Naukariadda

Mumbai: The blistering rally in gold and silver that sent prices to record levels last year may be far from over with the momentum expected to spill over to 2026. Investors must, however, brace for sharp swings as the speculative interest could fuel sudden upturns and reversals. All the 10 commodity market participants polled by ET for their 2026 forecast on gold and silver said prices will continue to move up. Silver will outperform its more valuable counterpart during the year, said 80% of those polled. 126280769 "Both metals are entering 2026 with strong fundamentals, though returns may normalise," said Naveen Mathur, director - commodities and currencies, Anand Rathi Shares & Stock Brokers. "Gold should continue to perform steadily while silver, despite higher volatility, may continue to outperform gold in percentage terms."On silver, 60% of the poll participants said international prices could move up to at least $100 per ounce, nearly 40% above Wednesday’s...

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NEW DELHI: India will factor in the findings of its next nationwide household debt and investment survey into GDP estimates for the year ending March 2028, highlighting the role of household balance-sheet data in measuring investment in the economy, a government official said.The All-India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS), scheduled between July 2026 and June 2027, is a key input for estimating gross fixed capital formation, or GFCF - a core component of GDP that tracks spending on assets such as housing, land and durable goods."Data from AIDIS 2026-27 will be incorporated into the 2027-28 GDP estimates," the official said."We will examine how its findings can be incorporated into the new series to enhance relevance," the official added.The survey, which collects information on household assets and liabilities, will be conducted every five years, ET reported earlier. The last round was carried out in 2019, and its findings are widely used in compiling national acc...

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BENGALURU: India's industrial and warehousing sector is set for another strong year in 2026 with average annual demand of 30-40 million square feet, driven by expanding manufacturing activity and rising investor interest across cities and logistics corridors beyond traditional hubs.Manufacturing-led policies, improving infrastructure, and changing distribution methods will help maintain strong absorption, with occupiers focusing on faster turnaround times and large high-quality facilities, investment firms and industry experts said.The sector saw 26.5 million square feet of leasing in the first nine months of 2025, according to commercial real estate services firm Colliers. This was an 11% rise over the same period last year.This was despite multinational players being cautious with their investments amid global trade uncertainties."Their continued expansion reflects the deepening trend of outsourcing logistics functions as manufacturers and retailers seek operational efficien...

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New Delhi: The organised refurbished smartphone market is expected to end this calendar year with a double-digit growth in sales despite the exit of two large ecommerce platforms Amazon and Flipkart from the segment, denting sales in the first half.A robust festive season, however, helped the sector regain momentum, industry executives said. Companies have also started expanding into categories such as laptops, cameras, smartwatches, and gaming consoles to diversify revenues, they added.In the first half of 2025, both Amazon and Flipkart restructured their businesses of selling refurbished smartphones by discontinuing sales of externally-refurbished products due to high return rates, and inconsistent quality. This led to a dip in sales for companies selling refurbished handsets through the platforms. 126147462 According to Counterpoint Research, India's refurbished smartphone market grew 9% on-year in the calendar first half, sparking a shift in business models with companies such ...

India and New Zealand on Monday concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) within nine months.The agreement is expected to benefit Indian farmers, MSMEs, artisans, youth and women-led enterprises.Under the pact, 100% of India’s exports will enjoy zero-duty access to the New Zealand market, with tariffs eliminated across 8,284 lines, strengthening India’s trade competitiveness and export potential.ET takes a look at the gains for both sides:7th FTA since 2021 126128032India’s gains:New Zealand to invest $20 billion over 15 yearsManufacturing, services, job creation focusBoost for farmersAccess to advanced agri-techHigher productivity, qualityAgriculture & food processing: Zero-duty access across 1,379 tariff linesHigher exportsImproved farm incomesTargeted action plan for kiwifruit, apples & honeyCooperation on food safety standards & supply chainsKey beneficiary sectorsZero-duty access for India’s labour-intensive sectors, including:TextilesLeatherGems & je...

