India Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A recent report by an investment bank says that the three biggest areas of focus on the economic-policy front for the Indian government right now are striking bilateral trade deals, stepping up investments in strategic industries such as semiconductors and reducing the burden of regulation on firms as well as citizens. The new Economic Survey written by officials in the finance ministry made a compelling case on how a surfeit of outdated regulations hold back the growth of firms, especially smaller enterprises that drive job creation.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Grade-A office spaces are seeing a drop in vacancy levels, along with improving occupancies, as the leasing trajectory is likely to maintain the good run in the March quarter (Q4FY25), too. Demand for commercial properties continues to be led by global capability centres (GCCs), rising traction in flexible workspaces, and IT/ITes.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI : Over the past few years, a new fund category—multi-asset funds that invest in equity, debt, gold, and international stocks—has taken root in India. With renewed interest in foreign stocks and changes in taxation introduced in the 2024 budget, multi-asset funds can be an attractive proposition.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: State-owned Bank of India is looking to go beyond its comfort zone of lending to companies with the highest credit ratings to shore up its margins, which is already under pressure and could sink further following the Reserve Bank’s rate cut. Chief executive Rajneesh Karnatak said in an interview withMint that the bank is looking for companies rated ‘BBB’ or ‘A’ to lend to, as those rated ‘AA’ or above have more bargaining power on lending rates.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Despite the rise of legitimate streaming platforms, piracy continues to bleed India’s entertainment industry, with film and OTT content suffering the biggest blows. While music piracy has been largely curtailed due to free, ad-supported streaming, video piracy remains rampant, costing the industry a staggering ₹224 billion annually, as per a report released by EY and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

Ambassador Qi noted that the public is largely unaware of these details. «This is because we do not shout about our assistance to Sri Lanka,» the ambassador noted. It may be noted here that Sri Lanka undertook a restructuring of $46 billion in external credit after announcing its first sovereign default amid the economic crisis of 2022. Furthermore, the ambassador expressed optimism about the potential for collaboration between China and India in developing Sri Lanka's northern province. In a significant statement, Qi said there is no dispute between China and India, as both nations have experienced rapid growth and should collaborate to achieve common objectives.

Lok Sabha during the ongoing Budget session of Parliament, highlighting the significance of the Maha Kumbh. He said the entire world witnessed the grandeur of India during Mahakumbh. «I am here to give statement over Maha Kumbh which was held in Prayagraj. Through this House today, I salute the people of the country because of which the Maha Kumbh was held successfully. Several people had a role to play in the success of Maha Kumbh. I thank all the 'karm yogis' of the government and society.»

Anand Mahindra took to social media on Tuesday to commend the exceptional mathematical prowess of 14-year-old prodigy Aaryan Shukla, who achieved a groundbreaking feat by securing six Guinness World Records in a single day. Originating from Maharashtra, Shukla set these records in February during a high-stakes mental math competition held in Dubai. Expressing his admiration in a post on X, Mahindra remarked, «14-year-old Aaryan Shukla from India last month broke the world record for the fastest time to mentally add 100 four-digit numbers—30.9 sec. Leaves you dazed and bewildered. Congratulations Aaryan!» Curious about the methodology behind such extraordinary mental calculations, Mahindra inquired, «I’m sure Aaryan has a special gift beyond the ordinary, but are there any sites that give a primer on the fundamentals of this technique? I’m not looking to break any world record. Maybe I can use it for some simple, daily business calculations!»

equity mutual funds have managed to outperform their respective benchmarks so far in the financial year ending on March 31, 2025, an analysis of performance of equity mutual funds showed. There were around 268 equity mutual funds in the market. Out of 268 equity mutual funds, 176 funds have outperformed their respective benchmarks. In other words, only 92 equity mutual funds failed to beat their respective benchmarks.

Benchmark NSE Nifty index rose 245.41 points to 22754.15 amid buying in frontline bluechip stocks.

«Gold looks on a better footing. It has delivered great return like equity, but we will have to realise whether we will be able to liquidate gold or not,» says Nilesh Shah, MD, Kotak AMC. Gold and Nifty have given similar returns. I mean, why are we doing so much of analysis every day? So much of volatility. We look at macro, we look at rupee, we look at earnings, we look at PE. Life is so simple. Just buy gold, forget it. Nilesh Shah: So, we will have to figure out when Indians decide to sell gold, who will buy. Today, gold prices are up because we are one of the largest buyer. Fortunately, for India, central banks of the world have become like our housewives.

Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra has expressed concerns over the rise in customer complaints and urged the top management of banks and non-bank lenders to get directly involved in improving customer services and resolving their grievances. «I suspect that we are not spending enough time on customer service and grievance redressal as a result of which not only are there a large number of complaints being received by banks and NBFCs but in the absence of satisfactory resolution, a large number of them are getting escalated to RBI Ombudsmen,» the governor said Monday in Mumbai at the annual conference of the central bank's Ombudsmen. «I would, therefore, strongly urge all the MD & CEOs, zonal and regional managers and the branch managers to spend some time every week, if not every day on grievance redressal. This is a must. All great CEOs find time to do it,» Malhotra said Monday in Mumbai.

Santosh Rao, Head of Research/Partner, Manhattan Venture Partners, says foreign funds flows will ultimately come into India because India is the fastest growing economy in the world but right now, there is much better risk-reward outside India. So, right now, money is getting scattered around other places. But ultimately, it will come back to India. Rao also says that the Fed will probably have one cut this year and more next year when the US economy is expected to slow down. They won’t cut rates now because the prices are still high and there is a greater threat of inflation. US retail sales rose less than forecast in February, and the previous month was revised down to mark the biggest drop since July 2021. Anxiety is building among US consumers about the likely impact from US tariffs on the economy and their pocketbooks. China on the other hand, has announced a «Special Action Plan to Boost Consumption» in a bid to prop up domestic consumption in the world's second largest economy. How do you see these things impacting US consumers? Santosh Rao: Overall, right now, the US consumer is getting cautious. The underlying data right now is kind of soft, but people are really worried about the future, what is coming down the pike? The inflation expectations are high and that kind of feeds into the narrative and that one thing leads to another, so the prices keep going up. So, the big inflation, the resurgence of inflation is a big issue. So, you want to clamp that down. So, let us see.

S Jaishankar on Tuesday stressed the importance of having an international order just like a domestic order. He slammed the United Nations for making the Kashmir invasion a dispute and turning the attacker and victim at par and called for having a «strong and fair» UN. In his remarks at the Session on 'Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations' at Raisina Dialogue on Tuesday, Jaishankar called the occupation of some parts of Kashmir by Pakistan «the longest standing illegal occupation» of territory by another country after the Second World War. Jaishankar said, «Let's give you a second example. We all speak of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In the Hindi cinema of yore, villains were a very important part of the story. But they never had a backstory.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s road network is the second largest in the world and the pace of expansion shows no signs of slowing down. Over the past decade, the country’s National Highway network has grown by 60%, reaching 146,195 kilometres (km) in 2025.

Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated live blog and has not been edited by LiveMint staff.Bank Nifty Today Live Updates: At current prices Bank Nifty, faces the below Resistance and Support levels As of the last recorded day, the Bank Nifty closed at 48,060.40. This closing price reflects the performance of the banking sector in the Indian stock market, indicating investor sentiment and market trends.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mark Carney, sworn in as the 24th Prime Minister of Canada on Friday, is a newbie in the world of politics. But then, so was the late Manmohan Singh, till former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao made him our finance minister in 1991.

IRCON International are set to be in focus on Tuesday after the company, in a joint venture with Badri Rai and Company, secured an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract worth Rs 1,096.17 crore from the Directorate of Urban Affairs, Government of Meghalaya. The project involves the construction of a new Secretariat Complex, including campus infrastructure, in New Shillong City. IRCON holds a 26% share in the joint venture, amounting to Rs 285 crore, while BRC holds the remaining 74%. The contract has a completion timeline of 36 months.

IREDA shares may remain in the spotlight on Tuesday, March 18, after the company’s board approved a Rs 5,000 crore enhancement in the borrowing program for FY 2024-25. According to the official statement, the additional borrowing will be raised through multiple instruments, including Taxable Bonds, Sub-ordinated Tier-II Bonds, Perpetual Debt Instruments (PDI), term loans from banks and financial institutions (FIs), credit lines from international agencies (multilateral and bilateral agencies), External Commercial Borrowings (ECB), short-term loans, and WCDL from banks.

Vedanta shares are expected to remain in focus on Tuesday, March 18, following positive commentary from Chairman Anil Agarwal on the company’s growth outlook and demerger plans. Agarwal's letter to stakeholders outlined Vedanta’s strategy to leverage India’s natural resources sector and enhance shareholder value through the proposed demerger. Agarwal highlighted that Vedanta contributes approximately 1.4% to India’s GDP, with the natural resources sector playing a crucial role in economic growth. He emphasized that India’s demand for aluminum, copper, and zinc is growing at double-digit rates, positioning Vedanta to capitalize on rising consumption.