Business
Fed holds rates steady, flags rising risks of inflation and unemployment
Economic picture
With unemployment still low and demand steady, Fed officials have said they are comfortable keeping rates unchanged until they have a better understanding of where the economy is headed. Trump, however, has repeatedly said the central bank should lower borrowing costs.Trump, meanwhile, has ramped up his criticism of Powell in recent weeks. At one point, Trump said in a social media post that “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!” Federal Reserve officials held interest rates steady for a third-straight meeting and emphasised they see a growing risk of both higher inflation and rising unemployment.Companies scrambled in the first quarter to import merchandise ahead of the tariffs, and a surge in consumer spending in March suggested households also sought to frontload purchases. Key inflation gauges cooled in the month.Chair Jerome Powell will hold a press conference with reporters at 2:30 p.m. in Washington.Powell and his colleagues are determined to keep tariffs from sparking a persistent rise in inflation, and several officials have signaled they would not support lowering interest rates preemptively to protect against a slowing economy.The S&P 500 index of US stocks and Treasury yields fell following the announcement, while the dollar pared gains.“Uncertainty about the economic outlook has increased further,” the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement Wednesday at the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Washington. “The committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that the risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen.”
Published on May 8, 2025
Economic picture
The central bank announced Tuesday that Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid would miss the May meeting due to the recent death of his wife. Kansas City was represented by First Vice President Kim Robbins. Schmid’s vote passed to alternate member Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Fed.“Although swings in net exports have affected the data, recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace,” the statement said.President Donald Trump‘s trade policy has unleashed a wave of uncertainty across the economy. While the levies are still being negotiated, economists widely expect the expansive tariffs to boost inflation and weigh on growth. That would pit policymakers’ two goals – price stability and maximum employment – against one another.Trump, meanwhile, has ramped up his criticism of Powell in recent weeks. At one point, Trump said in a social media post that “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!” Companies scrambled in the first quarter to import merchandise ahead of the tariffs, and a surge in consumer spending in March suggested households also sought to frontload purchases. Key inflation gauges cooled in the month.Officials voted unanimously to keep the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 4.25 per cent to 4.5 per cent, where it has been since December.
Economists say it will take time for the full effect of the new tariffs to work through the economy. So far, the impact has mainly included a sharp decline in sentiment and a surge in imports. The US economy contracted at the start of the year for the first time since 2022, but a gauge of underlying demand stayed firm.The S&P 500 index of US stocks and Treasury yields fell following the announcement, while the dollar pared gains.But the president has since insisted that he does not intend to fire Powell.
Business
United Spirits Q4 PAT rises 17% to ₹451 cr for Q4FY25

For the full year FY25, it reported a PAT of ₹1,158 crore, up from last fiscal’s ₹1,312 crore.


Published on May 20, 2025
Business
DLF Q4 net profit rises 37% to ₹1,268 cr; FY25 profit surges 59%

“The Board has recommended a dividend of ₹6 per share for shareholders’ approval. This payout would signify a year-on-year growth of 20% in the dividend compared to the previous year,” the company said in a statement.For the full year, the company’s net profit stood at ₹4,357 crore, up 59 per cent y-o-y; while revenues (consolidated) stood at Rs 8996 crore. Revenue was driven by new sales bookings of ₹21,223 crore, up 44 per cent y-o-y.Published on May 19, 2025 The company generated a net cash surplus of ₹5,302 crore during the fiscal year, and its net cash position improved to ₹6,848 crore for FY25.


