Uncertainty stemming from the US-Iran conflict has significantly impacted India's mutual fund industry, leading to a sharp decline in new fund offers (NFOs) in March, despite numerous regulatory approvals. This geopolitical tension, coupled with existing market strain and distributor hesitation, has dampened investor sentiment and affected overall inflows.
The settlement cycle for cash, derivatives, and securities lending and borrowing mechanism (SLBM) segments has been revised after September 5 and September 8 were declared as settlement holidays by clearing corporations, markets regulator Sebi said on Monday.
BSE is world's largest exchange in terms of listed companies and figures among top 10 globally on various other parameters.
New investors should enter gradually and with a long horizon. 'Staggered investment through systematic purchase plans is advisable rather than lump-sum buying.'
Net inflows into equity mutual funds (MFs) moderated for the second straight month in September, declining 9 per cent during the month to Rs 30,422 crore. The slowdown came as redemptions from active equity schemes rose 30 per cent month-on-month (M-o-M) to a one-year high of around Rs 36,000 crore.
We will explore some of the reasons why a stock-only portfolio may no longer be sufficient and some of the modern alternatives and strategies that can help investors build resilient and profitable portfolios.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled more than 1 per cent on Friday due to across-the-board selloff, especially in metal, IT and commodity stocks, tracking sluggish global markets.
The rupee appreciated 13 paise to close at 90.34 against the US dollar on Thursday, on trade deal optimism and overnight decline in commodity prices, even as the upside remained capped as investors look for more clarity on the India-US trade deal.
'When markets go into a budget with excessive optimism, the risk of disappointment is higher.'
Stock markets closed higher for the second straight session on Tuesday, driven by gains in bank, IT and capital goods shares.
When missiles fly in this region, they are never just aimed at military targets.
The Indian rupee, swaying through multiple headwinds, tiding over global trade disruptions and massive foreign fund outlfows, is unlikely to arrest its descent until tariff impact overhangs, notwithstanding robust domestic macroeconomic tailwinds. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which sees the rupee's depreciation as a silver bullet to offset the tariff shock, expects the currency to find its stable course once India reaches a trade deal with its largest trading partner, the US.
The recent correction suggests that while precious metals hedge geopolitical tension and inflation, they are not immune to sharp short-term corrections and profit-booking.
After two years of strong gains, smallcap stocks fell sharply in 2025, but the correction may be setting up opportunities for long-term investors.
Domestic gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw their holdings jump 65 per cent to 95 tonnes in 2025, elevating Indian ETFs to sixth place globally, going by holdings of the yellow metal. At the end of 2024, they ranked eighth with 57.5 tonnes of holding, according to an analysis of data from the World Gold Council (WGC).
Gold prices are likely to remain in a consolidation phase in the near term, but the overall bias will continue to stay positive amid heightened expectations of a US Federal Reserve rate cut in its September policy meeting, analysts said. Traders will closely track US macroeconomic data, such as Q2 GDP, PCE inflation, and speeches from Fed officials, which will provide more insights into the monetary policy stance of the Federal Reserve and the trajectory of the bullion sentiment, they added.
Gold prices are expected to witness further consolidation in the coming week as investors brace for a slew of events, ranging from central bank meetings, including the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting's outcome, to global trade negotiations, analysts said.
Gold prices are expected to maintain their upward momentum though some consolidation could set in ahead of the US Federal Reserve's policy decision on September 17, analysts said. Traders will focus on the trade inflation data to gauge the impact of tariffs, inflation numbers from major economies including UK and Euro zone, along with monetary policy meetings of Bank of England and Bank of Japan which will provide more guidance for bullion prices, they added.
Gold prices are likely to remain under pressure in the coming week as investors await key US macroeconomic data for cues on the Federal Reserve's potential direction on interest rates, which in turn will influence the trajectory for the precious metal, according to analysts. Market sentiment has tilted away from safe-haven assets like gold amid fading geopolitical tensions and improving risk appetite towards riskier assets such as equities, they said.
Gold and silver prices are expected to maintain their upward trajectory this week, but may see late profit-booking amid the release of a series of crucial global economic indicators, analysts said. On the economic front, traders will closely monitor the manufacturing/ services PMI data from across regions and the US non-farm payrolls/ employment data along with consumer confidence for the month of September and speeches from several Federal Reserve officials, they added.
Overlap refers to the same stocks appearing across fund portfolios.
According to guidelines for foreign investment in commodity exchanges, a composite ceiling of 49 per cent was allowed, comprising 23 per cent under Portfolio Investment Scheme and 26 per cent under FDI Scheme. However, some of the existing commodity bourses had foreign investment above the permitted level.
Gold ETFs attracted around Rs 11,700 crore, the highest in a calendar month.
Among Sensex firms, Tata Steel, Eternal, UltraTech Cement, Larsen & Toubro, Maruti and Bharti Airtel were the major gainers. However, Hindustan Unilever, Sun Pharma, ITC and Asian Paints were among the laggards.
'New investors should enter gradually and stay cautious.' 'Silver is a structural multi-year story, but timing matters in a high-volatility metal.'
ICICI Venture Funds Management Co. acquired 3.55 per cent, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services 5 per cent and Kotak Group 1 per cent in MCX from the holding company Financial Technologies. The transaction values the company at $1.1 billion.
The stage is set for foreign investors to invest in India's commodity exchanges. The Manmohan Singh Cabinet will give formal approval this week on allowing foreign investment in commodity exchanges.
Rising for the sixth consecutive session, gold prices rallied Rs 1,000 to hit yet another record high of Rs 105,670 per 10 grams in the national capital on Monday, lifted by expectations of a rate cut by the US Federal Reserve this month and robust demand in overseas markets.
The rupee, which was the worst performing Asian currency in 2025 and also in January, was the best performing Asian currency on Tuesday.
Despite lobbying by bourses, FinMin mulls tax to monitor the market.
The rupee breached 90-levels against the greenback for the first time on Wednesday, falling 6 paise to 90.02 in early trade, as banks kept buying US dollars at higher levels and FII outflows continued.
The turnover of commodity exchanges in the country dropped by seven per cent to Rs 10,14,845.30 crore (Rs 10,148.45 billion) till July 14 in the current financial year against Rs 10,92,426.40 crore (Rs 10,924.26 billion) in the year-ago period.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Tuesday announced that the top 500 stocks will be eligible for the same-day settlement cycle (T+0) in a phased manner. This move is seen as a fresh push to ready the market ecosystem to speed up the settlement cycle, which currently stands at T+1.
India's leading agri commodities bourse - the National Commodity and Derivative Exchange - has asked the government to permit banks to hedge at domestic commodity exchanges like international bourses.
Meet Poonam Gupta, vice president, business development, the National Multi Commodity Exchange of India (NMCE), India's leading multi-commodity exchange.
'...a mix of asset classes.' 'Include equities for growth (across market caps), debt for stability and liquidity, gold as a hedge against macro and currency risk, and global assets for geographical and economic diversification.'
