Usa Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Americans are increasingly turning to TikTok Shop to buy shampoo, jewelry and apparel. Retailers have noticed, pushing onto the platform with their own virtual stores.Ralph Lauren and Olaplex Holdings moved onto the platform late last year, while Ulta Beauty launched its store in March.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s outsourcing industry, its largest white-collar employer, is a juggernaut that has all but stopped moving. The dollar revenue at the top five software-services exporters has grown slower than 3% for 10 straight quarters—a shadow of the double-digit expansion in the previous two decades. As these companies squeeze hiring to survive the existential challenge posed by artificial intelligence (AI), the aftershocks are starting to upend everything from real-estate demand to mortgage-underwriting norms.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India currently levies a 5% basic customs duty on raw cotton imports. The government had temporarily waived this duty between 19 August and 30 September 2025, and later extended this exemption to 31 December 2025.Addressing the media on the supply-chain scenario amid the war in West Asia, Bipin Menon, trade advisor in the textiles ministry, said on Tuesday that discussions were ongoing with the ministry of agriculture and the department of revenue on reducing or eliminating customs duty on cotton.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Investors will be keenly watching how the US-Iran war-induced volatility in raw materials in March impacted Hindustan Unilever Ltd's (HUL) margins when the packaged consumer goods giant announces its fourth-quarter results on Thursday.HUL is expected to post a profit after tax of ₹2,612 crore and revenue of ₹16,270 crore in the three months ended 31 March, according to Bloomberg's 21-analyst estimate. In the third quarter, it reported a net profit before exceptional items of ₹2,562 crore and revenue of ₹16,235 crore.The company, often considered a proxy for consumption in India, has had a tough March quarter, with several key inputs used across its product portfolio directly exposed to disruptions triggered by the US-Iran war.For example, the price of palm oil, a key ingredient for HUL, which makes soaps under brands such as Lux, Lifebuoy, Dove, Pears, Rexona and Hamam, has been rising as the war has pushed major producers such as Malaysia and Indonesia to increase their biodiesel capacity.Similarly, prices of liquid paraffin, used in creams, have edged up slightly.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Dubrovnik, CroatiaEurope’s data center markets need more energy. Demand for energy to power the data centers is projected to grow from 10 gigawatts in 2024 to 35 gigawatts by 2030.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bill Ackman wants to capitalize on his social-media fame by opening his hedge-fund strategy to the masses. It remains to be seen how enthusiastic the masses are.The billionaire investor plans to stage a unique double listing Wednesday, taking public both a new stock-picking fund, Pershing Square USA, and his hedge-fund management company, Pershing Square.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.As the Nifty 50 crashed more than 11% in March amid escalating tensions between the US, Iran and Israel, equity funds slashed their cash holdings throughout the month, aggressively buying into stocks at beaten-down prices. This widespread reduction in liquidity highlighted how differently fund managers utilize "dry powder" during a crisis.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.I can see from your coat, my friend, that you’re from the other side/ Can you tell me, please—who won the war?—Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills, Nash and YoungIt is now relatively quiet on the West Asian front and there is little doubt that we have moved away from the brinkmanship of 7 April, a critical turning point. On that day, US President Donald Trump threatened a civilizational war against Iran, which responded by mobilizing human shields to protect critical infrastructure and suspending truce talks with the US. In that moment, the price of Brent crude oil for physical delivery briefly surged to $144 per barrel and headlines warned of ‘Armageddon.’ This marked the peak of global panic.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Berkshire Hathaway may be de-emphasizing its smaller stock picks under CEO Greg Abel and the selloff Monday in Domino’s Pizza would support such a pullback.Berkshire owned just under 10% of Domino’s—some 3.35 million shares—at year-end. The stock fell nearly 9% Monday to $335.51 and hit a new 52-week low earlier in the session after the company reported results for the March that missed the consensus estimate on both revenue and earnings.Berkshire bought most of its stake in late 2024 at what Barron’s estimates is a price of between $400 and $450 and added to the holding in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd’s acquisition of Organon might yet avoid the pitfalls that its rivals, Lupin Ltd and Biocon Ltd, have faced in the past. Billed as among the largest deals in the Indian pharma space, the Sun-Organon deal is in a better place than the Lupin-Gavis and the Biocon-Viatris deals.When Lupin completed the acquisition of US-based Gavis Pharmaceuticals in March 2016, the former’s stock went downhill.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Sun Pharma would appear to have got itself a sweet deal when it agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of US-based Organon for $3.7 billion in cash at $14 per share.The US pharma company had outstanding debt of $8.6 billion at the end of 2025, annual sales of $6.2 billion and adjusted Ebitda of $1.9 billion (i.e., earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). Its enterprise value of $11.75 billion, as widely reported, is the sum of its stock value and debt, less cash on hand.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: India’s second-biggest overseas acquisition was stitched together over three months of near-daily negotiations between the bidder, the seller and their bankers, said a banker aware of the details behind the transaction.Mumbai-based Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on Monday said in an exchange filing it will acquire US-headquartered Organon & Co for about $11.75 billion. This is the largest overseas deal by an Indian company since Tata Steel acquired UK-based Corus Group for $12 billion in 2007.The deal was always pitched at around $12 billion from both sides, with negotiations neither exceeding nor materially falling from that level, the person cited above said on the condition of anonymity.“The deal was out in the market sometime late 2025, and Sun was very interested because it gave them access to more than 100 countries across the world and also complemented the product suite,” said the banker.