Business

Special Flights from Fujairah to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi on March 4 SpiceJet will operate eight special flights from the United Arab Emirates on March 4 to bring back Indian nationals stranded due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the airline announced in a press release on Wednesday.All eight flights will depart from Fujairah. The airline has scheduled four flights to Delhi, three to Mumbai, and one to Kochi to enhance capacity and facilitate the return of affected passengers.On March 3, SpiceJet had already operated four special flights from the UAE to Delhi, Mumbai, and Kochi as part of its evacuation efforts.West Asia Airspace Disruptions Following US and Israel Strikes on Iran Flight schedules across West Asia have been...

Hyundai Motor and Kia Post Record US Sales in February on Strong SUV and Hybrid Demand Combined US Vehicle Sales Rise 5 Percent Year on Year Seoul, March 4: Hyundai Motor and Kia reported record vehicle sales in the United States for February, driven by sustained demand for sport utility vehicles and hybrid models.The two South Korean automakers sold a combined 137,412 vehicles in the US market last month, marking a 5 percent increase compared with the same period a year earlier. Both companies achieved their highest ever sales figures for the month of February.Hyundai Motor Sales Climb 5.7 Percent Led by SUV Portfolio Hyundai Motor, including its luxury brand Genesis, recorded sales of 71,407 units in February, reflecting a 5.7...

India Targets 5 to 6 Percent Global Chemical Share by 2030, Eyes $1 Trillion Turnover by 2040 Government Bets on Bio-Pharma SHAKTI and Chemical Parks to Boost Sector Growth New Delhi, March 4: India is positioning itself for a major leap in the global chemical and biopharmaceutical landscape, with the government projecting the country’s share in the global chemical sector to rise to 5 to 6 percent by 2030. The sector is also expected to achieve a turnover of $1 trillion by 2040.Union Minister JP Nadda said that the budgetary allocation of Rs 13,000 crore for Bio-Pharma SHAKTI and the development of three dedicated chemical parks reflects a strategic push to strengthen India’s long-term industrial capabilities.Biologics to Account...

Rupee Hits Record Low of 92.18 Against US Dollar as Brent Crude Surges Amid US Iran Conflict Indian Rupee Falls 69 Paise in Early Trade Mumbai, March 4: The Indian rupee plunged 69 paise to touch a historic low of 92.18 against the US dollar on Wednesday, as surging crude oil prices and rising geopolitical tensions following the escalation of the US Iran conflict weighed heavily on investor sentiment.At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 92.05 and slipped further to an early low of 92.18 against the American currency. The fall marked a sharp decline from its previous close of 91.49 on Monday. The forex market remained closed on Tuesday on account of Holi.Brent Crude Crosses USD 82 Per Barrel Forex traders...

Indian Businesses Embrace AI and Automation to Transform Corporate Spend Management in 2026 Indian enterprises in 2026 are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and automation to streamline corporate spending and strengthen financial governance. According to Avinash Godkhindi, Managing Director and CEO of Zaggle, businesses are moving well beyond traditional expense tracking models toward real time, data driven spend management systems that enhance visibility, compliance, and strategic decision making.Shift from Expense Reporting to Intelligent Spend Optimization Companies are no longer treating expense management as a back office reporting function. Instead, they are integrating AI across key financial processes including...

Indian Stock Market Opens 2% Lower as Middle East Tensions Rattle Global Equities Mumbai, March 4: Indian equity benchmarks opened sharply lower on Wednesday, mirroring weak global cues and heavy short positioning by foreign institutional investors in index futures amid intensifying geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.Sensex and Nifty Slide Over 2% in Early Trade At 9:28 am, the BSE Sensex tumbled 1,773 points, or 2.21%, to 78,465. The Nifty 50 declined 549 points, also down 2.21%, to 24,316.Broader markets mirrored the benchmark weakness. The Nifty Midcap 100 slipped 2.18%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 dropped 2.17%, indicating widespread selling pressure across market capitalisations.Sectoral Indices in Red; IT Defies Trend...

