UPS Financial News

Nasdaq notches third-biggest rise this year The last full trading week of the quarter got off to a roaring start across most major stock markets on Monday, with investors buoyed by reports that the Trump administration's tariff blitz scheduled for April 2 may not be as heavy as feared. A solid pick-up in U.S. business activity helped cement the positive tone on Wall Street, and investors bought back some of the shares they'd aggressively sold off recently like Big Tech. Europe ended largely flat, but benchmark Asian, U.S. and global equity indices all rose sharply. Bond yields spiked higher, while 'safe-haven' gold fell for a third day to clock its longest losing streak since November.

Donald Trump has suggested the United States should take control over the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of American ally Denmark. Vance will leave on Thursday and return Saturday, according to her office. Vance and one of her three children will be part of a U.S. delegation that will «visit historic sites» and «learn about Greenlandic heritage.» Media outlets in Greenland and Denmark reported that Vance would be accompanied by Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz. The White House and the National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump had mused during his first term about buying the world's largest island, even as Denmark, a NATO ally, insisted it wasn't for sale. The people of Greenland also have firmly rejected Trump's plans. Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that Trump «doesn't care» what the Europeans think.

Asian stocks rose early Tuesday after US equities enjoyed one of their best sessions of the year, fueled by signs that President Donald Trump’s trade sanctions will be narrower than feared. Indexes in Australia and Japan advanced after Wall Street’s risk-on bid lifted shares of nearly all stripes in a rebound from a sharp selloff that has challenged the notion of US exceptionalism. The Nasdaq 100 added 2.2%. Hong Kong stocks were poised to drop at the open. Treasuries were little changed in Asian trading following a nine basis point climb in the 10-year yield to 4.33% on Monday.

foreign selling. The rebound on the heels of a prolonged period of gloom has helped the main indices erase all their 2025 losses. The rupee advanced to 85.63, its strongest this year against the dollar, rising for the ninth day in a row. The NSE Nifty rose 307.95 points or 1.32% to close at 23,658.35. The BSE Sensex rose 1,078.87 points or 1.4% to end at 77,984.38. Both indices are up 5.1% in the six trading sessions. «Monday's upside was due to a combination of short covering, and expectations of some relaxation or less punitive tariffs which were supposed to be implemented on April 2,» said Pankaj Pandey, head of retail research at ICICI Direct.

Jewellery stocks have gained traction over the past week after failing to earn returns in the previous three months. The stocks were under pressure on account of concerns over rising gold prices which may affect demand. However, companies expect to maintain the growth momentum in the March quarter as high prices are likely to support the top-line growth amid slower volume growth. Store expansion and rising average transaction values are key growth drivers for the sector. Listed jewellery companies including Titan Company, Kalyan Jewellers, PN Gadgil Jewellers, Thangamayil Jewellery, and Senco Gold have gained 2-20% over the past week compared with 4-40% drop over a three-month period. Fluctuating gold prices continue to be a double-edged sword for jewellery retailers. While higher prices boost revenue, they also impact affordability leading to softer volume growth. However, demand, among other factors, also depends on seasonal factors such as weddings and festivals.

Sebi) will set up a committee to review conflict of interest rules for the members of its board, chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said on Monday. The Sebi board meeting on Monday also approved proposals to ease the compliance burden on foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and rules on the appointment of key personnel at stock exchanges, clearing firms and depositories.

Tiger Woods and Vanessa Trump have officially confirmed their relationship on Instagram. Rumors had been circulating about their relationship for weeks. The confirmation came after they were seen together at multiple events.

Pidilite's ability to create categories by identifying unserved and underserved consumer needs and fulfilling them, not just with a product but with a brand, has ensured its presence among the top quartile of growth companies over the past 5-10 years, said Bharat Puri, the chief executive, who will hand over the baton to joint managing director Sudhanshu Vats next month. «Our success stems from an aggressive expansion of core businesses and, more importantly, our ability to pioneer new product categories,» said Puri. «We are an entrepreneurial-cum-professional company. Our success formula is simple-we create categories by identifying unserved and underserved consumer needs and fulfilling them, not just with a product, but with a brand.» As much as 80% of the company's business was in core categories until a decade ago, with only 20% focused on growth and pioneering initiatives, he said. «Today, that ratio stands at 55:45. Even in a challenging year, we delivered double-digit volume growth because we configured our portfolio around category creation.» Vats said while the philosophy in running the business will remain consistent — focussing on core, growth and pioneer — his plan is to accelerate innovation and digital transformation while building on Puri's legacy.

Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old progressive social media influencer, has announced her candidacy for Illinois' 9th Congressional District, currently represented by Democratic veteran Jan Schakowsky. Abughazaleh, known for her biting political humour on TikTok and her work with the liberal watchdog Media Matters for America, is stepping into a race that could bring fresh energy to a district long dominated by Schakowsky, who has held the seat since 1999.

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will be sentenced on Monday, March 24 on attempted murder, assault, and gun charges. His sentencing is set to go down in a San Jose courtroom.

Similarly, small and medium enterprises are reclassified as firms with investments in plant and machinery up to ₹5 crore and ₹125 crore, and turnover of ₹100 crore and ₹500 crore, respectively. «Enhancement in MSME definition addresses the anomaly crept in due to inflation as turnovers ballooned on raw material price hikes. The move also paves the way for MSMEs to build scale and become competitive,» said Anil Bhardwaj, secretary general, Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises. The reclassification also allows more small enterprises to be eligible under the government's public procurement policy. Earlier, the enterprises exceeding the ₹50 crore turnover threshold for small enterprises couldn't avail benefit of MSE (micros and small) status.

Xiaomi Corp kicked off a share sale that may fetch as much as $5.3 billion, capitalising on a surge in the Chinese company's stock price to help raise funds to expand its electric-vehicle business. The Beijing-based company is offering 750 million shares at HK$52.80-54.60 apiece, according to terms of the deal. That's a discount of 4.2% to 7.4% versus the stock's last close in Hong Kong. Investor demand met the size of the offering by Monday evening, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because they're not authorised to speak publicly about the matter. The offering, which comes weeks after EV giant BYD Co's $5.6-billion fundraising, builds on what's shaping up to be a bumper year for share sales in Hong Kong. After years of slumping, the city's benchmark stock index is among the world's best performers this year, fuelling optimism for a rebound in deals in the Asian financial hub.

IPL 2025 season is in full swing, with a total of 74 matches set to be played, including 70 group-stage games across 13 venues in India. Cricket fans are in for an exciting tournament as teams battle it out for a spot in the playoffs. So far, five matches have already taken place, and the competition has lived up to its billing.

Lok Sabha could not take up any business in the first half of Monday as the House adjourned twice over the BJP's protest against Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar's reported statement about considering change in the Constitution to accommodate religion-based reservation. Accusing the Congress leadership of indulging in communal politics and trying to undo the constitutional position against religion-based reservation, Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Minister Kiran Rijiju demanded the sacking of Shivakumar by referring to him as a «Congress leader holding a constitutional post» and asked the Congress leadership whether it stood by BR Ambedkar and Constitution's opposition to the religion-based reservation. As soon as the House commenced at 11am, the BJP MPs rose in protest over the issue and the Speaker adjourned the Lok Sabha till noon.

Finance Ministry has launched a revamped e-auction portal named 'BAANKNET' to further streamline the listing and auctioning of banks' assets, Parliament was informed on Monday. The revamped e-auction portal was launched on January 3, 2025, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The platform 'e-BKray' was launched in February 2019, he said. The BAANKNET portal is specifically designed to enhance transparency and speed up the process of disposing of non-performing asset (NPA) cases, he added.

H-1B visa registration period for FY 2025 officially ended on March 24, 2025, following a 14-day window that began on March 7, 2025. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will notify selected applicants by March 31, 2025, allowing successful candidates 90 days to file their H-1B petitions.

According to Deutsche Bank Research's Cross Asset Outlook report, «history would suggest to close our overweight» into European equities. Lansdowne Partners' Jonathon Regis: Opportunities in Europe amid a new world order «The longest that European equities managed to outperform and move up while US equities were down was 102 days in 2000,» the report stated. «The current rally has taken a breather over the past days and peaked last Tuesday (after 103 days).» Deutsche Bank Research analysts further said they expect «a softening in tone in US politics to be a key upside risk for glob...

In a London Stock Exchange notice today (24 March), OCI's board said the decision reflects its «confidence in the net asset value (NAV) and its belief that the shares are grossly undervalued».  Shares in the trust are currently trading at 460p, MarketWatch data reveals, with the vehicle currently sat on a 34.4% discount, according to data from the Association of Investment Companies.  Pembroke VCT to raise up to £60m in latest funding round The minimum £20m share buyback will not be the first time OCI has purchased its own shares, having acquired and cancelled £72m worth of shares ...

WWE RAW show maintains high stakes for its broadcast because it continues toward WrestleMania 41. The upcoming biggest event of the year approaches only weeks away, so every match combined will affect the build up to the finale night. WWE RAW will take place on Monday, March 24, from Glasgow, Scotland.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, already under pressure due to increasing authoritarian measures, now faces mass boycotts involving more than 50 million people. The question is no longer whether a crisis is coming—but how fast it will hit.