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Global growth is forecast to moderate, partly due to the heightened uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy, and key economies like China, Europe and Canada are expected to loosen monetary policy significantly.

Chinese stimulus offered only a sliver of support. They drew some comfort from an outsized rate cut in Switzerland that saw the Aussie jump 1.3% on the Swiss franc, while an easing from the European Central Bank helped it firm on the euro.

Oil prices inched lower on Friday as investors focused on a forecast of ample supply and shrugged off expectations of higher demand next year from Chinese stimulus measures, while eyeing another Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week. Brent crude futures edged down 8 cents to $73.33 a barrel by 0125 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $69.95 a barrel, down 7 cents.

Equity indices ended lower on Thursday due to selling pressure in index majors as investors turned cautious ahead of the inflation data announcement. Stocks that were in focus include names like Ultratech Cement, which fell 0.8% and Bajaj Auto, which declined 1.05% and DMart, whose shares fell 0.4% on Thursday.

Peter Navarro, Trump's incoming senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, said the White House would not interfere with the Treasury Department's biannual review looking in to whether foreign trade partners are manipulating their currencies.

Gold prices were steady on Friday as investors refrained from making big bets, with attention turning to the Federal Reserve's upcoming decision on interest rates at next week's meeting.

Japanese and Australian shares declined and equity futures for Hong Kong signaled losses after selling on Wall Street hit stocks and government bonds Thursday. The Nasdaq 100 slid 0.7% while the S&P 500 fell 0.5% as traders weighed higher-than-expected jobless claims against too hot producer price data.

Tata Motors, RIL, HAL, Zomato, Jk Tyre, JSW Energy among others will be in focus due to various news developments. Tata Motors Tata Motors will increase prices on its trucks and buses by up to 2% starting January 1, 2025, the automobile giant said citing rising input costs.

Capital Group on Thursday exited Neuland Laboratories by selling 3.77 per cent stake in the company for Rs 756 crore through an open market transaction. Neuland is a leading global API Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation. US-based Capital Group through its arm SmallCap World Fund Inc offloaded shares through a bulk deal on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

Nifty started Thursday on a negative note and stayed under pressure throughout the day, settling negatively at 24,549 levels. The volatility index India VIX dropped by 0.58% to 13.19 levels, indicating a decrease in market volatility. Technically, on the daily chart, the index formed a small red candle. The index has retested the rounding bottom pattern breakout, which is around 24,540. Overall, Nifty witnessed a time-wise correction during the past few days. Once this timewise correction is over, the index is anticipated to resume its upward journey. On the downside, 100-Day Exponential Moving Average (100-DEMA) support is placed near 24,350. As long as the index sustains above it, traders are advised to adopt buy-on-dips strategy. On the upside, the index might test the levels of 24,800-25,000 in the short term, said Hrishikesh Yedve of Asit C. Mehta Investment Interrmediates.

Fund (AIF), the ASK Index Plus Fund, which requires a minimum investment of Rs 1 crore. The fund is ASK Hedge Solutions' second offering under the Category III Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) structure. ASK Index Plus Fund is aimed at high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) seeking innovative portfolio management solutions, the company said in a press release.

Gold prices climbed Rs 500 to Rs 80,900 per 10 grams in the national capital on Thursday due to persistent buying by retailers and jewellers, according to the All India Sarafa Association. The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity finished at Rs 80,400 per 10 grams in the previous trading session. The yellow metal has jumped nearly Rs 2,000 in the past three sessions.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has scaled yet another peak as the world's richest person, with his net worth surpassing the $400 billion mark as per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Musk’s net worth stands at $447 billion, gaining $ 218 billion in this calendar year so far, and has surpassed the combined wealth of billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index data.

MobiKwik, a leading player in India’s fintech space, has launched its ₹572 crore IPO. With 15 years of innovation in digital payments and financial product distribution, it has become a trusted name for users in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. In an exclusive interview, ETMarkets spoke to Upasana Taku (Chairperson & CFO) and Bipin Preet Singh (MD & CEO) about MobiKwik’s journey, competitive edge, financials, and future plans. Excerpts: With an issue size of over ₹570 crore, MobiKwik's IPO seems significant. Could you briefly take us through the journey of the company and its business model? Bipin Preet Singh: MobiKwik is a fintech company that began 15 years ago as a digital wallet. Our primary business revolves around payments, making us India’s largest digital wallet with over 160 million users and 4 million merchants. The app facilitates bill payments, money transfers, online shopping, and QR-based transactions.

Ambuja Cements Ltd. 1.08 per cent to Rs 572.00 in Thursday's trade as of 01:58PM (IST). The stock hit a high price of Rs 579.35 and low of Rs 570.10 during the session. The return on equity (ROE) for the stock stood at 9.24 per cent. Traded volume on the counter stood at 01:58PM shares and turnover at Rs 2.72 crore around that time. The stock of Ambuja Cements Ltd. quoted a 52-week high price of Rs 706.85 and 52-week low prices of Rs 452.90, respectively.

Bharat Forge Ltd. traded 1.54 per cent at Rs 1358.00 at 02:04PM (IST) on Thursday, even as BSE benchmark Sensex 248.59 points to 81277.55. The stock had closed at Rs 1379.35 in the previous session. The stock quoted a 52-week high price of Rs 1826.20 and 52-week low of Rs 1063.40, respectively. As per BSE data, total traded volume on the counter till 02:04PM (IST) stood at 5536 shares with a turnover of Rs 0.76 crore.

PI Industries Ltd. 1.46 per cent to Rs 4043.70 in Thursday's trade as of 02:08PM (IST) even as the benchmark Nifty ruled at 24556.65, 85.15 points. The scrip had closed at Rs 4104.00 in the previous session. The stock quoted a 52-week low of Rs 3060.00 and a high of Rs 4801.40. The company quoted a market-cap of Rs 61231.92 crore on the BSE.

Bitcoin following a 10% gain in October. Bitcoin has hit six figures for the first time and is now consolidating around $100,000. The path to $150,000 and above is set in this cycle with analysts predicting a strong first quarter of 2025 for the asset class overall. Bitcoin is now trading in uncharted territory while the overall crypto market cap has broken through to $3.6 trillion.

Nikkei share average finished at a two-month closing high on Thursday, tracking Wall Street's strength, after an in-line U.S. inflation report boosted expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week. The Nikkei climbed 1.21% in fourth straight session of gains to 39,849.14, its highest close since Oct. 15. The index crossed 40,000 for the first time since that day.

Kotak Institutional Equities expects FirstCry operator BrainBees Solutions to benefit from GlobalBees turning profitable and has initiated coverage on the stock with an ‘add’ rating and a target price of Rs 630. GlobalBees is a subsidiary of BrainBees, which is expected to scale up rapidly and support growth for its parent company.

DLF Ltd. rose 0.53 per cent to Rs 870.35 in Thursday's trade. It hit an intraday high of Rs 878.15 and low of Rs 861.50, respectively, during the day. The stock quoted a 52-week high price of Rs 967.00 and low of Rs 659.85.