New Delhi: The government will restart the selection process for privatising a state-run general insurer in the next financial year, people with knowledge of the matter said days after Parliament passed a bill to raise the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector to 100%.Of the four public sector general insurers, only listed New India Assurance is profitable while National Insurance, United India Insurance and Oriental Insurance remain loss-making despite a marginal turnaround."We expect more players to show interest, and better valuations," said a government official, who did not wish to be identified, adding that all options are being weighed. 126126998 Last week, Parliament passed the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025, enhancing FDI in the insurance sector from 74%, besides giving more power to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).Another government official said a performance review of the...

New Delhi: About a third of quick-commerce dark stores in India are currently located in tier-2 cities and smaller towns, reflecting retailers' shift for the new-age channel beyond the metros.The total tally of dark stores is expected to grow nearly threefold to 7,500 by 2030 from about 2,525 as of October, according to data from property consultancy Savills India, shared with ET. "Tier-1 and 2 cities will lead this expansion, while tier-3 cities will emerge as high-potential markets, with secondary and suburban micro markets playing a key role in balancing cost and accessibility," Savills said in a report.The surge in dark stores is part of a broader trend in India's quick-commerce market, which has grown at an unprecedented pace in recent years. In terms of total area, the market is expected to expand nearly three times to 38 million sq ft from 13 million, as businesses seek to cater to booming demand for ultra-fast delivery.India's dominance in this sector is u...

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New Delhi: US companies are exploring ways to get back their employees who are stuck in India amid delays in visa stamping after the Trump administration began strictly scrutinising social media activities of applicants.Many of them have approached immigration consultants to try and arrange for early interview slots where stamping is needed, while some have allowed employees to work out of India until they get their passports stamped again, said experts. Employees who still have time for renewals are being asked to return immediately.Even if the stamp in the passport has expired, H-1B visa holders can still live and work in the US if they have valid immigration status and I-94 record of arrival; but to re-enter the country after the expiry of the visa, they must get the passport stamped again at a US embassy or consulate. Indian professionals, most of whom are in the US on H-1B visas, and their dependents often combine their holidays in December with getting the visa renewed and making...

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Mumbai: HDFC Bank and Bank of Baroda (BoB) have raised a cumulative $1.5 billion from overseas loan market in the past week as Indian lenders shore up liquidity amid stabilising rates. HDFC Bank raised $1 billion through a three-and-a-half year loan while BoB raised $500 million earlier this week through a five-year pact. Japan’s Mitsubishi UFG Financial Group (MUFG) and Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp (HSBC) were involved in the transactions.“MUFG was the sole lender in the HDFC Bank transaction, which was priced at 94 basis points above the three-month benchmark SOFR (secured overnight financing rate) for a three-year period. HDFC Bank has raised the money from its GIFT branch for its on-lending purposes, which is a rare borrowing for the bank,” a person aware of the transaction said on condition of anonymity.A basis point is a hundredth of a percentage point.An HDFC Bank spokesperson did not reply to an email seeking comment. An MUFG spokesperson declined to comment.126064042Thi...

Mumbai: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has ordered an investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) into the affairs of IndusInd Bank Ltd, citing public interest and serious accounting discrepancies flagged by statutory auditors and forensic reports.The move comes even as the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is planning to close its preliminary enquiry after finding no evidence of fund siphoning or diversion, sources said.In its order, the central government referred to multiple ADT-4 forms filed under Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013 by the bank's statutory auditors. An ADT-4 dated May 12, 2025 flagged accounting discrepancies aggregating about ₹1,959.78 crore for the period from FY2015-16 to FY2023-24.The government noted that the reports pointed to accounting errors requiring corrective action and weaknesses in internal controls. It also took into account forensic monitoring reports (FMRs) submitted by the bank to the Reserve B...