Seoul Shares Plunge Over 8 Percent as Middle East Conflict Rattles Markets KOSPI Extends Losses Following Sharp Previous Session Decline Seoul, March 4: South Korean equities deepened their slide late Wednesday morning, with the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index or KOSPI tumbling more than 8 percent as escalating tensions in the Middle East continued to weigh heavily on investor sentiment.After opening 3.44 percent lower, the KOSPI extended its losses, falling 468.98 points, or 8.1 percent, to 5,322.93 by 11:45 a.m. The sharp drop followed a plunge of over 7.24 percent in the previous session, underscoring sustained selling pressure in the market.Korea Exchange Activates Circuit Breakers Amid Volatility The Korea Exchange...

Middle East Conflict May Weigh on India Growth Despite Trade Deal Boost: BMI Geopolitical Tensions Could Discourage Investment in India New Delhi, March 3: Fitch Group company BMI has cautioned that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could dampen investor sentiment in India, potentially offsetting the positive impact of trade agreements with the European Union and the United States on the country’s GDP.In its latest India outlook report, BMI said that while policy uncertainty indicators have remained favourable so far in 2026, uncertainty is expected to rise sharply from March due to escalating geopolitical tensions. The firm believes that heightened risks linked to the Middle East conflict may discourage investment flows into...

Indian Stock Market Opens Lower as Sensex Slides 891 Points Amid US Israel Iran War Tensions Sensex and Nifty Tumble in Early Trade Mumbai, March 2: Indian equity markets begin the week on a sharply negative note, mirroring a broad global risk off sentiment triggered by the escalating war between the US, Israel, and Iran.At 9:28 am, the Sensex falls 891 points or 1.10 percent to trade at 80,395. The Nifty 50 declines 268 points or 1.07 percent to 24,909.The weakness is not limited to frontline indices. Broader markets also trade in sync with benchmarks. The Nifty Midcap 100 drops 1.14 percent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 slips 1.35 percent.Sectoral Indices Deep in the Red Selling pressure is visible across sectors, with all...

Amazon Eliminates Referral Fees for Products Under ₹1,000 to Strengthen India E-Commerce Push Amazon Expands Zero-Referral Fee Policy to 125 Million Products Amazon on Monday announced that it will stop charging Indian sellers referral fees on products priced under ₹1,000, a significant step aimed at attracting more merchants and deepening its presence in India’s highly competitive e-commerce market.The move builds on Amazon’s existing zero-referral fee policy introduced last year, which covered nearly 12 million products priced below ₹300. That initiative resulted in a 50 percent increase in new seller registrations on Amazon in India. Referral fees are commissions paid by sellers to Amazon for each product sold on the platform...

India UPI Transactions Hit Record Daily Volumes in February 2026 Despite Sequential Dip UPI Maintains High Momentum as Daily Transactions Reach All Time High India’s Unified Payments Interface continues to demonstrate structural strength, with daily transaction volumes touching an all time high in February 2026. While total monthly transactions declined sequentially due to the shorter calendar month, underlying activity remained robust.Data released by the National Payments Corporation of India shows that UPI processed 20.39 billion transactions in February 2026, compared to 21.70 billion in January. The moderation was attributed primarily to fewer days in the month.On a year on year basis, transaction volumes rose 27 percent...

Sebi to Prioritise Corporate Bond Market Development, Plans Credit Bond Indices and Derivatives Focus on Deepening Liquidity and Expanding Investor Participation New Delhi, March 2: The Securities and Exchange Board of India is set to prioritise the development of the corporate bond market this year, with plans to introduce credit bond indices and related derivatives in coordination with the Reserve Bank of India.Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said the regulator will place a very big focus on strengthening the corporate bond segment during his second year in office. He completes one year at the helm of the market regulator on March 1.Introduction of Credit Bond Indices and Derivatives Pandey outlines a roadmap that includes the...

Haryana Records 22 Percent Surge in SGST Collection in FY 2025 to 26, Highest in India Gross SGST Collection Touches Rs 44,460 Crore Till February Chandigarh, March 1: Haryana has emerged as the top performing state in the country in terms of State Goods and Services Tax collection growth, registering a record 22 percent rise in the financial year 2025 to 26.Haryana Excise and Taxation Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said on Sunday that the state’s gross SGST collection after settlement has reached Rs 44,460 crore so far in the current fiscal. This marks an increase of Rs 7,918 crore compared to collections recorded up to February in the previous financial year.The 22 percent growth rate is the highest among all States and Union...

