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The S&P BSE Sensex fell more than 170 points while the Nifty50 managed to hold on to 21,700 levels on Friday. Sectorally, buying was seen in telecom, auto, FMCG, and utilities while selling was visible in oil & gas, energy and public sector stocks. Stocks that were in focus include names like Tata Motors which rose more than 3% while Kalpataru Projects International Ltd closed with gains of over 7% to hit a fresh 52-week high on Friday.

Indian stock market: Nifty remained sideways during the session, fluctuating within the range of 21650-21750. A doji pattern has formed on the daily chart, indicating indecisiveness in the market. This sentiment requires confirmation through a decisive breakout above 21750 or a breakdown below 21650.

₹45-50 crore, now mostly hovered at around ₹25 crore. This recalibration wasn’t merely numerical but strategic–a pivot towards robust business models, away from the regulatory quagmires. Venture debt, traditionally a side actor, took centrestage, offering critical support to startups, especially in sectors ripe with innovation such as electric vehicles and companies heavy on research and development.

₹24 trillion. While the increase may not seem too high, especially in a pre-election year, it comes on the back of a 28% increase in 2022-23, when states had found themselves flush with funds following a recovery in economic activity after covid-19 lockdowns eased. However, the 9.2% overall increase in social sector spending conceals wide variations across states.

₹49,437 crore as compared to 40 IPOs launched in 2022 raising ₹59,939 crore. Remarkably, the proportion of newly raised capital in IPOs for this year has surged to an eight-year high. These offerings experienced substantial gains upon listing, capitalizing on strong involvement from retail investors.

Economist Dani Rodrik has put out a tweet that's likely to get some traction. He says his wish for the new year is for the term 'emerging markets' to be retired. We agree.

Irfan Razack, CMD, Prestige Estate, says “momentum will continue in the next financial year also. But again, it all depends on your location, the type of product, the type of pricing that you have on the product – that is what will give you success. Of course, the players who have delivered in the past, they have benefited, including our company and we have consistently focussed on delivery and that is what has given confidence to buyers to come to us to get their housing needs. Let us just talk about the overall demand environment and how it really has shaped up as we step into 2024. Do you believe that it is only likely to sustain? Give us an on-ground picture. Irfan Razack: Yes, the last three years have been pretty robust.

Congress formed its first government in Telangana in 2023, humbling the mighty BRS but Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has his task cut out to ensure the momentum continues in 2024 to see the party emerges victorious in the Lok Sabha polls. Hailed as the architect of the grand old party's southern success amid an unimpressive electoral show in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, the energetic Reddy needs to ensure Congress pockets as many Lok Sabha seats as possible out of the 17 segments up for grabs, to consolidate his position.

Jammu and Kashmir police Rashmi Ranjan Swain on Saturday said the number of local militants active in the union territory is all time low at 31 but the war is not just against the gun wielding militants but also against those who endorse and glorify their narrative. The J&K police chief, while addressing the end of year press conference in Jammu presented a detailed outlook of the work police has done over the past 12 months across the UT. He said that the region is currently passing through a historic and important phase witnessing a significant socio-political and economic change.

Trinamool Congress in Bengal, 2023 was a year marred by alleged corruption charges in the recruitment and PDS scams, arrests of ruling party ministers, and a slow organisational shift from a CM Mamata Banerjee-oriented party to the mantle slowly being shared by her nephew and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, earning the party the sobriquet of a 'parivaar baad' (dynastic politics) party. Despite these hiccups, TMC has maintained its grip on its votebank by sweeping the panchayat and all the other bypolls which took place in 2023.

Gaza on Saturday, as the Biden administration approved a new emergency weapons sale to Israel despite persistent international cease-fire calls over mounting civilian deaths, hunger and mass displacement in the enclave. Even a brief halt in fighting seems out of reach. A senior Hamas official told The Associated Press in Beirut on Saturday that the group has not budged from its position that a permanent cease-fire has to be the starting point for any further releases of Israeli and foreign hostages the group holds, which runs counter to a recent proposal by Egypt for a staged end to the war. It's a demand Israel is bound to reject. Israel has said it will pursue its unprecedented air and ground offensive until it has dismantled Hamas, a goal viewed by some as unattainable because of the militant group's deep roots in Palestinian society. The United States has shielded Israel diplomatically and has continued to supply weapons.

San Fernando Valley hills. The thieves stole luxury watches worth more than $300,000, adding to a string of break-ins affecting celebrities in the area.

Belgorod, a day after Russian strikes killed dozens in Ukraine. Belgorod lies about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the border with Ukraine and has been repeatedly targeted by what Russia says is indiscriminate shelling by Kyiv's forces. Unverified footage showed debris strewn across the street and smoke billowing from burnt-out cars in the city's centre, while a large blast can be heard in dashcam footage posted on social media. AFP was not able to immediately verify the circumstances of the blast. «According to updated information, 12 adults and two children were killed in Belgorod.

