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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In 2025, renewables surpassed coal in the global power mix for the first time in over a century, according to a new report by energy think tank Ember. India and China played a pivotal role in this transformation, with electricity generated from fossil fuels falling in both countries.However, coal still accounts for more than 70% of India’s electricity.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Two months into the West Asia war, a conflict that triggered the world's greatest energy crisis, second- and third-order effects are surfacing everywhere, from falling fertilizer output and shortage of Coke cans to rising condom prices. This is a grim reminder of how deeply economic activity is tethered to crude oil and its derivatives.Beyond its role as a fuel source, crude oil serves as a vital feedstock for manufacturing over 6,000 products.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Gender parity in India Inc.’s boardrooms remains distant, and the gap is widest among younger women entering the director pipeline, official data show.A Mint analysis of ministry of corporate affairs data up to January 2026 shows women accounted for 32.5% of more than a million director identification numbers (DINs) issued over the past two years. But in the 18-30 age group, their share dropped to 26%, or roughly one in four of the 339,000 DINs issued, compared with 73.92% for men.DIN—an eight-digit identifier required to serve on company boards—helps track an individual’s involvement across multiple companies, though it does not guarantee a board seat.Representation improved with age.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A few days ago, an American software engineer named Sterling Crispin built a bot and set it loose on Polymarket.If you haven’t heard of it, Polymarket is where people bet real money on whether future events will happen. Will a country invade another? Will there be a major technology breakthrough this year? Thousands bet on such questions daily, each convinced their news reading gives them an edge.Crispin’s bot does something almost laughably simple: it bets “No” on every single prediction. Automatically.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The AI hack we unlocked today is based on: Skills in Chrome.Here’s a situation most of us don’t notice because we’ve accepted it as normal: you craft a great AI prompt that works perfectly—say, one that extracts key information from any product page. It works.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The post-pandemic era saw the Indian retail investor evolve into a formidable market force, but is the tide finally turning? After years of relentless accumulation, an interplay of lofty valuations and geopolitical friction has triggered a pivot toward caution.From turning net sellers for the first time in six years to participation patterns becoming increasingly transient and episodic, Mint decodes the moves of these mom-and-pop investors in fiscal 2026, based on the latest data disclosures by the National Stock Exchange.The cash market segment currently shows a highly skewed, long-tailed participation pattern that challenges the narrative of a stable retail base. Data for fiscal 2026 reveals a sharp concentration of ‘transient’ activity: single-day traders alone account for 24% of the base.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Bigger is proving to be a handicap for portfolio management services (PMS), with five of six large schemes analysed—each managing over ₹5,000 crore—seeing performance decline after crossing that size, an analysis by Mint shows.PMS are customized investment portfolios for high-net-worth investors, with a minimum investment of ₹50 lakh, typically built around a concentrated set of stocks.The pattern points to a structural constraint: as PMS strategies scale, deploying larger sums into high-conviction small- and mid-cap ideas becomes harder without moving prices, compressing alpha.There are 15 equity PMS schemes with assets above ₹5,000 crore as of March 2026, according to data from the Association of Portfolio Managers of India (Apmi). Of these, six schemes were analysed as they manage domestic money and invest directly in stocks.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s equity market is undergoing a quiet but meaningful structural shift, where market leadership is steadily widening beyond traditional heavyweight conglomerates. While large business groups continue to dominate in absolute terms, their grip on overall market capitalization is loosening as gains spread across sectors, mid-sized firms and new-age businesses.A Mint analysis of 10 leading business groups by market capitalization shows their combined share in India’s total market value has steadily declined over the past few years—from 31.4% in FY22 to 25.3% in FY25 and further to 24% in FY26.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: Last week’s euphoria on Dalal Street appears to have cooled, even as global indices outperformed Indian benchmarks. While optimism around US–Iran peace talks lent support, investor activity remained selective, driven more by stock- and sector-specific bets than broad-based momentum.The Nifty 50 and Sensex rose over 1% this week, extending gains after last week’s near 6% surge—their strongest in over five years—but the pace has now moderated.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India will continue to buy crude oil and cooking gas (liquefied petroleum gas or LPG) from Russia, even after the US’s one-month waiver of sanctions on such imports has expired, according to two people aware of the development.In early March, the US briefly waived sanctions on Russian oil and petroleum products that were already in transit, amid concerns over global supply disruptions linked to the West Asia war. The waiver will not be extended, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday.The first person cited above said waiver on sanctions is the US’s prerogative, and India’s imports would not depend on it.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Weekly expiry hesitation has been laid to rest and a strong closing gives confidence that the recent highs would be surpassed. As the possibility of a new high emerges, the resistance at 24,300 is gradually weakening, making today a crucial session.BEML (Current price ₹1,711.60)Buy above ₹1715, stop ₹1640, target ₹1915 (multiday)⦁ Why it’s recommended: BEML Limited (formerly Bharat Earth Movers Limited), established in 1964, is a premier Indian PSU manufacturing heavy equipment for defence, mining, construction, and rail/metro sectors.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Four of India’s biggest conglomerates—Adani Group, JSW Group, Reliance Industries, and Tata Group—have emerged as the dominant buyers of stressed assets under India’s decade-old bankruptcy regime.Together, these four conglomerates acquired companies that accounted for nearly a quarter of the total admitted claims of ₹13 trillion under the corporate insolvency resolution process (Cirp) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) as of December 2025—despite accounting for just 28 of the 1,376 resolutions completed so far.Adani Group led the pack with 13 acquisitions, including six power companies, according to a Mint analysis of data from the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). These deals helped rapidly scale up Adani Power Ltd, which emerged as the country’s largest thermal power producer.The JSW Group followed with seven acquisitions, including Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd, one of the most prominent resolutions under the insolvency process.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) pulled out a record ₹1.8 trillion from Indian equities in FY26, according to data Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), but the headline outflow masks a more targeted shift. Rather than a broad exit, investors pared exposure to IT, defensives and parts of consumption, while selectively adding to sectors tied to India’s capital expenditure cycle.A Mint analysis of sectoral flows shows that even as overall selling remained elevated, capital moved towards capital goods, telecom, and metals, signalling a narrower, conviction-led allocation rather than a wholesale retreat from the market.

