India Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s cable and internet gear makers are experiencing the effects of the US-Iran war, with companies citing higher raw material costs, export disruptions, and growing uncertainty across global markets.The geopolitical tensions have pushed up prices of key inputs such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), copper, aluminium, preform, helium and polymers, while also affecting exports to West Asia, according to companies such as Havells India Ltd, Polycab India Ltd, R R Kabel Ltd, Sterlite Technologies Ltd (STL) and HFCL Ltd.“While US tariff headwinds have meaningfully moderated from peak levels, adding margins, we are seeing new near-term cost pressures from geopolitical disruption driven by the war in West Asia, particularly impacting helium and polymer inputs,” said Ajay Jhanjhari, chief financial officer at STL, during an analyst call on 29 April.Helium is mainly used in making optical fibre for telecom networks, so it matters more to companies such as STL and HFCL. Polymers are used in almost all wires and cables to cover and protect them, affecting the entire industry.To be sure, some telecom gear makers, impacted by the US reciprocal tariffs, saw an improvement in margins during the March quarter owing to the tariff being reduced from 50% to 15%.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For Gurugram-based marketing professional SP, 34, eating out was once a way to unwind after long workdays with sushi dinners and Sunday brunches that often doubled as preparation for the week ahead. Over time, the routine led to weight gain and lifestyle concerns, though she wasn’t ready to give up on it.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Initially, Navin Israni, 36, didn’t treat his back pain as much as he furnished around it. A back-support cushion for his work chair, then a medicine ball he tried sitting on and returned for being too large—both ordered online. The cushion on his sofa moved up to act as back support, then a sheet of plywood affixed to provide a firm seat.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Dabur India Ltd’s March quarter (Q4FY26) numbers are steady, but not particularly exciting for a company that trades at relatively high valuations. Consolidated revenue grew 7.3% year-on-year to ₹3,038 crore, while full-year FY26 growth stood at 5% to ₹13,193 crore.Ebitda margin was flat year-on-year at 15.2% in Q4FY26. The quarter reflects that Dabur is still trying to find a stronger growth trajectory.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Tamil Nadu and Kerala are among India’s most socially advanced states, with new governments ready to take charge. They are faced with a more complex challenge than many parts of the world that are still grappling with basic developmental deficits.How do they maintain prosperity, create more economic resilience and generate the next wave of opportunity?The numbers tell a powerful story.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.IndiGo and Air India have opposed proposed passenger charges by India’s newest airports, warning that higher tariffs would make flying more expensive and slow passenger traffic growth when domestic aviation demand is weakening.Adani-owned Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), which started operations in December, currently levies a user development fee (UDF) of ₹620 on domestic departures and ₹270 on arrivals. It has proposed increasing this by 20% in FY28 and 10% annually until FY31 for a net increase of 45% over five years.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.This year’s Met Gala, the fancy-dress competition for the ultra-wealthy, was a memorable one. Not just because one of the world’s richest tech bros, Jeff Bezos, and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, served as honorary chairs—a first—but also because the evening of 4 May saw the largest Indian contingent yet ascend the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, with each attendee reportedly paying $100,000 to attend fashion’s most exclusive fund-raiser.Ananya Birla, Isha Ambani, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, Sudha Reddy, Natasha Poonawalla, Sawai Padmanabh Singh and Gauravi Kumari were in attendance, presenting their interpretation of the 2026 Met Gala dress code, “Fashion is Art”, which challenged guests to treat the body as a canvas, express their relationship with fashion “as an embodied art form and celebrate the countless depictions of the dressed body throughout art history”.Did the Indian contingent get the memo right? That depends on whether you believe fashion as art is best expressed through spectacle, symbolism or genuine risk-taking.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Despite betting on VFX-driven, high-budget spectacles to lure audiences in droves to cinemas, Bollywood has largely been unable to crack the visual effects game.This was particularly evident in the recent criticism of the trailer for the first instalment of the mega-budget, two-part Ramayana franchise. The major criticism was that despite a reported ₹4,000 crore production budget, the visual effects seemed artificial and video game-like, and that they appeared ‘too digital’ and lacked soul.Experts said not only are Indian movie budgets much lower than in Hollywood, but Indian studios and producers also often handle visual effects in a rushed manner during post-production.