UPSC Economy Current Affairs
Monetary policy, fiscal policy, trade and macro developments relevant to UPSC Economy.
November 1, 2026
How to Read the October GST Number
The October GST collection figure will be released on 1 November and read as a verdict on the economy. It is a tax administration number before it is an economic one. Gross is not net, nominal is not real, and this is the first October in which the year-on-year comparison is no longer distorted by the 2025 rate cut.
October 20, 2026
Rubio in Mumbai: a trade deal is close, but not signed
Marco Rubio met S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on 20 October and said the interim trade agreement is nearly done. The February framework, the issues still open, and the Russian oil bargain underneath it all.
October 20, 2026
IDBI Bank goes to Fairfax: what the sale changes
The CCEA approved Fairfax's ₹52,878 crore purchase of a 60.72 per cent stake in IDBI Bank on 14 October, at ₹81 a share. The price, the turnaround behind it, and the two-bank problem Fairfax still has to solve.
October 17, 2026
GST Collections, September 2026: ₹1.96 Lakh Crore and What It Says About Demand
Gross GST revenue rose 9.8 per cent to ₹1.96 lakh crore in September 2026, with domestic collections up 11.3 per cent and imports up 5.4 per cent. The festive-quarter signal, the fiscal math behind the number, and the caveats that qualify it.
October 17, 2026
India's September 2026 Trade Data: Record Exports, a Costlier Oil Bill and a Wider Deficit
Merchandise exports rose to a record $42.1 billion in September 2026, but imports of crude and gold pushed the trade deficit to $26.3 billion. The services surplus, the rupee's effect and the tariff backdrop behind the numbers.
October 17, 2026
September 2026 Inflation: CPI at 5.1% and What It Means for the RBI
CPI inflation rose to 5.1 per cent in September from 4.8 per cent in August, with food at 6.4 per cent, while WPI stood at 3.6 per cent and industrial output grew 4.4 per cent. The first full inflation print after the RBI's 7 October hike, and the question it leaves for December.
October 17, 2026
India-UK Free Trade Agreement: What Changes Now That It Is in Force
The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement entered into force on 1 October 2026 after ratification by both parliaments. The tariff cuts, the services and social security provisions, the rules of origin, and what to watch in the first year.
October 17, 2026
IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026: India Stays the Fastest-Growing Large Economy
The IMF's October 2026 World Economic Outlook, released at the Bangkok Annual Meetings, puts global growth at 3.1 per cent and India at 6.5 per cent for 2026-27, the fastest rate among large economies. The revisions, the three risks the Fund flags, and what the meetings left unresolved.
October 16, 2026
Samudra Manthan: The ₹84,084-Crore Mission to Explore India's Deep Waters
The Cabinet approved 'Samudra Manthan', the National Offshore Exploration Scheme, with an ₹84,084-crore Phase-I outlay through FY 2030-31: sixty deepwater wells, fresh seismic data and shared infrastructure, aimed at lifting domestic oil and gas production from around 62 to 80 MMTOE.
October 10, 2026
RBI Repo Rate Hike to 5.50%: The October 2026 MPC Decision, Explained
The Monetary Policy Committee raised the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50 per cent on 7 October 2026, the RBI's first hike since February 2023, and changed its stance to calibrated tightening as food and fuel inflation firmed up. The decision, the projections and the road ahead, explained from RBI's own records.
October 10, 2026
Union Cabinet Decisions, 6 October 2026: ₹10,000 Crore SME Growth Fund and ITLA
The Union Cabinet on 6 October 2026 approved a ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund for direct equity investments in small and medium enterprises, and the setting up of the Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA) to end fragmented transport planning. The same meeting passed a resolution congratulating the Prime Minister on 25 years of continuous leadership.
October 10, 2026
Rupee Under Pressure: Why India's Forex Reserves Fell $51 Billion in a Month
India's forex reserves fell from a lifetime high of $785.71 billion in early September to $734.61 billion by 2 October, including the largest weekly drop on record, as the RBI defended a rupee near its all-time low. The RBI has responded with a rate hike, tighter rules for the currency derivatives market and a special dollar window for public-sector oil marketing companies.
September 11, 2026
Economy: July to September 2026
Q1 FY 2026–27 grew 7.8 percent in real terms, the fastest quarterly print in over a year, while the RBI's August MPC held the repo rate at 5.25 percent for a second straight meeting, raised the FY27 growth forecast to 6.7 percent, and cut its inflation projection to 5.0 percent. Every number with the reasoning behind it.