IIP, exports growth ink Diwali dampener

While the exports shrunk, the imports expanded by 7.37 per cent to USD 44.2 billion last month, highest in 18 months, leaving a trade deficit of USD 20.96 billion. Prior to this, the highest monthly import was USD 45.2 billion in May 2011.

Commerce Secretary S R Rao said the ongoing review of the export performance is likely to be completed in a couple of days and after that government may announce some support to exporters to prop up the overseas shipments.

Amid dismal economic data, industry chamber CII has stepped up its demand for 0.5 per cent cut in interest rate by the RBI saying "a complete sacrifice of growth is not in the interest of the economy".

RBI has refrained from cutting interest rate fearing it could fuel inflation. The central bank is scheduled to come out with its next mid-quarter policy on December 18.

As per the IIP data, the output of manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, contracted by 1.5 per cent in September as against a growth of 3.1 per cent in the same month last year.

Meanwhile, the keenly watched auction of telecom spectrum which started this morning got a lukewarm response with no company bidding for pan-India radiowaves as demand concentration was on select areas such as Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (East).

While Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Telenor and Videocon are bidding for GSM, there are no bidders for the CDMA spectrum after Tata Teleservcies and Videocon pulled out of the race.

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