The reduction in the goods and services tax (GST) rates has increased the momentum in India's economic activity both on the supply and demand sides, while robust agricultural activity - reflected in the strong onset of rabi sowing and adequate reservoir levels - has reinforced the outlook for food supply and rural incomes, the finance ministry said on Thursday.
India's mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity cooled in the second quarter of 2025-26 (Q2FY26), with deal value falling to $26.26 billion from $29.04 billion a year ago, according to Bloomberg data.
Domestic PMI data, US Federal Reserve meeting minutes and the progress on India-US trade deal negotiations are likely to influence movement in the equity market in the week ahead, according to analysts. Moreover, the trading activity of foreign investors would also influence the equity market trends.
Multiple tailwinds for the automobile sector, including a cut in goods and services tax (GST) rates, are keeping analysts bullish on auto stocks from a long-term perspective, even as they see the rally running its course in the near term.
Brookfield India Real Estate Trust (BIRET) plans to acquire a large office campus, covering 7.7 million sq ft, in Bengaluru for Rs 13,125 crore to expand its portfolio.
In an event-heavy week, stock investors will track ongoing quarterly earnings, the US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, and macroeconomic data for market direction, analysts said. Moreover, progress in India-US trade negotiations will remain a key focus for investors, an expert said.
Fashion and lifestyle retailer Trent on Friday reported a 11.3 per cent on year rise in its consolidated net profit for the second quarter of 2025-26 (Q2FY26). Its revenue from operations rose 15.9 per cent to Rs 4,817.68 crore in Q2 compared to the same period last year.
Ola Electric could gain market share in the near term with relatively less disruption expected due to rare earth magnets shortage, according to a report by Goldman Sachs. The company has successfully developed heavy rare earths (HRE) free motors which are scheduled for production deployment in Q3 FY26.
Indian corporate are increasingly shifting away from bank funding towards alternative sources, such as equity and bond markets, as their deleveraged balance sheets have improved their ability to raise equity at better valuations. Moreover, the 100 basis points (bps) rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has enabled them to access long-term funds from the debt capital market at cheaper rates.
While GST on ICE vehicles was brought down significantly, for electric cars it remained at 5 per cent.
'We want to play the value game for our consumers, which is health and retail will grow faster for us than the group.'
Larsen & Toubro's (L&T) Q1FY26 revenue and net profit came in slightly ahead of estimates. There was strong core engineering and construction (E&C) order inflows at Rs 76,600 crore, with order wins in energy and infrastructure in domestic and international markets.
Indian drugmakers Eris Lifesciences, Wockhardt and Lupin are prepping to cash in when Danish company Novo Nordisk bows out of the human insulin pen market by the end of this year and creates an opportunity estimated to be worth Rs 600-800 crore in the domestic market. Some self-use disposable pens are pre-filled with insulin and others can be reused with new cartridges.
Tata Motors, which now houses the company's commercial vehicle business, on Thursday reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 867 crore in the September quarter, impacted by mark-to-market losses of Rs 2,026 crore on account of investment in Tata Capital.
Moody's Ratings on Wednesday said India's economic growth will exceed 6.5 per cent in the next fiscal, up from 6.3 per cent this year, on higher government capex and consumption boost from tax cuts and interest rate reduction. Projecting a stable outlook for the banking sector, Moody's said although the operating environment of Indian banks will remain favourable in the next fiscal, their asset quality will deteriorate moderately after substantial improvements in recent years, with some stress in unsecured retail loans, microfinance loans and small business loans.
Ola Electric on Thursday said its automobile business turned profitable in the quarter ended September 2025 with pre-tax earnings growing by 0.3 per cent against a contraction of 5.3 per cent in the preceding three months.
India's industrial production growth remained steady at 4 per cent in September this year due to the good performance of the manufacturing sector, according to official data released on Tuesday. The factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had expanded by 3.2 per cent in September 2024.
State Bank of India-led public sector banks posted a record cumulative profit of Rs 49,456 crore in the second quarter of the current fiscal, reflecting a 9 per cent year-on-year growth despite two lenders reporting a decline. All 12 public sector banks (PSBs) together made a profit of Rs 45,547 crore in the September quarter of FY25.
With inflation comfortably below the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) 4 per cent median target and likely to undershoot its 3.7 per cent projection for 2025-26 (FY26), there is room for the monetary policy easing cycle to be sustained, the Finance Ministry said on Monday. The comments, featured in the ministry's Monthly Economic Review for June 2025, assume significance ahead of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) scheduled to begin from August 5.
'The US reciprocal tariff has added another element of uncertainty and the central bank may prefer to wait and get further clarity.'
