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India charts strategy to soften 50% US tariff on exports, govt working overtime with stakeholders: CEA Anantha Nageswaran – The Times of India

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India charts strategy to soften 50% US tariff on exports, govt working overtime with stakeholders: CEA Anantha Nageswaran – The Times of India


Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Anantha Nageswaran on Saturday said the government, along with various stakeholders, is working overtime to cushion India’s export sector from the impact of the 25% additional tariff imposed by the United States, which has raised the overall duty to 50%.Speaking virtually at an event organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, he said crises, whether minor or major, often act as catalysts for action by the government, private sector and households, PTI reported. Since the US tariffs took effect on August 27, “conversations have been happening in the last three to four days” involving exporting bodies, promotion agencies and ministries, he added.The Ministry of Finance and other ministries are “working overtime” to frame a strategy that would provide both a “time cushion” and a “financial cushion” so affected sectors can “weather the present storm and also emerge stronger,” Nageswaran said. He also noted that a proposed agreement with the US, negotiated “in good faith” and nearly concluded, had been delayed due to “unexpected developments,” though not denied.The CEA also referred to India facing a penal tariff for buying Russian crude oil, which the Ministry of External Affairs has described as unreasonable. He expressed hope that the tariffs would be “short-lived” and that “an understanding of the importance of the larger dimensions of the India-US relationship will eventually prevail.”Highlighting “silver linings,” Nageswaran pointed out that India’s real GDP grew 7.8% year-on-year in Q1, while nominal GDP rose 8.8%, above private economists’ estimates. He attributed the lower nominal growth compared to earlier quarters to “good deflation,” driven by easing input costs such as crude oil and industrial metals, even as enterprises retained pricing power.The manufacturing sector’s Gross Value Added rose 10.1% in nominal terms and 7.7% in real terms, reflecting resilience. He said this underpins optimism that full-year nominal GDP growth will stay near the 10.1% assumed in the Union Budget.Nageswaran flagged that the “huge tax cut” for households with annual income up to Rs 26.7 lakh, announced in February, is already showing in higher advance tax payments. Further relief is expected through GST rationalisation and simplification.He also pointed to the new employment-linked incentive scheme, which rewards both employers and employees, calling it crucial to balance job creation with competitiveness in the AI era.On the global front, the CEA underlined India’s credit rating upgrade by Standard & Poor’s — the first in 30 years — and expressed confidence that Fitch may follow. He stressed that fiscal prudence, with the deficit brought down to 4.4% this year from 9.2% in 2021, has reduced borrowing costs and the private sector’s cost of capital by three percentage points over the last decade.Nageswaran said India is actively diversifying trade ties through FTAs with the UAE and UK, and ongoing talks with Oman and Bahrain, some of which could materialise before year-end. Calling the current situation an opportunity, he urged industry to diversify export markets, invest in R&D and product innovation, and improve practices to stay competitive.“Each one of us has an obligation to ourselves, society, our employees and our customers to use this opportunity to improve the way we do business and strive for innovation and excellence,” he said.He added that the government will double down on deregulation, ease of doing business and job creation while engaging with the US to resolve the tariff issue.





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‘The tide went out’: How a string of bad loans has bank investors hunting for hidden risks

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‘The tide went out’: How a string of bad loans has bank investors hunting for hidden risks


Big banks including JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs had just finished taking victory laps after a blockbuster quarter when concerns emerged from an obscure corner of Wall Street, sending a collective shiver through global finance.

Regional bank Zions late Wednesday disclosed a near total wipeout on $60 million in loans after finding “apparent misrepresentations” from the borrowers. The next day, peer Western Alliance said that it had sued the same borrower, a commercial real estate firm called the Cantor Group, for alleged fraud.

The result was a sudden and deep selloff among regional banks, drawing comparisons to the churn of the 2023 banking crisis that consumed Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic. This time around, investors are focused on a specific type of lending made by banks to non-depository financial institutions, or NDFIs, as the source of possible contagion.

