UPS Financial News

Indians now constitute one-tenth of all US visa applicants globally, with demand skyrocketing across all visa categories, witnessing a remarkable 60 per cent surge compared to the previous year. «In 2023, the US Embassy and Consulates in India processed a record-smashing 1.4 million US visas. Demand across all visa classes was unprecedented, with a 60 per cent increase in applications compared to 2022. Indians now represent one out of every ten US visa applicants around the world,» a statement by the US Embassy and Consulates in India said. Visitor visas (B1/B2) experienced a notable resurgence, representing the second-highest number of applications in the history of the US Mission, surpassing 700,000. The United States has ramped up staff in India whoch have led to a remarkable reduction of appointment wait times from an average of 1,000 days to a mere 250 days nationwide, across all visa categories. The US consular team in India achieved another milestone by issuing over 140,000 student visas in 2023, setting a record for the third consecutive year. Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai emerged as the top four student visa processing posts globally, solidifying Indian students as the largest cohort of international graduate students in the United States, constituting over a quarter of the one million foreign students in the country.

Samsung is set to begin manufacturing laptops at its Noida plant this year, TM Roh, president and head of the MX business, said Monday, adding that India was a key production manufacturing «We will start manufacturing laptops this year at the Noida factory. Preparations are already underway,» said Roh, who is visiting India.

Shares of Godrej Properties Ltd.(up 4.45 per cent), Brigade Enterprises Ltd.(up 3.3 per cent), Phoenix Mills Ltd.(up 2.55 per cent), DLF Ltd.(up 1.15 per cent) and Prestige Estates Projects Ltd.(up 0.68 per cent) ended the day as top gainers in the pack. On the other hand, Macrotech Developers Ltd.(down 2.07 per cent), Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd.(down 0.75 per cent), Sobha Ltd.(down 0.36 per cent) and Swan Energy Ltd.(down 0.33 per cent) finished as the top losers of the day.

Benchmark NSE Nifty closed 385.0 points up at 21737.6 amid buying in frontline bluechip counters. However, stocks such as Astec Lifesc, Tatva Chintan Pharm, GSS Infotech, Lords Chloro and Gandhar Oil Refinery, touched their fresh 52-week lows.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said heavy rain and snowfall are likely to occur over the western Himalayan region on January 31 and February 1 under the influence of two back-to-back western disturbances, that started on Sunday. The weather department said it is expecting more rainfall and snowfall activity over the western Himalayas than has been recorded in the past systems during this winter season. IMD scientist Soma Sen said, “We expect up to heavy rainfall and snowfall to occur over Jammu and Kashmir mainly, and Himachal Pradesh afterwards.

Arvind Kejriwal announced on Monday, "...those who install solar panels on their rooftop will get zero electricity bills, no matter how many units of electricity they consume." He said this while introducing the Delhi government's new solar policy, which is expected to be “notified within 10 days". "The Delhi government has released a new solar policy, Solar Policy 2024....

iQOO Neo 7 Pro has received a significant price cut in India, bringing the price of the smartphone down to below ₹30,000. The iQOO Neo 7 Pro was launched in India in July last year at a price of ₹34,999 for the 8GB RAM/128GB storage variant and ₹37,999 for the 12GB RAM/256GB storage variant. Also Read | Moto Razr 40, Razr 40 Ultra receive up to ₹20,000 price cut in India.

Investing.com -- U.S. stock futures were subdued on Monday, with markets preparing for a busy week of major earnings and central bank policy announcements. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) are among many of the tech giants due to report results this week, while the Federal Reserve will unveil its latest policy decision and deliver closely-watched commentary that could help determine the path ahead for interest rates. China Evergrande (HK:3333) is ordered to liquidate, starting a new and possibly lengthy chapter for the heavily indebted property developer.

The online mode has made money transfers from one bank to another hassle-free. With just a few clicks, and some details, and the job is done. Come 1 February, users will soon be able to transfer money through IMPS by just adding the receiver's mobile number and bank account name. According to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), there is no need to add a beneficiary, and the IFSC code is also not needed.

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Gurman remained tight-lipped about specific details, he did drop a tantalizing hint in the Power On newsletter's Q&A section. "I'm told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates — if not the biggest — in the company's history," he wrote, leaving eager iPhone enthusiasts eagerly speculating on what Apple might have up its sleeve. One confirmed feature is the long-awaited support for Rich Communication Services (RCS), announced by Apple in November 2023.

The government’s direct tax collections as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) reached a 15-year high of 6.1% in FY23, while the cost efficiency of collecting that amount has increased sharply in the past two decades, showed data released last week by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). The dominance of direct taxes over indirect taxes in the government’s tax streams has been consistent over the past decade.

Shriram Finance jumped over 6 percent to their record high on Monday on the back of strong show in the quarter ended December (Q3FY24). Moreover, positive reviews by various brokerages post the results also aided the sentiment. The company's consolidated net profit rose 4 percent year-on-year (YoY) to ₹1,873.59 crore in the quarter under review versus ₹1,801.66 crore recorded in the same period of the previous year.

Also Read: Qualitek Labs shares make stellar debut; stock lists with 90% premium at ₹190 In terms of top performers, Kay Cee Energy & Infra stood at the top, currently trading at ₹295.95 apiece, which is 447% higher than its IPO price of ₹54. Following closely are Maxposure Australian Premium Solar (India), Shri Balaji Valve Components, and Akanksha Power and Infrastructure, all trading with gains ranging from 130% to 276% from their respective issue prices.

In the realm of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin‘s trajectory has captured the market’s attention yet again. As whispers turn into conversations about Bitcoin price predictions, the digital currency has edged up by 0.41 percent, steadying at $42,403.

ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ) share price rose more than 5% during the intraday trades on Monday as it scaled 52-week highs. The stock was amongst the largest gainers in the Nifty-50 stocks.

By MacDonald Dzirutwe and Libby George

In Monday’s trading session, the following five stocks witnessed a build of fresh long positions. Let us first understand how this conclusion is reached, whether the stock has seen a buildup of fresh long position or not.

InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. slipped 0.19 per cent to Rs 2859.2 in Monday's trade as of 12:43PM (IST). It hit a high of Rs 2922.5 and low of Rs 2847.55 during the session.