Markets

Record Budget Streak Under Modi Government Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget on February 1, marking her ninth consecutive Budget, a record for the most budgets presented continuously by any finance minister in India. The upcoming Budget is expected to focus on reform measures aimed at supporting economic growth at a time of heightened geopolitical volatility.With this presentation, Sitharaman will move closer to the all-time record of 10 budgets presented by Morarji Desai, though his budgets were delivered across different periods and governments.Sitharaman’s Tenure and Budget Milestones Sitharaman was appointed as India’s first full-time woman finance minister in 2019 after Narendra Modi secured...

Local Manufacturing Shields Mercedes-Benz from Immediate Pricing Impact The India European Union Free Trade Agreement is expected to significantly accelerate technological innovation and sustainable growth in India’s automotive sector, according to Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Santosh Iyer. However, the company does not anticipate any reduction in vehicle prices in the foreseeable future following the agreement.Calling the India EU FTA a historic milestone, Iyer said the pact reinforces India’s growing relevance on the global economic stage. He noted that while the agreement is likely to support future mobility initiatives and innovation across the automotive ecosystem, its exact implications can only be assessed once...

Silver Futures Jump to Record Levels on MCX Silver prices surged sharply in the futures market on Tuesday, scaling a fresh lifetime high amid heightened demand for safe haven assets. On the Multi Commodity Exchange, silver contracts for March delivery rallied by Rs 25,101, marking a gain of 7.5 per cent, to touch an all-time peak of Rs 3,59,800 per kilogram.The white metal has seen an exceptionally strong run in recent sessions. Over the past week, silver prices climbed by Rs 46,937, or 16.3 per cent, crossing the Rs 3 lakh per kilogram milestone for the first time in the domestic futures market.Gold Futures Extend Record-Breaking Rally Gold prices also continued their upward momentum, registering fresh lifetime highs in futures...

Deal Unlocks Duty Free Access for Indian Exports and Wider Market Entry for EU Goods India and the European Union on Tuesday announced the conclusion of negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement, marking the end of discussions that stretched over more than two decades. The agreement is expected to reshape bilateral trade by offering significant tariff relief to Indian exporters while granting the EU phased and selective access to the Indian market.The agreement has been described as a landmark pact, creating a combined market of nearly two billion people and laying the foundation for a major expansion in goods and services trade between the two sides.Market Access and Tariff Commitments by the European Union Under the...

India and the European Union on Tuesday announced the conclusion and finalisation of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement. The development marks a significant milestone in India’s trade diplomacy and represents the country’s 19th trade pact.The agreement is expected to strengthen India’s export presence across the 27 member European bloc and deepen economic ties between the two sides.India’s Expanding Trade Agreement Network Since 2014, India has finalised seven trade pacts. These include agreements with Mauritius, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the United Kingdom, the European Free Trade Association comprising Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and New Zealand. Several of these agreements have...

Mumbai, January 27, 2026 – A Blackstone-backed investment vehicle has initiated a major open offer to acquire a significant stake in Aadhar Housing Finance Limited, marking a key step in a promoter transition at the listed affordable housing lender. Open Offer Details The open offer is being made to acquire up to 11.35 crore equity shares, representing 25.82 percent of Aadhar Housing Finance’s expanded voting share capital. The offer price has been fixed at ₹469.97 per share, along with an additional ₹2.71 per share as interest due to a revised transaction timeline, taking the total consideration to ₹472.68 per share. If fully subscribed, the transaction will entail a total outlay of approximately ₹5,366 crore, including interest...

Reliance Industries Suffers Biggest Erosion in Market Capitalisation The combined market valuation of nine of the top-10 most valued companies in India declined sharply by Rs 2.51 lakh crore over the past week, reflecting sustained weakness in domestic equities. The broader market remained under pressure throughout the week, tracking negative global cues and persistent selling.During the week, the BSE Sensex witnessed a steep fall of 2,032.65 points, marking a decline of 2.43 per cent and setting the tone for heavy erosion in large-cap stocks.Reliance Industries Leads the Losses Among the top firms, Reliance Industries recorded the steepest fall in market capitalisation. The company’s valuation dropped by Rs 96,960.17 crore, taking...

