Business & Economy

Mumbai, India: Last week, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex closed lower for three consecutive days, and the negative trend continued on Monday. Despite this, mid-cap mutual funds have delivered returns that outperform their benchmarks, providing investors with strong long-term gains. Rising Interest in Mid-Cap FundsEven during volatile market conditions, investor interest in mid-cap funds has grown steadily. By December 2025, the Assets Under Management (AUM) of mid-cap schemes had nearly 2.5-folded, reaching ₹4.61 lakh crore, up from ₹1.85 lakh crore in December 2022. Mid-cap funds now account for 13% of total equity fund AUM. This surge is driven by their strong performance: the Nifty Midcap-150 TRI has outperformed Nifty-100 TRI and Nifty Smallcap-250 TRI across one, three, ...

New Delhi, India: On the first trading day of the week, gold and silver prices opened lower, showing a sharp decline on the MCX. Silver dropped by over ₹8,000, while gold fell by more than ₹1,000 in early trades. MCX Trading Details Silver: The March 5 delivery of silver had closed at ₹2,44,360 per kg in the previous session. It opened at ₹2,38,489 and fell to a low of ₹2,36,100, a decline of ₹8,260. As of 9:17 AM, silver was trading at ₹2,36,681, down ₹7,679. Gold: April 2 delivery gold had closed at ₹1,55,895 per 10 grams in the last session. It opened at ₹1,54,999, touched a low of ₹1,54,676, and a high of ₹1,55,100. At 9:20 AM, gold was trading at ₹1,54,877, down ₹1,018 or 0.65%. International Market Trends Spot gold traded 0.4% lower at $5,020.10 per ounce, following...

New Delhi, India: Banks in India are lending at a pace faster than the rate of deposits, creating tight liquidity conditions in the system. In the current financial year, credit growth has reached 12%, while deposits have increased by 10%. Effectively, for every ₹100 deposited, banks are lending out approximately ₹97. Credit vs Deposit GrowthAccording to a report by Times of India, the incremental credit-deposit ratio has risen to 96.9% as of the end of January, while the outstanding credit-deposit ratio stands at 82.3%. This indicates a strong demand for credit relative to deposits. RBI data shows aggregate deposits rose 10.2% to ₹23 lakh crore, whereas credit grew 12.2% to ₹22.3 lakh crore. On a year-on-year basis, credit growth hit 14.6% in January 2026, the highest in 19 months, com...

New Delhi, India: The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has introduced new guidelines for virtual net metering, allowing residents to sell excess electricity generated from rooftop solar panels directly to their neighbors. Under the new rules, all three power distribution companies in Delhi—BSES, Tata Power-DDL, and NDMC—are required to facilitate virtual net metering for 1,000 consumers each within their service areas. How It WorksTraditionally, net metering allows households or buildings with rooftop solar panels to feed surplus electricity into the grid. The meter records electricity consumed from the grid and electricity exported to the grid. At the end of the month, the net difference is adjusted in the electricity bill. Virtual net metering extends this concept:...

Mumbai, India: In a bold move that surprised his family and neighbors, Santosh Jadhav left his family’s gold and silver business to pursue farming in his native village. Today, he earns an annual income of ₹25 lakh through organic farming and by teaching modern agricultural techniques via his YouTube channel, Indian Farmer. Remarkably, Santosh had dropped out after 12th grade, making his journey even more inspiring. Returning to His VillageIn 2012, Santosh returned to his village, Majale Karve, in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, leaving behind his family’s thriving business in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. His decision was likened by locals to leaving a “superfast express” to take a “passenger train.” Despite warnings from family and neighbors, Santosh was determined to pursue farming. I...

Mumbai, India: The domestic stock markets witnessed a sharp decline last Friday, with both major indices closing lower. The BSE Sensex, comprising 30 stocks, fell by 1,048.16 points to close at 82,626.76, while the NSE Nifty lost 336.10 points to end at 25,471.10. The sell-off was driven by weakness in global markets, heavy selling pressure in metal, IT, and commodity stocks, and investor disappointment over quarterly earnings that fell short of expectations. Additional pressure on IT stocks due to AI-related concerns further dampened investor sentiment. During the trading session, Sensex touched a low of 82,534.55, down 1,140.37 points at one stage, while Nifty fell as much as 362.9 points to 25,444.30 before closing. Out of the 30 Sensex constituents, 28 stocks ended in the red. No...

New Delhi, February 14:India’s largest airline IndiGo is preparing to recruit more than 1,000 pilots, marking one of the biggest hiring drives in the history of Indian aviation. The move comes after the airline faced severe operational disruption in early December, when it was forced to cancel over 5,000 flights within just seven days. The cancellations were largely triggered by the implementation of new pilot rest regulations, which exposed a serious shortage of crew availability and disrupted the airline’s scheduling system. Recruitment Across Multiple Pilot Categories According to reports, IndiGo will be hiring pilots across various levels, including Trainee First Officers, Senior First Officers, and Captains. In a significant step, the airline is also open to recruiting pilots...

New Delhi, February 14:With incidents of so-called “digital arrest” scams rising sharply across India, the government, banks, and insurance companies are now exploring a new form of protection that could offer financial relief to victims. According to a report by The Economic Times, discussions are underway to introduce an insurance policy that may compensate individuals who suffer monetary losses due to digital arrest frauds. The initiative is being seen as a major step toward strengthening India’s cyber fraud protection system, especially as such scams continue to target vulnerable citizens, including senior citizens. Government Takes Active Steps Against Growing Cyber Fraud The government has become increasingly concerned due to the rapid rise in digital arrest-related scams, m...

New Delhi, February 14:As excitement builds for the highly anticipated India vs Pakistan match in the T20 Cricket World Cup, advertisers are racing to secure airtime, pushing advertising rates to record highs. The blockbuster encounter will be played on Sunday, February 15, in Colombo, and is expected to attract massive viewership across television and digital platforms. According to a report by The Times of India, the cost of a 10-second television advertisement slot during the India-Pakistan match has surged to ₹30–40 lakh, significantly higher than the usual ₹20–25 lakh seen during other major World Cup matches. Broadcaster Expects ₹2,000 Crore in Advertising Revenue With demand at an all-time high, the tournament broadcaster JioStar is expected to earn nearly ₹2,000 crore from...

Mumbai, February 14:India’s leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Limited, has delivered an impressive financial performance in the third quarter of FY26, reporting strong growth across key business segments. The company posted a sharp rise in both revenue and profitability for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, reflecting robust demand, improved volumes, and better operational efficiency. Revenue Up 14.8% to ₹1,160 Crore According to the company’s quarterly results, Akums reported a 14.8% year-on-year increase in revenue, reaching ₹1,160 crore in Q3 FY26. In the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the company had recorded revenue of ₹1,010 crore. The growth was driven mainly by higher production volumes ...