India's economic engine is revving up, but navigating the global headwinds requires sharp strategy. The rupee's recent volatility against the dollar underscores the complexities facing Indian businesses, impacting everything from import-export trade to domestic inflation. This week alone, we've seen significant shifts in the IT sector, with major players announcing restructuring and a renewed focus on AI-driven solutions. Meanwhile, the burgeoning startup ecosystem continues to attract substantial funding, despite a cautious global investor sentiment. The government's recent policy announcements on infrastructure development and digitalization are poised to further shape the business landscape, creating both opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs and established corporations alike. Understanding these market dynamics is crucial for success in today's rapidly evolving Indian economy. Stay informed with Abtak.com for the latest insights and analysis on key sectors including finance, manufacturing, and technology – empowering your business decisions in a dynamic market. Explore the complete business news section now to stay ahead of the curve.
MUMBAI, April 6 (Reuters) - India's central bank is expected to keep interest rates on hold on Wednesday as policymakers assess the fallout from the war in Iran , which threatens the South Asian economy and has battered its currency and bond markets. Instead, the focus is likely to be on calming financial markets, with assurances of readiness to support the weakening rupee and inject liquidity to keep bond yields in check, economists and traders said. All but two of 71 economists in a March 23-26 Reuters poll forecast the Reserve Bank of India would keep the benchmark repo rate unchanged at 5.25%. The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee has cut rates by a cumulative 125 basis points in 2025 but paused at its February meeting. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said in December that India's economy was in a "Goldilocks" phase - combining strong growth with low inflation - giving the central bank room to keep policy loose for an extended period. That assessment has since been upended by the worst energy shock in decades. "If the energy shock lingers, the growth drag could outstrip the price shock, reminiscent of the COVID‑19 pandemic economy," said Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC, in an April 2 report. The combination of weaker growth and rising inflation argues for a "neutral policy" stance that neither stimulates nor restrains demand, she said. In contrast , financial markets have begun pricing in a more hawkish risk scenario. Since the Iran war began, traders in the overnight indexed swap (OIS) market have moved aggressively to price in the possibility of rate hikes, with one‑month contracts reflecting expectations of a hike as early as this month. Neeraj Gambhir, executive director for treasury, markets and wholesale banking products at Axis Bank, said swap rate pricing suggests investors assume the central bank may need to tighten policy to defend the currency. CALMING MARKETS Concerns over a widening current account deficit and foreign outflows have pushed the rupee to a record low past 95 per U.S. dollar. The yield on India's benchmark 10‑year bond has risen to around 7.14%, its highest level in nearly two years, as investors fret over the hit to government finances from higher energy costs. "We expect the RBI to continue injecting abundant liquidity into the system, ensuring easy financial conditions to help the economy tide over the shock," said Aastha Gudwani, chief India economist at Barclays. Barclays expects the RBI to persist with bond purchases, short‑term liquidity injections and longer‑term foreign‑exchange swap operations. The central bank has taken steps to curb speculation in the forex markets. Further measures to support the rupee - including a special forex swap window for oil companies or schemes to encourage inflows from non‑resident Indians - also cannot be ruled out, Gudwani said, adding that defending the currency by raising interest rates would not be the central bank's first line of defence. LOWER GROWTH, HIGHER INFLATION The RBI is due to present its first forecasts for growth and inflation for the 2026‑27 financial year, and economists expect it to pare its previously optimistic outlook. Much will hinge on the oil price assumptions underpinning those forecasts, with economists outlining a wide range of scenarios depending on how long energy prices stay elevated and supply disruptions persist. HSBC estimates GDP growth would slow to 6.3% from an expected 7% this year if oil prices average $80 per barrel, and to 6% if prices remain closer to $100. Inflation, which cooled to 3.2% in February, is seen averaging around 5% if oil prices stay near $100 a barrel. "Rising inflation risks increase our conviction that the RBI will keep policy rates firmly on hold," said J.P. Morgan chief India economist Sajjid Chinoy in a March report. "The bar for any rate hike is very high and would require a sustained supply shock that pushes headline inflation well above target for the foreseeable future," he added. India's inflation target was reaffirmed last month at 4%, with a tolerance band of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Reporting by Jaspreet Kalra; additional reporting by Gopika Gopakumar; Editing by Sam Holmes Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab
Air India launched a Black Friday Sale with discounts up to 20% on domestic flights and up to 12% on international flights to various destinations. The sale is available through the airline's website and mobile apps. Additional savings are possible with waived convenience fees and specific payment methods. The airline continues offering student and senior citizen discounts.Air India on Friday launched a limited-time Black Friday Sale offering discounts of up to 20 per cent off base fares for domestic flights within India. The Tata-owned airlines will also offer up to 12 per cent off base fares ...Read More >