“When you see one cockroach, there are probably more,” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said this week. “Everyone should be forewarned on this one.”

Concerns over credit quality had been simmering for weeks after the September collapse of two U.S. auto-related companies. JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, this week reported a $170 million loss tied to one of them, the subprime auto lender Tricolor.

But it wasn’t until a third case of alleged fraud around loans made to NDFIs that investors were jolted into fearing the worst, according to Truist banking analyst Brian Foran.

“You now have had three situations where there was alleged fraud” involving NDFIs, Foran said.

Dimon’s comments “really resonated with people who were like, ‘Oh, man, the tide went out a little bit, and now we’re seeing who was lacking their swim trunks,” Foran said.

Regional banks and credit concerns: Here's what to know

What are NDFIs?

The episode cast a spotlight on a fast-growing category of loans made by regional banks and global investment banks alike. Rules put into place after the 2008 financial crisis discouraged regulated banks from making many types of loans, from mortgages to subprime auto, leading to the rise of thousands of non-bank lenders.

Moving riskier activities outside of the regulated bank perimeter, where failures are backstopped by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, seemed like a good move.

But it turns out, banks are a major source of funding for non-bank lenders: commercial loans to NDFIs reached $1.14 trillion as of March, per the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Bank loans made to non-bank financial firms were the single fastest-growing category, rising 26% annually since 2012, according to the St. Louis Fed.

“The surge in NDFI lending was really because all these different regulations added up to say there are a bunch of loans banks can’t do anymore, but if they lend to someone else who does them, that’s OK,” Foran said.

“We really don’t know much about these NDFI books,” Foran said. “People are saying, ‘I didn’t know it was so easy for a bank to think they had $50 million in collateral and find out they had zero.'”

‘Overreaction’ or early?

Part of what’s spooking investors is that, while some of the loan losses disclosed by regional banks have been relatively small, they’ve been near total wipeouts, said KBW bank analyst Catherine Mealor.

“NDFI lending, because of the collateral involved, typically has a higher loss rate, and the losses can come very quickly and out of nowhere,” Mealor said. “It’s really hard to wrap your mind around these risks.”

Mealor said investors have been inundating her with questions around the level of NDFI exposures in her coverage universe, the analyst said. Firms including Western Alliance and Axos Financial are among those with the highest proportion of NDFI loans, according to an August research note from Janney Montgomery.

Still, regional banks are benefitting from an improving interest rate environment and rising mergers activity, which underpin valuations, Mealor said, adding she thinks this week’s stock selloff was an “overreaction.”

“You want to avoid companies that show up high in the screen for NDFI loans,” she said. “There are plenty of high-quality companies in the KRX that are trading at a massive discount.”



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Gold price rally impact: India’s gold reserves cross $100 billion for the first time; share in forex reserves highest since 1996-97 – The Times of India

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Gold price rally impact: India’s gold reserves cross 0 billion for the first time; share in forex reserves highest since 1996-97 – The Times of India


The proportion of gold within India’s foreign exchange reserves has seen a significant rise in the last ten years. (AI image)

Gold’s record rally has helped India’s gold reserves value cross the $100 billion mark for the first time ever. The Reserve Bank of India‘s (RBI) latest foreign exchange reserves data reveals that India’s gold reserves have exceeded $100 billion for the first time, primarily due to rising global prices, despite a significant reduction in the central bank’s acquisitions this year.According to RBI data released on October 10, India’s gold holdings increased by $3.595 billion to reach $102.365 billion, whilst the total foreign exchange reserves decreased by $2.18 billion to $697.784 billion.

