After trading hours, the government said the June-quarter current account deficit widened to $21.8 billion from $18.1 billion in the previous quarter.
Gold, the safest haven amid the ongoing uncertainty, also emerged as one of the most lucrative investment options in financial year 2022-23 with an impressive return of 16.1 per cent in rupee terms, and 2.3 per cent returns in dollars. And, had it not been for the very high inflow of smuggled gold and the huge discount prevailing in the market due to high prices, the returns in gold would have been much higher, analysts said. The precious metal has consistently been delivering positive returns in India since 2016.
If you don't have a specific goal, but want intermittent liquidity, then ladder your FDs, that is, invest in FDs of varying maturities, such as one, two, three, five or even 10 years. Laddering ensures FDs mature at regular intervals.
The 30-share Sensex ended down 249 points or 0.94% at 26,304 levels.
Current account deficit could ease to around 3 per cent in the current fiscal year from prior estimates of about 4 per cent due to sharp drop in global commodity prices.
Indian rupee, which earlier this week touched an all-time low, is likely to remain under pressure and may test new levels as a fallout of the US Federal Reserve indicating more interest rate hikes, experts said. The aggressive rate hikes will dampen demand and increase the possibility of a recession in the US. This could accelerate the pace of capital outflows, weaken the rupee and raise the threat of imported inflation.
Stock markets opening with losses too put pressure on the domestic unit.
This form of government, where secrets and major decisions are kept from the Cabinet itself, appears to be continuing, which is why the speculation around this special session, asserts Aakar Patel.
The RBI had opened special swaps windows to attract deposits from non-resident Indians and allow oil-marketing companies to source dollars.
He takes over at Mint Road at a time when the governor's job is even less easy than it is normally.
The central bank also asserted that the country is ready for the tapering of the US Federal Reserve's bond purchases.
India's benchmark index, Sensex ended on a flat note after a volatile trading session as investors braced for the US Federal Reserve policy meeting with caution.
Six bills, including the one to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday amid protests by opposition members over the violence in Manipur.
The difference between what the banks play in the US and India is not that of soccer and football but rugby and football. SVB also has a unique character. But when risks are mispriced, the fallout could be very similar, points out Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
A Bangladeshi man with alleged links to Al Qaeda was arrested in New York after an undercover operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation foiled his plot to detonate a 1,000-pound bomb and blow up the city's Federal Reserve Building. Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, faces charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to Al Qaeda.
Equities went into a tailspin on Wednesday after the Reserve Bank surprised the market with a mid-cycle rate hike in a bid to tame soaring inflation.
All eyes are on new Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan who will come out with his maiden monetary policy review on Friday amid conflicting demands for rate cut and an urgent need to contain inflation which soared to 6-month high of 6.1 per cent in August.
India is better prepared to deal with any further US Fed tapering, but the country needs to remain vigilant to face eventualities, Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan said.
He also feels that the govt should hike diesel and petrol rates.
Investors have scaled back their allocation to equities as pessimism has reached "dire" levels due to cloudy economic outlook, according to the latest Bank of America (BofA) monthly global fund manager survey that covered nearly 300 money managers with combined assets of $800 billion. The survey showed that the expectations for global growth and profits are at all-time lows and cash levels are at highest since the 9/11 attacks. Interest rate hikes by central banks, the unwinding of an easy monetary regime, disruptions in global supply chains, and fears of recession have heightened market volatility since the beginning of the year.
The S&P BSE Sensex plunged 461 points to end at 25,603.
Many banks' profits will take a hit and a few of them could even end up being in the red because of treasury losses, triggered by a sudden spike in government bond yields in the rising interest rate cycle, notes Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The report did not specify the impact the rate hike will have on India.
Tech Mahindra was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 2 per cent, followed by Bharti Airtel, Maruti, ICICI Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank, Asian Paints and Reliance Industries.
Financials were among the top losers along with Sun Pharma and index heavyweight Reliance Industries
The rupee plunged 90 paise to close at an all-time low of 80.86 (provisional) against the US dollar on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve's interest rate hike and its hawkish stance weighed on investor sentiments. Forex traders said the US Fed's rate hike and escalation of geopolitical risk in Ukraine sapped risk appetite. Moreover, the strength of the American currency in the overseas market, a muted trend in domestic equities, risk-off mood and firm crude oil prices weighed on the rupee.
The 30-share Sensex dropped 68.16 points at 18,664.88 and the 50-share Nifty fell 23.15 points at 5,519.10 levels.
The 30-share Sensex ended down 563 points at 25,202.
It fell 11 per cent in 2013, its third successive annual loss.
A Bangladeshi man with alleged links to Al Qaeda, who was arrested in New York on terror charges, was in the United States on a student visa to attend a legitimate academic programme, an American official said. Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis was arrested after an undercover operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation foiled his plot to detonate a 1,000-pound bomb and blow up the city's Federal Reserve Building.
Ukraine fears weighed on sentiment, with Russia rejecting a peace proposal amidst civil war-like situation in the former Soviet union republic.
Nestle India, HCL Tech, M&M, HDFC Bank, Maruti and Tech Mahindra were also among the losers. NSE Nifty tumbled 97.70 points to 11,202.85.
Emerging economies should also be mindful of growth.
Infosys was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising over 2 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finance, HCL Tech, Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra and NTPC. On the other hand, Maruti, Sun Pharma, HUL and ITC were among the laggards. Nifty rose 122.15 points to 17,343.55.
Tourism is badly affected. Entire apple orchards have been washed away. 2 million people are threatened with loss of livelihood.
From the peak of $3.67 trillion in January, India's market cap has eroded by $676 billion amid rising bond yields and a record-breaking sell-off by overseas investors.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) turned net buyers in October after being net sellers in the previous month. In October, FPIs bought shares worth nearly Rs 8,430 crore ($1 billion) against net selling of Rs 13,405 crore ($1.6 billion) in September. Positive flows during three of the previous four months have pushed the domestic markets towards fresh all-time highs. At present, the Sensex and Nifty are less than 2 per cent shy of breaching record highs logged in October 2021. A rally in equity markets in the US and Europe is in hopes that the Federal Reserve may go soft on rate hikes after its November meeting.
Continuing their selling spree for the sixth consecutive month, foreign investors pulled out a massive Rs 41,000 crore from the Indian equity market in March on anticipation of rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve and deteriorating geopolitical environment amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Further, flows from foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) are expected to remain volatile in the near term given the headwinds in terms of elevated crude prices and inflation, experts said. According to data available with the depositories, FPIs were net sellers to the tune of Rs 41,123 crore in the equity market last month.
It has been a slow 2022 thus far for the primary markets. In the last 8 months, only 16 companies have raised Rs 40,311 crore via the initial public offer (IPO) route, data from PRIME Database suggests. In comparison, 63 companies had raised a cumulative Rs 1.18 trillion via the IPO route in 2021. A large part of the funds raised in 2022 were on account of the two IPOs - Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and logistics firm Delhivery - that raised a total of over Rs 26,000 crore between themselves.
The BSE benchmark Sensex on Wednesday plunged about 275 points to close at 25,246 on across-the-board selling as costlier oil due to rising conflict in Iraq threatens to hurt the India economy.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances