Business & Economy

The domestic stock market continued its upward momentum for the second consecutive session on Monday, with investors showing renewed enthusiasm following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling declaring President Donald Trump’s tariffs illegal. Markets SurgeDuring intraday trading, the BSE Sensex jumped nearly 670 points, eventually closing with a gain of 480 points at 83,294.66. Similarly, the NSE Nifty rose 142 points to 25,713. Top MoversAmong Sensex constituents, Adani Ports recorded the highest gains, climbing nearly 3%. Other major gainers included Kotak Mahindra Bank, UltraTech Cement, Axis Bank, Hindustan Unilever, HDFC Bank, Power Grid, SBI, Bharti Airtel, Titan, and Mahindra & Mahindra. On the other hand, Infosys witnessed the sharpest decline, while Tech Mahindra, Trent, H...

The United States is facing a worsening debt crisis, with government obligations reaching unprecedented levels. The Supreme Court has recently ruled President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on various countries as illegal, raising concerns over the country’s fiscal stability. Rising Debt and Social Security BurdenThe federal government’s debt has now crossed $37 trillion. Spending on Social Security programs for seniors has reached a record 9.4% of GDP, up from around 6% in the 1980s—a 56% increase over the past four decades. Analysts predict this could rise further to 11% of GDP in the next ten years. The surge in expenditure is primarily driven by rising healthcare costs and an aging population. With life expectancy approaching 80 years, retirees are drawing benefits for longer ...

New Hire Betrays Trust in Record Time: In today’s fast-paced startup culture, the story of a new employee at sneaker startup Gully Labs is a cautionary tale for founders and HR teams alike. According to co-founder Arjun Singh, the employee managed to defraud the company of ₹2 lakh within just one week of joining—and then quit. How the Fraud HappenedThe employee, hired as a customer service executive, quickly exploited the company’s systems. They generated 100% discount codes and used them to order sneakers worth ₹2 lakh. The codes were not only used personally but were also shared with friends, amplifying the financial loss. Singh recounted the incident on X (formerly Twitter): “We hired a customer service person a few months ago. Within the first week, they generated 100% discoun...

Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump’s Tariffs: Last Friday proved challenging for U.S. President Donald Trump as the Supreme Court declared his previously imposed global tariffs illegal. In response, the Trump administration rolled out a new temporary 15% global tariff, effective immediately but valid for just 150 days. Who Benefits the Most?According to an independent research group, Global Trade Alert, the court’s ruling combined with the uniform 15% tariff will significantly reduce effective tariff rates for several countries. Brazil, China, and India emerge as the biggest beneficiaries: Brazil – tariff rates drop by 13.6% China – tariff rates drop by 7.1% India – tariff rates drop by approximately 6% These reductions come despite President Trump’s repeated criticisms and ...

Global Reaction to U.S. Tariff Moves: The recent rulings and actions on U.S. tariffs have triggered strong reactions across the world. Last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s global tariffs as illegal, only for Trump to reimpose them at 10% initially, then raise to 15%. The move has drawn firm responses from multiple countries, including the European Union (EU) and India. EU Stands FirmThe European Commission, representing 27 EU member states, has made it clear that it will not accept any increase in tariffs. The statement came after Trump imposed new tariffs on India and several other countries following the Supreme Court verdict. The Commission emphasized that the situation undermines fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial transatlantic trade and inve...

Domestic Market Sees Early Morning Rally: On the first trading day of the week, Monday, 23 February 2026, Indian precious metals markets witnessed a sharp early-morning rally. Gold jumped ₹3,700 per 10 grams, while silver surged ₹15,200 per kilogram on MCX. The rally is attributed to two key factors: escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran and the announcement of 15% global tariffs by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Impact of U.S. Supreme Court RulingLast Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump’s large-scale tariffs on various countries, boosting demand for safe-haven assets such as gold and silver. As a result, by 9:05 AM, April delivery gold futures traded at ₹1,60,600 per 10 grams, up ₹3,700 or 2.4% from Friday’s close. Meanwhile, March delivery silver futures r...

Sensex and Nifty Open Strong: Indian stock markets started the week on a bullish note on Monday, with both BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 opening in the green. The surge was driven by positive news from the United States, where the Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump. By 9:30 AM, the Sensex had jumped over 600 points, while Nifty 50 gained nearly 200 points. This surge increased the market capitalization of BSE-listed companies by ₹3.8 lakh crore, taking the total to ₹471 lakh crore. Market Performance as of 9:50 AM Sensex: 83,372.43, up 557.72 points Nifty 50: 25,743.05, up 171.80 points Experts caution that the market may witness volatility in the coming days due to several major developments over the weekend, including the Supreme Court’s...

Market Opens Strong, But AU Bank Shares Plunge: The Indian stock markets opened on a positive note on Monday, 23 February 2026. The BSE Sensex started at 82,906.83, higher than the previous close of 83,462.77, and quickly rose to 83,461.31 within 15 minutes—up 658.89 points from the last session. Despite the broader market rally, shares of AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) dropped sharply in early trading, falling more than 7% by 9:30 AM. Reason Behind the DeclineThe fall came after AU Small Finance Bank disclosed yesterday that the Haryana government de-empanelled the bank from handling government-related work. The decision followed the discovery of some unauthorised and suspicious transactions in the bank’s accounts. Late Sunday night, AU Bank issued a clarification stating that tw...

India Strengthens Global Trade Footprint: India’s emergence on the global economic stage cannot be ignored. At the 16th India-EU Summit, the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) was formally concluded—decades in the making and a testament to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong economic leadership. The EU is the world’s second-largest economy, while India ranks fourth. Together, they account for nearly 25% of global GDP. Before 2014, India traded with only 19 countries; today, it has expanded to 56 countries. The India-EU FTA alone opens access to 27 major and strategic markets, highlighting results-driven governance. Textile Exports on the RiseThe global textiles and apparel market today exceeds $1.1 trillion, reflecting rising demand an...

A Busy Week Ahead in the Stock Market: The Indian stock market is set for significant activity this week with a total of nine Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) scheduled to open. Four of these IPOs are from the mainboard, while five belong to the SME segment. Today, five IPOs have opened for bidding. Mainboard IPOs to Watch Clean Max Enviro Energy SolutionsThe largest IPO this week, Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions, aims to raise ₹3,100 crore. Of this, ₹1,200 crore will come from new shares, while existing investors will sell ₹1,900 crore worth under an Offer for Sale. The IPO opened today, 23 February, and will close on 25 February. The price band is ₹1,000–₹1,053 per share. Listing on BSE and NSE is expected on 2 March. Shree Ram TwistexShree Ram Twistex plans to raise ₹110.24 c...