India Financial News

equity allocation might be warranted, signalling a shift away from the conservative stance that high valuations previously dictated,” says Achin Goel, PMS Fund Manager at Bonanza Group. In an interview with ETMarkets, Goel said: “A further price correction of about 8–10% from early March 2025 levels, or sequential earnings growth reflected in EPS increases—or a combination of both—could bring large caps into fair value territory,” Edited excerpts:

Indian bond market has been in focus over the past few months as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) implemented key liquidity measures and rate cuts to support economic growth. While global markets saw heightened volatility, India’s bond market remained relatively stable, with the 10-year government bond yield rising by 3 basis points (bps) in February. Meanwhile, US Treasury yields declined sharply, reflecting concerns over slowing global growth.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Retail inflation in February eased to under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 4% target for the first time in six months, government data released on Wednesday showed. The consumer price index was up only 3.6% from the same month in 2024.

Home First Finance is likely to launch a qualified institutional placement (QIP) next week to raise up to ₹1,250 crore, according to people familiar with the development. The development follows Hitachi Energy's successful ₹2,000 crore fundraising earlier this week, breaking a one-month dry spell in QIPs. Home First Finance plans to use the proceeds to expand its loan portfolio and strengthen its asset base. The company had announced in January that additional capital was required to meet its future business goals. Its assets under management, which stood at ₹11,949 crore at the end of December 2024, are targeted to grow to ₹20,000 crore by the end of March 2027.

Also read: Bank holidays in March 2025: Check state-wise list of bank holidays in March The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issues a list of public and regional holidays for banks under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. As Holika Dahan is a significant festival in North and Central India, many banks in these regions will remain closed.

The Nifty IT index fell 2.9%, while the benchmark Nifty ended 0.1% lower Wednesday.

STATE OF THE MARKETS

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Want to celebrate Holi in Varanasi or spend Eid unwinding in the Maldives? Be ready to pay up. With Holi falling on 14 March (Friday) and Eid expected on 31 March (Monday), travellers are seizing the back-to-back long weekends, sending hotel rates soaring.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi/Mumbai: The back-to-back marketing agreements signed by Starlink with Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio has finally paved the way for launch of the Elon-Musk-owned satellite internet provider’s services after an initial attempt four years ago.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Gabriel India Ltd: Buy at ₹532.55 | Target ₹600-620 | Stop loss ₹490 On the daily chart, the stock's Relative Strength Index (RSI) is trading above 60, and it is also trading above major EMAs. On the hourly chart, the stock has given a rectangle breakout around the 520 level.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has notified new norms for initial public offerings (IPOs) of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to protect investor interests. Mint takes a look at this excitable segment of the equity market: Sebi last week notified amendments to tighten rules for initial share sales by SMEs.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Blackstone Group Inc of the US will build out its credit and infrastructure verticals in India to complement its private equity (PE) and real estate businesses, senior executives at the firm said, adding that the firm is expecting to double its India assets under management (AUM) over the next three years. “We have a global (credit) business of over $450 billion in assets that we hope to bring into India," Blackstone’s chairman, chief execuitve officer and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman said in a media interaction in Mumbai.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Global private equity firms Blackstone Inc., General Atlantic and TPG Capital are moving in to acquire revenue cycle management firm AGS Health for around $1 billion, said two people with knowledge of the deal. The deal process, launched earlier this year, is likely to conclude next quarter, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A blockbuster diabetes drug will soon be available to Indian patients at a tenth of its cost, as its patent expires. At least four Indian generics players have launched cheaper variants of the drug, which is used to treat type-2 diabetes as well as heart and kidney ailments.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: American trade negotiators are pushing for a level playing field for US-based e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart with Indian firms such as Reliance, two people aware of the matter said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Current market price: ₹2,807 | Buy range: ₹2,750–2,830 | Profit goal: ₹3,240 | Stop loss: ₹2,590 | Timeframe: 1–2 months Current market price: ₹1,528.1 | Buy range: ₹1,500–1,535 | Profit goal: ₹1,760 | Stop loss: ₹1,415 | Timeframe: 1–2 months Nifty 50 ended flat for the second consecutive session after trading between 22,330 and 22,580. The index started the session on a muted note at 22,536 and continued to slide toward its key support level of 22,300.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: There is unanimity on the need to reduce the goods and services tax (GST) on health and life insurance premia from 18%, but consensus eludes on what the final rate should be: nil, 5% or 12%.

Blackstone, Hillhouse Investment, TPG Capital, and General Atlantic have submitted non-binding bids to acquire AGS Health, valuing the healthcare IT services firm at around $1 billion, said multiple people aware of the development. EQT Partners, the Swedish fund that owns AGS Health, has hired JP Morgan and Bank of America to manage the sale process which will be launched by early next year, ET first reported in September 2024. EQT acquired AGS Health in 2019 for $320 million. Spokespeople at EQT, Blackstone, and General Atlantic declined to comment. Hillhouse and TPG Capital did not respond to email queries.

This should be commensurate with awareness of responsible and ethical use of AI without curbing innovation, they said at the second edition of The Economic Times Digital Transformation Dialogues in Bengaluru, moderated by ET's Beena Parmar. The technology services world is moving towards the platforms and products operating model, which will increasingly rely «not on seniority or experience, but on your ability to deliver on your role,» said Sandhya Arun, chief technology officer at Wipro, which operates in an industry where revenue has traditionally been linked to the headcount. «A role itself has many tasks. If you break it down, some of those tasks will get automated, will get handed off to AI, but the role itself will transform as opposed to the role disappearing if you are doing something relevant such as impacting business value, delivering products ensuring quality and security,» Arun said. Because of this, Wipro is training its next gen, or young associates, to become full stack to work across frontend and backend of technology applications.

Starlink has partnered with Jio Platforms (JPL) to bring high-speed satellite internet services to customers in India, a day after a similar pact with Bharti Airtel. The tie-ups underscore a surprise turnaround in the stance of India's top two telecom operators, led by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal, which had been at odds with the world's leading low-earth orbit satellite constellation operator over spectrum allocation and pricing for the domestic market. Market watchers termed the deals as a win-win for all parties. While Starlink gets a foothold in the world's second-largest telecom market without paying top dollars to buy spectrum in an auction, both telcos get access to more cutting-edge technology while avoiding a bloody battle with a moneyed US giant. Indian consumers will be able to experience the latest technology at potentially affordable rates.

SIA-India) on Wednesday welcomed the strategic partnerships of Elon Musk-led SpaceX with Airtel and Reliance Jio. «These collaborations will accelerate broadband expansion and play a crucial role in enhancing connectivity across industries such as ports, rural enterprises, mining, oilfields, villages, and India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZs), where satellite technology can deliver substantial value,» Anil Prakash, director general, SIA-india, said. He said by complementing existing terrestrial networks, these partnerships will drive socio-economic growth, foster digital inclusion, and unlock new business opportunities across sectors like education, healthcare, e-governance, and agriculture.