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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The jagged path of India’s stock market attests to how shaky the mood of investors is. Although the Sensex is up 6.6% in April (while the Nifty-50 index rose 7%) after its 12% tumble in war-stricken March (the Nifty-50 slid more than 11%), last week ended on a glum note.A tentative truce in West Asia may have mostly silenced the blasts of war, but the lifting smoke revealed a double choke of Hormuz, with even Iran’s oil trapped, like the exports of other Gulf countries. As this US-Iran deadlock is proving harder to break than a level-headed analysis of it would suggest, the war’s impact on India’s economy might still be gaining in intensity.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Defence profligacy is a prerogative of rich, powerful nations. In 1983, the US embarked on its Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed Star Wars after a science-fiction film. Its bizarre cost-benefit equation led to it being binned within a decade.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Kenneth Andrade, chief investment officer (CIO) of Old Bridge Mutual Fund and founder director of Old Bridge Capital Management, who views investing as a journey where one pays ‘tuition fees’ through market cycles, believes that opportunities never really dry up.“There’s always a stock or sector to be found,” he said.He notes opportunities have become easier to spot recently, though that wasn’t the case in 2024 and early 2025. With valuations now normalised, he expects more modest returns, likely in the low teens over a longer cycle.“I think most of the worst is already priced in. If a shock occurs, the opportunity will be much larger.”He said this is a phase where it makes sense to put about 50% of capital to work upfront and stagger the rest over the year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The biggest motorcycle makers are doubling down on the affluent rider instead of the traditional interest in the budget-conscious commuter. Hero MotoCorp Ltd, Bajaj Auto Ltd, and TVS Motor Co.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.“Don’t underestimate the power of the common man.” These words were popularized by Shah Rukh Khan with a slight twist in his film Chennai Express.I wonder why the common person’s power is visible exclusively during the elections, religious functions and marriage celebrations? Why don’t they rise in defiance?However, I was pleasantly surprised by an unknown woman from Mumbai.Last Wednesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was rallying against the defeat of the Nari Shakti Vandan (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.The local police, despite adequate arrangements, couldn’t avert a traffic jam. Many were stuck. Resentful people were surprised to see a woman suddenly appearing and directly confronting Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Real estate bankruptcies may be resolved project by project, and healthy projects of stressed builders spared the bankruptcy court, if a top committee's suggestions bear fruit. The two suggestions are among the committee's 155 recommendations aimed to make real estate rescues more efficient, consistent, predictable and effective, two people aware of the matter said.The committee, set up by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), recommended that the ministry of corporate affairs, department of financial services and real estate regulatory bodies jointly lay down the framework for project-wise real estate debt resolution.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The government has set up an inter-ministerial advisory body, the AI Governance and Economic Group (Aigeg), to act as a central node for shaping and coordinating policy on artificial intelligence. But what rules are startups currently operating under, and will this new body change anything for innovation in the space? Mint breaks it down.For startups operating in AI in India today, the legal landscape is a combination of multiple laws.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Hooghly/Durgapur/Murshidabad/Medinipur/Kolkata: On a sultry April afternoon in Singur, Hooghly, a group of men sit shirtless on the cool floor under a tin shed, taking turns drinking cold water from a jug to beat the heat as they chat about the upcoming elections.“We’ve seen the Trinamool Congress government for 15 years now and there really isn’t much work that has been done. Development and infrastructure are lacking, and unemployment is a big concern,” says Pranab Parui, a vegetable seller.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.As 5G monetization remains sluggish, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd will plan a wider rollout of 5G premium services through network slicing based on demand from users, their willingness to pay, and the much-awaited regulatory clarity.While the telecom operator noted that its network is technically ready to support direct-to-consumer premium 5G services for specialized use cases like gaming and for enterprise offerings, it clarified that it is currently not looking to introduce network slicing for everyday mobility voice or data services."The 5G premium services with our SA (standalone architecture) stack that we are able to offer, some of this is being done on a trial basis. We need to ensure that we are fully regulatory compliant, but these products are ready for the market,” said Anshuman Thakur, head of strategy at Reliance Jio, during the March-quarter earnings call on Friday.On offering differentiated 5G for everyday voice or data services, Thakur said the company’s network supports the same, "but whether consumers need something like that, whether the consumers pay a premium for that, and whether that would be regulatory compliant.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: Promoters of Lucknow-based CP Milk and Food Products are in early talks to sell a 10–15% stake to private equity investors, a deal that could value the dairy company at ₹2,500–3,000 crore, two people familiar with the matter said.“The deal was launched a few days ago and several private equity funds have been tapped,” one of the people cited above said. The company will raise about ₹300-400 crore to expand its geographical and product footprint, the second person said on the condition of anonymity.The company has appointed O3 Capital as its advisor to help raise funds, the people added.If the fundraise goes as planned, it will mark the company’s first round of external capital.O3 Capital and CP Milk did not respond to Mint’s requests for comment till the time of publishing.CP Milk’s fundraising efforts come against the backdrop of several family-owned businesses seeking to tap private markets to catalyze their next phase of growth and ensure smoother succession planning in a professionally run setup.Mint has earlier reported on similar moves by companies such as Anmol Industries, Haldiram, Theobroma, VIP Industries, Balaji Wafers, Iscon Balaji, HyFun Foods and Ratnadeep Retail, that have raised funds or are in various stages of their fundraising process.Established in 2007 by C.P.