India's manufacturing sector growth fell to a joint 11-month low, restricted by competitive conditions and inflationary pressures India's manufacturing sector growth fell to a joint 11-month low of 56.5 in November, restricted by competitive conditions and inflationary pressures amid a softer increase in factory orders, a monthly survey said on Monday. The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell from 57.5 in October to 56.5 in November, signalling a softer improvement in the health of the sector. However, the pace of growth remained above its long-r ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 6 (ANI): After a steep correction in October 2024, where the Nifty 50 index fell around 6 per cent and closed 8 per cent lower than its all-time highs, FII outflows reduced in November, a sharp drop from October outflows says a report by JM Financials. The benchmark index remained largely flat in November, reflecting a calmer trading environment. Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) activity also exhibited a notable slowdown in selling pressure. FII outflows reduced to Rs182 billion (USD 2.2 billion) in November, a sharp drop from Rs919 billion (USD 10.9 billion) ...Read More >
The Reserve Bank of India raised the interest rate caps on Foreign Currency Non-Resident Bank (FCNR-B) deposits to attract more capital inflows, amid pressures on the rupee. Starting December 6, banks can offer higher rates -- up to 400 basis points for 1-3 year deposits and 500 basis points for 3-5 year deposits -- until March 31, 2025. This move comes as the rupee faces volatility.The Reserve Bank of India on Friday announced a raise in the interest rate caps on the Indian diaspora's foreign cu ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 11 (ANI): The Indian stock markets continue to be in a consolidation phase as both indices opened flat on Wednesday. The Nifty 50 index opened at 24,620.50 points with a surge of 10.45 points or 0.04 per cent, while the BSE Sensex opened at 81,568.39 with a gain of 58.34 points or 0.07 per cent. Also Read | 'Suriya 45': Is Trisha Krishnan the Female Lead in Suriya Sivakumar's Upcoming Film With RJ Balaji? Check Out the Viral Photos. Experts noted that the US Consumer Price Inflation data will be the major event for markets globally. However, the consol ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 11 (ANI): A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation, led by senior leaders, met Himachal Pradesh Governor Pratap Shukla recently to submit a comprehensive 106-page memorandum titled "Kachcha Chittha". The document, which alleges rampant corruption and administrative failures in the two years of Congress rule under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, aims to hold the state government accountable for what the BJP describes as a period of "unprecedented mismanagement and destruction." Speaking to the media after meeting the Governor, Himachal Prade ...Read More >
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's retail inflation eased in November as soaring vegetable prices moderated, boosting expectations of an interest rate cut by the central bank at its next policy review amid concerns around slowing growth. Retail inflation eased in November to 5.48%, lower than 6.21% in the previous month and below a 5.53% forecast by economists in a Reuters poll. Food inflation slowed down to 9.04% from 10.87% a month earlier. Food accounts for nearly half of the consumption basket. Vegetable prices rose 29.33% in November from a year earlier after rising 42.18% in October. Indi ...Read More >
Mumbai, December 4: The domestic benchmark equity indices closed in green on Wednesday as buying was seen in PSU bank and realty sectors. The investors are keenly watching the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting which will announce its decision around the repo rate on Friday. Banking stocks rose amid volatile sessions in the market due to the possibility of Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) cut by the central bank. Sensex settled at 80,956.3, higher by 110.58 points, or 0.14 per cent, while the Nifty ended at 24,467.45, up by 10.30 points, or 0.04 per cent. Stock Mark ...Read More >
India's growth in gross domestic product (GDP) of 5.4% in the three months ended 30 September, or the second quarter of 2024-25, was a shocker. It undershot even the most pessimistic forecasts. It's the lowest level seen since the third quarter of 2022-23 and a sharp drop from 8.1% growth in the same period last year and also from 6.7% in the first quarter of 2024-25. The consensus expectation stood at about 6.5% and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was expecting around 7% growth till its October policy, only to pare it to 6.8%. Growth in gross value added (GVA), which is the preferred measure ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Reserve Bank has approved the open offer of Burman family -- the promoters of FMCG major Dabur -- to acquire an additional 26 per cent stake in NBFC firm Religare Enterprises Ltd (REL). The central bank also directed maintaining of the current board/management structure of REL. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it has granted its "approval for the proposed increase in shareholding of existing shareholders" -- four Burman family entities Puran Associates, VIC Enterprises, M B Finmart, and Milky Investment & Trading Company -- in Religare Enterprises Ltd (REL). "The acquirers ...Read More >
