News

India and the European Union are nearing a free trade agreement that could slash import duties on automobiles, including electric vehicles, to 10-15%. This move is anticipated to boost European luxury EV sales in India and position the country as a competitive manufacturing hub for these vehicles.

The US has hinted at removing the additional 25% tariff on India after New Delhi sharply cut Russian oil imports. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said India’s purchases have “collapsed,” calling the tariffs a success. Imports fell about 30% year-on-year in early January. India maintains its strategic autonomy even as Washington weighs tougher trade measures.

Mala Gaonkar's SurgoCap Partners experienced a rapid ascent, tripling its assets to $6 billion within three years of its 2023 launch. This marked one of the fastest-growing debuts in hedge fund history, with Gaonkar leveraging data science to invest across various sectors. She emphasizes a small, collaborative team size for idea generation, drawing parallels to Jeff Bezos's "two-pizza-box" team concept.

According to VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, FPIs not only continued their selling spree in the week ended January 23 but also intensified it. The sustained outflows have wiped off Rs 16 trillion in market capitalisation for the week alone, contributing to a 2.5% decline in the Nifty index.

Markets experienced a sharp corrective move, with Nifty ending lower after a volatile week and breaking below key technical levels. India VIX surged, signaling increased risk perception. Despite a potential technical rebound due to oversold conditions, volatility is expected to remain elevated, especially with F&O expiry.

Adani Group companies clarified via stock exchange filings that they are not parties to any US SEC legal proceedings. Reports indicated the SEC sought court approval to serve summons to Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani via email after Indian authorities denied previous requests. The group reiterated no allegations are against the company.

Despite the decline in overall portfolio value during FY26, stock-level performance remains encouraging. More than half of the holdings delivered positive returns, with 11 stocks surging between 25% and 90% within a span of less than 10 months in FY26.

Indian equity markets closed the week on a subdued note, impacted by profit-booking and foreign investor outflows. Global trade concerns and domestic earnings disappointments weighed on sentiment. Analysts suggest caution ahead of the Budget, with Nifty facing resistance and broader markets showing weakness. PSU banks are outperforming private peers.

China's tech giants, including Alibaba and Tencent, are preparing to order Nvidia's H200 AI chips, signaling Beijing's imminent approval for these crucial components. This move prioritizes major Chinese companies' AI development needs, potentially boosting Nvidia's business. Local chipmakers like Huawei are also expanding production amid these developments.

Indias states fiscal deficit has widened to 3.3 percent of GDP in fiscal year 2025. This increase stems from states borrowing more under a central government scheme for capital investment. Capital expenditure remains a focus, budgeted at 3.2 percent of GDP in fiscal year 2026.

Exporters are urging the government to implement tax incentives and rationalize import duties in the upcoming Budget. Key demands include reduced income tax for MSMEs, reinstatement of customs duty exemptions on certain leathers, and correction of inverted duty structures in sectors like synthetic yarns and electronics to boost domestic manufacturing and export competitiveness.

Trade ministers and WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala met in Davos to strategize for the upcoming 14th Ministerial Conference in Cameroon. Discussions centered on global trade policy challenges, potential compromises on key negotiating topics like Investment Facilitation, and WTO reform priorities. Switzerland emphasized its commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system amidst global tensions.

Indian corporate leaders at Davos highlighted India's economic resilience amidst global challenges, emphasizing the need for faster reforms and deeper manufacturing to sustain momentum. They noted opportunities arising from global trade disruptions and the importance of a strong domestic market, while also stressing the need to boost the MSME sector and accelerate AI development.

The BBC has announced a significant deal with YouTube. This partnership will bring British storytelling and news to a wider audience. New content will be produced specifically for YouTube's younger viewers. This move aims to connect the BBC with audiences in new ways. The collaboration will also focus on investing in new programming and supporting emerging British creators.

Saudi Arabia is transferring some Vision 2030 project scopes to the private sector to avoid economic overheating and manage timelines. The government is being agile, rescoping projects while maintaining momentum on its economic transformation goals. The kingdom is over halfway through its ambitious plan, with the non-oil economy now exceeding 55% of GDP.

South Korea is seeking favorable terms for United States tariffs on memory chip imports. The country previously secured an agreement ensuring it would not face unfavorable treatment compared to competitors. South Korea's trade minister stated that U.S. tariffs on some advanced computing chips will have a limited impact.

European nations are reeling from US President Donald Trump's tariff threat. Eight countries face a 10 percent tariff for opposing American control of Greenland. Leaders warn of a dangerous downward spiral for transatlantic relations. China and Russia stand to benefit from these divisions. European Union envoys are holding emergency talks to determine a response.

Myanmar successfully conducted phase-1 of its national elections on December 28, 2025, with over 60% voter participation, despite Western skepticism. The elections, aimed at restoring stability, introduced a Mixed Member Proportional system for greater inclusivity. Phase-2 also concluded with higher turnout but increased violence, prompting India to adopt a wait-and-watch approach.

Kaynes has plunged 43.5% from its October peak, with Friday’s 12.5% drop marking the steepest single-day decline. Momentum indicators remain bearish, signaling a risk of further slide toward the year’s low of Rs 3,825. However, being nearly 26% below its 200-day SMA suggests potential mean-reversion, with a contrarian recovery target at Rs 4,541 and downside below Rs 4,300.

Warren Buffett and Michael Burry are taking opposing stances on the AI boom, highlighting investor uncertainty. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has added a major stake in Alphabet, signaling confidence in the AI-driven growth, while Burry shorts Palantir and Nvidia, criticizing Big Tech accounting practices. Their contrasting positions coincide with transitions in their careers and growing debate over whether AI hype is justified or a bubble.

