The gains in Mainland China share market were driven by reports that top US and Chinese trade representatives discussed their Phase 1 trade deal earlier in the day, with China saying it would work with Washington to improve the atmosphere for implementing the Phase 1 trade deal signed this year. The officials also agreed to "strengthen cooperation on macro economy and public health."

Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways Shri Piyush Goyal held discussions with the Export Promotion Councils(EPCs) of the country. He called upon the Exporters to identify their strengths, potentials and competitive advantages in specific sectors, and focus on harnessing them in the world markets. Goyal said that in the post-Covid era, there is going to be perceptible change in the global supply-chains, and Indian industrialists and exporters should be looking to capture significant share in the world trade. He assured them that the Government will be a pro-active supporter and facilitator in their efforts, and the Indian Missions abroad can play an important role in that. The Minister said that Incentives can be given, but they have to be justified, reasonable, and WTO-compliant.

As per provisional closing, the barometer S&P BSE Sensex gained 199.32 points or 0.63% at 31,642.70. The Nifty 50 index gained 51.55 points or 0.56% at 9,250.60.

So gold notched its biggest one-day drop in 30 years. What’s next? Despite the heavy losses, broken technical levels and waves of margin calls, the options market for the yellow metal is beaming with optimism.

Investors in gold exchange-traded funds have been rushing to the exits as gold prices plunge.

U.S. and Mexico have agreed to limit border crossings, restricting most nonessential traffic but allowing trade and workers to continue crossing amid the new coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Evan Vucci/Associated Press

In this edition, we celebrate the International Women's Day by bringing out inspiring stories of Soni Sori and the girl footballers from Chennai. We also look into why India's solar mission is in dispute with WTO, the Good Samaritan guidelines that are made compulsory now, and more.

A multi-state campaign to draw attention to the adverse effect of agriculture and trade policies on sugarcane farmers has just ended. Padmalatha Ravi spoke with farmers and campaign coordinators in Tamilnadu, and traces the growth and decline of agricultural families' fortunes around this crop.

Punjab needs water, and that means some of the water-guzzling crops must go. But questions of food security and corporatized agriculture confront the state's proposed shift, says Sudhirendar Sharma.

There is wide-spread agreement that horse trading in the political arena is immoral and undesirable, and should be illegal. But what is the actual position of law on this? Kannan Kasturi looks back at the trail so far.

Some top J.P. Morgan executives and directors were alerted to risky practices by a team of London-based traders two years before that group's botched bets cost the bank more than $2 billion. David Reilly has details on The News Hub. Photo: Bloomberg.

Kerala's fisheries sector is heading for deep crisis. The sector is already in troubled waters due to over exploitation of marine wealth, unbridled mechanisation and debt traps. Now the clouds of impending import of fish are further darkening the horizon. M Suchitra and P N Venugopal report.

As the countdown for the tenth Ministerial Conference of the WTO to be held in Nairobi, Kenya through 15-18 December commences, Shalini Bhutani emphasises the need for a cautious deliberation on how trade rules affect key sectors and all stakeholders.

With the world's economic powers poised to strike at the food security of the developing world once again, Devinder Sharma looks back at the devastation wrought by WTO arrangements on agriculture so far, and urges the Third World to take a more resilient line.

With the World Trade talks in limbo, the focus remains on aggressively pushing on the bilateral front. What could not be achieved through a multilateral trade regime, is now being pursued by the US through bilateral and regional deals. Devinder Sharma connects the dots.

When technological change has the potential to put the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people at risk, it must be regulated differently from other products in a free market. Blindly promoting innovation, as is now being done with genetically engineered crops, is self-defeating, writes Suman Sahai.

The government's recent traditional knowledge digital library will send data to patent offices abroad, so that indigenous knowledge that India abundantly has is not patented overseas. Following India's example, other nations too are showing interest in similarly protecting their interests. Ramesh Menon reports.

The ruling by the World Trade Organisation (WTO)’s dispute settlement body (DSB) in a complaint filed by USA against elements of India’s solar mission is again in the news. Shalini Bhutani helps to piece together the sequence of events and points out how the global trade architecture keeps domestic laws and policies under intense scrutiny.

Toddy is legal in Kerala, while arrack is banned. Also, while a litre of toddy costs Rs. 30, a sachet of arrack goes for Rs. 11. As the farm crisis sees thousands of migrants crossing over into Karnataka, arrack shops right on the border are booming. P Sainath continues his series on the agrarian crisis in Wayanad.