New Delhi, [India], December 11 (ANI): The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the growing tendency to misuse Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which penalises cruelty by husbands and their relatives against married women. While quashing a Section 498A IPC case against a husband and his parents, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh said that the Section became a tool for unleashing personal vendetta against the husband and his family by a wife. Also Read | RBI Will Remain Alert and Agile to Meet Challenges, Says New Governor Sanjay Malhotra (Watch Video). " ...Read More >
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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia's third largest lender Gazprombank, which handles the energy trade, are behind the rouble's free fall in recent days, a top executive from VTB, Russia's second largest bank, said on Wednesday. "My assumption is that the sanctions against Gazprombank have had a significant impact, as it has ceased to be a channel for delivering foreign currency to the Moscow Exchange," Dmitry Pyanov told reporters. Pyanov added that stabilisation of the forex market within the next few days should be the focus of the central bank's attention. ...Read More >
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 84.49 against the greenback, registering a fall of 2 paise over its previous close The rupee fell 2 paise to trade at 84.49 against the U.S. dollar in early trade on Friday (November 29, 2024) dragged down by significant foreign fund outflows and month-end dollar demand from importers. Forex traders said the rupee remains in a weakening mode due to dollar demand from importers and foreign banks. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 84.49 against the greenback, registering a fall of 2 paise over its previous close. On ...Read More >
As per Moneycontrol's calculations, a 7 per cent growth in the remaining two quarters will put India's GDP at 6.5 per cent. The Indian economy would find it challenging to achieve over 7 per cent growth for the fourth consecutive year, economists said. They pointed out that the second-quarter (Q2) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data, which was announced on November 29, has made the task even more daunting for the government. "A sharper than expected growth slowdown in Q2 has tilted risks to our outlook of 6.8 per cent for the current fiscal downwards," said DK Joshi, chief economist, Crisil. ...Read More >
Trump warns BRICS nations against replacing US dollar Dec 2 (Reuters) - A gauge of emerging market stocks rose on Monday, driven by positive manufacturing data from China and expectations of continued policy support from Beijing, while India's rupee hit a record low because of weaker-than-expected economic data. As of 0932 GMT, the MSCI's index for emerging market stocks had risen by 0.7%, on track for its biggest percentage gain in over three weeks. China's blue-chip CSI 300 climbed 0.8%, and the Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.1% after a private survey indicated that Chinese factory act ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Terming the 5.4 per cent GDP growth in the second quarter as a "temporary phenomena", FICCI President Harsha Vardhan Agarwal on Thursday said the industry body expects India to achieve 6.5-7 per cent economic growth in the current financial year, while projecting a pick up in private investment. In an interview to PTI, Agarwal, who is also the Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Emami Ltd, said the RBI needs to manoeuvre a "tight-rope balancing act" between inflation and economic growth, as he opined that the central bank has been doing a prudent job. Notably, the FI ...Read More >
The U.S. dollar continued its strong run on Monday, bolstered by soaring Treasury yields and expectations of limited Federal Reserve rate cuts. Meanwhile, the yen steadied ahead of a key speech by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, where he may hint at a possible rate hike in December, with markets pricing a 55% chance of such a move. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato's warning on yen intervention caused a temporary pullback, while the dollar index touched a one-year high of 107.07. Analysts forecast further dollar gains as U.S. economic policies and performance outshine global peers. K ...Read More >
Euro zone government bond yields increased slightly as investors await upcoming inflation data that may influence the European Central Bank's policy direction. Concerns over potential tariff hikes from the U.S. could further impact ECB strategies. Germany's bond yields and political tensions in France also add to the economic uncertainties. On Tuesday, euro zone government bond yields saw a minor increase after hitting multi-week lows in the previous session. Investors are keenly awaiting inflation data later this week that could provide insight into the European Central Bank's potential poli ...Read More >
Canara Bank has got exemption from the Centre to hold stake beyond the 30% upper limit under the Banking Regulation Act in joint ventures Canara Robeco Asset Management Company and Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company. The bank, which owns 51% each in the two JVs, had approached the government seeking permission to divest 13% in the asset management entity and 14.5% in the insurer, by way of initial public offers, Canara Bank said in a filing on Wednesday. The Centre, on the recommendation of the Reserve Bank of India, has decided that the provisions of sub-section (2) of Section 19 of the Bank ...Read More >
