COST Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Technological revolutions have a familiar rhythm. First comes excitement, then investment, and then an awkward phase of reality refusing to cooperate with the narrative. Artificial intelligence (AI) has now entered that third phase.Over the past year, large technology firms have cut thousands of jobs while increasing investment in AI.

Nifty 50 revenue growth at 10–13% year-on-year in Q4, broadly maintaining Q3’s momentum. But the nature of revenue growth is expected to have changed during the latest quarter.While festive demand, tax cuts and discretionary spending supported revenues in the October-December quarter, the March-quarter growth is likely to be driven more by higher realisations in metals and energy, even as underlying consumption trends turn uneven.

The impact of higher fuel costs due to the conflict in West Asia, along with a delay in tariff increases that’s limiting revenue growth, is expected to weigh on the financials of India’s telecom companies in the near term, according to analysts. Mint analyzes how the mismatch between high costs and limited scope for charging customers is likely to put pressure on telecom operators.Telecom operators rely on diesel-powered generators to ensure uninterrupted power supply to telecom towers, which form the backbone of mobile networks.

Mint spoke with.The decline in value was relatively narrower at 6%, as companies partially offset losses by raising prices in February and March.India smartphone market was flat in 2025 with a 0.6% annual growth by volume totalling 152 million units.Worryingly for the industry, this is the first time in recent years that smartphones are witnessing a simultaneous decline in both value and volumes at the start of a calendar year. So far, brands had relied on no-interest monthly instalments to sustain sales of higher-value phones — a strategy that appears to have hit a roadblock, at least for now.The slowdown coincided with sweeping geopolitical tensions that cascaded into financial markets worldwide, pushing up energy prices and dampening consumer sentiment.

American multinational technology company Oracle, founded by Larry Ellison, is executing the largest layoffs in its history, cutting up to 30,000 jobs or about 19% of its 162,000 global workforce. In India, where it employs around 50,000 people, about 10,000-12,000 roles are being eliminated.At the same time, the company has raised its restructuring budget by $500 million to $2.1 billion in FY26 (June-May), mainly for severance. Oracle attributes part of the reduction to AI coding tools that allow smaller teams to build software faster.

. in New York. The typical 20- to 30-year retirement can stretch to 35 years or more with an age gap.Even when families recognize that extended timeline, advisors say they often underestimate how costs evolve.“They don’t tend to think about the full cost of bringing up and educating children,” or the time it can take to fully launch them, said Dan Beckerman of Beckerman Institutional in Ocean Grove, N.J.That disconnect can have consequences.

Nayara Energy and Shell, have already raised prices in recent months. Reliance Industries is also India’s largest exporter of petroleum products.A dealer operating Jio-bp pumps said, "About 30% of diesel sales have dropped in the past few days due to the limit on sales.

full Q4 earnings report by Jas Bardia.Inside Anthropic’s Project Glasswing: Can AI outsmart hackers before they strike? That’s the big idea that powers Anthropic’s Project Glasswing—a coalition using advanced AI to detect hidden software flaws even experts miss.With cyberattacks rising and a shortage of skilled professionals, this could be a game-changer. The AI can not only spot “zero-day” vulnerabilities but also suggest fixes, potentially transforming how cybersecurity works.

construction to consumer durables, aluminium’s price movements have wide-ranging implications for industry.“Caustic soda prices are highly vulnerable to energy price fluctuations, and energy remains a key variable in the current conflict scenario. Any increase in raw material prices is bound to impact user industries,” said Nirmal K.

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts will go ahead with a selective expansion spree in India’s mid-market segment. While the chain crossed ₹2,000 crore in revenue last year and is keen on further growth, its leadership wants to be choosy about locations to hedge against rising land costs and project delays.The company, majority-owned by Europe’s Louvre Hotels Group, is increasingly prioritizing tier II and tier III cities where infrastructure-led growth is outpacing the entry of branded players.

including the temporary ceasefire in West Asia, have once again shown how quickly sentiment can shift once the immediate risk of escalation eases.History shows that once the contours of a geopolitical crisis become clearer, markets often stabilize and recover.Whenever geopolitical tensions escalate, investors instinctively ask: what is the worst that could happen? Could the conflict spiral into something larger, like a global confrontation? Such fears are not irrational.History offers a useful perspective. Wars, crises and geopolitical rivalries have repeatedly unsettled markets, but they have rarely derailed long-term wealth creation.During the Gulf War in 1990, global equity markets fell sharply when Iraq invaded Kuwait, and oil prices surged.

pension funds, and large asset managers, allocation decisions are not driven solely by nominal yield spreads.The calculus is more rigorous: risk-adjusted returns in dollar terms. A US Treasury at 4.28% offers a risk-free, USD-denominated return.

