Reports Financial News

World Happiness Report 2025 is out. And, surprise, surprise—Mexico and Canada, the two countries frequently targeted by US President Donald Trump, have been ranked much higher than the United States in terms of happiness. According to the UN-backed report, the United States is ranked 24th, while Canada stands at 18th. Surprisingly, Mexico has an even better ranking at 10th place. Notably, this marks the worst ranking for the US since the report's inception in 2012, when it achieved its peak ranking of 11th place. One of the biggest reasons for the decline in American happiness, according to the report, is eating meals alone. «The number of people dining alone in the United States has increased by 53 percent over the past two decades,» the authors stated, highlighting that shared meals are strongly linked to well-being. Data from 2023 showed that approximately 25% of Americans consumed all their daily meals alone.

According to UN-backed report, released Thursday, Finland maintained its position as the world's happiest nation for the eighth consecutive year, with its extensive lakes and robust social welfare system cited as key factors by residents and specialists. Afghanistan, facing severe humanitarian challenges since the Taliban's 2020 return to power, remained at the bottom of the global happiness rankings. The US descended to position 24, its poorest showing since the report's inception in 2012, when it had achieved its peak ranking of 11th place. One of the biggest reason for the fall in happiness of Americans, according to the report, is eating meals alone. «The number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53 percent over the past two decades,» the authors stated, highlighting that shared meals «is strongly linked with well-being». Data from 2023 showed approximately 25% of Americans consumed all their daily meals alone.

Thyrocare founder A Velumani recently highlighted the emotional toll of mass layoffs, reflecting on how many individuals celebrate securing jobs with major brands, only to face unexpected job losses later. His remarks came in response to reports that Amazon is planning to lay off 14,000 employees, a significant reduction in its workforce. Many other tech companies like Meta and Alphabet have announced layoffs this year. Thyrocare founder A Velumani in a post on X said: «Imagine how many might have celebrated for getting a campus placement with such brands. Now how many might feel depressed! It is not 10 or 20. 100 or 200. 1000 or 2000. 14000. Do not celebrate too early. Career or business — It’s Marathon Race.»

Saurabh Rajput has sent shockwaves through Meerut. His wife, Muskan Rastogi, and her alleged lover, Sahil Shukla, have been accused of murdering him, dismembering his body, and hiding it in a drum filled with cement. Saurabh’s mother, Renu Devi, is demanding the death penalty for both. Saurabh had been missing since March 4. The crime came to light when laborers, hired to move a heavy drum from the couple’s rented house, found it unusually heavy. When questioned, Muskan reportedly dismissed their concerns, calling it «house junk.» As they attempted to shift it, the lid accidentally opened, releasing a foul smell. Suspicious, the laborers alerted the police.

Delhi Police Wednesday arrested two men for allegedly robbing about Rs 80 lakh from a trader at gun point in Chandni Chowk two days ago. The case has been solved within 24 hours with the help of Israeli face recognition software, TOI reported. The suspects, identified as Mohammad Ali (21) and Samir (19), were arrested from Daryaganj. The entire stolen amount has been recovered from them, the police said. The two had knowledge of the movement of of angadias (hawala couriers) in the area and planned to target a large cash transfer, a senior police officer said. «On Monday, around 7.40pm, a trader, Ajamal, was returning home after collecting about Rs 80 lakh in cash. Near his residence in Haider Quli, a man stopped him at gunpoint, tried to snatch his bag and fired a shot at the ground when the victim resisted. The assailant then fled with the bag containing the cash. An FIR was registered at Lahori Gate police station and an investigation was launched,» the officer told TOI. Footage was analysed from about 500 CCTV cameras across Chandni Chowk, Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Daryaganj and Lahori Gate to trace the route used by the robbers to escape. The police observed that they kept changing directions after the robbery.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Earlier this year, the National Statistical Office (NSO) released the report for the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) for the period August 2023 to July 2024. This is the second in the series of HCES data after the HCES 2022-23, for which a fact sheet was released just before the announcement of general elections in 2024.

Xiaomi Technology India is held up as of December-end as local authorities have attached a few of its bank accounts, its Chinese parent said, underlining that the smartphone maker is open to enter into settlement negotiations. The wholly owned unit of Xiaomi Corp has been facing investigations and notifications by multiple authorities since December 2021. These include the income tax department, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, and Directorate of Enforcement. These are in relation to compliance of income tax, Customs duties and foreign exchange regulations. Xiaomi Corp in its 2024 earnings report said the cases in India are currently in the hearing stages and not yet concluded, adding that it can receive judgments or enter into settlements that may adversely affect operating results or cash flows.