DLF’s annuity business, DLF Cyber City Developers Limited (DCCDL), stood at ₹6,448 crore; EBITDA stood at ₹4,949 crore, reflecting a y-o-y growth of 11%; consolidated profit for the year stood at ₹2,461 crore, a y-o-y growth of 46%.Published on May 19, 2025 The company generated a net cash surplus of ₹5,302 crore during the fiscal year, and its net cash position improved to ₹6,848 crore for FY25.“The Board has recommended a dividend of ₹6 per share for shareholders’ approval. This payout would signify a year-on-year growth of 20% in the dividend compared to the previous year,” the company said in a statement.For the full year, the company’s net profit stood at ₹4,357 crore, up 59 per cent y-o-y; while revenues (consolidated) stood at Rs 8996 crore. Revenue was driven by new sales bookings of ₹21,223 crore, up 44 per cent y-o-y.The other big-ticket launch, DLF Privana West, witnessed a complete sellout within a few days of the soft launch, clocking approximately ₹5,600 crore of new sales bookings.“The Dahlias, received encouraging demand and generated ₹13,744 crore in new sales bookings during the fiscal. This has resulted in the monetization of approximately 39 percent of the estimated total sales potential of this project within the first year of its launch,” the company said in a statement. The country’s largest realtor, DLF, reported a net profit of ₹1,268 crore, up 37 per cent y-o-y, for the quarter ending March 31, 2025. Revenue (consolidated) for the period stood at ₹3,348 crore.
Business
Editorial. Pressure tactics

Since April 8, when President Trump slapped his reciprocal tariffs on 57 countries with a 90-day deadline for them to take effect, his administration has gone overboard in ramping up the pressure on India. The gambit here is crudely simple — to force India to ink a deal in these 90 days, before July 8, in order to escape the 26 per cent tariffs that are expected to kick in after that. The same trick is being played out with the rest of the world as well, forcing quite a few countries to line up for talks with the US. In India’s case, Trump and his colleagues have cynically generated a lot of confusion. India has maintained a studied silence in the face of zero tariff claims. Its reticence was perhaps aimed at ensuring that the talks proceeded in good faith. But US’ actions have marred the process. Trump has proposed a ‘big beautiful Bill’ that may ‘tax’ 5 per cent of billion NRI remittance outflows. India should be circumspect in the face of pressure, without allowing the US to set the pace in the talks. A bad deal cobbled in haste is far worse than none at all. Meanwhile, India sent out another sharp message that it will look out for its interests. In a throwback to Trump 1.0, India has proposed retaliatory action on US’ tariffs on steel and aluminium. However, it needs to work out a plan with respect to other areas as well. At the outset, it should be clear that the US’ interests in India go beyond trade per se to persuading India to alter its regulatory systems with respect to GM food, e-commerce, big tech, pharma and other high tech sectors. It is also keen on access to India’s food (maize and soyabean) and dairy sector, besides selling defence equipment and oil. India has enough in its toolkit to squeeze a deal that does not hurt its interests. A levy on e-commerce monopolies, a cap on royalty payments, applying data localisation rules and compulsory licensing of patented drugs can be used to ward off an adverse outcome.


There is scope to bring down tariffs in products which are zero-rated with other FTAs. A deal that brings down tariffs on India’s goods to 10 per cent is possible without much sacrifice. But Trump’s bluff and bluster must be called out, whether it is over trade or matters of national security, even as we keep our ties with US on an even keel. Meanwhile, India sent out another sharp message that it will look out for its interests. In a throwback to Trump 1.0, India has proposed retaliatory action on US’ tariffs on steel and aluminium. However, it needs to work out a plan with respect to other areas as well. At the outset, it should be clear that the US’ interests in India go beyond trade per se to persuading India to alter its regulatory systems with respect to GM food, e-commerce, big tech, pharma and other high tech sectors. It is also keen on access to India’s food (maize and soyabean) and dairy sector, besides selling defence equipment and oil. India has enough in its toolkit to squeeze a deal that does not hurt its interests. A levy on e-commerce monopolies, a cap on royalty payments, applying data localisation rules and compulsory licensing of patented drugs can be used to ward off an adverse outcome. In a move that perhaps marks a shift in the way India is approaching trade talks with the US, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has firmly refuted the US’ claim, made repeatedly in recent weeks, that India has agreed to nil tariffs on US imports. Jaishankar’s statement last week tersely and firmly clarifies that trade talks are in progress, and ‘nothing is decided until everything is decided’. India has cleared the air, and it was high time that it did so. It coincides with the upcoming trade talks between the two countries this week; Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal is in the US with his team of negotiators.
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