COST Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The New York Times famously prepares obituaries for notable individuals well in advance of their death. Now that President Joe Biden’s administration is about to expire, an elegy is in order for its economic achievements, failures, and missed opportunities.

For the past nine months or so we’ve been seeing headlines almost every day that the Indian rupee has touched a new low. While the fall in the value of our currency can be psychologically unsettling, it’s important to put it into perspective and gauge its impact on your investment portfolio. 

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Indian economy has grown steadily, but the lack of momentum in consumption and the impact of high food inflation have not gone unnoticed. The fact sheet of the latest Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES), conducted between August 2023 and July 2024, confirms the lacklustre growth in consumption spending and a marginal shift from non-food items to food items due to high prices.

People in Zimbabwe are shunning traditional grocery stores to do their shopping at informal and illegal markets that pop up at night to avoid police raids rampant during the day

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. US President-elect Donald Trump has always called India the “tariff king". According to him, India has always levied high taxes on imports.

India made it to the high table of clean energy superpowers with installed capacity crossing 200 gigawatts and projections of investment doubling to over USD 32 billion in 2025. According to the International Energy Agency, India's annual renewable capacity additions through 2030 are expected to increase more quickly than any other major economy, including China. It seeks India's capacity addition more than quadrupling from 15 GW in 2023 to 62 GW in 2030. By the end of 2024, its installed capacity touched 205 GW.

InCred Equities has a reduce call on SBI Cards and Payment Services with a target price of Rs 500. The current market price of SBI Cards is Rs 673.7. SBI Cards, incorporated in 1998, is a Small Cap company with a market cap of Rs 64039.35 crore, operating in Financial Services sector. SBI Cards and Payment Services' key products/revenue Segments include Fees & Commission Income, Interest, Other Services, Sale of services and Commission for the year ending 31-Mar-2024.

Surya Roshni shares may remain in focus today, the last day to buy the stock to be eligible for the 1:1 bonus share issue, as January 1 is the record date determining shareholder eligibility. “We wish to inform you that the Company has received in-principle approvals under Regulation 28( 1) of SEBI LODR, 2015, from BSE Limited and National Stock Exchange of India Limited vide their letters dated December 23, 2024, for issue and proposed allotment of 10,88, 17,948 Equity shares of ~5/- each as bonus shares in the ratio of 1 (One) new equity share for every l (one) existing equity share held in the Company. Further, the Company has fixed Wednesday, January 01, 2025, as the «Record Date» to determine the eligibility of shareholders for issuance of the said Bonus Shares,” the company had informed in an exchange filing.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Cement, the cornerstone of India's infrastructure and housing development, faces a paradox. Despite record-breaking home sales, robust infrastructure projects, and a thriving economy, the sector has struggled to keep pace, weighed down by pricing pressures, overcapacity, and sustainability challenges.

TORONTO — CIBC says paying down debt is the top financial priority for Canadians heading into 2025.

As the calendar flipped one year ago, Canadian real estate watchers were optimistic a sluggish 2023 would give way to a rebound, with hopes of renewed demand as soon as the spring.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Companies took advantage of favorable financing conditions this year to issue debt at levels not seen since the pandemic, adding cash to the balance sheet to pay for future refinancing needs and other projects. Underpinning the surge in debt issuance: credit spreads, a metric that finance chiefs watch when deciding when to pull the trigger on a bond sale.

What’s the role of a financial advisor? They assess your finances, understand your future goals and make a plan to help you achieve those goals by investing in the right assets. In a parallel universe of financial products, a set of advisors are doing the same for credit cards.  

Tesla and SpaceX, has described the H1-B visa system as “broken” and called for reforms to curb its misuse. The programme, which allows US companies to employ highly skilled foreign workers, has been criticised for enabling the hiring of low-wage workers, particularly in the tech industry.

Dhananjay Sinha, Co Head of Equities & Head of Research, Systematix Group, says concerns have eased as the VIX index has fallen globally and in India, indicating a potential short-term improvement in market sentiment. The market is currently experiencing rotation and significant trading activity. However, Systematix’ outlook for the 2025 stock market suggests that margin pressures will continue due to rising raw material costs, particularly affecting companies in the consumer sector and related industries. There are also pressures in the metals, cement, and infrastructure sectors. Sinha is interested in the pharmaceutical sector and the recent changes in the consumer market. They plan to explore several opportunities in this area and have a positive outlook on e-commerce as well. What are you making of the markets heading into next year, especially sectors like IT and pharma? IT has not done very well for itself, but pharma and real estate have outperformed the entire Street. Is the rally seen in both of these indices continuing heading into the next year? Dhananjay Sinha: From a market standpoint, the market has been fairly choppy in the recent months. The key factor has been the fact that earnings season has not panned out that great. Over the last couple of quarters, there has been a contraction in the profitability of non-finance companies and that is impacting the earnings expectations from a consensus standpoint.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. JSW Energy Ltd has announced the acquisition of O2 Power Pooling, a company engaged in renewable power, for an enterprise value (EV) of ₹12,468 crore. While the total consideration is ₹15,154 crore, the net working capital is ₹2,686 crore largely made up of cash, thus resulting in a lower net EV.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Come 2025, India’s real estate developers will double down on luxury and premium housing, leaving the affordable segment to catch up. Developers from across India are stacking their portfolios with premium, luxury and uber-luxury projects.Delhi NCR-based M3M India has two luxury developments lined up for next year.

The shelves and prices at your local grocery store could look a little different soon.

ease of doing business in the country. The apex engineering exports promotion body's proposal comes following the successful implementation of 'faceless assessment' by the Income Tax department.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Year is often the time to make resolutions for a healthier and fitter lifestyle. And gyms, running or swimming are not your only options.