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economic data to gauge the Federal Reserve's interest rate trajectory, which could also have a bearing on the domestic rate cycle. While yields on most bonds were flat, that on the 10-year benchmark bond rose slightly after the Reserve Bank of India did not include the note in next week's bond purchase.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 87.13 and lost further to trade at 87.18 against the greenback in early deals, registering a depreciation of 6 paise from its previous closing level.

Laurus Labs will be in focus on Friday after the company approved an investment of Rs 83.3 crore in KRKA Pharma Pvt Ltd, a joint venture. In addition, KRKA d.d., Novo Mesto, Slovenia (the co-venturer), will invest Rs 86.7 crore in KRKA Pharma, thereby maintaining the current shareholding ratio of 51:49 between KRKA d.d., Novo Mesto, and Laurus Labs.

global economic uncertainty and market volatility, retail investors are being advised to hold some cash reserves rather than deploying all their capital into equities. Pankaj Pandey, Head of Research at ICICIdirect, cautioned that persistent global risks, including policy paralysis and trade tensions, could trigger further corrections in the Indian stock market. Speaking in an ET Now interaction, Pandey emphasized that uncertainty regarding global growth and inflation remains, primarily due to ongoing trade disputes between the world’s two largest economies. He warned that the market might not be fully factoring in the potential risks, making it prudent for investors to maintain some liquidity.

Sandip Sabharwal, asksandipsabharwal.com, says on a pure valuation basis, although many mid and smallcaps are looking very attractive right now, the initial up move as foreign funds come back, will be on the largecap side. The largecaps would move up first and then, small and midcaps could catch up. NBFCs, banks, the larger banks and the corporate-focused NBFCs, should be a decent part of the portfolio along with infrastructure-oriented companies. Auto should do well next year. What is it looking like in terms of macros with the RBI injecting further liquidity and crude significantly cooling off, while the tariff flip-flop continues. Does it seem like we could be close to bottoming out at an index level at least? Sandip Sabharwal: I mentioned on Monday that we are fully deployed because in our view risk-reward is extremely favourable in India. Given that the macros will be much better next year as liquidity improves, interest rates come down, government spending improves, and a lot of disruptions which were there last year are no longer there.

Oil prices were little changed on Friday but were set for their biggest weekly decline since October as the uncertainty around U.S. tariff policy is creating concerns about demand growth at the same time major producers are set to increase output. Brent futures rose 13 cents, or 0.19%, to $69.59 a barrel by 0217 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 8 cents, or 0.08%, to $66.44 a barrel.

jobs data due later in the day. Another reprieve of levies aimed at Mexico and Canada announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday offered little relief, keeping the safe-haven yen not far off its strongest against the greenback since early October.

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that goods from Canada and Mexico covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) will be exempted for a month from the 25% tariffs imposed earlier this week. The development comes a day after Trump exempted automotive goods from the tariffs.

China unlocked more stimulus on Wednesday and promised greater efforts to cushion the impact of an escalating U.S. trade war. Hours earlier, Germany's likely next government agreed on the biggest overhaul to fiscal policy since the country's reunification.

Gold prices inched lower on Friday but were on track for a weekly rise as uncertainty around U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans firmed demand for bullion, while investors awaited for U.S. non-farm payrolls data later in the day.

strategic bitcoin reserve, a day before meeting with executives from the cryptocurrency industry at the White House. The reserve will be capitalized with bitcoin owned by the federal government that was forfeited as part of criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings, the White House crypto czar, billionaire David Sacks, said in a post on social media platform X.

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Thursday he leans strongly against a rate cut at the Fed's upcoming policy meeting this month, although he reckons cuts later in the year remain on track if inflation pressures continue to abate. In discounting an easing at March 18-19 Federal Open Market Committee, Waller indicated he simply will not have the inflation data in hand to know whether cutting what's now a 4.25% to 4.5% federal funds rate range is justified, especially amid the heavy uncertainty created by President Donald Trump's trade agenda.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s boardrooms remain stubbornly gray, although some transformative strokes are visible. As women slowly move beyond mere presence to actively claim seats at the decision-making table, it’s the smaller firms that are leading the charge.

foundit (formerly Monster APAC and ME), Asia's jobs and talent platform. There has been 41 per cent growth in hiring in February 2025 compared to a year ago, driven by the fresher job market which maintained steady growth, according to the report. Among sectors, IT — Hardware and Software continued to lead fresher hiring, nearly doubling its share from 17 per cent in 2024 to 34 per cent in 2025, the report said. «The shift towards skill-based hiring is undeniable. Employers are increasingly prioritising candidates with practical expertise and industry-relevant skills,» foundit CEO V Suresh stated. The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) is a comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity on foundit.in platform.

Indian rupee weakened on Thursday, pressured by dollar demand by importers, even as the greenback lingered near a four-month low against its major peers amid concerns about a slowdown in the U.S. economy. The rupee closed at 87.1150 against the U.S. dollar, down about 0.2% on the day.

energy stocks rallying on lower crude prices. Market sentiment also improved following U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary tariff reprieve on auto imports from Mexico and Canada. The benchmark BSE Sensex added 609.86 points or 0.83% to close at 74,340.09, while the broader Nifty 50 index closed at 22,544.70, higher by 207.40 points or 0.93%.

Shares of Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd.(up 3.18 per cent), Apollo Tyres Ltd.(up 2.93 per cent), Bharat Forge Ltd.(up 2.78 per cent), Balkrishna Industries Ltd.(up 2.43 per cent) and Eicher Motors Ltd.(up 2.13 per cent) ended the day as top gainers in the pack.

Goldman Sachs (GS) has issued a neutral call on BSE Ltd., revising its target price downward to Rs 4,230 per share, citing potential headwinds from the recent changes in the options market expiry schedule by the NSE. The key concern highlighted by the brokerage is the impact of NSE’s shift in weekly option contract expiry days. Effective January 1, 2025, NSE will move its expiry day to Monday, while BSE’s will be Tuesday, creating an asymmetry in the options market.

crude oil prices has fueled a rally in state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs), with stocks gaining up to 16% over four consecutive sessions. Investors are optimistic that lower crude prices will boost OMC margins, but several headwinds persist, including higher crude oil imports from the US, LPG under-recoveries, and a depreciating rupee. The crude prices are currently at a 3-year low and Brent has slipped below the $70/ bbl mark while the US WTI is hovering around $66/bbl.

Silver, however, traded positively, with its March futures contracts on MCX opening higher by 0.36% or Rs 354 at Rs 97,896/kg.

«We are still some time away from paint stocks bottoming out. We have seen players like Asian Paints, the margin profile coming down from say 20% plus kind of a level to about 15-16 odd,» says Pankaj Pandey, Head Research, ICICIdirect.com. Just wanted your own sense on what Tesla's entry into India, if all gets cleared, actually means for the incumbents from within the passenger vehicle segment within that segment. Your namely Tata Motors, M&M, and a Hyundai as well. Pankaj Pandey: So, our sense is that when you look at the cheapest price product from Tesla, the overall costing is going to be in excess of 40 lakhs. So, from that perspective, it is not going to compete with the listed players. Probably it will have or it is going to compete with the likes of German manufacturers, especially BMW, Mercedes, and others.