SoftBank-backed digital-commerce ecosystem AceVector Ltd has filed updated draft papers with markets regulator Sebi for an initial public offering (IPO), which will include a fresh issue of shares worth Rs 300 crore.

The combined market valuation of five of the top-10 most valued firms surged by Rs 72,284.74 crore last week, with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys emerging as the biggest winners.

China has regained global investor confidence in a stellar year for stocks, with the MSCI China Index rising about 30%, adding $2.4 trillion in value and outperforming the S&P 500. Fund managers including Amundi, BNP Paribas, Fidelity and Man Group expect further gains in 2026, driven by AI innovation and market resilience, as both passive and active inflows fuel the rally.

The Election Commission's 'Special Intensive Revision' of Bihar's electoral rolls has ignited political debate, differing from past revisions. While intensive revisions aren't new, the timing of Bihar's SIR, months before assembly elections, is unusual. Unlike previous 'de novo' exercises, it builds upon the 2002-03 roll, incorporating new enumeration forms and document submission.

BJP has accused Arvind Kejriwal of orchestrating hoax calls to mislead voters, alleging that the AAP is claiming votes are being cut by the BJP to support AAP. They also allege distribution of money in slum areas and raised concerns about voter data confidentiality, demanding an investigation.

Lok Sabha election 2024: ​​The BJP-Shiv Sena won 41 of the 48 seats in the 2019 polls, but the Sena has split since and a vast majority of the Bal Thackeray-founded party is now allied with the BJP. The Nationalist Congress Party also split as well with Ajit Pawar joining the ruling alliance in the state, led by Eknath Shinde. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP emerged the top party with 23 seats, followed by the undivided Sena with 18.

Gujarat's upcoming Lok Sabha elections are influenced by PM Narendra Modi's charisma, anti-incumbency, unemployment, inflation, education, healthcare challenges, and BJP's endeavor to secure all 26 seats. ​​Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. Anti-incumbency, unemployment, inflation, education and healthcare facilities are some of the other important issues in the election, where the ruling BJP in Gujarat will attempt to retain all the 26 Lok Sabha seats it won in 2019.

The BJP, riding high on its growing voter base in Telangana, is now aiming to win over 12 out of the total 17 seats and 35 per cent vote share, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The party doubled its vote share to nearly 14 per cent resulting in eight seats in the assembly elections held on November 30, last year. BRS, which ruled the state for about a decade since its emergence, is low on morale following the defeat, even as its founder and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha was arrested on the eve of poll dates announcement, adding insult to the injury.

Kavitha's arrest before Lok Sabha elections may psychologically impact BRS party. Meanwhile, fomer minister Harish Rao announced protests in the state. Moreover, desertion of MPs and leaders who are not contesting polls adds to party's troubles. Nagesh Kumar predictsed that more desertions could happen due to Kavitha's arrest.

Anita Nariani Schulze is part of the Sindhi minority. Her complaint alleges that her senior and direct managers, both male, consistently excluded her from meetings while inviting her male counterparts, criticised her, micromanaged her work and deprived her of bonuses, despite positive performance evaluations and significant team contributions.

But two senior envoys who attended said there was no direct response from the ministers gathered in Brussels when Blinken said: "We must push back on China together and show strength in unity."

This comes as the San-Francisco based firm is at the receiving end of the Indian government over an issue of blocking and unblocking certain handles tweeting about farmer protests.

Foreign companies looking for incentives under the scheme may have to invest Rs 500 crore over four years, while the threshold for domestic firms is likely to be around Rs 20 crore for five years, the source who did not wish to be named said.

Growth More than in MetrosAccording to companies like Aisle and Truly Madly, which have millions of users and position themselves as “serious” dating apps, and bespoke high-end dating services like Sirf Coffee, a lot more users from such places are not only keen on using these apps, but also willing to pay for it.

“Indian companies need to re-skill, train, and acquire more relevant talent, if they are to successfully integrate AI technologies. Most importantly, they should be willing to make the continued investment. It is an uphill race in which there will be winners and losers,” said Deloitte India CEO N Venkatram.

Ambassador Joao Cravinho, head of the EU delegation, led Ambassadors of various European countries to a quiet lunch with Modi at the capital last year.

"It is the collective wisdom of the marketplace that there is action and we will move with speed. That improves the confidence level of industry."

Directives from the Centre have to be executed at the state level. So, there are many things that are not in Modi’s hands, says Raamdeo Agrawal.

"The fact that we are the world’s largest democracy and we are all aware that power and a role in global affairs for a nation comes from economic strength."

"Now there is a stage three and stage four of digitisation, we will take a call on this only after taking all things into account."

"There is a leadership vacuum in the company, because they made the wrong choice of CEO three years ago and that is playing out right now."

Rupee#CAD#Economic crisis#Food Bill

The team behind The Artist will have spent the first day of the rest of their lives conforming to the grandest, and most lucrative, of Hollywood traditions.

It's the World Book fair, which comes around once every two years sprawling across the giant halls of Pragati Maidan. This is the fair's 20th edition.

An elephant figurine gifted by the then HM LK Advani to US Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2002, has made its way to the State Department hall.

Statistical models used by IMD will still be used for monsoon forecast, but the ministry of earth sciences is putting more emphasis on dynamic models.

Newly discovered documents have revealed the first telegraph messages and joy when England was linked for the first time with India on 23 June, 1870.

Hundreds of worried fans of ailing Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan today performed a yagna here to pray for his speedy recovery.

Alfa Laval (India) today said its parent firm has raised the delisting offer price to Rs 2,850 a share.