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New Delhi: Gold prices surged by Rs 4,000 to touch an all-time high of Rs 1,37,600 per 10 grams in the national capital on Monday, tracking firm global cues, according to the All India Sarafa Association.The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity had closed at Rs 1,33,600 per 10 grams on Friday."Gold prices scaled even higher as international spot gold surged towards the USD 4,350 zone, triggering a strong rally in the domestic market," Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst, Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities, said.He added that the yellow metal reflected the global strength with a sharp gain, touching a fresh lifetime high.Gold prices had earlier appreciated by Rs 3,200 to touch an all-time high of Rs 1,34,800 per 10 grams on October 17."The move was driven by renewed safe-haven demand and expectations around upcoming US economic data, including non-farm payrolls and the Core PCE Price Index scheduled this week, focus has firmly shifted to US macro cues, which are exp...

Mumbai: Banks' net interest margins (NIMs) are set to face renewed pressure after lenders led by State Bank of India (SBI) trimmed their marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) by five basis points, following the Reserve Bank of India's recent policy rate cut.Bankers said the move will delay margin recovery since they cannot cut deposit rates sharply due to stiff competition from alternative investment avenues such as mutual funds.Though the lending rate cut is lower than the 25-basis point repo rate cut announced by the RBI, it is likely to delay the recovery in bank NIMs, they said.On Friday, SBI cut its benchmark MCLR rate by five basis points across all tenures. The interest rate on its special Amrit Vrishti 444-day deposit scheme was also cut by 15 basis points to 6.45% while the rate on the two years to less than three years deposit bucket has also been reduced to 6.40% from 6.45%. The new rates are effective from December 15. 125966000 One basis point is 0.01 pe...

Mumbai: After two seasons of testing the franchise model, the Global Chess League (GCL), a brainchild of Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra, is preparing to expand.The league is betting on rising fan engagement, growing interest among women players and sponsors, and a format it believes is ready to scale. "In fact, we are looking to expand the league to two more franchises next year," said Peeyush Dubey, chairperson of GCL. "The league has grown, fan interest is high and now is the right time for us to expand."Interest in new teams is coming from outside India as well, including Central Europe, Scandinavia and the US, Dubey said. The league currently has six franchises: Ganges Grandmasters, Triveni Continental Kings, Alpine SG Pipers, PBG Alaskan Knights, upGrad Mumba Masters and Fyers American Gambits. Team owners include Jay Kotak, Ronnie Screwvala, cricketer R Ashwin and several corporate-backed franchises. India remains central to the league's growth str...

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California and 18 other US states will file a lawsuit on Friday seeking to block President Donald Trump's $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office said. The lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court will be at least the third to challenge the fee announced by Trump in September, which dramatically raises the cost of obtaining H-1B visas. Currently, employers typically pay between $2,000 and $5,000 in fees. Bonta's office in a release said Trump lacks the power to impose the fee and that it violates federal law, which allows immigration authorities to collect only fees necessary to cover the cost of administering visa programs. The H-1B program allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty fields. The tech industry, with many companies headquartered in California, is particularly reliant on workers who receive the visas. Bonta, a Democrat, said the $100,000 fee would create unnecessary financial...

New Delhi: In a significant step, the US has launched Pax Silica, a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation driven silicon supply chain-from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics amid China's efforts to weaponise critical minerals and tech supply chains.The inaugural Pax Silica Summit convenes counterparts from Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the UK, Israel, the UAE, and Australia. Together, these countries are home to the most important companies and investors powering the global AI supply chain, according to the US State Department. However, India which is part of Quad critical minerals initiative and has critical technology partnership with the US interestingly is not part of this Pax Silica initiative. India-US-South Korea had also joined hands to form a critical technology partnership but that did not make any forward movement under the Trump admini...

