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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Even though Indian gold retailers sold less jewellery in the March quarter as soaring prices forced shoppers to cut back on purchases, higher rates helped prop up their revenues.Jewellery buyers typically stick to fixed budgets, buying smaller quantities when prices are high, executives said. “When prices are low, the volume will be higher.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) stocks are staging a recovery after months of underperformance, with the Nifty FMCG index rising 7% over the past month as early signs of stabilizing consumption and selective earnings upgrades revive investor interest in the sector.Most frontline names, including Bajaj Consumer Care Ltd (-3%), CCL Products (India) Ltd (-1%), Marico Ltd (-1%), Nestlé India Ltd (-1%) and Tata Consumer Products Ltd (-8%), are now within striking distance of their lifetime highs, leaving room for potential catch-up if demand improvement sustains.Recent management commentary across companies points to early signs of improving consumption trends, prompting investors to revisit the sector for its earnings visibility, defensive positioning and steady compounding potential, said market participants.Marico Ltd management expects double-digit revenue growth in FY27, driven by high single-digit volume growth in the domestic business, while the international business is projected to grow in the mid-teens on a constant currency basis.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Nifty finally showed signs of strength, generating the confidence that had been missing over the past few weeks. After identifying key support and resistance zones, Friday's strong upward move suggests momentum could build further in the sessions ahead.On 8 May 2026, the broader market picture remained mixed.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For BigBasket co-founder Vipul Parekh, profitability matters more than market share, even as competition intensifies in quick commerce.“It is very easy to have market share and never make money,” he told Mint in an interview. The Tata group-backed company is willing to “surrender market share” if required to improve profitability, he said, adding: “It is not important to be in the top three, four or five.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Stock market recap: The benchmark Nifty 50 had a volatile and weak trading session on Friday, 8 May, opening with a sharp gap-down at 24,233.65 and closing 146.15 points lower, or 0.60%, at 24,180.50, slipping below the key 24,200 mark.Sentiment remained under pressure amid escalating geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran, which heightened global risk aversion and pushed Brent crude oil prices higher. The surge in crude also weighed on the Indian rupee, which weakened to 94.48 against the dollar, stoking concerns over sustained foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows.Heavy profit-booking in banking and oil heavyweights such as State Bank of India and HDFC Bank further dragged the index lower, while modest gains in defensives like IT were not enough to offset the broader market weakness.Buy: eClerx Services Ltd (current price: ₹1,668)Action Construction Equipment Ltd (current price: ₹947)Nifty 50 performance on 8 MayThe Nifty 50 witnessed a weak and volatile trading session, opening on a negative note at 24,233.65 amid cautious global cues.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Centre has approved a ₹5,659 crore Cotton Productivity Mission (Kapas Kanti) over five years to revive India’s cotton economy at a time when output has stagnated, imports are rising and textile exporters face intensifying global competition.The mission marks one of the most ambitious interventions in India’s cotton-textile value chain in recent years, linking farm productivity to manufacturing competitiveness and export growth.Mint explains how the scheme seeks to lift yields, improve fibre quality and strengthen India’s textile export competitiveness.The programme seeks to address multiple structural weaknesses at once—low farm productivity, inconsistent fibre quality, volatile raw material supply and rising import dependence.Unlike earlier schemes focused largely on cultivation, this mission adopts a value-chain approach, connecting farm-level reforms with textile manufacturing, exports and global sourcing competitiveness.Improving the availability of domestic raw cotton is critical. Textile manufacturers have increasingly struggled with supply shortages and quality inconsistencies.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.After decapitating the Iranian regime and bombing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) positions for 40 days, the Trump administration has failed to secure a surrender and left Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz. With Iran striking critical infrastructure across the Gulf Cooperation Council states and threatening shipping, the US reverted to TACO (Trump always chickens out) mode by agreeing to a ceasefire.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The other day, I came across an exchange on X where an American trader posted a confident thesis: AI would compress revenues of Indian IT companies like TCS and Infosys. Reasonable concern. Many analysts have raised it.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Indian pharma stocks are attracting foreign institutional investors (FIIs) due to their strong export orientation, especially in regulated markets like the US, and consistent demand for generics and speciality drugs.Companies are benefiting from cost advantages, improving compliance records, and a growing focus on complex formulations and APIs.Additionally, defensive characteristics during global uncertainty make pharma appealing. Here are three pharma stocks where FIIs have hiked their stake in the March 2026 quarter.Shilpa Medicare is a niche Indian pharma company focused on oncology APIs, complex formulations, and CDMO services.