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₹1 trillion, highlighting a surge in leveraged stock buying even as risks loom large for retail investors.Data from the National Stock Exchange shows total outstanding funded stock positions across brokers have surpassed ₹1 trillion, reflecting how aggressively investors have embraced leveraged stock buying in recent years.The pitch is tempting: put in a fraction of the money, borrow the rest from your broker, and take a larger position in a stock you are bullish on. But the mechanics of margin trading facilities (MTF) carry risks that are easy to underestimate.MTF lets investors buy stocks by paying only part of the total transaction value upfront.

From India doubling down on fertilizer imports from non-West Asia sources to the US Federal Reserve decision to pause rates, the leadership crisis at HDFC Bank and youth unemployment in India rising to a four-month high in February—here’s a compilation of this week’s news in numbers.After LPG, fertilizers are emerging as the next major pressure point for India as it navigates the fallout of the West Asia conflict. The government is looking to diversify sourcing by stepping up purchases from countries such as Indonesia, Belarus, Morocco and China, Mint reported.

₹1 lakh segment.The pressure is most visible at its youth-focused brands CaratLane and Mia by Tanishq, where demand is showing signs of strain as gold becomes less affordable. Titan is expanding design-led silver offerings to retain entry-level buyers, rather than relying only on lower-carat gold or pricing tweaks.The shift underscores a broader pivot underway in India’s jewellery market: as gold prices climb, consumers—particularly younger buyers—are becoming more experimental, gravitating toward lighter, lower-ticket categories such as silver and silver-studded pieces.Gold is currently trading at around ₹1.5 lakh per 10 grams on the MCX, up sharply over the past year, while silver is hovering around ₹2.35 lakh per kg, indicating a widening affordability gap between the two metals.“We are seeing a structural shift in India’s jewellery consumption.

After a board meeting on Wednesday, the Bengaluru-based company decided to reallocate ₹575 crore, out of ₹1,505 crore it raised for research and development (R&D) during the initial public offering (IPO), to pay debt and fund organic growth activities.The company’s disclosures showed that ₹475 crore will be used to fund upcoming debt, while ₹100 crore will be used for growth purposes. This is the second time since going public in August 2024 that the company has changed its use of funds, with the first change made in August 2025.The cut in funds to be used for R&D has come as the company has total debt obligations worth ₹526 crore for financial year 2026 and ₹610 crore for financial year 2027, excluding any other short-term debt.Subhabrata Sengupta, partner at Avalon Consulting, said that funds required for R&D can change, but such a reallocation isn’t a positive sign.“How much R&D spend is needed depends on the plan.

cost of living, with new data showing more are taking on debt as financial pain bleeds out into broader sections of the economy.It comes as the so-called “K-shape” economy continues to underscore a widening wealth divide between Canada’s highest and lowest income groups, with Equifax reporting debt among Canadians with higher credit scores is rising.“There’s more of a divergence happening and a few of the higher income or low-risk people are kind of switching almost on that ‘K’,” says Rebecca Oakes, vice-president of analytics at Equifax Canada.“Everything that’s happening right now is just going to add pressure to an already difficult situation where we did have diversions in financial health.”Total Canadian consumer debt in the fourth quarter, or final three months of 2025, increased 3.13 per cent from a year earlier to $2.65 trillion, and non-mortgage debt increased by 4.5 per cent.Those with higher credit scores of between 751 and 880 out of the scale to 900 saw their non-mortgage debt rise by 6.1 per cent, while lower credit scores of 320 to 580 remained mostly the same, the report showed.“It doesn’t really matter what your credit score is. What matters is how much income you have relative to your expenses.

Even as several IPO-bound technology companies reassess launch timelines amid the war in West Asia, one critical element of their listing preparation—shifting their corporate domicile back to India—remains largely unaffected.Mint’s analysis of EY data shows that nearly 20 Indian tech startups have either shifted, are in the process of shifting, or are considering shifting their headquarters back to India ahead of planned listings. Of these, 13 companies have already completed the restructuring or are in the process of it, signalling that the trend is becoming a structural feature of India’s new-age tech IPO pipeline.These companies were founded in India but chose Singapore or US holding structures to tap global capital, regulatory flexibility and overseas listing, according to experts.Prominent startups, including Flipkart, PhonePe, Razorpay and Zepto, have already shifted their holding companies back to India from Singapore and the US ahead of their listings.There are some tax implications for companies shifting back, as they may lose the ability to ‘carry forward’ previous years' business losses to offset future taxable profits, according to tax experts.Further, capital gains tax on existing investors applies if the shift is made via a share swap, in which foreign shareholders exchange their shares for shares in the Indian entity.

The ripple effects of a disruption in cooking gas supply due to the West Asia conflict have begun to show up in India’s top management institutes, which house thousands of students and staff.While there is no uniform crisis across campuses, multiple Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) told Mint they have taken precautionary steps over the past week as delays in LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder refills started affecting kitchen operations. Measures have ranged from trimming menus to securing supplies through local administrative support.“LPG crisis has been severe,” said Devashish Das Gupta, chairperson, student affairs, IIM Lucknow.

