Business

Mumbai, February 13:The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed stricter guidelines for loan recovery agents to protect borrowers from harassment. Under the new draft rules, which apply to scheduled commercial banks (excluding regional rural banks) and housing finance companies, agents will no longer be allowed to intimidate or pressure customers during loan recovery. Key Highlights of the RBI Draft Rules Call Recording: Every call made by a recovery agent must be recorded to serve as evidence in case of disputes. Civil Conduct: Agents are required to interact with customers in a polite and professional manner, with strict prohibitions on abusive language. Timing Restrictions: Agents cannot call customers after 7 PM. Recovery attempts are prohibited during sensitive occasions...

New Delhi, February 13:At just 22 years old, Pavani Madugala of Andhra Pradesh made life-changing decisions that led to a remarkable entrepreneurial journey. After getting married, she gave up her MBA and went on to build a ₹1 crore business selling traditional halwa—without any capital, factory, or prior business setup—leveraging online sales to reach customers nationwide. Humble Beginnings Pavani hails from a remote village near Visakhapatnam, around 90 km from the city, where transport connectivity is limited and opportunities for women are scarce. She had completed her BSc in Agriculture and had secured an MBA seat at Symbiosis University, Pune, even paying the fees. However, a week before her program started, she got married and relocated to her husband’s village, which meant pu...

New Delhi, February 13:The domestic stock market closed lower on Thursday, with both major indices ending in the red amid weakening US interest rate cut expectations and concerns over AI-driven disruptions. The BSE Sensex fell 558.72 points (0.66%) to close at 83,674.92, while the NSE Nifty slipped 146.65 points (0.57%) to 25,807.20. During the day, the Sensex touched a low of 83,516.67, down 716.97 points at one point. Sectoral Performance The sharpest pressure was seen in IT stocks, with Tech Mahindra, Infosys, and TCS losing nearly 6%. Other notable laggards included HCL Technologies, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Indigo, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Adani Ports. On the other hand, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Bharat...

New Delhi, February 12:India has gained significant advantages from the recently finalized India-US trade agreement, according to SBI Research. The analysis suggests that India’s annual trade surplus with the United States could rise to $45 billion, while exports may surge to $100 billion, signaling a transformative shift in bilateral trade relations. The report highlights that the agreement has cut reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods by up to 18%, making India one of the most competitive Asian exporters in the US market—lower than rates applied to Vietnam and most ASEAN economies. This tariff reduction substantially improves India’s relative pricing power across multiple sectors. Boost to GDP and Foreign Exchange SBI Research estimates that India’s GDP could rise by about 1.1% due...

New Delhi, February 12:In a surprising turn for bullion traders, silver prices remained unchanged on Thursday, defying the strong volatility witnessed over the past several sessions. The white metal closed flat at ₹2,68,500 per kilogram, leaving investors and market participants intrigued by its sudden stability. Meanwhile, gold prices recorded a mild decline, falling by ₹400 in the national capital’s bullion market. According to the All India Sarafa Association, 99.9% purity gold slipped 0.25% to close at ₹1,60,900 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). On Wednesday, gold had settled at ₹1,61,300 per 10 grams. Experts Link Gold Decline to Global Signals Market experts attributed the decline in gold prices to a weak global trend and reduced expectations of an early interest rate c...

“Luniya Vinayak Nari Sashaktikaran – Women Empowerment Program” Target: 800,000 Women Entrepreneurs and 50 Million Employment Opportunities in 5 Years Indore/Siliguri | Special Correspondent With the objective of giving a new direction to women entrepreneurship across the country, Luniya Vinayak Group of Companies has announced an ambitious national campaign. According to the group, the initiative aims to connect 800,000 women across India with entrepreneurship opportunities over the next five years, making them financially self-reliant and generating approximately 50 million (5 crore) direct and indirect employment opportunities. The formal launch of the campaign will take place on February 15, 2026, on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri, with the blessings of Baba Mahak...

Business Cycle Funds Shine Amid Weak MarketsEven as the Indian stock markets continue to face turbulence, certain mutual funds have delivered impressive returns, outperforming benchmarks like the Nifty 500 TRI. Business cycle funds, in particular, have demonstrated resilience, turning a modest investment of ₹1 lakh into over ₹2.5 lakh in five years. Performance Highlights: ICICI Prudential Business Cycle Fund: 1-year return of 18.12%, 3-year return 22.82% Kotak Business Cycle Fund: 1-year 10.48%, 3-year 17.80% HDFC Business Cycle Fund: 1-year 8.59%, 3-year 14.97% How Business Cycle Funds Work:These funds primarily follow an open-ended equity model and adopt an opportunistic, top-down approach based on the current stage of the business cycle. By analyzing macroeconomic indi...

Heavy Selling in IT Stocks Sends Market Cap Tumbling:The Indian stock market witnessed a sharp decline in IT shares today, wiping out ₹1.3 lakh crore from the combined market capitalization of leading IT companies. Investor sentiment turned jittery over fears that artificial intelligence (AI) developments could impact traditional IT service revenue streams. Market Impact: The Nifty IT index fell more than 4% during early trading, hitting a four-month low. Stocks of TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL Tech, and Mphasis fell between 4–5%. TCS shares dropped 4.5% to ₹2,776, reaching a 52-week low, bringing its market capitalization below ₹10 lakh crore. Overall, IT stocks’ market cap declined from ₹28.9 lakh crore to ₹27.6 lakh crore, a loss of ₹1.3 lakh crore. Reason Behind the Sell...

Swadeshi Raw Materials for Defence:For the first time, production of missile and rocket components for the Indian Army is taking place within India. Agneevasthraa Pvt Ltd, a Tamil Nadu-based company, has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army to supply advanced carbon fabrics and other indigenous defense materials. A Milestone for Make in India:Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Make in India’ initiative, domestic companies have increasingly entered strategic sectors. Previously, advanced carbon fabric and high-performance composite materials for the armed forces were mostly imported. Agneevasthraa’s MoU marks a historic step toward self-reliance in critical defense components. Details of the MoU:According to media reports, the agreeme...

Heavy Selling in IT Stocks Triggers Sharp Decline:The domestic stock market witnessed a significant fall today as heavy selling in IT stocks coincided with reduced expectations of an interest rate cut in the U.S. after stronger-than-expected January data. The BSE Sensex fell more than 500 points, slipping below 83,800, while the Nifty 50 index dropped over 100 points, trading below 25,850. Market Details: At 11:35 AM, Sensex was at 83,732.30, down 501.34 points (0.60%). Nifty traded at 25,821.55, down 132.30 points (0.51%). Top Losers: IT heavyweights such as Infosys, TCS, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Eternal, and Titan fell 2–4%. On the other hand, ICICI Bank, NTPC, Axis Bank, Power Grid, and Tata Steel saw marginal gains. Expert Insight:VK Vijaykumar, Chief Invest...