Suman Sahai discusses a public interest litigation that seeks to ensure that the rights granted to farmers on seeds as per India's 2001 plant varieties protection law are not taken away.

Shalini Bhutani takes a close look at the law and ensuing policy on trade in India, and asks whether the regulatory framework on trade issues nurtures the idea of public consultation.

Narendra Jadhav is Principal Adviser and Chief Economist at the Reserve Bank of India. He is also a Dalit and strong advocate of reservations in the private sector. His recent book Untouchables : My Family's Triumphant Journey Out of the Caste System in Modern India has received wide acclaim. India Together's Subramaniam Vincent talked with him recently.

Women of the Muslim Haila community in Madhya Pradesh continue to be manual scavengers and are subjected to inhuman treatment despite the law prohibiting it. But they are now determinedly fighting back, reports Shuriah Niazi.

Legislation for street vendors mandates registration of all vendors and allocation of spaces for them by the state in designated zones. Navya P K’s interaction with street vendors in Delhi reveals a reality that is in stark contrast to what the law holds.

In this small sleepy Orissa village with a population of barely 400 adivasis, where there is no electricity and harsh conditions prevail, there is something remarkable about the women. Their level of awareness, their attitude and their personality have undergone a dramatic change in the last few years. Pradeep Baisakh has more.

Residents of seven villages in Kolar district depend on water from the Mudiyanur tank which is not in good shape and in need of de-silting. Still, the villagers' worship of goddess Chowdeswari has helped them preserve an age-old tradition of water allocation, finds Surekha Sule.

Three generations of a farming family in Bagalkot district in Karnataka campaigned to drought-proof the fields and to conserve the soil and water. Their inspiration was a 170-year old book that until recently remained only in manuscript form. Shree Padre reports on the enviable results.

Markets open in red: Sensex trades below 28,000; down by 1,900 points

Equity parameters volatile in early trade, Nifty bank down by 2.7 pc

COVID-19: Sensex plunges 3,935 points in biggest intraday fall as India goes into lockdown

Equity parameters in green amid volatile trade, Bharti Infratel top gainer

Fewer non-essential shops opened shutters on Friday than the day before with the traders’ association insisting on total resumption of business after the lockdown exit.

HDFC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying nearly 5 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra, M&M, Reliance Industries and NTPC.

Forex traders said positive start of domestic stocks supported the local unit. Besides, market sentiments improved as more countries are announcing gradual lifting of lockdowns that have been imposed to contain coronavirus infection.

The surge came after market sentiments improved as more countries are announcing the gradual lifting of lockdowns that have been imposed to contain coronavirus infection.

The rupee opened weak at 75.70 at the interbank forex market and then fell further to 75.80, down 71 paise over its last close.

ICICI Bank was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, tumbling nearly 9 per cent, followed by IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel and HDFC.

ONGC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 5 per cent, followed by M&M, Bharti Airtel, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, PowerGrid and Tech Mahindra.

Forex traders said a positive start of domestic stocks supported the local unit, while sustained foreign fund outflows and concerns over coronavirus outbreak weighed on the local unit.

Imports also fell, but only by 6.2 percent, as transportation and shipping began to close down worldwide.

ITC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tanking nearly 6 per cent, followed by Axis Bank, Titan, Bajaj Auto, Maruti, M&M, L&T and IndusInd Bank.

Forex traders said the weakness in the rupee was largely due to the strengthening US dollar. Besides, rising coronavirus cases in the country also weighed on the local unit.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal seeking his intervention in the matter.

Equity benchmark Sensex rallied over 600 points in opening session on Friday as strong gains in index-heavyweight Reliance Industries, massive foreign fund inflow and positive global cues boosted market sentiment.

Forex traders said a positive start of domestic stocks and significant foreign fund inflows supported the local unit.

Aiisma is a company that specialises in dealing with user data, and may hence be well placed to highlight the aspect of privacy in contact tracing.

The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract is the US Department of Defense' cloud computing contract which has been reported as being worth $10 billion.

The coronavirus outbreak might have brought the world to a standstill with sporting events across the globe either being cancelled or suspended, but in a masterstroke, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has ensured that the experience and acumen of Team India coaches Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, Vikram Rathour and R. Sridhar is put to use to enlighten coaches at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).