Rupee has maintained its position as one of the best performing Asian currencies, despite the ongoing challenges and geopolitical crisis in the Middle East. Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State for Finance on Monday said that this stance indicates India's strong economic fundamentals. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, he mentioned that Rupee's is market-determined, not limited to any target or specific level. He noted that, as of November 19, 2024, the domestic currency had dropped 1.4 percent against the US dollar in the current calendar year (CY) 2024 and decline was primarily driven by ...Read More >
Key U.S. data this week includes the job openings due later in the day, the ADP employment report on Wednesday and the payrolls report on Friday. "The next big thing is going to be the payrolls on Friday night because it'll tell us whether the Fed is essentially going to green-light the interest rate cut in a couple of weeks," said Kyle Rodda, financial market analyst at Capital.com. Fed Governor Christopher Waller on Monday said with inflation still forecast to fall to 2%, he is inclined "at present" to support another rate cut later this month. The comments boosted expectations of a rate ...Read More >
New Delhi, December 4: In a significant move to enhance customer experience and protect citizens, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which allows bank account holders to have up to four nominees in their accounts. The higher number of nominees aims to reduce unclaimed deposits in banks. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that depositors will have the option of successive or simultaneous nomination facility, while locker holders will have only successive nominations. Another sweeping change relates to redefining 'substantial interest' for directors ...Read More >
Markets opened on a cautiously optimistic note on Wednesday, with the Sensex and Nifty showing marginal gains, while investors closely monitored global economic indicators and upcoming domestic policy decisions. The Sensex opened higher at 81,036.22 from its previous close of 80,845.75 and is currently trading at 81,168.92 as of 9.45 am, up by 323.17 points or 0.40 per cent. Similarly, the Nifty opened at 24,488.75 compared to its previous close of 24,457.15 and is now at 24,558.20, rising by 101 ...Read More >
(Bloomberg) -- Indian bonds are poised to gain while the rupee is set to weaken as analysts bet on a softer monetary policy after the government named career bureaucrat Sanjay Malhotra as the new Reserve Bank of India governor. Most Read from Bloomberg Malhotra, a surprise pick, will take charge from Shaktikanta Das under whom the RBI kept borrowing costs unchanged for almost two years. While Malhotra's views on monetary policy are largely unknown, he recently urged revenue officials to prioritize economic growth, and the markets may read his appointment as dovish. The central bank is expec ...Read More >
While India's growth story remains intact, market returns may moderate in the near term after two years of outperformance. After a sharp correction from the record highs of September, the equity market is widely anticipated to swing within a range as it wavers through moderating earnings growth, consumption slowdown, lofty valuations, and other global macroeconomic headwinds. Even though a persistent sideways movement of the market is likely to drag overall returns, traders are shifting towards pair trading to beat the market. Pair trading is a market-neutral strategy that allows investors t ...Read More >
Trump's pressure on countries to remain tied to a US-dollar-based financial system could backfire, with potential increased motivation for BRICS to create alternatives. While the dollar's dominance persists due to existing economic strengths, recent global currency agreements indicate a cautious shift away from reliance on the greenback.Donald Trump's pressure on countries around the world to stay anchored to a US-dollar-based financial system is a tactic that risks backfiring, market watchers say. Dollar dominance looks set to continue for the foreseeable future and emerging nations' idea of ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 10 (ANI): The stock market ended Tuesday's trading session on a subdued note, with the benchmark indices showing little movement. The Sensex edged up by 1.59 points, closing at 81,510.05, while the Nifty declined by 8.95 points to end at 24,610.05. Also Read | Parliament Winter Session 2024: Congress, INDIA Bloc Allies Move No-Trust Motion Against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar; Alleges 'Proceedings in Upper House Conducted in Partisan Manner'. In the Nifty pack, 23 stocks advanced, while 27 ended in the red. Among the top gainers were Shriram F ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): The gross NPA ratio of public sector banks declined to 3.12 per cent in September 2024 from 4.97 per cent in March 2015 and a peak of 14.58 per cent in March 2018, the government stated on Thursday, reaffirming the robustness of the banking system. The government emphasised its proactive support for the banking ecosystem, addressing both business needs and employee welfare to ensure stability, transparency, and growth. Also Read | Places of Worship Act Validity: Supreme Court Restrains Courts in Country Not to Entertain, Pass Orders on Suits Related to R ...Read More >
HYDERABAD, India, Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- IBSAT 2024, the proctored online aptitude test conducted by The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, is MBA aspirants' gateway to premier MBA, PGPM offered at nine ICFAI Business School (IBS) campuses. With applications closing in the third week of December, this is the perfect time for the candidates to secure their future with IBS and explore its Rs. 10 crore scholarship program. IBSAT is designed to reduce the stress on aspirants unlike CAT, XAT as the test does not have negative markings or sectional time limits, allowing candidates to foc ...Read More >