₹15,000 in Ayodhya. During his visit to the holy city, PM Modi also stopped at the residence of Meera Manjhi, a Ujjwala Yojana beneficiary. While revealing the details around PM Modi's visit Meera Manjhi revealed how the Prime Minister asked her for tea, but found it too sweet.

Xi Jinping's military modernization drive amid geopolitical tensions, analysts say. China's top lawmakers ousted nine senior military officers from the national legislative body on Friday, state media reported, a step that typically precedes further punishment for wayward cadres. Many of these were from the Rocket Force — a key arm of the PLA overseeing tactical and nuclear missiles. The purges are a setback for Xi who has pumped billions into buying and developing equipment as part of his modernising efforts to build a «world-class» military by 2050, with Beijing's outsized defence budget growing at a faster pace than the economy for some years. The recent downfall of generals and military equipment suppliers, however, has punctured some of this aura, and raised questions over whether there has been adequate oversight over these massive military investments as China vies with the United States in key areas, including Taiwan and the South China Sea. Since Xi took power in 2012, he has embarked on a wide-ranging anti-corruption crackdown among Communist Party and government officials, with the PLA being one of its main targets. The nine PLA generals removed from the legislature hailed from several military divisions; three were former commanders or vice commanders of the PLA Rocket Force; one a former Air Force chief and one a Navy commander responsible for the South China Sea. Four officers were responsible for equipment. «It is a clear sign that they are being purged,» said Andrew Scobell, Distinguished Fellow for China at the United States Institute for Peace.

NBA side Los Angeles Lakers are set to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8:00 pm (ET) on Saturday, December 30, 2023. Basketball fans can watch the live streaming of the game on fuboTV for free. One can also catch the game live at NBA League Pass.

The policemen came under attack on the Imphal-Moreh road. In Moreh two houses were torched. A police officer said that the gunmen reportedly targeted vehicles carrying police commandos when they were moving towards Key Location Point (KLP) from Moreh. A youth was killed in a gunfight with unidentified men in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Saturday.

ALSO READ: ‘Manipur violence is oversimplified to malign Hindus’: Indian-American Rajshree Keisham at Congressional hearing The gunmen reportedly targeted vehicles carrying police commandos when they were moving towards Key Location Point (KLP) from Moreh," an eyewitness said. ALSO READ: Earthquake of magnitude 4.6 hits Ukhrul in Manipur According to preliminary reports, indiscriminate firing was continuing near New Moreh entrance gate and M Chahnou village. Sources added that two houses were also set ablaze in Moreh.

Indian state of Punjab by sending intoxicants as part of a conspiracy. He made the remark while addressing a program organised in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Indore. A felicitation ceremony for all the MLAs of the district who won in the recently concluded state assembly polls was held at the BJP office here. Eight MLAs, including Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and Tulsi Silavat participated in the program.

BSE Sensex rose around 20 per cent in 2023, their second-best year since 2017, and were among the top-performing stock indexes globally. The broader small- and mid-caps gained about 55.62 per cent and 46.57 per cent in 2023, far outperforming the blue-chip indexes despite valuation concerns. The bull run was supported by sustained domestic mutual fund inflows, foreign capital inflows, better-than-expected economic growth, and robust corporate earnings.

India is anticipated to experience a notable upswing in liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports in 2024, with projections suggesting a substantial 7 per cent-8 per cent year-on-year increase. This surge is expected to be driven by heightened demand across key sectors, including power, industrial, and transportation, coupled with infrastructure development in anticipation of national elections, as per S&P Global. Ayush Agarwal, an LNG analyst at S&P Global Commodity Insights, highlighted that while the fertilizer sector remains the largest consumer of LNG, the power and industrial sectors are poised to contribute significantly to the import upswing if spot prices align closely with the levels witnessed in 2023. Agarwal said, «India's LNG imports will continue to increase, with an expected 8 per cent year-on-year growth in 2024. While the fertilizer sector will remain the largest consumer of LNG, the power and industrial sectors could contribute to an increase in imports if spot prices average close to 2023 levels». India's current gas-based power capacity stands at approximately 25 GW, translating to a demand for approximately 30 million-35 million mt/year of LNG. Industry sources based in Singapore suggest that a few gas-based power units, historically reliant on domestic gas due to high LNG prices, are likely to transition back to LNG consumption in 2024 owing to the anticipated weakness in LNG prices. An industry source based in Singapore said, «India currently has about 25 GW of gas-based power capacity installed.