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Record gold price reflects deeper problem than recent global instability

Birmingham (UK), Feb 1 (The Conversation) The price of gold has risen to over US$5,000 (£3,662) an ounce for the first time ever, after doubling in value over the course of a very strong 2025 for the precious metal. The usual explanation for such strong rises is that gold is considered a safe bet for investors when other options look a little shaky. High inflation for example, when cash quickly loses value, is often linked to gold price rises. Trade wars and actual wars usually have a similar effect. A common view then, is that gold performs well in moments

India budget walks tightrope between revenue strain, spending needs

MUMBAI, Feb 1 (Reuters) – India’s federal government kept a tight leash on spending in its annual budget for 2026-27, as income and consumption tax cuts announced in the past year weighed on revenues. The government will target a debt-to-GDP ratio of 55.6% for 2026-27, resulting in a fiscal deficit of 4.3% of GDP, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday in a budget that sought to strengthen the manufacturing sector amid a volatile global environment. The modest fiscal consolidation will support economic growth, but hurt bond markets because of large borrowings from the federal government. TAX CUTS PRESSURE REVENUE

STT hike on Futures dampen stock market sentiment; Sensex, Nifty crash nearly 2 pc

Mumbai, Feb 1 (PTI) Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty dived sharply by nearly 2 per cent on Sunday after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed a hike in the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on derivatives. Reversing the early gains, the 30-share BSE Sensex plunged sharply by 2,370.36 points or 2.88 per cent to slide below the 80,000-mark at 79,899.42 in afternoon trade as the finance minister announced a hike in STT on futures contracts to 0.05 per cent from the current 0.02 per cent. The barometer settled at 80,722.94, down 1,546.84 points or 1.88 per cent. The 50-share NSE Nifty

‘Seems to have missed the ball’: Tharoor’s cricketing analogy to slam Budget

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday used a cricketing analogy to express his disappointment with the Union Budget, saying Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman “seems to have missed the ball”. In an interview with PTI at the news agency’s headquarters, Tharoor said Sitharaman’s Budget speech seemed to have “lots of subheadings but very few specifics”, and was “completely short” of an overall vision. As a Kerala MP, Tharoor said, he had nothing to be happy about in this Budget. Tharoor asserted that the biggest unanswered question remains jobs, noting that there was little in the

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