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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: A new class of high-ticket investment products, positioned for higher-risk investors, is drawing participation from cities beyond the top 30, early data shows.SIFs, introduced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in February 2025, were pitched as products for investors with a higher risk appetite than mutual funds, with a minimum ticket size of ₹10 lakh.About 53% of investors in Specialised Investment Funds (SIF) are from beyond the top 30 cities, or B30 locations, according to an analysis by Computer Age Management Services (CAMS). These regions account for roughly 33% of total SIF assets.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Investors cheered ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co.’s March quarter (Q4FY26) results, sending the stock up around 3% to ₹560. Its annualized premium equivalent (APE) stood at ₹3,830 crore, up 9.3% year-on-year — a sharp improvement from 3.6% growth in Q3.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.As investors gauge the full impact of the West Asia war on crude oil-led inflation, another problem seems to be emerging. The India Meteorological Department and private forecaster Skymet Weather Services predict rainfall in the June-September monsoon season may fall short of the long-term average.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.If you thought the old vs new tax regime debate was settled, think again.Just when the government seemed determined to push taxpayers toward the new regime, the newly notified Income Tax Rules, 2026 have quietly reopened the contest. By increasing limits for several exemptions, the old regime has regained relevance.And now, as a salaried individual, you are back to doing what you hoped was over: choosing.Every April, employers ask for investment declarations.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Trump administration is expected to start accepting claims next week for refunds from the tariffs President Trump collected illegally.In an order Tuesday, Judge Richard Eaton of the Manhattan-based Court of International Trade said the government confirmed in a closed conference earlier in the day that it is on track to begin processing claims for refunds with interest on April 20 for some importers.The refund claims that the government said it can start accepting amount to about $127 billion of the $166 billion the government collected in tariffs that were invalidated by the Supreme Court in February, Eaton said.U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been working to build a system to handle refunds after Eaton directed it to immediately begin the repayment process on March 4, but he ultimately gave the Trump administration more time after it said its current system wasn’t capable of reimbursing for more than 53 million imports that were affected by Trump’s tariffs.More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed at the trade court by companies seeking a refund.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India is considering creating a financial buffer for petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to manage supply disruptions and global price volatility, according to two people aware of the development.The buffer would be similar in concept to the price stabilization fund (PSF) that exists to help manage inflation in select critical agricultural commodities, which was set up in fiscal year 2015 (FY15).The plan for a dedicated price stabilization fund for energy—being explored by the Union ministries of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and petroleum and natural gas—was mooted during a recent meeting of the empowered group of secretaries, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity, and follows the uncertainty over energy supply and price rise due to the West Asia war.“Drawing from the success of the PSF in containing inflation and cooling soaring prices of essential commodities such as pulses, onions, potatoes and tomatoes, the government is now looking to replicate a similar framework for key energy commodities like petrol, diesel and LPG,” said the first person, while adding that talks are in initial stages.The second person said discussions in the government are centred around how such a fund would be financed, the triggers for intervention, and the mechanism for deployment without distorting market signals.“The petroleum ministry is examining whether a dedicated buffer could provide a more predictable and transparent tool for price management,” the second person added.The fund would operate like the PSF for agri commodities, which allows the government to procure goods from farmers, farmer producer organisations and,

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has returned Ujjivan Small Finance Bank’s application to upgrade to a universal bank, sending a clear signal to the industry: meeting financial criteria is not enough. The regulator is placing heavy emphasis on the diversification of loan books, a move that will force other hopefuls to reassess their transition timelines.Ujjivan was among the three small finance banks (SFBs) that had applied to the central bank to transition to a universal bank.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Indian international racer Jehan Daruvala is switching tracks. The fourth-generation scion of the Sterling and Wilson Group has hung up his racing suit to join the family business.The 27-year-old now competes to secure new business contracts and races against deadlines to complete projects. The career move comes as a renewable energy and data centre boom has turned around the prospects of the Sterling and Wilson Group, which specializes in constructing solar power plants and data centres.“I think this is also a fast track.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The 10-year government securities yield climbed from 6.68% on 27 February 2026 — a day before the US-Iran conflict broke out — to 7.1% by 2 April, before easing slightly to 6.98% as of 13 April.The spike has pushed long-duration debt mutual funds into negative territory, with the category down an average 1.11% since the war began.Long-duration funds, classified by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) as those with a Macaulay duration of more than seven years, are among the most interest rate-sensitive debt fund categories. When rates fall, bond prices rise and investors gain; when rates rise, the reverse happens, leading to mark-to-market losses.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: As landfill capacity tightens in major cities and energy security concerns rise, investors are beginning to revisit a sector long avoided for its execution risks. Waste-to-energy in India is emerging as a policy-supported investment theme, moving from a neglected infrastructure niche, but it remains early, illiquid and operationally constrained.The shift is being reinforced by new regulatory signals.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have pulled nearly ₹1.8 trillion out of Indian equities in FY26 — the largest outflow in 34 years.At first glance, that headline sounds alarming. But for long-term investors, it may signal opportunity rather than danger.