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Renewed hostilities near the Strait of Hormuz sparked a choppy retreat in domestic equities, even as favourable state-election outcomes provided a brief cushion to markets this week. Benchmark indices fell about 0.6% on Friday amid a global risk-off mood, as Iran accused the US of breaching their ceasefire agreement, citing attacks on its oil tankers and air strikes on coastal areas.But markets ultimately eked out marginal weekly gains, though the underlying sentiment remained fragile and directionless.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.BENGALURU: India’s quick commerce sector may be entering a new phase where blistering growth begins to cool even as the overall momentum remains intact.Eternal Ltd’s Q4 shareholder letter showed Blinkit’s net order value (NOV) grew 8% to ₹14,386 crore sequentially, compared to 13% growth QoQ in the previous quarter. On the other hand, Instamart’s gross order value (GOV) fell to ₹7,881 crore from ₹7,938 crore in the previous quarter.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Shree Cement Ltd clocked volume growth of around 9% in the March quarter (Q4FY26) at 10.8 million tonnes (mt), a tad ahead of the industry average growth of 8%. It closed FY26 with volume growth of 2% at 36.4 mt and eyes 40 mt volumes in FY27.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Nifty generated a sense of confidence that we have been searching for the last few weeks. We had identified important zones, and this strong thrust seen yesterday could now fuel some trends ahead.Best stocks to buy today (All buy trades are rates of equity, and sell rates are based on F&O)Sun Pharma Advanced Research Co. Ltd: Buy above ₹169 | Stop ₹158 | Target ₹193 (multiday)Laxmi Organic Industries Ltd: Buy above ₹165 | Stop ₹157 | Target ₹181 (multiday)One 97 Communications Ltd (PayTM): Buy above ₹1,200 | Stop ₹1,150 | Target ₹1,290 (multiday)On 7 May 2026, Indian equity markets ended marginally lower after another volatile session, as profit booking erased early gains despite optimism over easing geopolitical tensions following reports of a possible US-Iran peace deal.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Jung Da-yun didn’t quite like what she saw in the mirror. Her ears weren’t big enough.She booked a visit to a South Korean clinic offering “elf ear” injections.For about $70, a plastic surgeon injected the ridged cartilage of her ears with a hyaluronic-acid filler that caused her ears to perk up.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Caution is returning to small-, and mid-cap stocks after last month’s sharp rally, with experts warning that stretched valuations could leave the segment vulnerable to even minor macroeconomic and earnings shocksThe BSE Smallcap index rose nearly 20% in April, while the BSE Midcap index gained almost 14%, their strongest monthly performances since May 2014. In comparison, the Sensex rose 7%.But the rebound has been uneven.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The usage gap in India’s flagship financial inclusion programme has widened further, with inactive zero-balance accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) surging to 26% at 143.83 million at state-run banks, while falling to 36% at 6.3 million at private banks as of March 2026.The total PMJDY accounts across state-run and private banks stood at 581.8 million, with deposits reaching ₹3.02 trillion by early April 2026. State-run banks had 449.8 million accounts, while private banks held 20.8 million.This spike in inactive accounts has been broad-based across public sector banks, which had 112.4 million dormant PMJDY accounts, or 21% of the total, at the end of March 2025.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mahindra & Mahindra’s March quarter (Q4FY26) shows why it’s one of the most consistent growth stories in India’s auto sector. It beat Street expectations on revenue and profit. Better-than-expected realizations in SUVs – its primary segment, and a sharp rise in other income were the key drivers.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Industry bellwether Larsen & Toubro (L&T) didn’t go unscathed from geopolitical tensions despite strong order inflows and a robust backlog. The management estimates the company lost almost ₹5,000 crore of revenue in the March quarter (Q4FY26).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: Demand for beer in India is holding up, but for United Breweries Ltd, rising costs and delayed pricing are squeezing margins.The Heineken NV-controlled maker of Kingfisher beer reported a weaker-than-expected performance for fiscal year 2026 (FY26), with revenue and profit declining even as volumes showed some resilience. A fresh wave of input cost inflation, particularly in packaging, alongside supply disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict, is driving the pressure in India’s tightly regulated beer market.Revenue from operations fell 10% to ₹1,746.3 crore in FY26 from ₹1,940.8 crore a year earlier, according to exchange filings, while profit declined 6.6% to ₹413.4 crore.For the quarter ended 31 March (Q4FY26), revenue was largely flat at ₹440 crore versus ₹442.7 crore a year earlier, while profit rose to ₹101.8 crore from ₹97.7 crore.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Despite the increasing emphasis on renewable energy, coal continues to dominate as the primary source of power generation in India.With one of the lowest per capita electricity consumption levels globally, the country is expected to witness a surge in energy demand unmatched by any other nation over the next decade.This trend suggests that coal demand will likely remain robust. This editorial examines the outlook for Coal India's stock.This analysis is not a stock recommendation.Coal India holds a near-monopoly position in India’s coal mining and production sector.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The central government’s procurement from micro and small enterprises (MSEs) rose 21% to ₹1.14 trillion in FY26, according to the MSME Sambandh portal. This surge meant smaller firms bagged nearly half (48.91%) of all central government orders, a significant increase from the 43.28% ( ₹93,971 crore) recorded in FY25.This performance far exceeds the statutory requirement for the government to source at least 25% of its orders from MSEs.Industry stakeholders and experts suggested the rising volumes reflected growing MSME inclusion within the national economy.