India’s Gold Reserves – Top Facts

According to a Reuters report, traders indicate that gold now constitutes 14.7% of India’s total foreign exchange reserves, reaching its highest proportion since 1996-97.The proportion of gold within India’s foreign exchange reserves has seen a significant rise in the last ten years, climbing from under 7% to approximately 15%. This increase reflects both the RBI’s systematic gold acquisition and substantial increases in worldwide gold prices.This development has resulted in the value of India’s gold reserves reaching the $100 billion mark, despite the RBI notably reducing its gold acquisitions this year.According to World Gold Council statistics, the RBI’s gold purchases in 2025 were limited to four months out of the first nine months, which differs from 2024 when the central bank bought gold almost every month.The total gold procurement from January through September amounted to merely 4 tonnes – a substantial decrease from the 50 tonnes acquired during the corresponding period in the previous year.As gold prices experience substantial growth, its proportion within India’s foreign exchange reserves has shown notable expansion, primarily due to valuation benefits, according to Kavita Chacko, who heads research for India at the World Gold Council.The precious metal has witnessed an impressive increase of approximately 65% in 2025, influenced by a combination of economic factors, institutional behaviour and market sentiment.International central banks persist in building their gold holdings to diversify reserves beyond the US dollar, particularly in response to growing geopolitical uncertainties, sanctions-related challenges and efforts to reduce dollar dependency.





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Apple and F1 reach 5-year media deal, bringing all races to Apple TV streaming in the U.S.

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Apple and F1 reach 5-year media deal, bringing all races to Apple TV streaming in the U.S.


Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 leads Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari SF-24 and Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes into turn 1 at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Peter Fox – Formula 1 | Formula 1 | Getty Images

Apple and Formula 1 announced a five-year media rights deal Friday that will bring every F1 race to Apple TV beginning in 2026.

Apple TV will provide coverage of all Formula 1 events, including practice, qualifying and Sprint sessions, as part of the streamer’s existing $12.99 per month subscription, which comes ad-free. Certain F1 races and all practice sessions will also be available for free in the Apple TV app throughout the season, the companies said in a statement.

It’s a different structure from Apple’s partnership with Major League Soccer. Apple TV similarly has exclusive rights to every MLS game, but at an extra cost through the MLS Season Pass.

Apple is paying about $140 million per year for the racing rights, according to people familiar with the matter. Disney’s ESPN is the incumbent media partner for the league and had been paying about $85 million per year on average, according to people familiar with that deal, who asked not to speak publicly because the details are private.

Representatives for ESPN said in a statement that the network is “incredibly proud of what we and Formula 1 accomplished together in the United States and look forward to a strong finish in this final season. We wish F1 well in the future.”

F1 TV Premium, the league’s own content offering that’s popular with racing fans, will continue to be available in the U.S. but will now require an Apple TV subscription. Once a customer subscribes to Apple TV, F1 TV Premium will be included in their Apple subscription rather than as a stand-alone offering.

F1 on Apple TV will feature commentary from F1 TV and Sky broadcast announcers.

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Apple is dipping its toe into live sports but only in instances where it can acquire rights such that it can control the user experience, Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue told CNBC this week. Apple plans to announced additional production details and product enhancements for F1 fans in the coming months, the company said in a statement.

“We don’t have to do sports the way that they are,” Cue said at Motorsport Network’s Autosport Business Exchange NYC. “There’s plenty of people doing that, so the world doesn’t need us to do that. And so our view around it is, if we can do something unique, then we’ll do it.”

The deal builds on Apple’s relationship with F1 following “F1: The Movie,” starring Brad Pitt, which became the highest-grossing sports movie of all time at the box office this year, according to Cue.

“This is an incredibly exciting partnership for Apple and the whole of Formula 1 that will ensure we can continue to maximize our growth potential in the U.S.,” said Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1’s president and CEO, in a statement.

Disclosures: CNBC is a sponsor of the McLaren Formula 1 racing team. Comcast owns CNBC’s parent NBCUniversal and Sky. Versant would become the new parent company of CNBC upon Comcast’s planned spinoff of Versant.



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