Representative image Millions of salaried employees will not be required to wait till the end of 2022 to get their FY22 PF interest credited to their account as the employees’ provident fund organisation (EPFO) is expected to complete the process well in advance. This is largely due to two factors. First, the 8.1% interest rate for FY22 is the lowest in 43 years, and hence unlikely to face scrutiny from the finance ministry. Secondly, crediting interest rate of 8.1% earlier will benefit EPFO’s financial health as the outgo will be less during PF claim settlements, at least two government officials said requesting anonymity. EPFO under the labour ministry may disburse the interest rate ahead of Dusshera-Diwali festive season, one of the two officials cited above said. “I don’t think the finance ministry will have much of a problem in giving formal approval to 8.1% interest rate. Expect the credit of interest pay-out happening earlier this year,” said one of the officials. … [Read more...] about Exclusive | EPFO interest rate credit likely to happen earlier than previous years
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In a post-‘Roe’ world, abortion pills won’t be enough
Christie Pitney is a certified nurse midwife who was working at a federally funded health center in California’s Central Valley when the pandemic struck. In those early months, several of her patients struggled to get abortions. Under normal circumstances, the closest abortion clinic is 45 minutes away, but during the pandemic, clinics around the country suffered staff shortages and canceled services. Patients were having trouble getting to clinics even when they were open. advertisement advertisement This is part of a series of articles on the business case for abortion access. See the full package here. “My patients and the population in that area, they don’t have reliable transportation. They are working six to seven days a week,” she says. “They have childcare needs and don’t have reliable income. Most of them are either working in a packing house or in the fields.” And that’s in California, one of the most accessible states to get an … [Read more...] about In a post-‘Roe’ world, abortion pills won’t be enough
New Development Bank seeks to co-finance trade infrastructure projects with India Exim Bank
Representative Image| A hydropower plant being constructed along the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal. Image by Jonas Gratzer for Mongabay. The New Development Bank (NDB) has reached out to India Exim Bank with an offer to co-finance trade infrastructure across the world. While India remains a stakeholder in the multilateral NDB, any prospective partnership will mark the first time that it partners with China, considered to be a major global rival in all forms of multilateral finance, including export credit, and project exports in particular. "I invite India Exim Bank to identify some priority projects, in trade enabled infrastructure, which involves both the elements of physical infrastructure as well as of technology," NDB President Marcos Prado Troyjo said. Troyjo was virtually attending a summit on project exports organized by India Exim Bank on May 5. Formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, the multilateral development bank was established by five nations … [Read more...] about New Development Bank seeks to co-finance trade infrastructure projects with India Exim Bank
Rupiah nears breach of support with palm oil ban hurting trade
- A + A (May 16): The rupiah risks weakening to its lowest level in almost two years as Indonesia’s ban on palm oil exports adds to headwinds from interest rate hikes in the US. The currency fell to a one-year low last week, despite an assurance from the central bank that it would stabilize the currency. Technical support at its April 2021 low is now in danger and a breach of this level would pave the way for a decline to its September 2020 low. Investors are watching for further export restrictions and rising demand for the dollar, said Divya Devesh, head of Asean and South-Asia FX research at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore. He sees the rupiah depreciating to 14,800 to the greenback by the end of June, from 14,613 on Friday. Palm oil accounted for 1.5% of Indonesia’s gross domestic product in 2021 and the prohibition on shipments could cut US$2 billion from the nation’s exports for each month it stays in place, according to estimates from Goldman Sachs … [Read more...] about Rupiah nears breach of support with palm oil ban hurting trade
Franklin Templeton is here to stay in India, we are hiring and getting ready to launch new funds: Sanjay Sapre
Sanjay Sapre is the current President of Franklin Templeton India. His term ends in July 2022. Late evening on April 23, 2020, Sanjay Sapre , president of Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Ltd, made probably, one of the most awkward public announcements in his life—that of winding up six of the fund house’s marquee debt funds. These were all open-ended debt funds and weren’t meant to be shut down. Franklin Templeton believed that by winding up the schemes, it would buy the fund house time to sell its illiquid securities once market conditions improved. At the time, the COVID-19 global pandemic was declared, equity markets had fallen sharply and the debt market had frozen. Debt fund investors rushed to take their money out and fund houses everywhere saw redemptions. Franklin Templeton India was the worst affected because it had been running a high-yield strategy across six of its debt schemes, totaling assets worth Rs 25,215 crore as of April 23, 2020. Its … [Read more...] about Franklin Templeton is here to stay in India, we are hiring and getting ready to launch new funds: Sanjay Sapre
No clear frontrunner for 2015 Golden Globes
THIS may be the final year for Tina Fey (left) and Amy Poehler as hosts of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual party. LOS ANGELES—Will Eddie Redmayne and Michael Keaton win their first Golden Globes? Will Julianne Moore and Emily Blunt snag their second? Will Meryl Streep win her ninth? These are among the exciting questions that will be answered when the 72nd Golden Globe Awards goes underway at the Beverly Hilton Sunday evening (Monday morning, Manila time). In an awards season where there are no clear front-runners, the Golden Globe Awards, regarded as Hollywood’s party of the year, will be anything but predictable. Millions of viewers around the world are expected to watch the televised show hosted again by the winning pair, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. This may be the final year for Fey and Poehler as hosts of the annual event in which the Hollywood Foreign Press Association honors excellence in film and television. At press time, presenters in the star-studded … [Read more...] about No clear frontrunner for 2015 Golden Globes
Stocks Mixed as Retail Sales Drop Most in 10 Months
U.S. stocks again started the day mixed after a report said that U.S. retail and food services fell more than expected last month. Investors are also digesting a slew of quarterly earnings reports from banks, as JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( JPM ) and Citigroup Inc. ( C ) recorded income declines, while Wells Fargo & Company ( WFC ) said that profit jumped. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the S&P 500 are poised to finish the week lower, while the Nasdaq may end up higher for the week. All three major indexes finished lower yesterday. Key Takeaways Stocks are mixed again this morning, with the Nasdaq gaining and the Dow and S&P 500 falling. Retail and food sales sank 1.9% in December, marking the biggest drop in 10 months. JPMorgan and Citigroup reported falling quarterly profit, while Wells Fargo reported fourth quarter profit that beat analysts' forecasts. The University of Michigan will release its Consumer Sentiment Index for … [Read more...] about Stocks Mixed as Retail Sales Drop Most in 10 Months