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 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.

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.

shipbuilding and expand India's maritime capabilities, strengthen national security, and boost domestic industry.“To operationalise the Shipbuilding Cell's mandate effectively, there is an urgent requirement for 15 naval architects with specialized expertise in shipbuilding, technical assessment, strategic planning, digital infrastructure, and investment facilitation. These naval architects will serve as the technical backbone of the Shipbuilding Cell, providing hands-on expertise in policy development, yard assessment, market analysis, project development, and implementation support,” an official at the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways said, requesting anonymity.“This engagement is structured to attract two distinct categories of naval architects based on experience levels, ensuring a balanced team composition with both senior strategic guidance and intermediate technical execution capability,” the official added.The second person said that the Directorate General of Shipping is transitioning into the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) under the new Merchant Shipping Act with the expanded mandate to include digital administration, green energy, and enhanced maritime security.The DGMA is expected to house the dedicated Shipbuilding Cell to develop India's shipbuilding and ship repair capacity, attract domestic and international investment, facilitate policy implementation, and support strategic maritime sector growth.

Indian benchmark indices surged about 6% this week—their strongest performance in over five years—driven by sharply improving global cues after a ceasefire between the US and Iran eased geopolitical tensions, stabilised crude oil prices, and triggered a risk-on rally across global equities.The Sensex recorded its sharpest weekly gain since the week ended 7 February 2021, when the markets had surged over 9% in a rally as covid-19 fears subsided. On Friday, the Nifty 50 rose 1.16% to close at 24,050.60, while the Sensex gained 1.2% to end at 77,550.25.At the same time, volatility cooled significantly.

This will be the third CPI print under the new series with the 2024 base year. Economists in the poll expect March CPI to be within a wide range of 3.1% to 4%, with some flagging upside risks as the war has driven crude oil prices sharply higher.“Headline CPI is expected to rise in March, led by an increase in non-food segments, even as food inflation is expected to remain steady,” said Aditi Nayar, chief economist at Icra Ltd.Some economists flagged a fading base effect as another key driver.

The turmoil of the last year-and-a half— tariff wars and physical wars (Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine), the abduction of a head of state and assassination of another, territorial ambitions and tattered alliances—has led to claims that the Pax Americana of stable global institutions managing commerce and conflict has ended. If that is true, what comes next? This uncertainty has fostered many forecasts of the future of global politics by policy pundits.Consider the analysis of Hal Brands, a historian at Johns Hopkins University and the American Enterprise Institute.

After two years of strong expansion, the pace of new demat account additions slowed in FY26, signalling a shift in retail investor behaviour as volatile markets and weaker returns tempered their enthusiasm.Net demat account additions fell to about 32 million in FY26 from a record 41 million added in FY25, according to data collated from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. The total number of demat accounts crossed 225 million.The 22% year-on-year decline in additions of demat accounts—dematerialized or paperless accounts mandated for trading in securities—suggests that the surge in retail participation during the recent bull run is beginning to lose momentum amid a more uncertain global and market environment.The longer-term trend shows how growth is now normalizing after a sharp post-pandemic surge.