Business

Mumbai: The country’s financial capital, Mumbai, has witnessed unprecedented growth in property sales, with November breaking all previous records. Strong infrastructure development, improved connectivity, and sustained buyer confidence have fueled this surge, making 2025 a record-setting year for the city’s real estate sector. Record-Breaking NumbersAccording to the latest data from the Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamps, Maharashtra, 12,219 property registrations took place in November alone—a 20% increase over last year. Residential properties accounted for 80% of total registrations, with demand particularly high for large and premium homes. The government’s revenue from registration and stamp duties reached ₹1,038 crore, a 12% increase from the previous year...

New Delhi: Poonam Sharma and Naveen Patwal, an engineer couple from Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, have built a thriving business in exotic mushrooms after learning valuable lessons from a major setback. Today, their brand, Planet Mushroom, boasts an annual turnover of ₹15 crore. Learning from the LockdownThe couple, both with engineering backgrounds, faced a loss of ₹2 crore during the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. At that time, three tons of button mushrooms destined for Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi went to waste due to the sudden market closure. This disaster taught them two key lessons: never depend on a single buyer and diversify beyond a product with a very short shelf life. Diversification StrategyTaking the lessons to heart, Poonam and Naveen diversified into exotic mushrooms such a...

Mumbai: Wakefit Innovations, the company known for manufacturing mattresses, pillows, bedsheets, pillow covers, and home furniture, is set to launch its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on 8th December 2025. Through this IPO, the company aims to raise approximately ₹1,400 crore. IPO DetailsThe subscription for the Wakefit IPO will open on 8th December and remain open until 10th December. The shares are expected to be listed on the stock exchanges by 15th December. The IPO will include an Offer for Sale (OFS), under which existing shareholders—including founders Ankit Garg and Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, as well as investors Peak XV Partners and Verlinvest—will sell 4.67 crore shares. Earlier, Wakefit had proposed raising ₹468 crore by issuing new shares, as per the draft Red Herring Prospect...

Travelers flying from Delhi and Mumbai airports may soon face significantly higher charges, following a recent TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal) order that revised the methodology for calculating passenger fees. The ruling addresses the 2009–2014 tariff period, revealing that the airports incurred a loss of over ₹50,000 crore, which is now set to be recovered through increased user development fees (UDF), landing, and parking charges. Potential Fee Hikes If implemented, the UDF at Delhi Airport could rise from ₹129 to ₹1,261 for domestic travelers, and from ₹650 to ₹6,356 for international passengers. At Mumbai Airport, domestic passengers could see the fee jump from ₹175 to ₹3,856, while international travelers may pay as much as ₹13,495. The significant ...

Domestic stock markets kicked off the new month with record-breaking gains, buoyed by a stronger-than-expected 8.2% GDP growth in Q2, which exceeded analysts’ forecasts. The BSE Sensex rose 360 points (0.41%), opening at 86,159, while the NSE Nifty 50 surged 120 points to a new high of 26,326. The Nifty Bank index also reached a record 60,114, reflecting investor optimism. Earlier, on 27 November, Sensex had touched 86,055.86, and Nifty 50 had reached 26,310.45. Today’s early trading, however, set fresh milestones for both indices. Among Sensex’s 30 stocks, BEL, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, SBI, Tata Steel, and HCL Tech led the rally, gaining more than 1% each. In contrast, Bajaj Finance, ITC, and Titan witnessed some decline. Expert Insights V.K. Vijaykumar, Chief Investmen...

Gold and silver prices witnessed a strong surge at the start of the month, with gold rising by nearly ₹1,300 and silver reaching an all-time high. As the wedding season kicks in, investors and buyers are keeping a close watch on the precious metals market. On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), February delivery gold climbed to ₹1,30,794 per 10 grams, up from the previous session’s close of ₹1,29,504. Gold opened at ₹1,29,999 and in early trading touched a low of ₹1,29,900 and a high of ₹1,30,794. By 12:50 PM, it was trading at ₹1,30,638, up ₹1,134 or 0.88% from the previous close. Silver prices, meanwhile, reached record levels. The metal closed at ₹1,74,981 per kg in the previous session and opened today at ₹1,77,858. Early trades saw silver rise by ₹3,668, reaching ₹1,78,649 per k...

The government’s recently launched FASTag Annual Pass has rapidly gained popularity, with 36.3 lakh users adopting it in just three and a half months. Approximately 20,000 new users are signing up for the pass every day, and the initiative is significantly reducing disputes at toll plazas across national highways. Currently, one in every five car users traveling on tolled national highways uses the FASTag Annual Pass. The pass, priced at ₹3,000, allows car owners to cross 200 toll plazas annually, effectively reducing the cost to just ₹15 per toll plaza. For frequent travelers between cities, it has become the most convenient and cost-effective option. Data from over 12 toll plazas shows that more than 40% of car users are paying tolls using the annual pass. Bajvasan Toll Plaza Leads...

With bank interest rates remaining low, investors are increasingly looking for alternative avenues to grow their money. One such avenue that has delivered exceptional returns over the long term is the ICICI Prudential Value Fund. If an investor had put ₹10 lakh into this fund 21 years ago, their investment would have grown to approximately ₹4.85 crore as of 31 October 2025—a nearly 50-fold increase. This represents a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 20.1%. In comparison, the same amount invested in the Nifty 50 TRI over the same period would have grown to around ₹2.1 crore. Impressive SIP Performance The fund has also performed exceptionally well for Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) investors. A monthly SIP of ₹10,000 since inception would have grown to ₹2.4 crore, even thoug...

India, whose second-largest trading partner and biggest export market is the United States, faces a major challenge as Washington has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods. This includes an additional 25% tariff related to India’s purchase of oil from Russia, which has impacted India’s exports to the U.S. significantly. To diversify its markets, India is now strengthening trade and investment ties with Russia. A major step in this direction will be the India-Russia Business Forum scheduled in New Delhi on 4–5 December, coinciding with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India. Both countries have set an ambitious goal to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030. The forum aims to enhance Indian engineering exports to Russia, boost imports of Indian food products—partic...

Mumbai: India’s foreign exchange reserves witnessed a significant decline during the week ending 21 November 2025, falling by $4.47 billion after a strong $5.54 billion increase the previous week. Current Reserve Levels According to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s total foreign exchange reserves now stand at $688.104 billion. For perspective, the reserves had reached a record high of $704.885 billion during the week ending 27 September 2024. Foreign Currency Assets (FCA) During the week under review, India’s Foreign Currency Assets (FCAs) declined by $1.69 billion, following a modest $152 million gain the previous week. The FCA forms a major portion of the country’s forex reserves and includes holdings in currencies such as the Euro, Pound, and Y...