India Financial News

The El Niño phenomenon could result in one of the driest monsoons in India in at least eight years.Private forecaster Skymet has predicted: the rainfall is likely to be 94% of the long-period average (LPA), or below-normal. While the predictions are in line with broader expectations of low rainfall, Skymet is known for giving more conservative predictions than the official India Meteorological Department (IMD).Both agencies fail to predict the intensity of rainfall accurately more often than not, but Skymet’s track record has worsened in recent years.

Mint spoke with.The decline in value was relatively narrower at 6%, as companies partially offset losses by raising prices in February and March.India smartphone market was flat in 2025 with a 0.6% annual growth by volume totalling 152 million units.Worryingly for the industry, this is the first time in recent years that smartphones are witnessing a simultaneous decline in both value and volumes at the start of a calendar year. So far, brands had relied on no-interest monthly instalments to sustain sales of higher-value phones — a strategy that appears to have hit a roadblock, at least for now.The slowdown coincided with sweeping geopolitical tensions that cascaded into financial markets worldwide, pushing up energy prices and dampening consumer sentiment.

Online commerce is undergoing a structural shift—from discovery-led consumption to decision-led execution. The rise of Agentic AI, capable of searching, evaluating and transacting autonomously, is reshaping how demand is created and fulfilled. This transition does not eliminate consumers, but reduces their role in the decision loop.

TV shows, India lacks a dedicated regulatory framework for music. This, lawyers and industry experts say, creates legal and commercial uncertainty, undermining an artiste’s ability to monetise their work and make creative decisions with confidence.

The number of Indian companies setting climate commitments is rising but their progress is uneven and often lacking in depth. A report by proxy advisory firm Institutional Investor Advisory Services (IiAS) highlights that while target-setting is increasing, many companies fall short on execution, timelines and credibility. Mint explains why India Inc.

NEW DELHI: India is moving to position its QR (Quick Response) code-based payment system on the global stage. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has introduced fresh norms covering biometric authentication, QR code-based payments and digital currency security to reduce fraud risks and enhance interoperability according to two people aware of the development.The move is intended to strengthen safeguards in India’s rapidly expanding digital financial ecosystem and build confidence among developed economies, where QR code payments are still a novelty, the people said.The rapid expansion of digital payments, biometric-based authentication systems and QR code transactions in India has raised concerns over fraud, identity theft, data misuse and vulnerabilities in the digital payment infrastructure.

Mint analysis shows a more telling shift: the intensity of the sell-off has steadily eased since the conflict began, with sharp early declines giving way to progressively smaller losses.The sell-off began with a jolt — between 27 February, the last trading session before hostilities escalated, and 6 March, the Nifty and Sensex fell about 3% each as the conflict broke out, followed by a sharper drop of over 5% the next week. Markets then paused, with a largely flat week, before slipping again by over a percent in the week of 23 March.The attacks began on 28 February.From there, the pressure eased.

Mint, Irani said pockets of the market continue to offer value despite headline premiums. Even though smallcaps are quoting at a slight premium to largecaps, on a price-to-earnings-growth (PEG) basis, the ratio is almost half that of largecaps.

Read the full story by Dhirendra Kumar.SpaceX eyes historic debut: SpaceX is heading to the stock market. Reports suggest a potential $75 billion IPO, bigger than Saudi Aramco, with a staggering valuation nearing $2 trillion.But this isn’t just another listing. With businesses spanning rockets, satellite internet (Starlink), AI (via xAI), and X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX is no longer just aerospace, it’s an integrated tech giant.

₹500- ₹2,000 crore, in the past month, according to investment bankers and deal advisors familiar with the matter.While the trend is becoming become more visible, intermediaries Mint spoke to declined to name any companies, citing dealmaking competition and confidentiality agreements governing the mandate shifts."I am seeing IPOs with new liquidity worth anywhere between ₹500 crore to ₹2,000 crore, turn into dual tracks over the last 30 days," a deal advisor working with IPO-bound companies told Mint on the condition of anonymity.This shift follows a cooling investor appetite amid global uncertainty, which has slowed listing activity. As a result, companies have now begun seeking alternative routes to provide liquidity to shareholders and founders."The current environment is not conducive for launching IPOs," said Samir Bahl, chief executive of investment banking at Anand Rathi Advisors.

Mumbai: The Nuvama Group’s private equity arm has invested ₹200 crore for a minority stake in Val-Met Engineering, betting on a specialized supplier of aerospace and defence materials as global manufacturers move more of their high-end production to India.“Over the last couple of years, there has been a rising focus in India and globally to become more self-reliant. Sensitive sectors like aerospace, defence, industrial and advanced/value added manufacturing have been the biggest beneficiaries of this shift in mindset,” Pranav Parikh, managing partner and head of private equity at Nuvama Asset Management, told Mint in an interview.According to Parikh, global conflicts and geopolitical uncertainties have made domestic self-sufficiency a critical priority.