Indian Markets Open Lower Amid Weak Global Sentiment Benchmark equity indices opened on a weak note on Wednesday as cautious investor sentiment prevailed amid heightened geopolitical tensions, subdued global markets and continued foreign fund outflows.In early trade, the 30 share BSE Sensex declined 385.82 points to 81,794.65, while the NSE Nifty fell 91.5 points to 25,141, reflecting broad based selling pressure across sectors.Heavyweights Drag Indices; Select Stocks Offer Support Among Sensex constituents, Bharat Electronics, ICICI Bank, Trent, Larsen & Toubro, HCL Technologies and Infosys were among the major laggards, adding to the early weakness in the benchmarks.On the other hand, Eternal, Sun Pharma, InterGlobe Aviation and...

Persistent Dollar Demand Pressures Indian Currency The Indian rupee weakened sharply in early trade on Wednesday, slipping 31 paise to an all time low of 91.28 against the US dollar. The decline was driven by sustained dollar demand and a cautious global environment that continued to weigh on emerging market currencies.Risk Aversion and Weak Domestic Cues Weigh on Sentiment Forex markets saw the rupee open at 91.05 against the dollar before extending losses through the session. The move marked a clear deterioration from the previous close of 90.97, which itself had been a record low. Rising geopolitical uncertainty and a fragile global risk outlook kept investor sentiment under pressure.Domestic factors also contributed to the...

Mumbai, January 21, 2026 Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) announced that it will conduct a special live trading session on Sunday, February 1, 2026, to facilitate market activity on the day of the Union Budget presentation. The exchange said the decision is aimed at ensuring uninterrupted price discovery and allowing participants to manage positions amid heightened volatility typically associated with Budget announcements. Trading Schedule for February 1 As per the exchange communication, the trading day will be structured as follows:SessionTimingsSpecial Session08:45 am to 08:59 amTrading Session09:00 am to 05:00 pmClient Code Modification Session09:00 am to 05:15 pmMarket participants have been advised to...

Markets Look for Direction After Sharp Sell-Off Indian equity markets are set to open with caution today as investors assess a mix of global signals following a sharp decline in the previous session. Early trends from GIFT Nifty indicate a flat to mildly positive start, even as concerns around global trade tensions, currency movements, and commodity prices continue to influence sentiment.Foreign Investors Remain Sellers, Domestic Flows Offer Support Foreign institutional investors continued to pare their equity exposure, offloading shares worth around Rs 2,938 crore in the latest session. In contrast, domestic institutional investors provided stability by buying equities worth approximately Rs 3,665 crore, highlighting continued local...

Indian IT Majors Continue Strong Presence in Global IT Services Landscape India’s leading information technology companies continue to assert their dominance globally, with Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys retaining their positions as the world’s second and third most valuable IT services brands, respectively, as per the latest IT Services 25 2026 rankings released by Brand Finance.India matched the United States in overall representation, with both countries featuring eight companies each among the world’s top 25 IT services brands.Accenture Holds Top Position; TCS Remains Second The report showed that Accenture retained its position as the world’s most valuable IT services brand for the eighth consecutive year, with a brand...

Heavy Selloff Erodes Market Capitalisation Amid Global Uncertainty New Delhi, January 20: Indian equity markets witnessed a sharp selloff on Tuesday, wiping out ₹9.86 lakh crore in investor wealth as benchmark indices faced intense pressure through the session.The 30 share BSE Sensex extended its previous day’s decline, plunging 1,065.71 points or 1.28 percent to close at 82,180.47. During intraday trade, the index slipped as much as 1,235.6 points or 1.48 percent to touch a low of 82,010.58.As a result of the broad-based decline, the total market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies dropped by ₹9,86,093.96 crore to ₹4,55,82,683.29 crore, equivalent to USD 5.01 trillion.Sensex Stocks Under Pressure, HDFC Bank Lone Gainer Selling...

