ROBUST FUNDAMENTALS SHOULD TRIGGER BETTER BUSINESS GROWTH

A year-end survey has shown that the Indian economy has stood fairly resilient in the face of headwinds, but the checklist is a mix of hits and misses.

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The all-important services sector accelerated in November this year on the back of robust domestic demand, thus recovering lost ground from the previous month. However, export growth slipped to an 8-month low in the face of high US tariffs and rising global competition. The India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index, compiled by S&P Global, inched up to 59.8 last month from October's 58.9. This is well above the neutral mark of 50, which separates expansion from contraction, and reflects sustained resilience. However, the Composite Index, which combines manufacturing and services, eased slightly to 59.7 in November from 60.4 in October, primarily due to a slowdown