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Chinese equities have continued where they left off in 2023 with the Hang Seng Index (HSI) already down 8% in the new year. China stocks extended their decline as disappointing economic data and Premier Li Qiang's comments on avoiding massive stimulus weighed on the market.

Economic growth continues to defy expectations of a slowdown and recession due to continued increases in deficit spending.

Lok Sabha elections could be held in the first week of April in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy here on Sunday said the BJP is gearing up for the polls and that Narendra Modi would become Prime Minister for the third time. Going by the schedule of the elections last time (in 2019), the polls could be held in AP and Telangana in the first week of April, Kishan Reddy, the Telangana BJP president said. «Under the leadership of Narendra Modi ji, we are (going to) polls for the third time, notification is going to come next month.

Read our full Budget 2024 coverage here While we have become the fifth largest economy, the target is to become the world’s third largest economy by 2030. Given the rapid growth in public expenditure especially in the infrastructure space, it is quite clear that the aim of the government is to do so on the back of our ambition of becoming the next global manufacturing hub, which in turn would be aided by a single-minded focus on improving logistics and other core infrastructure required by the manufacturing sector to flourish. Indian Government has rightly prioritized “Infrastructure and investment” by terming it as one of the “Sap rishi” (i.e., Key Priority) in Budget 2023.

₹10.2 lakh crore in FY25, implying a relatively sedate YoY expansion of about 10 per cent, compared to over 20 per cent expansion seen in each of post-COVID years. The slowdown in capex growth is likely to have some bearing on economic activity and GDP growth," said ICRA in its pre-Budget expectations. ALSO SEE: Budget 2024 full coverage During April-November of the current fiscal year, the capex rose by 31 per cent to ₹5.9 lakh crore (58.5 per cent of FY2024 BE) from ₹4.5 lakh in April-November FY23 (60.7 per cent of FY23 Prov).

workforce. The country's low productivity levels, rather than low wages, pose a challenge. One solution to this challenge is to enable the gig workforce. The gig economy is multiplying as more people take temporary, flexible jobs through digital platforms. In India, there are currently around 7 million gig workers, and this number is expected to rise to 25 million by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of almost 12%. Read our complete Budget 2024 coverage here This growth is transforming the labour market and altering the models of employees, employers, and employability. The government's policies and investments will be vital in shaping and accelerating this growth. Many countries worldwide are experiencing similar changes, but India has the opportunity to lead the way. The gig economy can provide first-time employment and skill development opportunities, serving as a gateway to future workforce productivity.

32 crore tourists visited the state in 2022, with an impressive footfall of 2.21 crore in Ayodhya alone. The total expenditure by these tourists exceeded ₹2 lakh crore.

Wall Street returned to record heights and capped a punishing, two-year round trip dogged by high inflation and worries about a possible recession

Business and political elites descended on the Swiss Alpine snows of Davos to suss out “rebuilding trust” in a splintering world

Indian firm Tata Steel says it will close both blast furnaces at its plant in Port Talbot in Wales, eliminating 2,800 jobs

The surge in illegal activities, through Chinese loan apps, has raised concerns about the exploitation of unemployed youth and financially-stressed individuals in India.

Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has highlighted that millions of dollars have been transported to Afghanistan in different shipments over the previous three months. SIGAR stated that each cargo was worth an average of USD 80 million and was delivered to Kabul within 10 to 14 days, with the proceeds kept in private banks in the UN's accounts, reported TOLOnews.

travel industry in India, as per an SBI Research report released on January 21. The impact on the Indian economy is expected to be significant. The report added that UP government initiatives along with the newly built Ram temple in Ayodhya could result in additional tax revenue of ₹25,000 per annum for the state in FY25 due to increased visitors.

Inflation in Japan slowed for a second month, giving central bankers reason to wait before ending their negative rate policy. While the data support the view the Bank of Japan officials won’t rush into the first rate hike since 2007 when they meet next week, services prices remained elevated and suggest that an eventual normalizing of policy remains on the table. Inflation expectations declined in Europe, while retail sales and consumer sentiment in the US increased.

India Sotheby’s International Realty (ISIR) unveiled a robust economic optimism among High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs) and Ultra High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNIs), with a staggering 79% expressing confidence in the Indian economy's positive trajectory for 2023-24, compared to 59% last year.

banking sector, contributing to a decline in shares of a competitor in recent days, Bloomberg reported. The shares of ICICI Bank closed 2.55% higher at ₹1,011 per piece on January 20, against previous close at ₹986.35 on January 19. The stock has gained nearly 1.45% in the last six months and 16.04% in the last one year.

Dividend Stocks: Shares of some companies, including Wipro Ltd, Angel One, Mastek, and few others will others will trade ex-dividend in the coming week, starting from Tuesday, January 23. Some other companies will also trade ex-split while some have announced a buy back of shares next week. The ex-dividend date is the day on which the equity share price adjusts to reflect the next dividend payout.

Canadian companies have lost a step when it comes to innovation, experts say, pointing toward Ottawa having work to do to turn around stagnating business investment and an over-reliance on temporary workers.

Also Read: NHPC spikes 15%, BSE PSU index records new all-time high surging over 3.5% Among these, Rail Vikas Nigam witnessed an outstanding rally of almost 58% throughout this week. Today, the stock hit its 10% upper circuit limit, reaching a new all-time high of ₹320.35 apiece, lifting the company's market capitalisation to ₹66,793 crore. Notably, the company gained ₹24,356 crore in market value just this week.

₹8.51 trillion, in a freewheeling chat with Mint's Ram Sahgal. Edited excerpts: As of now, the market is supported by strong fundamental, macroeconomic, and supply-demand factors, with any potential headwinds likely stemming from global issues, be it geopolitical or macroeconomic shifts, such as a slowdown in the US. From an earnings perspective, we will see decent growth in fiscal year 2024-25 (FY25), but the pace will be slow when compared FY24, which was a normal year post the pandemic shock .

The New Tax Regime under Section 115BAC of the Income Tax Act 1961 was introduced with the objective of enhancing the number of electronic tax filings and bringing transparency in the Income Tax Returns. The statistics shared by the department recently show a huge growth in e-filings, but the irony is that a limited number of individuals have opted for the New Tax Regime. A total of 7.33 crore personal tax ITRs have been reported by the Department for the Assessment Year 2023-24 as against 6.86 crore in A.Y. 2022-23, marking a growth of 6.79%.