Honda Cars India Reports 30.11% Drop in Total Sales in February 2026 Total Sales Fall to 7,212 Units New Delhi, March 1: Honda Cars India Ltd reported a 30.11 per cent year on year decline in total sales for February 2026, with overall dispatches standing at 7,212 units.The automaker had recorded total sales of 10,320 units in February 2025, marking a significant contraction in its combined domestic and export performance.Domestic Sales Remain Steady Despite the sharp drop in overall numbers, domestic sales remained largely stable. The company sold 5,629 units in the Indian market in February 2026, marginally higher than 5,616 units sold in the corresponding month last year.The near flat domestic performance helped cushion the...

Tata Motors Reports 32 Percent Surge in February Commercial Vehicle Sales Total CV Sales Climb to 42,940 Units New Delhi, March 1: Tata Motors Ltd on Sunday reported a strong rise in its total commercial vehicle sales for February, posting a 32 percent year on year growth.The company sold 42,940 commercial vehicles during the month, compared to 32,533 units in February last year, reflecting a sharp increase in overall demand across segments.Domestic Commercial Vehicle Sales Rise 32.8 Percent Domestic performance remained the primary driver of growth. Sales in the Indian market reached 40,893 units in February, marking a 32.8 percent increase over 30,797 units recorded in the same month a year ago.The significant jump in domestic...

India Reviews Trade Risks as Middle East Tensions Escalate After US and Israel Strike Iran Commerce Ministry Calls Urgent Meeting to Assess Impact on Exports and Shipping Routes New Delhi, March 1: The Ministry of Commerce has convened a high level meeting on Monday to evaluate the potential fallout of escalating tensions in the Middle East on India’s trade flows.The meeting, to be held in hybrid mode, will bring together exporters, shipping lines, freight forwarders and officials from various ministries. The objective is to assess the evolving geopolitical situation and its possible impact on India’s export supply chains, logistics networks and freight movement.The move follows joint military strikes by the United States and Israel...

Top-10 Most Valued Companies Lose ₹2.18 Lakh Crore in a Week as Market Sentiment Turns Bearish New Delhi, March 1: The combined market valuation of nine out of India’s top-10 most valued companies eroded by ₹2,18,902.09 crore last week, reflecting sustained pressure in the equity markets. Bharti Airtel recorded the steepest decline in market capitalisation during the period.BSE Benchmark Slides 1.84% Amid Weak Sentiment The broader market trend remained negative, with the BSE benchmark index falling 1,527.52 points, or 1.84%, over the week.Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research at Religare Broking Ltd, said equity markets closed the week under pressure due to persistent geopolitical tensions and continued weakness in technology stocks.Bharti...

South Korea Exports Surge 30% in February on AI-Driven Semiconductor Boom February Exports Hit Record High Despite Fewer Working Days Seoul, March 1: South Korea’s exports surged nearly 30 percent year on year in February, reaching the highest level ever recorded for the month, as strong global demand for semiconductors linked to the artificial intelligence boom powered outbound shipments.According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and reported by Yonhap News Agency, outbound shipments totaled 67.45 billion dollars in February, marking a 29 percent increase from 54.2 billion dollars in the same month last year.The export milestone was achieved despite three fewer working days compared with a year...

Samsung Electronics to Transform Global Factories into AI-Driven Smart Manufacturing Hubs by 2030 Samsung Accelerates AI-Powered Manufacturing Innovation Seoul, March 1: Samsung Electronics announced on Sunday that it will convert its domestic and overseas production facilities into AI-driven factories by 2030, marking a significant step in its long term manufacturing innovation strategy.The company plans to integrate digital twin-based simulations across the entire manufacturing cycle, covering material warehousing, production, and shipment. Alongside this, Samsung will deploy dedicated AI agents focused on quality control, production management, and logistics to enhance data-driven analysis and verification systems across...

Mumbai, March 1, 2026 – SML Mahindra Limited (BSE: 505192 | NSE: SMLMAH) reported a 17 percent year-on-year rise in total vehicle sales for February 2026 at 1,503 units, compared with 1,288 units in the corresponding month last year, driven by strong growth in both cargo and passenger vehicle segments. For the April to February period of FY26, the company posted cumulative sales of 14,175 units, marking a 19 percent increase over 11,906 units sold during the same period of the previous financial year. Monthly Sales Performance: February 2026 The company’s cargo vehicle segment recorded moderate growth, while passenger vehicles delivered robust double-digit expansion during the month.CategoryFebruary FY26February FY25% ChangeCargo...