Inflation rises
New Delhi: The wholesale price index-based inflation rose 5.43 per cent during the week ended December 16, more than the previous week's annual rise of 5.32 per cent. The rise was mainly due to a rise in manufactured products prices, Government data showed on Friday.

The Wholesale Prices Index (base 1993-94), on which the data is based, rose 0.05 per cent to 207.8 points for the week ended December 16, from 207.7 points in the previous week. The annual inflation rate was 4.62 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year. During the week under review, the Primary Articles' group was marginally down by 0.1 per cent at 211.8 points. The Manufactured Products' group was up 0.2 per cent at 180.8 points while the fuel, power, light and lubricants' group was unchanged at the previous week's level of 322.6 points.

Among the Primary Articles' group, the prices of bajra increased by three per cent, while barley, wheat, arhar and jowar rose by one per cent each.

Cereals rose by 0.6 per cent, while pulses rose by 0.2 per cent.

Other items of daily consumption such as fruits and vegetables and eggs became cheaper by two per cent each.

Prices of rapeseed and mustard seed moved up by one per cent, while soyabean and raw silk declined by two per cent and one per cent, respectively.

Among Manufactured Products' group, food products such as salt, gur and black tea leaf became costlier. While unblended black tea leaf rose by 23 per cent, salt became more expensive by three per cent and gur by one per cent. However, prices of processed tea declined by eight per cent, rapeseed oil and mustard oil, sugar, imported edible oil rice bran oil and gingelly oil declined by one per cent each.
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Current account deficit doubles to $6.92bn
Mumbai: The country's current account deficit almost doubled to $6.928 billion in the quarter ended September 30 as compared to $3.578 billion in the corresponding quarter of last year mainly due to oil imports. This was compensated by a marginal increase in capital account to $9.196 billion against $8.834 billion. Net capital inflows largely include foreign direct investments, foreign institutional investors and NRI deposits. India's balance of payments had a surplus of $2.27 billion for the second quarter this fiscal against $5.26 billion surplus in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

Trade deficit for the quarter also jumped to $17.933 billion against $13.160 billion with import growth outstripping exports.

While oil imports rose by 31 per cent in July-September, 2006 (56.1 per cent in July-September, 2005), non-oil imports moved up by 13.9 per cent (43.1 per cent) mainly due to decline in imports of export-related items and gold and silver, said the RBI's release on India's Balance of Payments for the second quarter (July-September, 2006) of 2006-07.
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