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India's maritime sector doesn't always make headlines, but it quietly powers the entire economy, moving over 90% of the country's trade by volume.Stretch that 7,500-km coastline across a map, add 12 major ports and 200+ smaller ones, and you start to appreciate just how much of India's growth story begins and ends at sea.The Maritime India Vision 2030 outlines over 150 initiatives with projected investments of ₹3–3.5 trillion, supported by a recent ₹69,725 crore package for shipbuilding, according to a PIB report.In FY24–25, major ports handled around 855 million (m) tonnes of cargo, reflecting strong growth in maritime trade and improved port efficiency.What’s interesting is the momentum building beneath the surface.Around 51 large ships are currently under construction in India, with a total value of nearly ₹90,000 crore, according to PIB report dated 3 December 2025.Since 2014, Indian shipyards have delivered more than 40 warships and submarines, and in the past year alone, a new vessel has been added roughly every 40 days. All of this is turning the maritime space into a buzzing investment theme.Here are five stocks from across the maritime space that are worth keeping on your radar.Established in 1907, Tata Steel is Asia’s first integrated private steel company and also played a key role in developing India’s first industrial city, Jamshedpur.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Indian IT’s mid-tier firms are narrowing the gap with the industry’s six largest players in terms of incremental revenue, even as growth slows across the board amid AI disruption and demand uncertainty.Coforge, Mphasis and five similar companies saw growth moderate, but the rate of decline in new business in FY26 was slower than that of the country’s six largest software exporters, which include the likes of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys.Together, these seven mid-tier companies, each with annual revenue between $1 billion and $2 billion, added $1.1 billion in new business in FY26, down from $1.25 billion in FY25. In comparison, the six largest firms, with annual revenue in a range of $5-30 billion, added $1.9 billion, down from $2.28 billion in FY25, according to a Mint analysis of company filings.This suggests that mid-tier tech firms are closing the gap with larger peers in incremental business.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s statistics ministry recently proposed an Index of Services Production (ISP), the need for which may seem self-evident, given how this sector’s prominence has grown. “The service sector is the dominant force in the Indian economy, contributing over 50% of the Gross Value Added [GVA],” as a discussion paper on the idea released by the ministry notes, “It has long been central to economic transformation, consistently driving growth, generating employment, and attracting investment across decades.” That’s the good part of our services story. The not-so-good part is the absence of accurate, disaggregated and timely data on the services sector along the lines of India’s monthly Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Quant Mutual Fund believes this year is about identifying undervalued and under-researched segments of the market while avoiding overcrowded trades.In the Mint Money Guru series, Quant Mutual Fund founder and chief investment officer Sandeep Tandon explains why he believes this is the biggest buying opportunity since the covid pandemic.It's largely a behaviour call coming from some analytics that we have built. The element of fear is very high. People are worried about crude prices, the rupee and the exit of foreign institutional investors (FIIs).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: Next week, the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will start hearing arguments for and against India’s first-ever data privacy law. After five separate public interest litigation petitions filed in February challenged the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, these hearings starting 13 May could determine the future of what companies and government bodies can do with the personal data of 1.4 billion people.Both the Centre and the litigators have deployed batteries of top lawyers.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Sona Comstar expects Chinese carmakers expanding manufacturing outside their home market to open up new business opportunities for the company, a senior executive said. The auto parts maker believes Chinese electric vehicle companies setting up plants in Europe and other regions could benefit suppliers, such as itself, which already have a presence overseas.On the other hand, an opportunity to build business in China will require companies to sacrifice their margins and profitability, a reason for its exit from a proposed joint venture with Chinese parts maker Jinnaite Machinery that had been announced in July 2025, Sona Comstar group chief executive and managing director Vivek Vikram Singh told Mint.“When Chinese OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) set up factories outside is when our opportunity truly arises in the driveline business," Singh said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Nifty generated a sense of confidence that we have been searching for the last few weeks. We had identified important zones, and this strong thrust seen yesterday could now fuel some trends ahead.Best stocks to buy today (All buy trades are rates of equity, and sell rates are based on F&O)Sun Pharma Advanced Research Co. Ltd: Buy above ₹169 | Stop ₹158 | Target ₹193 (multiday)Laxmi Organic Industries Ltd: Buy above ₹165 | Stop ₹157 | Target ₹181 (multiday)One 97 Communications Ltd (PayTM): Buy above ₹1,200 | Stop ₹1,150 | Target ₹1,290 (multiday)On 7 May 2026, Indian equity markets ended marginally lower after another volatile session, as profit booking erased early gains despite optimism over easing geopolitical tensions following reports of a possible US-Iran peace deal.