Business

After witnessing a continuous decline for two consecutive weeks, India’s foreign exchange reserves have registered a turnaround, rising by $1.03 billion in the week ended December 5, 2025. The recovery has been primarily driven by a sharp increase in the country’s gold reserves, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday. Despite a marginal fall in foreign currency assets (FCA), the surge in the value of gold holdings helped push the overall forex reserves higher. With this increase, India’s total foreign exchange reserves now stand at $687.26 billion. This comes after a decline of $1.877 billion in the previous week and a sharper fall of $4.472 billion a week before that. Notably, India’s forex reserves had touched a record high of $704.885 billion in the w...

Life tested Asiya Begum in ways few can imagine. Widowed at a young age, displaced by tragedy, and stripped of her home by fire, she stood at a crossroads where many would have surrendered. Instead, this Kashmiri woman chose resilience—and today, she earns lakhs of rupees annually through rooftop farming and mushroom cultivation. Asiya’s first husband, a soldier in the Indian Army, was martyred in an encounter in North Kashmir in 2015. The loss shattered her world. Social stigma followed, with people mocking her as a “young widow.” Under emotional pressure, she remarried in 2017, hoping to rebuild her life. But fate dealt another cruel blow when a devastating fire reduced her home to ashes, leaving her homeless once again. With nowhere else to go, Asiya returned to her father’s house...

New Delhi: Silver prices skyrocketed to a historic high on Friday, crossing the ₹2 lakh per kg mark for the first time. With a staggering 121% surge in 2025, silver has now overtaken Microsoft to become the world’s fifth-largest asset, marking an unprecedented milestone in global markets. Silver Hits Record High on MCXOn the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), silver for March 5 delivery touched ₹2,00,362 per kg during intraday trade. It had closed the previous session at ₹1,98,942 and opened slightly lower at ₹1,96,958. However, prices steadily recovered through the day. Around 3:00 PM, silver was trading at ₹1,99,978, up ₹1,036 (0.52%). In international markets, silver prices breached $64 per ounce for the first time on Thursday, cementing its position as the fifth-largest global as...

New Delhi: Akshaye Khanna’s new film Dhurandhar is setting the box office on fire, and the actor’s grand entry in the viral song Fa9la has become the talk of the town. While his suave black suit and charismatic screen presence drew attention, it was his stylish sunglasses that left fans curious. Social media is buzzing with one question — Which brand is Akshaye Khanna’s sunglass, and how much does it cost? The Viral Question: What Sunglass Is He Wearing?Information about the sunglasses was not widely available online, but fans dug deep. On Reddit, a user posted a query about the brand and model worn by Akshaye Khanna in the Fa9la entry song. Several users responded, suggesting that the sunglasses belong to the Spanish brand GIGI Studios. According to one user, Khanna is wearing the G...

New Delhi: The white metal has had a phenomenal run this year. Silver has now overtaken tech giant Microsoft to become the world’s fifth-largest asset — a landmark moment for the precious metal market. Silver Crosses $63 per Ounce for the First TimeIn the international market, silver prices have surged past $63 per ounce for the first time ever. With this rally, silver’s total market value has climbed to $3.593 trillion, slightly higher than Microsoft’s $3.59 trillion valuation. This historic rise marks one of silver’s strongest bull runs. Since the beginning of 2025, when the metal traded near $29 per ounce, silver has gained more than 115%, doubling the value of investments made just eleven months ago. Ahead of Microsoft and AmazonWith the latest surge, silver has moved ahead of...

The Indian government, along with LIC, is set to sell its majority stake of 60.72% in IDBI Bank, opening the race for strategic investors. The deadline for financial bids is slated for the end of December, with the process expected to extend into early January. In FY 2025, IDBI Bank reported a total income of ₹34,000 crore and a net profit of ₹7,588 crore, underlining its financial strength ahead of the stake sale. The combined stake being sold is valued at roughly $7 billion at current market prices. The bank’s market capitalization has surged to ₹1.02 lakh crore, with its stock rising nearly 25% this year. Key Players in the Bidding:Toronto-based Fairfax Financial, founded by Indian-origin Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa, is reportedly leading the race with an all-cash offer. Kotak...

Following the United States, Mexico has also escalated trade pressure on India by imposing tariffs of up to 50% on over 1,400 products from countries without a trade agreement, including India and China. The new tariffs, effective next year, will affect a wide range of goods from textiles to auto components. India’s trade surplus with Mexico stood at $2.8 billion in 2024-25, with exports totaling $5.7 billion against imports of $2.9 billion. Key Indian exports include cars, electric machinery, industrial machinery, organic chemicals, and aluminum. However, the newly imposed tariffs are expected to hit India’s auto sector the hardest. Indian manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Royal Enfield export thousands of cars and bikes annually to Mexico. For example, nearly 90,000...

New Delhi: Nippon India Large Cap Fund has achieved a major milestone, crossing ₹50,000 crore in Assets Under Management (AUM). With this, the fund joins the elite club of large-cap mutual funds in India, including ICICI Prudential Large Cap Fund and SBI Large Cap Fund, which have similarly surpassed the ₹50,000 crore mark. Why Large Cap Funds?Large-cap mutual funds are considered a safe investment option for new and risk-averse investors due to their investment portfolio. These funds primarily invest in blue-chip companies with strong business models and leadership positions in their respective sectors. As a result, they tend to be more stable and resilient during economic downturns and market volatility compared to mid-cap or small-cap funds. Impressive PerformanceOver the past few...

New Delhi: Despite a rally in the stock market, the Indian rupee weakened further on Friday, hitting a new all-time low of 90.56 against the US dollar in early trade. On Thursday, the rupee had fallen 38 paise to close at 90.32, marking its previous record low. The decline comes amid uncertainty over the India-US trade deal and continued foreign fund outflows, which have weighed on investor sentiment. Forex analysts noted that surging global precious metal prices and aggressive dollar purchases by importers are adding pressure on the rupee. Market Opening and Dollar IndexThe rupee opened at 90.43 in the interbank foreign exchange market and later slid to 90.56, a 24-paise drop from Thursday’s close. Meanwhile, the Dollar Index, which measures the strength of the US dollar against six...

New Delhi: Reliance Industries, India’s second-largest industrial conglomerate, has begun preparations to take its retail arm, Reliance Retail, public by 2028. The company is also expected to launch the Reliance Jio IPO next year, marking two major listings in the next three years. Focus on Profitable ExpansionReliance Retail is concentrating on profit-driven growth ahead of its IPO. The company plans to open approximately 2,000 new stores annually while simultaneously reducing its debt to enhance valuation. A major priority is increasing its presence in the fast-growing quick commerce segment, particularly by expanding ‘dark stores’ in major cities. Debt Reduction EffortsAccording to the company’s annual report, Reliance Retail has significantly reduced its non-current borrowings, w...