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Manoj Joshi, Distinguished Fellow, ORF, says right now we are only seeing the first stages in Mr Trump's economic outlook towards the world. Yesterday, he has announced a whole set of new tariffs. The reciprocal tariff system is yet to come in. I think it will come in in April. And so, yes, certainly the world is looking at a geopolitical disaster as well as an economic disaster. There is no doubt about that. ET Now: What do you make of what transpired last night in the Oval Office? Many foreign policy experts saying that this was unprecedented, but it was not altogether surprising, given the kind of statements that Donald Trump has made in the past with respect to Russia and, of course, the Ukrainian leader in particular.

Midcap stocks got hammered through February falling by as much as 30% as investors scurried to book profits or cut losses. The low-key sentiments on D-Street were on account of both the global and local factors. While Donald Trump's threats on reciprocal tariffs and fears of US economic slowdown weighed on the markets, nearly a third of the midcaps missing their Q3FY25 estimates and valuations were among local factors that pulled the pack. The BSE Midcap index fell by 4,500 points or 10% in February and this week's decline was more prominent as the 132-stock index plunged 4.4% or nearly 1,800 points. In this, 123 stocks ended the month in the red while just 9 stocks managed a positive closing.

Alastair Newton, CEO, Alavan Business Advisory Ltd, we can park Asia largely because Donald Trump has not really turned his attention to Asia, other than he had quite a warm meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister and as I mentioned a moment ago, had a very warm meeting with Narendra Modi. But for the moment, Donald Trump's attention seems to be largely, largely on Western Hemisphere, Panama, Mexico, Canada. He had that spat with Columbia right at the beginning of his current term of office, and in particular on Europe. ET Now: What really happens now, what do you anticipate will be the next set of steps because Donald Trump has stated that this was something that we had a very fruitful meeting in the White House. Much was learned that could have never been understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. Do you think that there will be a resumption of peace talks anytime soon between Ukraine and the United States?

Rupee against the dollar, says a report by Union Bank of India. In the first two months of 2025, the Indian rupee has already depreciated more than half the depreciation happened in all of 2024. By February 28 the Rupee has depreciated by 1.8 per cent against USD, this decline is already more than the 1.5 per cent depreciation seen in 2023 and nearly half of the 3 per cent depreciation recorded in 2024. The report said «change in stance of RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra who stated that the central bank is open to more flexible rupee and will allow it to move freely in tandem with its local peers as against former RBI governor Das who favoured a very stable rupee against the US dollar is also putting pressure on rupee».

Concerns over high valuations continued to weigh on small and midcap stocks and there were signs of panic selling. Consider this: About 95% or 892 smallcaps failed to deliver a return excess of 1%. Meanwhile, as many as 685 stocks saw double-digit declines.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India and the UK have restarted negotiations for a free trade agreement, which had been in limbo for almost a year due to the 2024 general elections in the two countries. Besides negotiating easier market access for various goods and services, the two sides are discussing a bilateral investment treaty and a social security agreement for expatriate workers and professionals.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Black cobras are highly feared in India, even in parts where the snake is a fairly common sight. While their potent neurotoxic venom, which can cause paralysis and respiratory failure, is an obvious reason, their darkness imbues them with an extra layer of lethality.

European Union (EU) on Friday decided to forge a free trade agreement (FTA) by the end of the year. Following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the preparation of a «blueprint for collaboration in the areas of trade, technology, investment, innovation, green growth, security, skilling and mobility» was announced. «We have directed our teams to conclude a mutually beneficial bilateral FTA by the end of this year,» the PM said in a press statement in the presence of von der Leyen. Later, officials from both sides told the media they had been given a clear mandate and political direction on the FTA.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Indian companies navigated yet more revenue-profit divergence in the December quarter, and India’s ranking declined significantly among its emerging-market peers in January. Meanwhile, India and the UK have resumed trade negotiations amid protectionist policies by the US.

Donald Trump's adviser, Peter Navarro, is allegedly pushing for border changes, thereby increasing the tensions between the United States and Canada. In light of Donald Trump's goal of making Canada the «51st state» in the union, a senior White House official has threatened to redraw the country's border.

income tax department on Friday conducted a survey of premises linked to the Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group. The department's surveys often involve preliminary investigation.

Investors have pulled a record US$3.3 billion from United States spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in February, poised for the biggest monthly exodus since they debuted, as investors sought refuge in safer assets amid rising geopolitical tensions and persistent inflation concerns.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. SINGAPORE—Cui Shu, a lawyer in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, was working in his office Friday morning when a flurry of calls and text messages arrived from clients, frantically seeking guidance about President Trump’s latest proposal, delivered by social-media post hours earlier: an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports. One of Cui’s clients, a manufacturer of electrical transformers, was already shifting production to Malaysia.

Cryptocurrency-linked stocks are paring some of their losses but still broadly declining in Friday intraday trade, with bitcoin (BTCUSD) trading around $81,000—more than a quarter off its January peak.

In the face of a trade war, Canadian business leaders are making big changes in the way they conduct operations — and many are moving away from their longtime trading partner on the other side of the border, according to a new Léger survey.

The United States sends tremendous support to its allies around the world, but the payback has typically been a more stable world — it doesn’t always work, mind you, as we have seen these past three years. But no country benefits more from a tranquil world than the U.S.

In the 20 trading sessions, they were buyers on just two instances — on February 18, when they had bought domestic shares worth Rs 4,786.6 crore and on February 4, when they purchased shares worth Rs 809.2 crore.

Markets regulator Sebi on Friday modified its guidelines and issued necessary clarifications on nomination facilities in the securities market in a bid to make the process of transmission and nomination easier for demat accounts and mutual fund (MF) folios. In its circular, Sebi said that if one or more joint account holders pass away, the assets will be transferred to the surviving holder(s) without the need for additional KYC unless it was requested earlier and not provided. The surviving holder(s) can update their contact details and add or change their nominee(s) at any time.

International Gemmological Institute (IGI) on Friday posted a 45 per cent jump in consolidated net profit at Rs 113.78 crore for fourth quarter of the 2024 calendar year. The company, in a statement, said it had clocked a net profit of Rs 78.43 crore in the year-ago. IGI, listed on both BSE and NSE in December 2024, reported a total revenue of Rs 256 crore for Q4 of 2024 calendar year, six per cent jump from the previous year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Tesla stock is on course for its second worst month ever. Investors are looking for things than can turn the tide and looking for leadership from CEO Elon Musk.