Cricket Australia (CA) announced a net deficit of A$11.3 million ($7.34 million) for the 2024-25 financial year on Thursday, with a steep increase in costs offsetting a jump in revenue from hosting the Border-Gavaskar series against powerhouse India.
The World Bank on Tuesday raised India's growth forecast for the current fiscal to 6.5 per cent from 6.3 per cent estimated earlier, and said the country is expected to remain fastest-growing major economy, underpinned by continued strength in consumption growth.
S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday cut India's GDP growth projections to 6.5 per cent for the next fiscal as it expects that economies in the APAC region will feel the strain of rising US tariffs and pushback on globalisation. In its Economic Outlook for Asia-Pacific (APAC), S&P said despite these external strains, it expects domestic demand momentum to remain solid in most emerging-market economies.
Importers are rushing to hedge their dollar positions amid the sharp depreciation of the rupee against the American currency and expectations of further volatility even as exporters are holding off after suffering mark-to-market (MTM) losses on earlier hedges.
The Adani group has said it will have a capital expenditure of Rs 1.1 trillion in 2025-26 as against this financial year's Rs 92,000 crore, with a focus on core energy and infrastructure. Expenditure will be financed through an internal cash generation of Rs 60,000 crore, and the rest will be raised via equity and debt, according to senior officials.
With average returns of 18 per cent over the past year, listed real estate investment trusts (Reits) have clearly outperformed both the Nifty Realty index and the Sensex. Over the same period, Nifty Realty fell 15.5 per cent, while the benchmark index was largely unchanged. Steady office leasing, the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) decision to reclassify Reits as equity instruments, and ongoing portfolio expansion have strengthened the sector's appeal.
Pharma major Cipla Ltd on Thursday reported a 3.7 per cent rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 1,353.37 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2025. The company, which had posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,305.01 crore in the second quarter of the last fiscal year, said its managing director & global CEO, Umang Vohra, has decided not to seek re-appointment upon completion of his current term on March 31, 2026, Cipla Ltd said in a regulatory filing.
From the Sensex firms, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Titan, Axis Bank, Adani Ports, Mahindra & Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Tata Motors and HDFC Bank were among the major gainers. However, Eternal and Infosys were the laggards.
The World Bank on Wednesday lowered India's growth forecast for the current fiscal by 4 percentage points to 6.3 per cent amid global economic weakness and policy uncertainty. In its previous estimate, the World Bank had projected India's growth at 6.7 per cent for the fiscal year 2025-26.
From the Sensex firms, Infosys climbed 3.86 per cent. HCL Tech, Tata Consultancy Services, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Titan and Tech Mahindra were also among the gainers. However, Eternal, UltraTech Cement, Bharti Airtel and Adani Ports were among the laggards.
GST Reform 2.0, which trims tax slabs from four to two, signals a push for demand-led growth, and together with recent income tax cuts, sets the stage for sustained economic growth, experts said. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on September 3 approved an overhaul of the indirect tax regime by taxing essentials at 5 per cent and other goods at 18 per cent. A new 40 per cent tax will be applicable on luxury and sin items.
India's economy is likely to grow by 6.5 per cent in the current and the next financial year, an EY report said, attributing lower than anticipated expansion in the September quarter to fall in private consumption expenditure and gross fixed capital formation. Real GDP growth eased to a seven-quarter low of 5.4 per cent in July-September -- the second quarter of the current 2024-25 fiscal year.
Pune-based two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto posted its highest ever quarterly revenue and profit after tax (PAT) in Q2FY26. Even as consolidated revenues were up 18.8 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 15,734.7 crore, PAT zoomed 53.2 per cent to Rs 2,122 crore.
Currently, India has five publicly listed Reits: Brookfield India Real Estate Trust, Embassy Office Parks Reit, Mindspace Business Parks Reit Nexus Select Trust, and Knowledge Realty Trust.
With less than six months left for this financial year and poor response from applicants, launching the scheme this year is unlikely.
A record amount of pension money may be finding its way into the stock market, if buying figures in the National Stock Exchange (NSE) data are any indication. Category inflows touched Rs 37,409 crore for the three months ending September 2025, shows an analysis of NSE data.
The combined market capitalisation of the country's top five IT firms that are part of the BSE Sensex is down 24 per cent since January and their valuation has slipped to lowest levels in the past five years.
The small sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment - comprising models less than 4 metres in length - could witness the "maximum" growth among all categories in the coming months following the recent goods and services tax (GST) rate rationalisation, Tarun Garg, chief operating officer of Hyundai Motor India (HMIL), said.
The Indian economy recorded a six-quarter high growth of 8.2 per cent in July-September, as factories churned out more products in anticipation of a consumption boost from the GST rate cut, according to government data.
Private equity investments in Indian real estate dropped 15 per cent in July-September to USD 819 million amid global uncertainties, according to property consultant Anarock.
