Economy
TSX rises 0.2% to 18,422.24
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* The Toronto Stock Exchange’s TSX rises 0.20 percent to 18,422.24
* Leading the index were Vermilion Energy Inc <VET.TO>, up 13.7%, New Gold Inc, up 12.5%, and MEG Energy Corp, higher by 12.4%.
* Lagging shares were Ballard Power Systems Inc, down 6.3%, Trillium Therapeutics Inc, down 5.0%, and Cronos Group Inc, lower by 4.7%.
* On the TSX 105 issues rose and 108 fell as a 1-to-1 ratio favored decliners. There were 17 new highs and no new lows, with total volume of 220.7 million shares.
* The most heavily traded shares by volume were Suncor Energy Inc, Cenovus Energy Inc and Air Canada.
* The TSX’s energy group rose 5.43 points, or 5.1%, while the financials sector climbed 1.71 points, or 0.5%.
* West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 4.14%, or $2.45, to $61.69 a barrel. Brent crude rose 3.69%, or $2.32, to $65.23 [O/R]
* The TSX is up 5.7% for the year.
NEW DELHI — India’s economy expanded by a weaker-than-expected 0.4% in the October-December quarter, which still allowed it to escape recession following large contractions in the two previous quarters during the coronavirus pandemic, the government said Friday.
The National Statistical Office projected an 8% contraction for the 2020-21 financial year, which ends in March. In January, it had projected a contraction of 7.7% for the fiscal year, following 4% growth in 2019-20.
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It said fertilizer production rose by 2.7% in January, steel by 2.6% and electricity generation by 5.1%. Coal production declined by 1.8%, crude oil by 4.8% and natural gas by 2%, it said in a statement.
India’s economy contracted by 7.5% in the July-September quarter following a record plunge of 23.9% in the previous three months. The government had imposed a strict two-month lockdown across the country in March after the outbreak of the pandemic.
A country enters a technical recession if its economy contracts in two successive quarters. India’s recovery is expected to improve with a rise in consumer demand and investment.
India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, is projecting gross domestic product growth of 10.5% in financial year 2021-22. The International Monetary Fund has projected 11.5% growth in calendar 2021.
The IMF estimated that the Indian economy contracted 8% in 2020.
(Bloomberg) — The European Union’s fiscal rules should be adapted to allow for more spending to boost growth as countries struggle to pull their economies out of pandemic-induced recessions, according to the bloc’s top economic official.
EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, speaking at the European Fiscal Board’s annual conference on Friday, reiterated calls to withdraw public support very gradually in order to avoid a sharp rise in insolvencies. But he added that reducing debt loads will remain warranted once the crisis has passed.
The euro-area economy contracted by 6.8% last year and the European Commission forecasts growth of 3.8% for this year, with predictions hinging on virus containment measures starting to be eased toward the end of the second quarter. The bloc is beginning to discuss how they can start shifting from blanket support measures for their business and workers to more targeted ones.
“Given the context of a very deep, uneven recession and high uncertainty, I believe it would be wiser to err on the side of doing more, not less,” Gentiloni said on Friday. “With the previous crisis we saw how costly it was to turn off the taps too soon.”
Changing the Rulebook
The bloc’s fiscal rules were suspended when the coronavirus hit, and few believe they can ever return in the same form. They require countries to aim for budget deficits of less than 3% and debt burdens below 60% of gross domestic product. The commission expects those figures to be more than 6% and 100% for the euro area this year.
The rules were already set to be rewritten before the pandemic started, as they were frequently breached and there was little evidence they were contributing to either stability or growth. Officials say talks will likely resume in the second half of this year.
The new framework should include a special treatment for growth-enhancing expenditure, Gentiloni said, arguing that the composition of debt — and whether it includes spending on key areas such as infrastructure and education — should matter when assessing its sustainability.
“Our fiscal rules should be adapted to improve the composition of public finances and make sure that any new debt is good debt,” he said.
Still, reducing debt loads is likely to remain central to any new framework. While overly strict rules could lead to a “self-defeating adjustment,” Gentiloni said a “credible mechanism to steer debt onto a gradual and steady downward trajectory remains warranted.”
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
NEW DELHI — India’s economy expanded by a weaker-than-expected 0.4% in the October-December quarter, which still allowed it to escape recession following large contractions in the two previous quarters during the coronavirus pandemic, the government said Friday.
The National Statistical Office projected an 8% contraction for the 2020-21 financial year, which ends in March. In January, it had projected a contraction of 7.7% for the fiscal year, following 4% growth in 2019-20.
It said fertilizer production rose by 2.7% in January, steel by 2.6% and electricity generation by 5.1%. Coal production declined by 1.8%, crude oil by 4.8% and natural gas by 2%, it said in a statement.
India’s economy contracted by 7.5% in the July-September quarter following a record plunge of 23.9% in the previous three months. The government had imposed a strict two-month lockdown across the country in March after the outbreak of the pandemic.
A country enters a technical recession if its economy contracts in two successive quarters. India’s recovery is expected to improve with a rise in consumer demand and investment.
India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, is projecting gross domestic product growth of 10.5% in financial year 2021-22. The International Monetary Fund has projected 11.5% growth in calendar 2021.
The IMF estimated that the Indian economy contracted 8% in 2020.
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