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bengaluru: Senior housing developers and operators, which build and manage residential communities for those aged 55 and above, are looking to ramp up operations by acquiring land, expanding into new cities, and adding premium services as demand for such homes rises.The senior living segment in India has seen mixed success in the past, and has remained under-penetrated. That is fast changing, though, with operators riding a strong demand, and developers too, entering the space.Bengaluru-based Manasum Senior Living, which has four operational projects in the city and one in Goa, has entered Chennai, Mysuru, Tirupati, Mangaluru, and Pune.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) discussion paper, ‘Exploring Safeguards in Digital Payments to Curb Frauds,’ is part of its ongoing efforts to make digital payments safer and fraud-proof to the extent possible. Given the rapid growth of online transfers, it was but inevitable that frauds would also increase manifold.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Saudi Arabia is pressing the U.S. to drop its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table, fearing President Trump’s move to close it off could lead Iran to escalate and disrupt other important shipping routes, Arab officials said.The blockade is aimed at raising the pressure on Iran’s already crippled economy.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.American military forces began blockading all traffic attempting to enter and leave Iranian ports on Monday, setting up a risky new showdown after peace talks in Pakistan collapsed this past weekend.With enough warships, a blockade could intimidate many tankers attempting to move oil to and from Iran. But U.S. forces would also need to be ready to board and seize hostile ships that try to break the blockade.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Retail inflation edged higher to 3.4% from a year ago in March from 3.2% in February, government data issued on Monday showed. The main driver was dearer food, whose prices rose 3.9%, quicker than February’s 3.5% increase. Inflation in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels was at about 2% while transport prices were flat.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Wall Street traders have become preoccupied by one particular market indicator.Some refer to it as the Treasury breakeven inflation curve and, while that’s a bit of a mouthful, it’s simply the market’s expectation of average inflation over two periods.The breakeven inflation rate for the 2-year and 10-year reveal how the market thinks prices would behave in the near- and long-term. Plotting the difference between these two expected inflation rates delivers this so-called curve, which has been under intense scrutiny.The breakeven curve “highlights the markets moving on from the [Iran] conflict,” wrote Barry Knapp, managing partner of Ironsides Macroeconomics, underneath a video posted Monday.How? Consider what happened after Russia invaded Ukraine and after President Donald Trump unveiled punitive tariffs.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bengaluru/Mumbai: Tata Trusts is expected to discuss several vexing issues, including whether to retaining Tata Sons as a private company and the possibility of giving a third full term to chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, when the Trustees of the philanthropic entities meet in the second week of May, about four months after its last meeting in January, according to two Tata Group executives who did not wish to be named.The agenda for the meeting has not yet been finalised or shared with trustees, the two executives said, and the meeting could be convened on 8 or 12 May, depending on the availability of all trustees.Whether Chandrasekaran's third term will be discussed depends on Tata Sons' response to the questions that Tata Trusts chair Noel Tata raised at the Tata Sons board meeting on 24 February, one executive said. At that meeting, Noel Tata had raised questions about Tata Sons' strategic direction, prompting the board to defer a decision on Chandrasekaran's re-appointment for a third five-year term, set to begin in February 2027.Noel Tata, who took over as the chair of Tata Trusts on 11 October 2024, had raised three questions at the board meeting in February.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Goldman Sachs might have provided an early preview of market reaction to the first quarter earnings season, which in turn could be a warning to investors looking for outsize profit growth to offset the renewed risks tied to the U.S. war with Iran.The Wall Street titan on Monday posted a massive surge in first quarter profits, thanks in part to record stock trading revenue and a near doubling in investment banking fees, and solid gains from its asset management division.But its bottom line growth rate of 19%, in terms of overall profits, dwarfed the 6.5% rate at which Goldman topped Wall Street’s headline earnings estimate, suggesting investors had already priced a large amount of the bank’s performance into its stock price heading into Monday’s update.Shares in the group, in fact, were last marked 3.5% lower in early Monday trading, dragging both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 lower along the way.Deutsche Bank strategists, led by Binky Chanda, think this could be a theme that repeats itself throughout the whole of the first quarter reporting season.Across Wall Street, analysts are looking for headline earnings growth of around 14%, a rate that would take collective S&P 500 profits to just over $605 billion.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.If your equity portfolio is hurting this quarter, you’re not alone.Indian equities have had a bruising start to 2026. As of 31 March, the Nifty 50 is down 14.5% year-to-date, the Nifty 500 about 14%, and mid- and small-cap indices have fallen 13-14% in just three months. By any short-term measure, this has been a sharp correction.Step back, though, and the picture looks very different.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Portfolio management services (PMS) firms have asked the market regulator to widen their investment universe, as the segment struggles to keep pace with rival products, four people aware of the discussions said.Key demands include allowing investments in unlisted markets and permission to participate as anchor investors in initial public offerings (IPO), both currently restricted for PMS structures.Currently, only non-discretionary PMS allows up to 25% allocation to unlisted securities, such as alternative investment fund units, real estate investment trusts and infrastructure investment trusts. Discretionary PMS, which accounts for 92% of total PMS assets as of February, is not allowed to invest in unlisted securities.The push comes as PMS growth trails mutual funds and alternative investment funds (AIFs), with industry executives pointing to tighter investment rules, operational constraints and tax friction as factors hurting competitiveness in India’s asset management market.“Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India) is keen on growing this segment and making PMS a platform for wealth management.