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Private credit has had a good start. There is growing demand from corporate borrowers for faster credit decisions, customization of the loan structure and possible flexibility in repayment terms. Except a few exemplar banks, most still take 30-75 days for corporate loan underwriting, while they find it challenging to customize loans or offer flexible payments for regulatory reasons.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In 2023 things were not looking good for Justin Sun, a billionaire crypto-mogul. The Securities and Exchange Commission had accused him of fraud. The regulator claimed that the companies he founded and controlled had issued unregistered securities (two crypto tokens, Tron and BitTorrent); had manipulated the markets in those securities by “wash trading” to make the tokens look active and useful; and had paid celebrities to endorse them without disclosing they were being compensated.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.When was the last time you engaged in friendly banter with your barista, chatted with your neighbor or called your mother?Chances are, you placed your latte order on an app and ignored your neighbor when you pulled into your driveway. Your mom? She likely had to settle for a text.Digital interactions are replacing face-to-face interactions with loved ones and strangers.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.One day in March 2026, a senior software developer, Kovanikov, found himself thoroughly offended. He had just received a cold outreach email from the CEO of AI startup, Composio, inviting him to call in. The email was obviously written by an AI assistant, Jarvis.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The AI hack we unlocked today is based on: Skills in Chrome.Here’s a situation most of us don’t notice because we’ve accepted it as normal: you craft a great AI prompt that works perfectly—say, one that extracts key information from any product page. It works.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Kapal Mehra once went head-to-head with Dhirubhai Ambani in the ruthless synthetic textile wars of the 1980s. In a battle fought over polyester yarn and government licences, Mehra would ultimately lose everything.As a serious contender, he should have secured a place in corporate folklore. Instead, remarkably little is known about him today.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Shriram Finance Ltd expects its cost of funds to decline by around 1% over the next 18 months as the non-banking financial company (NBFC) looks to restructure its debt following a capital infusion from Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG).First announced in December 2025, MUFG completed the acquisition of 20% stake in the NBFC for ₹39,618 crore in April 2026. The non-bank plans to use about 50% of the proceeds to restructure its liabilities and the remaining to push lending in existing segments.The capital infusion also led rating agencies to upgrade the company’s debt rating to ‘AAA’ from ‘AA+’, which is also expected to help reduce funding costs.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is facing its largest-ever US recall, with more than 170,000 vehicles pulled back over a critical drive power defect, an issue that, by one estimate, could cost the British luxury carmaker upwards of $130 million and dent customer confidence in a key market.The recall, triggered by a hardware fault that can lead to a complete loss of drive power, comes as the Tata Motors-owned unit grapples with the fallout of a cyberattack and higher tariffs in North America. While the financial hit is seen as manageable, analysts warn the cumulative impact of repeated disruptions and safety concerns could weigh on demand and brand perception.According to at least two independent experts, the recall could lead to multi-million dollar expenses, with one estimate pegging the impact at more than $130 million.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Ltd is falling behind its ambitious target of reaching 500 stores by 2026-27, as volatile gold prices weigh on its expansion plans.The Bengaluru-based jeweller had outlined in its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) plans to add over 290 new stores between 2024-25 and 2026-27, but managed to add only 65 stores in 2025-26, taking its total to 340 outlets.It now expects a more measured pace of expansion of about 20% annually, well short of its original target.“We should look at how the external operating environment has been, specifically from a gold price perspective,” said Gaurav Singh Kushwaha, founder and chief executive of Bluestone, during the company’s March-quarter earnings call on Friday.“Gold prices have seen a significant increase, and we need to ensure enough conviction from a demand behaviour perspective before accelerating store additions,” he added.The company also indicated a gradual shift away from franchise-led expansion. Of the 340 stores, around 67 are franchise-owned.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.President Donald Trump has named Christopher Phelan as his next chief economist, an increasingly important role as the White House focuses on affordability and employment ahead of the midterm elections.Assuming he is confirmed, Phelan will become chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, counseling the president on economic matters. He will replace acting CEA Chief Pierre Yared.Yared is standing in for Stephen Miran, who left the CEA in September when Trump appointed him to fill a vacancy on the Federal Reserve Board.“Miran was an ideological ally,” says Jacob Bastian, a senior economist at CEA during the Biden administration and an assistant professor of economics at Rutgers University.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Trump administration announced criminal charges, sanctions and multimillion-dollar rewards aimed at combating online scams coming out of Southeast Asia and targeting Americans.The measures—some of which were directed at a Cambodian senator featured in a recent Wall Street Journal investigation into cyber-scam operations in the country—are the latest attempt by the U.S. to stem the fast-growing illicit industry.Americans alone lost $10 billion to online fraud originating from Southeast Asian nations in 2024, according to U.S.