Pandemic Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: With infectious disease outbreaks becoming more frequent and complex, the Union government is recasting its approach to how India detects, tracks and contains communicable diseases, and the upcoming Union budget could mark a decisive shift.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The share of direct retail participation in India’s largest stock exchange's cash turnover has fallen to its lowest in a decade, dragged down by risk aversion amid underperforming equity benchmarks, the rise of mutual funds and reallocation towards initial public offerings.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Tech stocks retreated Wednesday, with declines in Nvidia and other chip companies dragging the Nasdaq composite to its worst day in almost a month. Driving the moves: concerns about high valuations and additional regulation.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. LATHAM, N.Y.—Master engravers have etched the custom designs and lettering on Crane Stationery since the days of Paul Revere—who, according to company lore, was one of its first customers. Today, with just a dozen left and at least one set to retire this year, these tradespeople are disappearing.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. THE IDEA that central banks should enjoy some independence is as old as central banking. “I want [it] to be sufficiently in the hands of the government, but not too much," mused Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 of the recently created Bank of France.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. When Jerome Powell went public with his defense of the Federal Reserve’s independence, the central bank’s chair found an unlikely army standing behind him: the meme-stock crowd. “He is an American hero," one user, using the handle 4Yk9gop, posted on Reddit.

NEW DELHI: The finance ministry is weighing a plan to provide credit guarantee cover to funds that NBFCs raise from banks and ramp up their microfinance operations, according to two people familiar with the development.The proposed one-time credit guarantee scheme will help non-banking financial company-microfinance institutions (NBFC-MFIs) access funds from banks easily and tide over a liquidity crunch in maintaining their lending to low-income households that lack access to traditional banking.The guarantee cover under consideration will be larger than the ₹7,500 crore cover that was offered during the pandemic. The new scheme is likely to be managed by the state-run National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company, which will cover and underwrite the lending risk to NBFC-MFIs arising due to factors outside the control of small borrowers.This will help NBFC-MFIs to draw funds on easier terms from financial institutions.

US Federal Reserve fueled this cycle by keeping its policy rate “low for long” after the 2008 global financial crisis. For too many, “long” was interpreted as “forever.” They simply took it for granted that US growth would be consistently higher than the real interest rate on government debt, which itself would remain exceptionally low by historical standards.

₹7,900 crore and growing at about 6.5% annually. Meanwhile, the opalware market—featuring lightweight, heat-resistant tempered glass with a porcelain-like finish—is estimated at roughly ₹2,000 crore, expanding at around 10%.By comparison, the cookware market, including steel, non-stick, and cast iron products, is pegged at over ₹8,100 crore and growing at nearly 8.5%, underscoring the continued dominance of non-glass categories.For the 64-year-old Borosil, which operates across all three categories, this push has resulted in revenues of ₹573.05 crore during the first half of 2025-26, representing a 14.7% year-on-year increase.During the period, Borosil’s consumer glassware segment, which includes storage containers, serving ware, tumblers and lunchboxes, grew 27.4% on-year, making it the fastest-growing category in its portfolio.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. PORT CHESTER, N.Y.—“Avatar: Fire and Ash," a visual spectacle and the third installment in this blockbuster franchise, is the sort of movie made for the big screen. Its holiday arrival was eagerly anticipated by cinema owners still working to lure people back after the pandemic.

In 1980, neither China nor India had much representation in the ‘global middle class’—people who neither belong to the bottom half of the income distribution nor rank among the top 10% worldwide. Almost a half-century later, things have changed—but in very different ways.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The artificial intelligence boom has propelled US technology stocks to historic highs, while India’s IT services sector is struggling to keep pace, slipping into one of its weakest relative phases since 2023. On a rolling three-year basis, the Nifty IT index is now underperforming its US technology peers in the Nasdaq by over 40%.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Multiplex chain PVR Inox Ltd is set to close the curtains on the December quarter (Q3FY26) on a decent note. Multi-starrer Bollywood movie Dhurandhar has seen impressive box office collections worth over ₹400 crore so far.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. It is shaping up to be another difficult year for India’s tourism industry. Foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) have struggled in the first nine months of the year and may once again fall short of pre-pandemic levels.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. BENGALURU : Bollywood celebrities are known for investing in residential properties. Now, they are chasing India’s office boom.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: Indian businesses and the country’s trading partners alike have flagged the need for a simpler customs duty framework. The global supply-chain disruptions and US tariffs have further amplified the need to review the regime.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI: WOW Skin Science boomed during the pandemic, riding the naturals wave with its breakout onion shampoos and apple cider vinegar (ACV) products. However, the Bengaluru-based company quickly lost relevance, as consumers shifted to science-backed skincare products that delivered results.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. He’s serious, and that’s seriously bad news for the stock market. President Donald Trump launched a major new phase in his trade war on Wednesday, imposing tariffs on nearly every country on the globe.

Hindustan Shipyard (HSL) has turned its net worth positive, overcoming supply chain challenges as well as liabilities and pending legacy issues that had led it to the verge of closure. The yard, which is currently manufacturing fleet support ships for the Indian Navy and undertaking submarine refits, was taken over by the defence ministry in 2010 when it was facing debilitating financial constraints. In 2024-25, HSL achieved a provisional total income of ₹1,586 crore and a profit before tax of ₹295 crore, reflecting a 36% year-on-year growth, officials said, adding that it was the first time in four decades that the company's net worth turned positive. HSL is now poised to get a Miniratna status, according to officials. Established in 1941, HSL has been a crucial asset due to its location in Visakhapatnam and the expertise it gained in complicated refits of submarines. It is located close to the Ship Building Centre, where India's nuclear armed submarines are built, as well as the Eastern Naval headquarters.

trade war spurred the biggest losses since the pandemic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite posted their largest two-day declines since the emerging coronavirus caused global panic during U.S. President Donald Trump's first term. For Thursday and Friday, the Dow was down 9.3%, the S&P 500 10.5% and the Nasdaq 11.4%.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Office fridges are getting crowded with employee lunches. Inside the office fridge, maybe behind a “Don’t Touch!" Post-it Note, is a telling economic indicator: More employees are eating lunches brought from home than they have in years.