₹32,100 crore in March, rising 8% month-on-month. But this hasn’t been enough to mask the fact that net inflows into equity schemes have slipped year-on-year in FY26 against a growth in FY25.Now, it’s not as if inflows typically spike in March, as it is the last month of a financial year. Note that SIP inflows in March have been flat month-on-month in FY25 and FY24.

Stock market recap: Indian benchmark indices surged about 6% last week—their strongest performance in over five years—driven by sharply improving global cues, and a risk-on rally across global equities. The Sensex surged 918.60 points, or 1.20%, to end at 77,550.25 on Friday, while the Nifty also finished higher, reclaiming the important 24,000 level.SONACOMS: Buy above 556 stop 520 target 610 (Multiday)NAM-INDIA: Buy above ₹960, stop ₹897 target ₹1075 (Multiday)OLECTRA: Buy above ₹1187, stop ₹1170 target ₹1275 (Multiday)Indian equity markets staged a strong rebound on 10 April 2026, recovering smartly after the previous session’s weak close.

Stock market recap: Indian equities rebounded on Friday, 10 April, with benchmark indices recovering recent losses amid improved global sentiment. The BSE Sensex jumped over 900 points to close near 77,500, while the Nifty 50 reclaimed the 24,000 mark, ending around 24,050.Sentiment was lifted by optimism around a temporary US–Iran ceasefire.

Mint, introduces a bank passbook-like system in which companies that meet targets earn credits, while those that fall short accumulate debits that attract penalties.Automakers with debits will be allowed to purchase credits from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) at fixed rates set annually from 2028 to 2032, ranging from ₹2,500 to ₹4,500 per gramme of CO₂/km.While automakers will be allowed to trade credits among themselves, as is the global norm, the option to purchase credits directly from a regulator is unprecedented.“California allows fully transparent credit trading among OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), while Europe permits pooling among manufacturers,” said Amit Bhatt, India managing director at International Council on Clean Transportation, a non-profit organization that advises regulators on environmental issues.“In contrast, BEE’s proposal represents a distinct Indian approach by introducing a regulated credit purchase mechanism, effectively creating a financial compliance pathway that is not available in either benchmark jurisdiction,” he added.Queries sent to the BEE, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Mahindra and Mahindra, and Hyundai Motor India remained unanswered.To put it simply, every automaker will have a passbook for each of the fiscal years from 2028 to 2032. A positive credit balance would indicate that the company's average annual fuel emissions are below the maximum cap.

GDP may be greater than on inflation, as the government will try to shield vulnerable consumers using policy tools, and in the worst case, growth may possibly be lower by 60-100 basis points,” added Shukla.The failure of talks could impact the stock market's fledgling recovery from its 52-week low, and unsettle the currency and energy markets."This is bad news and puts the recent recovery at risk," said Nirmal Jain, founder of IIFL Group, advising investors to wait rather than rush in to buy a likely dip.The bellwether Nifty had recovered 8.4% from its 52-week low of 22,182.55 on 2 April to Friday's closing of 24050.6. A further recovery toward the pre-war level of 25,178.65 on 27 February, which analysts had expected ahead of the peace talks, looks like a "tough ask," said Rohit Srivastava, founder of analytics firm IndiaCharts.While analysts including Srivastava do not believe the market will test its 52-week low again unless the fighting widens, options traders have baked in a 23,000-25,000 range for the Nifty in April.

India is set to more than double its export quotas for wheat, including for its flour products atta and maida, two people aware of the decision said. The move was cleared recently by a top panel monitoring supply of essentials amid the West Asia war, they said.

Agents and employees representing banks and non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) have been known to frequently push inappropriate products on hapless customers in their zeal to boost sales and rake in the commissions that come with them. A senior citizen is encouraged to purchase a risky market-linked product such as a unit-linked insurance plan (ULIP) instead of a safe fixed-income instrument offering steady returns.

Since US President Donald Trump started hiking tariffs last year, many commentators have called attention to Asian exporters’ resilience. But the narrowly concentrated gains in Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand have been driven primarily by electronics, obscuring the sharp divisions that a protectionist US and an export-reliant China are perpetuating across the region. Beyond electronics exports, other sectors are being undercut, leading several governments to announce targeted support measures for firms and consumers, even as headline growth has headed higher.

With the introduction of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill of 2026 (JV2), India’s government has made one thing unmistakably clear: the decriminalization of various actions covered by the country’s statute book is not a one-time gesture, but a sustained and serious programme of reform. Covering 79 Central Acts in a single sweep, the JV2 Bill follows the Jan Vishwas Act of 2023 and picks up where the Select Committee-examined 2025 bill left off. The ambition behind this exercise deserves recognition on its own terms.

Mint explains what the change means for creators and brandsMeta's update aims to turn creator content into a new sales channel for businesses. It also offers creators an opportunity to monetise their posts through commissions from these sales.“Meta is now making it easier for creators to link products more broadly on Instagram…Businesses in 22 countries, including India, will soon be able to provide their product catalogues to creators, helping more people find their products in creators’ Reels,” Meta said in a statement.Meta will allow creators to use digital avatars and voiceover to create videos, to ride the wave of the faceless video boom sparked by AI reels.