Business

New Delhi: India’s top industrialist and one of the country’s wealthiest, Anil Agarwal, is reeling from the tragic loss of his only son, Agnivesh Agarwal, who passed away at the age of 49 following a skiing accident in the United States. Agnivesh had been receiving treatment at a hospital when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. The untimely demise of his son has left Agarwal deeply shattered. Humble Beginnings in BiharBorn into a Marwari family in Bihar, Agarwal, often called the ‘Metal King’, left his home state at the age of 20 with nothing but a lunchbox. He arrived in Mumbai and began working tirelessly to build his business empire. His first venture, launched in the 1970s through scrap trading, proved profitable and laid the foundation for his future enterprises. Early Struggl...

New Delhi: Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal, one of India’s richest industrialists, is grappling with a profound personal loss following the untimely death of his only son, Agnivesh Agarwal, in the United States. Agnivesh, 49, was injured in a skiing accident and was undergoing treatment at a hospital when he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. The tragedy has left the Agarwal family devastated and raises questions about the succession of Vedanta Group’s multi-billion-dollar legacy. Vedanta’s Vast EmpireVedanta’s market capitalization stands at approximately ₹2.33 lakh crore, with business interests spanning multiple countries. Its subsidiaries include Hindustan Zinc, Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), Cairn Oil & Gas, and ESL Steel, operating across sectors such as power, iron ore, ...

New Delhi: India is poised to join the elite group of countries that manufacture aircraft, as Adani Group partners with Brazilian aerospace company Embraer to produce small and medium-sized airplanes domestically. Embraer is renowned globally for aircraft seating between 70 and 146 passengers and already has a presence in India. According to a report by TOI, the two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a final assembly line (FAL) in India under the Make in India initiative. While the exact location, investment size, and operational timeline of the FAL are yet to be finalized, an official announcement is expected during the upcoming Hyderabad Airshow later this month. Boost to India’s Aviation EcosystemThe collaboration is expected to incentivize custome...

New Delhi: In a significant shift in global tech valuations, Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, has become the world’s second-most valuable company, surpassing Apple for the first time in seven years. Only Nvidia remains ahead, with a market capitalization of $4.604 trillion. Alphabet’s market cap now stands at $3.892 trillion, slightly higher than Apple’s $3.863 trillion. This marks the first time since 2019 that Alphabet has overtaken the iPhone-maker. On Wednesday, Alphabet shares closed at $322.43, up 2.51%, delivering a 64.73% return over the past year. In comparison, Apple’s stock fell 0.77%, closing at $260.33, with just a 7.49% gain in the last year. Nvidia shares have gained 25.32% over the same period. What’s Driving Alphabet’s Growth?The surge in Alphabet’s va...

New Delhi: Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal is mourning the sudden loss of his son Agnivesh Agarwal, who passed away in the United States at the age of 49. Agnivesh had been injured in a skiing accident and was undergoing treatment at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, when he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. In an emotional post on social media platform X, Anil Agarwal described the tragedy as the darkest day of his life. "My Agnivesh, my 49-year-old son, is no longer with us. What could be worse than a father having to carry his son's body? Agnivesh went skiing in the U.S. with a friend, had an accident, and was recovering at Mount Sinai Hospital. We thought everything would be fine… but suddenly he suffered a cardiac arrest and left us." Born in Patna, Raised with Love and Valu...

New Delhi: Aarohi Surya from Lucknow has scripted an inspiring entrepreneurial journey. She left a high-profile job in Dubai, worth ₹1.1 crore annually, to return to India and start her own venture, Dancing Cow, which offers a healthy alternative to cow’s milk — oat milk. Today, her brand generates revenue of ₹2.2 crore. From Corporate Glitz to Startup AmbitionsAarohi’s early academic life was challenging, and even during her engineering studies, she faced significant hurdles. Despite narrowly passing through tough times, she persevered. After completing her MBA in Dubai, she rose to the position of Marketing Head at HTC. However, her entrepreneurial spirit could not be contained. She successfully launched her first startup, Yalla, in Dubai, eventually selling it before returning to Ind...

Mumbai: The domestic stock market saw a decline for the third consecutive day on Wednesday. The BSE Sensex fell by 102.20 points, closing at 84,961.14, while the NSE Nifty slipped 37.95 points to settle at 26,140.75. The market was affected by concerns over rising U.S. tariffs and global tensions, alongside continued foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows. However, selective buying in certain stocks and a drop in international crude oil prices provided some support to the market. During the trading session, the Sensex touched a low of 84,617.49, down 445.85 points or 0.52%. The Nifty 50 ended 0.14% lower. Among Sensex constituents, Maruti, Power Grid, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, HDFC Bank, Asian Paints, and Tata Steel were major laggards. On the other hand, Titan, HCL Tech...

India’s economy is projected to grow at a robust 7.4% in the financial year 2025-26, according to advance estimates released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). This marks a significant increase from last year’s 6.5% growth, making India one of the fastest-growing major economies globally. Nominal GDP is expected to expand by 8.0%. Services Sector Drives GrowthThe strong performance is primarily driven by the services sector, which accounts for the bulk of India’s GDP. Within services, financial, real estate, professional services, public administration, and defense are expected to grow by 9.9%, while trade, hotels, transport, communications, and broadcasting may expand by 7.5%. Manufacturing, Construction, and AgricultureThe secondary sector, including manufacturing and constr...

India’s services sector expanded in December 2025, but at its slowest pace in 11 months, according to the HSBC India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). A decline in new business orders and softening domestic demand led to stagnation in employment, though robust export demand provided some support. Domestic Demand and New Orders DeclineThe slowdown was primarily driven by reduced new orders, which grew at their weakest pace in nearly a year. Companies reported that while domestic demand remained stable, rising competition and cautious customer behavior contributed to slower growth. As a result, service providers moderated capacity expansion plans. Employment and Business Sentiment WeakEmployment growth halted in December, marking a pause after a prolonged hiring phase. Several...

Platinum has delivered remarkable returns in the first week of 2026, outperforming both gold and silver. The precious metal has been a strong performer since 2025, attracting significant attention from investors. Platinum’s Recent RallyOn Wednesday, gold and silver prices saw notable declines, while platinum surged. By 4 PM, MCX reported gold down over 0.5% and silver falling more than 1.5%. In contrast, platinum gained over 6% during the day. In 2025, gold appreciated by approximately 70%, silver surged over 160%, and platinum rewarded investors with nearly 140% returns. However, in the first seven days of 2026, gold and silver showed modest gains of 2% and 8% respectively, while platinum soared, delivering a 15.6% return—over seven times that of gold and nearly double that of silve...