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New Delhi: Many companies are choosing to postpone in-person meetings and conferences and are avoiding non-essential travel this week amid the uncertainty associated with travel, following mass cancellation of flights by IndiGo, the country's largest airline.Even as IndiGo chief executive Peter Elbers said operations were "fully stabilised" and that the carrier operated more than 1,800 flights on Tuesday, companies are taking a cautious approach. Hospitality industry insiders said cancellations were coming in, but they expect the crisis to cause only a temporary blip in performance in a usually busy quarter."Many of the outstation travel now stands cancelled across airlines, both on account of flight unavailability and high fares," said a partner at a consulting firm who did not wish to reveal his identity. "It gives a feeling of being back to Covid days, where travel was restricted or uncertain, for different reasons. We are hoping for this to change in on...

Gold rose on Tuesday as traders remained optimistic ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, while silver rose to hit the unprecedented $60 per ounce milestone as the white metal faced supply constraints. Spot gold rose 0.6% to $4,215.19 per ounce by 11:11 a.m. ET (1610 GMT). U.S. gold futures for February delivery added 0.6% to $4,244.80 per ounce. Spot silver climbed over 4% to $60.52 per ounce, an all-time high. "People are anticipating that there's going to be strong industrial demand for silver for years to come, which is why it's been bid up, the silver price," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com, adding that the buying momentum is strong at the moment. Silver prices have been supported by persistently low supplies and dwindling global inventories, expectations of the U.S. Federal Reserve easing interest rates, as well as its recent addition to the U.S. critical minerals list. "The move in gold right now i...

Bengaluru: More Indian employers plan to hire in the coming quarter despite an overall moderation in hiring volumes, especially at large enterprises, according to a survey by ManpowerGroup.Around 63% of 3,051 Indian employers said they would hire more people in the March quarter while 11% expect a decrease in hiring intent or don't have plans to backfill positions, as per Manpower's latest Employment Outlook Survey shared with ET. This positions the net employment outlook, used as a bellwether of labour market trends, at 52%-the difference between companies looking to hire and those expecting a fall.Hiring sentiments are 28 percentage points higher than the global average, placing India's outlook for the March quarter at the second-highest globally, after Brazil. The country's outlook next quarter is stronger by 12 percentage points compared to January-March 2025 and up 11 percentage points from the December quarter.125843938 While more employers than earlier intend to ...

Mumbai: A sharp drop in deposit rates, competition from other investment avenues, and a high credit-deposit (CD) ratio is likely to limit scope for further reduction in deposit rates, said bank executives.Bankers expect only a 10-to-15 basis points reduction in deposit rates following the 25 basis points reduction in the repo rate by the central bank last week.Inability to pass on rate cuts fully will delay improvement in bank margins, according to bankers. One basis point is 0.01 percentage point.125821080 The weighted average deposit rate on fresh term deposits has fallen 98 basis points to 5.57% since the current rate-cutting cycle began in February. With the latest 25 basis-point cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the benchmark repo rate is now down by 125 basis points.However, bankers say further deposit rate cuts will be limited."Banks will not be able to pass on the full extent of this cut because we are probably at near lows with savings bank rate at 2.50% to 2.75%,...

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New Delhi: India and Russia at Friday's annual summit are set to elevate cooperation in the space sector building on decades-long partnership including possible transfer of technology for semi-cryogenic rocket engines.The plan of space cooperation in future covers several joint areas, including engine development, crewed missions, orbital stations, personnel training, and rocket fuel, ET has learnt.It is learnt that Russia had agreed to 100% transfer of technology for RD-191M semi-cryogenic rocket engines to the Indian Space Research Organisation.Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov told Russian newspaper Izvestia on Wednesday that an announcement on space cooperation would be made as soon as "literally the day after tomorrow". He said the plan covers several joint areas, including engine development, crewed missions, orbital stations, personnel training, and rocket fuel.Bakanov said the partnership would focus on "mutually beneficial cooperation".Russia and India are...

