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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call urging people to reduce their use of transport fuels is indeed a need of the hour, given the turmoil in West Asia. Our heavy dependence on imports of crude oil, the raw material for what most motor engines burn, means that India’s policy cushions are wearing thin. The government has thus far used state-owned fuel retailers to absorb much of the oil shock since the end of February, when the Iran war began.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The U.S. and Iran are locked in a diplomatic stalemate over issues that have bedeviled the two sides for years, as the conflict settles into a gray zone that is neither war nor peace.The cease-fire is entering its second month and, despite sporadic violence, has now lasted almost as long as the fighting which preceded it. There is little to indicate that either the U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: Exploding sales of low-speed electric scooters—powered heavily by cheap Chinese imports—are giving a headache to India’s established electric vehicle (EV) makers, who warn that the poor-quality products risk hurting consumer confidence in electric two-wheelers just as the sector is gaining scale.Low-speed scooters—with speeds capped at 25 kmph—do not need to be registered on the Vahan portal, and so their growth has gone under the radar. But industry estimates point to sales numbers matching that of established players such as TVS Motor Co., Bajaj Auto, Ola Electric Mobility, and Ather Energy, among others.According to two-wheeler consultancy InsightEV, sales of low-speed electric scooters shot up more than 200% in 2025 to an estimated 1.3 million units.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) tighter gold loan rules are likely to slow growth in one of South Indian Bank’s fastest-growing businesses, with the lender saying the new rules could constrain how much demand it can meet.“The revised RBI guidelines will have a certain amount of impact on how much business we can do,” managing director and chief executive officer P. R.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In April, the Chinese government issued a notification—Decree 834, which imposed restrictions on multinational companies operating in the country. Mint examines what this decree is all about, its motivation, its implications for India, and what the Indian government should do to counter it.Decree 834 is China’s first comprehensive regulation on industrial and supply chain security. While not entirely new, it creates a unified national security-driven regulatory framework for supply chain oversight.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Britannia Industries stock is down about 7% in the past two days after its March quarter (Q4FY26) volume growth came in at a subdued 5.5%. The biscuit maker’s total consolidated operating revenue growth stood at 6.5% year-on-year to ₹4,719 crore. Growth moderated in March compared with January-February, mainly due to supply disruptions in international business following the West Asia war.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Recent months have tested investor confidence. Indian equity markets have seen noticeable corrections amid global uncertainties, with broader indices declining sharply due to tightening liquidity, rising oil prices, and geopolitical tensions.Most indices declined by over 10% in March, while crude oil prices surged by more than 33% (before cooling off in April).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) stocks are staging a recovery after months of underperformance, with the Nifty FMCG index rising 7% over the past month as early signs of stabilizing consumption and selective earnings upgrades revive investor interest in the sector.Most frontline names, including Bajaj Consumer Care Ltd (-3%), CCL Products (India) Ltd (-1%), Marico Ltd (-1%), Nestlé India Ltd (-1%) and Tata Consumer Products Ltd (-8%), are now within striking distance of their lifetime highs, leaving room for potential catch-up if demand improvement sustains.Recent management commentary across companies points to early signs of improving consumption trends, prompting investors to revisit the sector for its earnings visibility, defensive positioning and steady compounding potential, said market participants.Marico Ltd management expects double-digit revenue growth in FY27, driven by high single-digit volume growth in the domestic business, while the international business is projected to grow in the mid-teens on a constant currency basis.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.State Bank of India’s (SBI) shares have fallen nearly 10% in the past two trading sessions to around ₹980, with most of the decline coming after its March quarter (Q4FY26) results announced late Friday.The trigger: net interest income (NII) growth lagged loan growth. While interest-earning assets, mainly loans and investments, rose 14% year-on-year, NII grew just 4% as asset yields declined sharply.On advances, management clarified that external benchmark lending rate (EBLR—repo and treasury bill-linked) loans, which account for roughly 50% of total loans, were repriced lower following the RBI’s 25 basis points (bps) repo rate cut in December.The marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) was also reduced by 5 bps, weighing on loan yields.As a result, domestic net interest margin (NIM) fell 19 bps sequentially to 2.93% in Q4FY26.On the investment side, interest income declined 3% year-on-year as the bank sold higher-yielding securities.This move likely helped offset a mark-to-market (MTM) loss of ₹4,522 crore on its bond portfolio due to hardening yields.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.AMERICANS ARE not famous for their love of vegetables. The staples of American cuisine are starchy, cheesy and heavy on meat. One vegetable, though, sneaks into everything: the tomato.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For years, climate campaigners have claimed that our food supply is under grave threat from climate change caused by excessive fossil fuel use. Ironically, the war in West Asia is highlighting that the much bigger food challenge for the world is not having enough access to fossil fuels.Today, half of all the calories we consume are only possible because they are produced with artificial fertilizers, overwhelmingly from natural gas.