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.US-based FMC Corporation, a global agricultural sciences company, on Thursday said it has signed an agreement to sell its India commercial business to IPO-bound Crystal Crop Protection Ltd, a crop solutions company in New Delhi, for about $252 million.“FMC’s innovative portfolio, blockbuster brands and future pipeline give us an opportunity to provide Indian farmers access to innovative products,” Crystal’s chairman and managing director, Ankur Aggarwal, said in a statement. He added that the deal is aimed at accelerating innovation across both chemical and biological domains of crop protection.FMC will continue to receive all cash generated from the ongoing operation of the India business until closing, primarily through monetization of working capital.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: India has issued guidelines defining and classifying intensive care units (ICUs), a regulatory step that will affect 71,000 hospitals and over 1.38 million registered doctors in the country, as the government aims to eliminate hospital-acquired infections and address uneven critical care standards, according to an official familiar with the matter and a document reviewed by Mint.The directorate general of health services (DGHS), operating under the health and family welfare ministry, has categorized ICUs into three levels. The standards start at Level 1 units that are intended for basic stabilization with a minimum of six beds and one ventilator, to Level 3 units equipped for advanced multi-organ failure support with bedside portable CT and mobile digital radiography.The norms set round-the-clock physician coverage, nurse-to-patient ratios and require Level 2 and Level 3 doctors to hold a Doctorate of Medicine or a Doctorate of the National Board in intensive care.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Private equity firm Everstone Capital has acquired Germany-based industrial equipment maker Qlar Group from Blackstone, the companies said in a statement on Thursday.While the companies did not disclose financial details, the transaction is estimated to be worth $150-200 million, including equity and debt, according to a person familiar with the matter.The acquisition underscores Singapore-based Everstone’s push to back global manufacturing and engineering businesses with significant operations in India and Asia. Qlar derives about 25% of its revenue from India, the person said.“Qlar is a differentiated industrial technology platform with a strong global footprint and deep engineering capabilities,” said Avnish Mehra, vice chairman, private equity at Everstone Capital, adding that the company’s operations in India and Asia position it to benefit from competitive manufacturing and proximity to high-growth markets.“We see a clear opportunity to build on these strengths, supported by our cross-border experience and network, to drive disciplined and sustainable growth,” he added.Everstone said it will partner with Qlar’s management team to strengthen market access and commercial capabilities while expanding the company’s portfolio of lower-carbon and circular material-processing solutions.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Iran had just opened up e-visas for Indian travellers, but ours quickly got rejected. I read on forums that it was common to get an e-visa rejection, no reasons given. So we set about charting the archaic, long-winded route to get a physical visa at the embassy: get a visa code through an Iranian travel agency, file an application with travel documents at the Iranian consulate in Mumbai and submit medical test results for TB and HIV.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s merchandise trade deficit was about $333 billion in 2025-26, 17.5% wider than the previous year’s. Reducing import dependence is critical and gold stands out as a major item in this context. As the world’s second-largest gold consumer, the country imported nearly 803 tonnes in 2024-25 but produced just 1.6 tonnes (0.2% of demand); last year’s figures would be comparable.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Luxury home decor and furnishing brands are seeing a rise in demand in India as wealthy consumers splurge on larger homes, renovations and design-led interiors.From dinnerware costing several lakh rupees to collectable decor and contemporary furniture, affluent buyers are increasingly spending on their homes with luxury malls dedicating floors to what retailers describe as the "sleeper category".In New Delhi’s The Chanakya mall, an entire floor is now dedicated to luxury home and decor brands, including Jay Strongwater, Baccarat, Diptyque and Lladró, alongside Indian labels such as Janavi Home and Ravissant.The luxury home segment in India has seen a post-pandemic acceleration, with a fresh wave of global brand entries and expansions. Reliance Brands brought Pottery Barn to India in 2022, marking one of the early large-format bets on organised luxury home retail.