Stock market recap: India’s benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty 50 rose 0.8% each on Wednesday, 18 March, tracking global gains as oil prices eased, even as investors turned cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision later in the day. Concerns over the ongoing US-Iran war in the Middle East capped gains.The Sensex climbed 633 points, or 0.83%, to close at 76,704, while the Nifty 50 advanced 196 points, or 0.83%, to settle at 23,778.

India’s corporate skyline has expanded rapidly over the past three decades. Tech campuses in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, logistics parks along the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor and multiple warehouse clusters on city outskirts reflect a country building the infrastructure of a modern economy. Yet, much of this expansion has been planned around connectivity, labour access and land prices.

LPG) at about 62%. Fertilizer imports account for roughly 30% of consumption.That headline number masks wide variation across nutrients.

semiconductor maker also established a global coalition of companies, Nemotron. It includes the likes of Perplexity and Cursor to build large language models (LLMs) that will act as a reference point for enterprises globally.

Best stocks to buy today (all buy trades are rates of equity and sell rates are based on F&O)Federal Bank Ltd: Buy above ₹266 | Stop ₹250 | Target ₹289 (multiday)Aurobindo Pharma Ltd: Buy above ₹1,298 | Stop ₹1,245 | Target ₹1,410 (multiday)Vardhman Textiles Ltd: Buy above ₹555 | Stop ₹525 | Target ₹610 (multiday)On 17 March 2026, Indian equity markets closed on a positive note with midcap and smallcap indices advancing steadily. The Nifty Midcap Index rose by 1%, while the Smallcap Index added 0.65%, reflecting broad-based buying interest.

Mint spoke with traders who left salaried jobs to trade full-time, on what it takes to make it work in this changed environment.At 58, Manish (name changed) left his job as a director at one of the Big Four firms in 2018 to start a renewables-focused start-up. With that not panning out as expected, he wanted to keep his income level sustained without disturbing the corpus he had.He decided to take up trading full-time and started doing certificate courses for currency and derivatives trading, took the NSE exam, and attended various private classes.

Reliance Jio was waiting for the government's nod for 2.5% public shareholding norms, and will now move ahead with its plans to tap the capital markets.Last week, the finance ministry allowed large companies above a certain market cap to list with just 2.5% stake sale through public offers, as against the minimum 25% requirement earlier.The rules allow companies with a post-issue valuation of above ₹5 trillion ($54 billion) to dilute a minimum of 2.5% equity, a drop from the previous 5% limit. The easing will also help companies such as the National Stock Exchange (NSE) to successfully list on Indian exchanges, Mint reported earlier.Mint also reported this month that India has emerged as the second-largest IPO market globally by proceeds and the most active by number of deals in 2024, with companies raising about ₹1.6 trillion across more than 300 listings.

India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision requires a massive expansion of infrastructure and manufacturing, highlighted by the $1.3 trillion National Infrastructure Pipeline. However, achieving this alongside India’s net-zero 2070 target poses a financing challenge: investment must jump from $14.7 trillion to $22.7 trillion for a full green transition. To remain globally competitive amid tightening carbon border rules, key sectors such as steel and cement must decarbonize rapidly.

Stock market recap: Indian equity markets saw a cautious recovery on Monday, after a bruising sell-off last week. Nifty 50 managed to close marginally higher, settling at 23,178.65, up by 27.55 points (0.12%), while Sensex edged 35 points (0.05%) higher to finish at 74,598.92.

First is the policy statement. A minority of officials pushed unsuccessfully in January to jettison language hinting that the next move is a cut.

Jindal SAW Ltd: Buy above ₹199 | Stop ₹187 | Target ₹223 (multiday)State Bank of India: Buy above ₹1,070 | Stop ₹1,020 | Target ₹1,165 (multiday)Astral Ltd: Buy above 1,625 | Stop ₹1,510 | Target ₹1,785 (multiday)On 16 March 2026, Indian equity markets staged a sharp rebound after three consecutive sessions of losses, with the Nifty 50 closing firmly above the 23,400 mark. The day began on a cautious note, with indices swinging between gains and losses amid heightened volatility.

India’s recent run of subdued inflation may be staring at an end. Data released on Monday showed wholesale inflation hitting an 11-month high of 2.1% from a year earlier in February. Consumer inflation, measured by a reset gauge, was 3.2% last month.

₹38 lakh. He had done everything right: a base policy of ₹20 lakh and a ₹1 crore top-up with a ₹20 lakh deductible. On paper, he was well covered.What he had not anticipated was the process.

The flare-up in West Asia is rippling through Dalal Street, denting the portfolios of several marquee investors and triggering a correction in Indian equities. A Mint analysis of shareholding data from Primeinfobase shows the value of holdings of many prominent investors declined sharply between 31 December 2025 and 13 March 2026, as tensions involving the US, Israel and Iran unsettled global markets and pushed crude oil prices higher.The correction has been visible across the broader market as well.