₹2.5 trillion relief package, including credit guarantees for MSMEs amid feedback from banks indicating potential stress in their MSME portfolios starting Q1 FY27, the persons cited above said, requesting anonymity.The current environment, shaped by the West Asia crisis, is creating conditions similar to the covid-19 period, warranting a closer look at relief measures. This assumes significance given that the MSME sector contributes about 30.1% to India’s gross domestic product (GDP) and accounts for 35.4% of manufacturing output and nearly 45% of India’s merchandise exports.MSME borrowers have increasingly approached lenders seeking relief measures, citing business disruptions from the West Asia war.

Shares of Asian Paints Ltd, Berger Paints India Ltd and Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd rallied 3-5% on Wednesday as crude oil prices eased. Following the news of a two-week ceasefire in the West Asia war, Brent crude slipped to around $93 a barrel from a closing high of $107.9 a barrel on 18 March.Crude derivatives such as solvents, resins and binders comprise around 40% of the raw material basket for paint companies, so higher oil prices weigh on gross margins.

Since the West Asia war began, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd’s (GCPL) shares had dropped nearly 18% till Monday when it announced its March quarter (Q4FY26) business update. The shares have gained about 8% in the past two trading sessions.Margin pressures, given the higher palm oil price, seem to be worrying investors.

For the emerging megacities of Asia, the oil crisis that spread out from the Strait of Hormuz is like the acute phase of a chronic condition. The largest migration in human history is filling their streets and alleyways to bursting point.Urbanization and births will add a billion more people between now and 2050. Jakarta and Dhaka, with 42 million and 37 million people respectively, have overtaken Tokyo at 33 million as the world’s biggest metropolises.

Smartphone makers in India have raised prices by as much as 40%, according to a Mint report, as the war in West Asia and a chip scarcity push up costs. The increases appear to be industry-wide, with brands such as Vivo, Oppo and Samsung, among others, raising their price tags.Ordinarily, this should not attract the attention of policymakers. But these handsets are fast turning indispensable at every socio-economic level, needed as they are for internet access, UPI payments, Aadhaar identity verification and a whole lot more.

Good morning!India’s AI and data centre boom is gathering pace, but can the power grid keep up? As billions flow into digital infrastructure, the Central Electricity Authority is rethinking electricity demand forecasts to avoid future disruptions.Reason for the urgency: data centres are energy guzzlers, running 24X7. With capacity expected to jump from about 1.2 GW today to nearly 10 GW by 2030, power consumption could soar to 40–45 TWh by then.

domestic airlines within hours, limiting the hike to about 8.5% in New Delhi. The ministry of petroleum and natural gas said the partial increase was aimed at insulating carriers from a fuel price shock amid disruptions in global energy markets.The move is part of a broader effort to contain costs. The Centre has also capped domestic jet fuel price hikes by oil marketing companies at 25% starting April.

multi-asset model has seen steady traction in recent years, according to industry insiders. While data at the industry-wide level is not available, Mint interviewed senior executives at large wealth management companies and portfolio management services, or PMS, firms and analyzed their portfolios to capture the trend.Some quick background: a wealth manager, typically, earns revenue in two ways.

NEW DELHI: A shortage of refrigerated containers (reefers) caused by the West Asia war is worrying Indian growers of mangoes ahead of the peak export season, according to five people aware of the development.With the war in its second month, key maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, have been disrupted, leading to container shortages and higher freight costs. Many containers are stuck in transit due to congestion or are being re-routed, leading to longer shipment cycles.This poses a unique problem for India, which produces 20.68 million tonnes, or 44%, of the world's mangoes annually, the most by any country.