Axis Securities has a buy call on Aavas Financiers with a target price of Rs 2055. The current market price of Aavas Financiers is Rs 1864.6. The time period given by the analyst is a month when Aavas Financiers price can reach the defined target. Aavas Financiers, incorporated in 2011, is a Mid Cap company with a market cap of Rs 14751.61 crore, operating in the NBFC sector. Aavas Financiers' key products/revenue segments include Interest, Income From Financial Services, Fees & Commission Income and Income From Sale Of Share & Securities for the year ending 31-Mar-2024.

IndusInd Bank shares will be in focus on Thursday after rating agency Crisil refrained from placing the private lender on ratings watch, stating that the full extent of discrepancies in the bank’s derivatives portfolio will only be known once an external agency submits its findings. Crisil noted that these discrepancies are likely to have a one-time impact on the bank’s financials but added that IndusInd’s pre-provisioning operating profitability and capital adequacy remain strong enough to absorb the impact.

Yemen early Thursday. In Jerusalem, several explosions were heard shortly after the sirens sounded. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Yemen's Houthi group this week resumed missile attacks following the collapse of Israel's ceasefire with Hamas. Police also reported sirens in central Israel in the 4 a.m. attack. The MADA rescue service says it has received no reports of injuries. Israel said Wednesday its troops retook part of a corridor that bisects Gaza, and its defense minister warned that attacks would intensify until Hamas frees dozens of hostages and gives up control of the territory.

NHPC shares will be in focus on Thursday after the company's board approved a borrowing plan to raise up to Rs 6,300 crore in debt for the financial year 2025–26. According to an exchange filing, the funds will be raised through secured or unsecured corporate bonds—redeemable and non-convertible—in one or more tranches on a private placement basis, along with term loans or external commercial borrowings.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Fevicol-maker Pidilite Industries Ltd has held up relatively well amid the recent market downturn. While the benchmark Nifty50 index has dropped 3% so far in 2025, Pidilite’s stock has slipped by 6%, cushioned by the company’s ability to sustain healthy volume growth despite a challenging demand environment.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The relief rally in small-cap stocks appears to have opened bargain hunting windows for mutual funds that recently avoided investments in new scrips in this segment, as beaten-down stocks begin to look more appealing. Small-caps chased by retail investors over more than two years plunged nearly 24% from their most recent highs, before a rally over the last three days limited losses to 20%.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Murugappa Group-owned Coromandel International Ltd is betting on its acquisition of NACL Industries Ltd to strengthen its domestic formulations business, Latin American presence and create synergies to establish a foothold in contract drug manufacturing, according to managing director S. Sankarasubramanian.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Las Vegas: On Tuesday, Shantanu Narayen, the chief executive of California-based tech firm Adobe, led the company’s two-hour-long pitch to convince businesses and analysts that in the race among Big Tech firms to sell their innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), it warrants a seat at the top. While a new full-stack agentic AI platform would see Adobe rival the likes of Salesforce, its key executives are clear about one thing: selling AI to businesses still won’t be an easy task.

With the recent spike in egg prices, fueled by outbreaks of bird flu, restaurants now have another headache: beef prices are increasing, and they worry about how it will affect their menus, according to Daily Mail. Based on recent figures, prices for beef and veal have jumped 5.5% higher in January than they did in the same period last year, more than inflation in the rest of the American economy, Daily Mail reported.

Kim, furious about the association, may reconsider custody arrangements. However, she reportedly fears Kanye's ability to reveal Kardashian family secrets, escalating the conflict. Kim Kardashian made a polite statement just as his declining mental health was ending their marriage. Having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she urged fans to have «compassion and empathy» for Kanye West, calling him «a brilliant but complicated person,» as quoted in a report by the Daily Mail. Kanye's actions, such as his tirades about being a Nazi on X and his public displays of his second wife, Bianca Censori, at the Grammys, must have tried Kim's patience numerous times in the years since, but she has largely remained silent to protect their kids. The rapper has now crossed a line, though.

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who spent a long nine months in space rather than the scheduled eight-day mission, are to be paid extra for their additional time on the International Space Station (ISS), according to a report.

Neymar is back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. The Brazilian soccer star is being accused of cheating for allegedly attending a party with 20 escorts. Despite the allegations, Neymar and his pregnant girlfriend, Bruna Biancardi, appear to be standing together, denying any wrongdoing. The scandal comes as he deals with injuries and career setbacks, as per reports.