From Mockery to Manufacturing Strength When windmills were first introduced in India, they were often dismissed as oversized fans that would consume power instead of generating it. Three decades later, India has emerged as a key global supplier in the sector, with the country now capable of meeting nearly 10 percent of the world’s wind energy demand through exports, according to Suzlon Energy Vice Chairman Girish Tanti.Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Tanti reflected on the transformation of both the company and India’s renewable energy ecosystem, noting that wind energy was once considered commercially unviable in the country.Suzlon’s Three-Decade Journey Suzlon, which marks 30 years of...

Mumbai, January 20 India’s benchmark equity indices opened lower on Tuesday, with selling pressure driven by sustained foreign fund outflows and elevated geopolitical concerns that dampened overall investor sentiment.The 30 share BSE Sensex fell 311.33 points to 82,934.85 in early trade, while the 50 share NSE Nifty declined 99.5 points to 25,486.Stock Specific Movements Among Sensex constituents, Eternal, Bajaj Finance, Asian Paints, InterGlobe Aviation, Trent and Bajaj Finserv traded lower in the opening session.On the other hand, Kotak Mahindra Bank, State Bank of India, UltraTech Cement and ITC provided some support to the benchmark, trading in positive territory.Institutional Activity Remains Mixed Foreign institutional...

Mumbai, Jan 20 The rupee weakened by 8 paise to 90.98 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday, pressured by strong dollar demand from metal importers and continued foreign fund outflows that weighed on overall market sentiment.At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.91 and declined further to 90.98 against the greenback, compared with its previous close of 90.90.Market Pressures and Recent Trends The domestic currency has remained under strain amid persistent capital outflows and elevated global uncertainty, keeping emerging market currencies under pressure. Weakness in domestic equities also contributed to the cautious tone in currency trade.On Monday, the rupee had depreciated by 12 paise to...

Smartphone Shipments Drive Strong Export Momentum Delhi, January 20: India has achieved a record electronics exports figure of 47 billion dollar in 2025, marking a major milestone for the country’s manufacturing and export ecosystem.In a social media post, Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that nearly 30 billion dollar of the total exports came from smartphone shipments supported by the production linked incentive programme.Electronics Emerges as Third Largest Export Segment The minister said electronics has now become the third largest export item for India. He also highlighted that electronics exports have increased eleven times since 2015, reflecting the scale and pace of growth achieved...

New Delhi, January 20 India and the United Arab Emirates on Monday agreed to elevate their relationship through a proposed strategic defence partnership and a long term LNG supply deal, while setting an ambitious target of USD 200 billion in annual bilateral trade by 2032. The decisions were taken during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in New Delhi.The UAE President was personally received by Modi at the airport, after which both leaders travelled together to the Prime Minister’s residence. Discussions were held in both restricted and delegation level formats, covering a wide range of strategic, economic, and technological areas.Strategic Defence Partnership Takes...

Kolkata, January 17, 2026 Halder Venture Limited (BSE: 539854) is set to expand its capital market presence with its equity shares scheduled to begin trading on the NSE main board from Monday, January 19, 2026. The move will place the company on both major Indian exchanges, following its existing BSE listing. The company’s entire equity base of 1,24,38,135 shares, each with a face value of ₹10, will be admitted for trading on the NSE under the symbol HALDER. The shares will initially trade in the BE series, which follows a trade-for-trade settlement mechanism. NSE Listing SnapshotParticularsDetailsCompanyHalder Venture LimitedNSE SymbolHALDERSeriesBEEquity Shares Listed1,24,38,135Face Value₹10 per shareMarket Lot1...

Suo Motu Action and Penalties Announced The Central Consumer Protection Authority has initiated suo motu action against multiple e-commerce platforms for listing and selling unauthorised walkie-talkies, issuing final orders against eight entities and imposing penalties totalling ₹44 lakh.Notices were issued to 13 e-commerce entities after the authority identified more than 16,970 non-compliant product listings across platforms. These included Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro, Meesho, MaskMan Toys, TradeIndia, Antriksh Technologies, Vardaanmart, IndiaMart, Meta Platforms Inc. through Facebook Marketplace, Flipkart, Krishna Mart, and Amazon.Nature of Violations Identified The authority found that platforms were facilitating the sale of...