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Growing up in Kerala, it was a weekly ritual to spark the firewood and get ready for an oil bath. The weather was warm enough during the week to use the plentiful water from a running tap or well. The firewood had to be kept dry and was allocated pride of place in the outhouse to be brought out in small batches for weekly baths or cooking.

The demand environment for IT services is stable rather than sharply improving, according to Accenture. Clients continue to prioritize large, strategic transformation programs with spending trends similar to 2025, said the global IT giant, which competes with tier-I Indian technology companies in outsourcing business and is often seen as an indicator of future prospects.Accenture’s managed services (outsourcing) constant currency (CC) revenue increased 5% year-on-year in Q2FY26, outpacing the consulting business, the company told investors in its earnings call for the quarter ended February (Q2FY26)—Accenture follows a September to August financial year.Sequentially, managed services growth moderated with softening deal wins, but the management expects a gradual improvement in H2FY26, supported by the conversion of large deals.

The simultaneous patent expiry of Ozempic’s active ingredient in China and India on Friday was a watershed moment. Until now, these weight-loss drugs have been available largely to people with means. The launch of affordable generic versions will be a levelling force in healthcare, with global consequences.That’s because the world’s two most-populous countries aren’t just consumers.

Geopolitical shocks affect commodity prices and energy costs, altering inflation trajectories and corporate margins. Most immediately, shifts in global risk perception influence capital flows across emerging markets.

₹1.5 crore ground-floor apartment in central Delhi, listed at ₹1.2 crore, looked like a steal. Sanyam Jain thought so too and contacted the bank for details. The paperwork was clean and showed no dispute.

IDBI Bank’s shares hit a new 52-week low of ₹66.45 on the NSE on Monday and have now lost almost 30% since 13 March after media reports that the central government may scrap its plan to sell a majority stake in the lender.IDBI Bank is classified as a private sector bank even though the government and state-owned Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC) together hold a 94.7% stake in it.

In 2011, a young male graduate earned about ₹21,800 a month; a non-graduate ₹9,000. By 2023, the graduate earned ₹19,573 while the non-graduate ₹10,507. Graduate earnings have fallen in nominal terms over 12 years.

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) balance sheet shows that the amount of government paper (including treasury bills) held as on 28 February was ₹21.34 trillion. It was ₹15.58 trillion in March 2025. With RBI’s recently announced open market operations (OMOs), which will probably continue this month, the amount will only increase.

Asset allocation is essential because no single asset class consistently outperforms across market cycles. Equities may lead during periods of economic growth, while debt provides stability during downturns, and gold acts as a hedge against inflation and currency risks.

Andrew Blackman is a writer in Serbia. He can be reached at [email protected] all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

The government has launched a ₹20,000 crore credit guarantee scheme for microfinance institutions to revive lending in the microfinance sector, which has been hit by a prolonged period of stress. The move is aimed at restoring lender confidence and improving credit flow to small borrowers.

Mint that its UK operations will not break even this fiscal.The timing is significant. Tata Steel has consistently maintained that its UK turnaround hinges on policy support to counter unfair import competition.

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India’s civil aviation ministry has withdrawn caps placed on domestic airfares as more expensive fuel amid the West Asia war and a weakening rupee send costs for airlines soaring. While airlines will now be able to raise airfares, the ministry has cautioned that instances of excessive surge “will be viewed seriously” and that the caps may be reintroduced or other steps taken to safeguard the public interest. These caps had been placed in December after flight cancellations by IndiGo sent airfares soaring.

Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

Deepak Nitrite Ltd’s investors would have hoped for some succour from the news that the Indian government is considering levying an anti-dumping duty on imports of Diamino Stilbene Disulphonic Acid (Dasda) from China. Deepak’s stand has been vindicated as the Directorate General of ​Trade Remedies (DGTR) has found merit in its complaint.

Drumah sapushpaah salilam sapadyam, streeyah sakama pavanah sugandhih |Sukhaah pradosha divsashch ramyaah, sarvam priye charutaram vasante ||The meaning of the verse is as follows: Oh beloved! everything has turned so beautiful during spring time. Trees are laden with flowers, ponds are full of lotus, air is scented, evenings pleasant and days are delightful.I entered my housing society park with a lot of enthusiasm to meditate, but failed. Why? Incredible decibel assault was on from the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway in the vicinity.

Don ko samajana mushkil hi nahi namumkin bhi hai (Understanding Don is not just difficult, but impossible), quipped market veteran Nilesh Shah, MD of Kotak Mahindra AMC, as conflicting statements on the Iran war emanated from US President Donald Trump over the weekend.Inspired by a dialogue from the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan starrer Don, it encapsulates the uncertainty among India's investors and traders amid frequent changes in President Trump's stance on the conflict's objectives and duration.In a post on Truth Social on Friday, the US President said he was considering ‘winding down’ military operations in the Middle East after getting ‘very close’ to meeting the US' objectives.While investors could see this as a positive sign, they would again be flummoxed by Trump's plan to deploy more troops to the region, explained Shah.Hapless investors and traders have sought to deal with frequent flip-flops preceding Trump's latest comments by initiating an options strategy that enables them to profit from sharp market movements in either direction.Known as a long straddle in options parlance, the strategy aims to profit from a steep move in the Nifty on either side of 23100 by this Monday or Tuesday.This is borne by a 58% rise in open or outstanding positions on the 23100 call and a 79% rise in the 23100 put, per National Stock Exchange (NSE) data as of Friday closing.The market closed at 23114.5 on Friday (20 March), down 8.2% over the past three weeks since the war began.

New Delhi: India’s top two-wheeler makers are bracing for pressure on margins and demand, as a surge in commodity costs linked to the ongoing West Asia war coincides with the impending withdrawal of electric vehicle (EV) subsidies. The twin blow has led to concerns that the companies, including TVS Motor, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp, may be forced to raise prices, absorb cost pressures, or risk slowing adoption of EVs.Analysts and industry executives note that the removal of subsidies under the government's PM E-Drive scheme from April can lead to price hikes of up to ₹5,000 for electric two wheelers.