubai crisis could have major ramifications similar to the global credit turmoil last year. - Markets at a glance - Dubai crisis not to impact Emirates: report - Dubai World mulls 4 options for repaying debt - "Dubai Central Bank plans steps to limit impact on banking" - Dubai crisis: Making mountain out of molehill? - "No job losses, exodus due to Dubai crisis" The debt crisis triggered by the Dubai government"s request for deferment of its debt led to a 645 point intra drop of the BSE Sensex on Friday. The benchmark, however, rebounded later which led many to think that the markets might have over reacted to the development. But, that, if experts are to be believed, doesn"t seem to be the case. On the contrary, analysts say that there could more pain in the days to come. Also, the event shows that the global credit crisis, which was thought to have blown over, may still have some legs.

Insurers asked to disclose key financial info from April.

To safeguard the interest of policyholders and ensure transparency, the sectoral regulator the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) today came out with public disclosures norms for insurers and has asked them to follow it from the next fiscal. - SBI Life: Catch "em young - HLCC to step into Irda, Sebi tiff over Ulips - Life Insurers" new premium up 75% in Dec - Insurance fee may be cut in phases - Star Allied may rope in ally to shore up capital base - IIFCL takeout financing scheme in a month The move comes ahead of several insurers are about to complete a decade of their operations, after which they are allowed to tap capital markets.

Insurance fee may be cut in phases.

The high level coordination committee (HLCC) on financial markets, which consists of financial sector regulators, is likely to opt for a phased reduction in the commission paid to insurance agents. - Irda mulls Fee cap on traditional policies - Monetary policy has limited role: Govt - Revenue, transport secys in race for PFRDA top job - Panel for doing away with insurance commission - Insurance agents oppose elimination of commission - Regulators to mull structure for financial panel in Nov When the panel meets next, probably after the Budget, it is expected to take up the report submitted by a committee headed by former pension regulator D Swarup, which has recommended a no-load structure for all retail financial products from April 2011. Since mutual funds and the new pension scheme have already moved to a zero-load structure, only the insurance industry will be affected.

Potato, onion push food inflation to 13.68%.

Higher prices of staple vegetables such as onion and potato pushed food inflation higher to 13.68 per cent in the last week of October. - India Eco Summit: "Food inflation to ease by fiscal-end" - Food inflation up; new index next week - Counter-productive controls - Delhi govt likely to implement Child Protection Scheme - Dealing with food inflation - Govt will use its might to contain food inflation: PM On an annual basis, prices of potato have doubled during the one-year period ended October 31, 2009, while onions were expensive by 42.58 per cent. High food prices also pushed up inflation of primary articles (items that are not processed) by 9.16 per cent. Pulses were also dearer by 22.73 per cent. The government will release the monthly data on wholesale prices-based inflation, which would reflect price movement in manufacturing, on November 14. According to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahulwalia: “Food price inflation by the end of the current financial year would be significantly lower than what it is right now.”


News of the day
Disinvestment, the buzzword
Disinvestment is a buzzword now. Economic Survey 2009 indicates that the central government would mobilise Rs 25,000 crore from disinvestment of its holdings in state-owned enterprises (or public sector enterprises). The target is abysmally low (at Rs 1,120 crore) in the budget 2009-10 presented by the Finance Minister. We may assume that the target is Rs 25,000 crore for the year 2009-10. The government is committed to disinvestment, although some of its coalition partners and trade unions are against it. There-fore, although there is no debate on the issue within the lead coalition partner, there are some questions that remain unanswered.
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