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In a world beset by uncertainty, a 14% plus year-on-year growth in bank credit during December 2025 to February 2026 is reason for cheer. To be sure, part of this reflects a normalization of the credit cycle which saw brief disruption in mid-2025 triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: India’s electronics companies are getting more time, but not price revisions, to execute government procurement contracts as geopolitical conflicts and supply-chain disruptions raise costs for suppliers of smartphones, tablets and laptops.In a 29 April notice, the department of expenditure in the finance ministry said global economic and supply-chain disruptions triggered by the Iran conflict and preceding geopolitical tensions qualify as force majeure, allowing companies executing government contracts to seek delivery extensions of up to four months without penalty.The move offers some relief to companies such as Acer, Lava and Samsung India, which had sought price revisions for ongoing contracts amid rising component and logistics costs but have so far failed to secure them. Instead, the Centre has allowed extensions of “not less than two months and not more than four months.”The order said the Centre “recognizes delays in delivery in completion of contractual obligations on account of force majeure event for which the supplier, consultant, service provider and contractor is not at fault.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s retail inflation likely rose to 3.8% in April from 3.4% in March, moving closer to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) medium-term target of 4% as food prices firmed up across key categories and favourable base effects continued to fade, according to the median estimate of 20 economists polled by Mint. Official data is due on 12 May.Economists expect Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation for April to print between 3.5% and 4.2%, with all respondents anticipating further firming under the revised CPI series with 2024 as the base year.India’s retail inflation had risen to 3.4% in March from 3.21% in February, driven by higher food and energy prices amid tensions in West Asia.“CPI inflation is expected to rise in April 2026 from March, largely on account of hardening food and beverages inflation led by edible oils, vegetables, and readymade food segments,” said Aditi Nayar, chief economist at ratings agency Icra Ltd.Economists at Societe Generale said simultaneous increases in vegetable and edible oil prices tend to broaden food inflation pressures, raising the risk of spillovers into headline inflation.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A kilo of apples at Nature’s Basket, a retail chain associated with well-off shoppers, costs ₹499. At a modest local vendor, these would cost ₹200-250 per kg. Admittedly, their quality and source of origin may differ.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The joint military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran in late February triggered a shockwave far beyond the energy markets, severely disrupting global commodity markets, especially fertilizers. India depends on imports for 25% of its urea, 90% of its phosphate, and its entire supply of potash.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Across Europe, voters are fed up and taking it out on their leaders.This week, Britain’s ruling Labour Party had its worst result ever in local elections as voters angry about a persistently weak economy and high immigration punished Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is backed by just 20% of voters.Last month, Europe’s longest-serving leader, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, was swept out of office by a wave of discontent over the sluggish economy and a government that many saw as corrupt.Elsewhere in Europe, the picture is similarly bleak for those now in power. In Germany, a left-right government that is breaking public spending records is also plumbing uncharted popularity lows.The diminished incumbents can do little to placate an angry electorate, as they contend with melting parliamentary majorities, internal divisions and empty public coffers.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The quest for the perfect watch never ends. You may be rolling your eyes when you read that line.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Rishu Goswami farms six acres of land in Bilawar, a village in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. Agriculture is his only income. For years, he has watched it rain at the wrong time.“It no longer rains as it used to,” he said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Indian pharma stocks are attracting foreign institutional investors (FIIs) due to their strong export orientation, especially in regulated markets like the US, and consistent demand for generics and speciality drugs.Companies are benefiting from cost advantages, improving compliance records, and a growing focus on complex formulations and APIs.Additionally, defensive characteristics during global uncertainty make pharma appealing. Here are three pharma stocks where FIIs have hiked their stake in the March 2026 quarter.Shilpa Medicare is a niche Indian pharma company focused on oncology APIs, complex formulations, and CDMO services.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.OnEMI Technology Ltd, the operator of digital lending platform Kissht, listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Friday at ₹190 per share, an 11.1% premium to its issue price of ₹171. The debut offers one of the clearest public-market tests yet of whether an app-first lender can be valued beyond just another unsecured credit player.That question matters because while the market has large listed financial firms such as Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, and Aye Finance, it has few listed pure-play digital lenders of Kissht’s kind.