The Department of Telecommunications has proposed one-way spectrum sharing among telecom operators that will enable service providers to monetise and optimally deploy unused radio waves, according to a draft notification. Earlier, operators were allowed to use spectrum in the same frequency band on a shared basis after approval from the government. As per the illustration given in the latest draft rule, a service provider holding frequencies in a different band can share them with other operators having spectrum in a separate band but within the same category and telecom circle. Industry experts said the move will help operators like Vodafone Idea and BSNL to unlock their unused spectrum and monetise the asset. It will also help operators like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to optimise their 5G services across circles. According to Parag Kar, an industry expert, the implementation of the new rule can help telcos like Vodafone Idea to enter into roaming agreements with other operators t...

President Donald Trump has claimed for months that his administration and Harvard University were close to a monumental deal to end his extraordinary pressure campaign against the university.Even some at Harvard say a deal appeared imminent this summer. But eight months after the rupture between Harvard and the government blew open, no deal has materialized."Negotiations are proceeding and productive," said Madi Biedermann, a spokesperson for the Education Department, in a statement to The New York Times this week.The talks, though, have stumbled around arguments about where any money will go.Harvard has been open to spending $500 million on workforce training programs. But Trump officials have recently argued that some of the money should be paid directly to the federal government, a proposal that has not been previously reported. The idea has caused Harvard officials to balk, according to six Harvard and Trump administration officials and others familiar with the negotiatio...

Bahrain has lowered the minimum real estate investment required for its Golden Residency Visa to BHD 130,000, down from BHD 200,000. The considerably reduced threshold aims to make the visa more accessible to foreign investors. The visa, introduced in 2022, offers a 10-year renewable residence with work rights and family reunification. The Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) said the latest change is expected to support real estate demand and strengthen the kingdom’s appeal as a long-term residency and business hub.According to a Gulf News report, the NPRA announced the revised criteria as part of Bahrain’s plan to enhance its competitiveness in the Gulf. Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, Undersecretary for NPRA, said the move reflects the government’s commitment to a stable environment for long-term investors. “Lowering the threshold will boost the program’s competitiveness while preserving its standards and exclusivity,” he said.121924848Who qualifies for the ...

Mumbai: Green Gold Animation, the creator of the Chhota Bheem television series and the Krishna film series, is seeking to raise ₹250 crore at a valuation of about ₹800 crore to accelerate its next phase of expansion, founder Rajiv Chilaka said.The Hyderabad-based studio, which employs around 500 people, plans to build new intellectual properties (IPs) and strengthen its animation production capacity in domestic and international markets."We are exploring a ₹250 crore raise at a ₹800 crore valuation to support our next phase of growth. The focus is on strengthening our animation capabilities and building new IPs," Chilaka said.The two decade-old company is also open to a change in ownership if it supports long-term growth. "We are open to a controlling investor if there is strong alignment and the partnership helps us scale responsibly," Chilaka said.The fundraising comes as India's media and entertainment sector faces consolidation, tighter content budgets and ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia was "ready" for war if Europe seeks one, accusing the continent's leaders of trying to sabotage a deal on the Ukraine conflict before he met with US envoys.The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Moscow for high-stakes talks on ending the nearly four-year war, which were preceded by days of intense diplomacy."We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now," Putin told reporters in Moscow."They have no peaceful agenda, they are on the side of war," he added, repeating his claim that European leaders were hindering US attempts to broker peace in Ukraine.He added that European changes to Trump's latest plan to end the war "aimed solely at one thing -- to completely block the entire peace process and put forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia...

The Ministry of Tourism has entered into a "non-commercial" MoU with Netflix Entertainment Services India to promote the country's tourism destinations globally through cinematic storytelling, the government informed Parliament on Monday. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the OTT platform includes promotion of natural landscape, cultural and heritage sites of the country, including the state of Gujarat, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha. He was asked whether the government has entered into a partnership with Netflix to promote tourism in India through visual storytelling and on-screen representation of destinations. "The Ministry of Tourism entered into a non-commercial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Netflix Entertainment Services India LLP with aim to promote Indian tourism destinations globally through cinematic storytelling. MoU with Netflix includes promotion of natural landscap...