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on Monday announced the $11.75 billion acquisition of Organon & Co., in a seemingly aggressive push into the US market that has long decided the global fortunes of Indian drugmakers. However, the biggest buyout by an Indian company in nearly 20 years also signals that the US generics market's decades-long allure is beginning to fade for Indian drugmakers, which are now eyeing newer markets such as China, South Korea, and Spain with branded generics.Announced early on Monday, the Organon acquisition ranks as the second-largest acquisition by an Indian company, behind Tata Steel's 2007 deal to buy British steel maker Corus Group for $12 billion.For years, Indian pharma rode a powerful wave in the US, as expiring patents of blockbuster small-molecule drugs opened a gold mine for low-cost generic drug makers in the world's largest drug market.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Although initial resistance levels were briefly broken on Monday, the market continues to show hesitation, preventing a clear breakout or a stronger trend. Nevertheless, the fact that bullish momentum has persisted despite periodic volatility has increased overall market confidence.Buy above ₹890, stop ₹835, target ₹990 (multiday)Buy above ₹465, stop ₹435, target ₹515 (multiday)Buy above ₹520, stop ₹490, target ₹580 (multiday)Indian equities rebounded on 27 April, snapping a three-day losing streak as easing geopolitical concerns lifted sentiment.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) plans to scale up its corporate finance team in India and expand into new sectors, as the New York-based consulting firm positions itself to capture a rise in dealmaking and sustained capital inflows into the country, senior executives said.The expansion comes amid a shift in global investor strategy towards long-term capital deployment in India, driven by strong underlying fundamentals, high-growth prospects and elevated public market valuations that are pushing deal activity, including cross-border transactions.“We are building a highly sector-specialized corporate finance team, that integrates seamlessly with the firm’s other offerings,” said Mohit Khullar, managing director and head of corporate finance at Alvarez & Marsal India.The firm’s corporate finance practice currently spans consumer, industrials, healthcare and pharma, with the recent addition of Nitin Lath as managing director for the sector.“We will specialize within pharma, with a strong focus on Indian branded formulations, niche generics and speciality pharma, as well as CDMOs (contract development and manufacturing organization) and APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients),” Lath said. “The pharma industry is undergoing a period of transformation, with several players re evaluating their business models and actively pursuing large M&A opportunities, including cross border transactions across the US and Europe.”Khullar said the firm will also expand into additional sectors such as financial services and technology in the coming months.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: From technology to automobiles to pharmaceuticals, Indian companies are scaling up their global ambitions like never before.They are using large acquisitions overseas to quickly scale, deliver higher value products and compete on the global stage. The latest one—Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd’s $11.75 billion acquisition of US-based specialty drugmaker Organon & Co, second only to the Tata Steel's $12-billion purchase of Corus Group nearly two decades ago, caps a year of such bold bets.Whether it is Coforge Ltd’s $2.39 billion buyout of California-based Encora, Tata Motors Ltd’s $4.5 billion bet on Italy’s Iveco, or Bajaj Auto Ltd’s $906 million acquisition of its long-time Austrian partner KTM, Indian companies are spending top dollar on acquiring companies overseas, which give them access to technology and newer markets.Coforge is an IT services provider that caters to legacy companies.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For years, the global AI race focused on frontier models, faster chips and massive capital. The US still leads this phase, with its hyperscalers ready to roll out massive expansions of data centre capacity as soon as labour, chip and power availability catch up. China, however, is shifting its strategy.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has notified new design requirements for offshore wind turbines, blades, and tower and foundation structures, in line with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, according to two government officials aware of the development.The new standards aim to establish clear benchmarks for the design, testing and installation of key components of wind energy systems, particularly in offshore conditions where operational risks are higher.“These norms would ensure structural safety, improve quality control and enhance the reliability of wind installations,” said one of the two officials.“By aligning with IEC-based standards, the move ensures global compatibility and is expected to facilitate greater participation from international players, while supporting technology transfer and investment in the sector,” the official added.This comes as India pushes to scale up its offshore wind sector, which has an estimated potential of 70 gigawatts (GW), enough to power nearly 70 million households. The country aims to auction about 37GW of offshore capacity by 2029-30.Offshore wind projects cost around ₹15- ₹20 crore per megawatt (MW), significantly higher than ₹7- ₹8 crore per MW for onshore projects, due to the need for seabed infrastructure and transmission systems.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Geography may place India and New Zealand at distant points on the world map, but that distance has never defined their relationship. They have common democratic values, strong people-to-people ties and a deep cultural affinity, which includes their shared love for cricket. Much like their encounters on the pitch, India-New Zealand trade has traditionally resembled a Test match: steady and patient but often lacking in tempo, and has only picked up pace in recent years.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The jagged path of India’s stock market attests to how shaky the mood of investors is. Although the Sensex is up 6.6% in April (while the Nifty-50 index rose 7%) after its 12% tumble in war-stricken March (the Nifty-50 slid more than 11%), last week ended on a glum note.A tentative truce in West Asia may have mostly silenced the blasts of war, but the lifting smoke revealed a double choke of Hormuz, with even Iran’s oil trapped, like the exports of other Gulf countries. As this US-Iran deadlock is proving harder to break than a level-headed analysis of it would suggest, the war’s impact on India’s economy might still be gaining in intensity.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Defence profligacy is a prerogative of rich, powerful nations. In 1983, the US embarked on its Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed Star Wars after a science-fiction film. Its bizarre cost-benefit equation led to it being binned within a decade.