UPS Financial News

A straw poll might show there exists a field of technology in which we Indians actually find it hard to be optimistic: self-driving vehicles. Satellite-guided traffic is a tech vision that’s unlikely to survive contact with our urban streets, unless AI can evolve to outsmart, say, a ‘squid’ motorist (in biker parlance) and learn the art of a real-world dodge.But optimism or any lack thereof has no bearing on the need for tech solutions to upgrade how vehicles move. For one thing, the status quo is costly.

sudden resignation of chairman Atanu Chakraborty, with open positions in the stock’s active futures contracts hitting record highs, according to Bloomberg data.Usually, such a heavy buildup of short bets can trigger a bounce through short covering.

₹1 lakh segment.The pressure is most visible at its youth-focused brands CaratLane and Mia by Tanishq, where demand is showing signs of strain as gold becomes less affordable. Titan is expanding design-led silver offerings to retain entry-level buyers, rather than relying only on lower-carat gold or pricing tweaks.The shift underscores a broader pivot underway in India’s jewellery market: as gold prices climb, consumers—particularly younger buyers—are becoming more experimental, gravitating toward lighter, lower-ticket categories such as silver and silver-studded pieces.Gold is currently trading at around ₹1.5 lakh per 10 grams on the MCX, up sharply over the past year, while silver is hovering around ₹2.35 lakh per kg, indicating a widening affordability gap between the two metals.“We are seeing a structural shift in India’s jewellery consumption.

Dhurandar: The Revenge hit the theatres on Thursday, and expectations are high after the massive success of the first part. While audiences are excited, the release holds greater significance for PVR Inox Ltd and its shareholders.The film is estimated to garner net domestic box office collection of around ₹100 crore on day one, supported by advance bookings and strong demand. The movie’s lifetime collections are estimated at ₹1,000-1,300 crore, which is no mean feat.For PVR, a film of this scale pushes occupancy levels and average ticket prices higher.

Mint.The minister noted that the country's telecom market is consistently growing and delivering greater value than other global markets.Edited excerpts:I have been very clear on this. As far as Vodafone Idea is concerned, the government is a 49% equity stakeholder. We do not envisage raising our equity stake at all beyond that 49% share.

New Delhi: As the war in West Asia disrupts global trade flows, the Indian government has launched a sweeping audit of critical supply chains to map vulnerabilities and reduce import dependence, according to three government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.The exercise, which covers sectors such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, fertilizers and textiles, comes amid concerns that supply shocks could derail India’s growth trajectory.“The plan is to identify structural vulnerabilities in India’s industrial landscape, with a focus on supply chain dependencies and manufacturing capabilities,” the first official cited above said on condition of anonymity.A detailed government questionnaire circulated by the commerce ministry’s supply chain division—reviewed by Mint—to key stakeholders has asked firms to disclose granular data on import dependence, covering specific items, source countries, reliance on foreign suppliers, and whether key inputs are “irreplaceable or non-substitutable”.The questionnaire also seeks production metrics such as HSN-coded output, domestic and export turnover, and constraints to scale, including technology licensing barriers and infrastructure gaps.

I am planning to undergo LASIK surgery to correct my eyesight. Will my health insurance policy cover this procedure? What are the rules and conditions I should be aware of?- Name withheld on requestLASIK surgery is a popular option to correct vision and reduce dependence on glasses or contact lenses.

If there were an upskilling programme in the ‘Art of Confrontation,’ India Inc would benefit more from it than from many of the dime-a-dozen workshops that are held to raise work productivity. A knack for judicious confrontation is rare, as it takes tact to voice dissent without being aggressive in most corporate cultures. One could be labelled as a worthy opponent or team player without knowing which.Effective confrontation at work is an acquired skill, one seen in some startups that make space to openly reject ideas and question the constraints of hierarchy for better outcomes.Workplaces where debates are not fights encourage a ‘multi-hat’ look at strategic plans, to borrow a term from Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats (1985).

taxpayers are opting for the new tax regime, which offers few exemptions for allowances. Companies don’t want to keep bearing the administrative burden of giving an allowance that no one uses.

. Eyyub was pitted against a trader from Pakistan, Murtaza Lakhani, according to people familiar with their operations.As Eyyub, Lakhani and a few other traders competed, the price of Russian oil recovered. Rosneft’s crude found new buyers, particularly in India.But Eyyub muscled out his rivals.

In the last few years, conversations on artificial intelligence (AI) have made their way from a few company boardrooms and R&D divisions to almost every company’s strategic vision and every investor’s daily life. There is hardly any seminar or conference—be it on healthcare, travel, consumer experience, legal affairs or economics—that doesn’t discuss the AI-led revolution. It is time to assess its impact on India, the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

₹200–300 crore in the new facilities, even as competition intensifies with airlines and airport operators moving to build captive maintenance bases.Carriers such as Air India, IndiGo and Akasa Air have outlined plans to set up their own MRO infrastructure, including at Bengaluru and Jewar, tightening the competitive landscape AIESL is stepping into.AIESL, originally set up as a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, was later hived off into AI Assets Holding Co. Ltd following the Tata group’s acquisition of the airline.The company is evaluating a calibrated approach to expansion.

after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February. While several global economies, from the US to China, have already passed on higher costs to consumers, India has kept prices stable. With crude prices surging, oil marketing companies (OMCs) are taking a big hit.

Bengaluru: A sharp rise in crude oil-linked raw material prices is unsettling India’s plastic packaging industry, but a bigger disruption is being caused by companies securing and stockpiling their supplies, tightening availability and pushing up prices.This is directly impacting packaged food and beverage companies that are preparing for peak summer demand. Most plastics are derived from crude oil and natural gas liquids that are refined to make the raw material for plastic.Prices of key inputs such as PET resin (used for plastic bottles) and polyolefins (used for bottle caps, labels and pouches) have surged by 40% to 80% in weeks, driven by the West Asia conflict that started on 28 February and subsequent global crude oil volatility.

Novo Nordisk to treat type-2 diabetes, semaglutide, delivered in an injection, has gained global attention for its weight-loss benefits. The drug is sold under brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus (oral pill) by the Danish pharma giant.With patent protection expiring, companies including Dr.

The war in West Asia has raised geopolitical vulnerabilities. These are not only affecting countries in the region that are directly or indirectly involved in the war, but also much of the rest of the world. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has already led to a spike in energy prices and shortage of petroleum products, including gas.

price hikes better not be delayed beyond April.“Cement spreads, a key leading indicator of industry unitary Ebitda, averaged ₹2,704/tonne in Q4FY26 (forecast), marking a decline of over ₹50/tonne QoQ, as elevated costs pressured margins amid the geopolitical uncertainties,” said a 13 March report by Nomura Research.Given that it takes 60-90 days for costs to flow through to profit and loss statements, thanks to the buffer provided by inventories and transit times, the real pressure may only show up in the coming quarters. Nomura’s channel checks, however, suggest price hikes could resume after March, once the year-end volume push subsides, helping cushion margins.Still, near-term cost pressures are a reality, and will be hard to ignore.

A faraway war may squeeze margins for one of India’s biggest beer makers just as the summer season begins.After two tepid quarters, demand is finally recovering but profitability could be under pressure amid rising input costs due to the ongoing war in West Asia, Vivek Gupta, managing director and chief executive officer of Bengaluru-based United Breweries, which makes Kingfisher and Heineken, said in an exclusive interview.“The growth of the beer category is dependent on not just favourable weather but also on affordability, local policies and raw material supplies,” Gupta told Mint. “Our margins will surely be under pressure as there will be some impact from the war.

₹83,029 crore, up nearly 36% from February’s ₹61,141 crore, which itself was a 16-month high, according to NSE data.“This month could witness highest-ever ADT for NSE, thanks to a surge in volatility because of the rising geopolitical tensions,” said Amit Chandra, vice-president, research, at HDFC Securities.The previous record monthly ADT for NSE was ₹71,690 crore in February 2024. With seven sessions remaining this month, sustained trading amid elevated volatility could push the exchange ADT to a new high and potentially boost market share, said Kruti Shah, quant analyst at Equirus Securities.The spike in turnover is mirrored in the ratio of premium to notional turnover on NSE, HDFC Securities' Chandra said.

a “Chinese Warren Buffett” in a LinkedIn profile, was convicted in 2013 of defrauding customers in a $50 million Ponzi scheme. He was sentenced to six years in jail and released in 2019.

The ripple effects of a disruption in cooking gas supply due to the West Asia conflict have begun to show up in India’s top management institutes, which house thousands of students and staff.While there is no uniform crisis across campuses, multiple Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) told Mint they have taken precautionary steps over the past week as delays in LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder refills started affecting kitchen operations. Measures have ranged from trimming menus to securing supplies through local administrative support.“LPG crisis has been severe,” said Devashish Das Gupta, chairperson, student affairs, IIM Lucknow.