While gold continues to provide safety after its strong 2025 rally, well-chosen real estate investments held with a long-term view remain attractive.
Domestic gold jewellery consumption is likely to decline by 9-10 per cent in 2025-26, mainly due to a 33 per cent surge in gold prices, a report said on Thursday. The consumption of bars and coins increased 17 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively, in FY24 and FY25, reflecting investor preference for safe-haven assets amid global macroeconomic uncertainty and heightened geopolitical and trade tensions, Icra said in the report.
After two years of strong gains, smallcap stocks fell sharply in 2025, but the correction may be setting up opportunities for long-term investors.
Gold prices rallied for the third straight day and gained Rs 2,600 to hit a fresh lifetime high of Rs 1,26,600 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday in line with strong global trends amid looming geopolitical uncertainties triggered by the prolonged shutdown of the US government.
The trigger for international gold prices rising to $3,000 per ounce was Germany's upcoming heavy government borrowing.
The Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council Chief further said that 'inflation is showing signs of coming down and therefore attraction of financial products will be greater'.
Gold prices on Tuesday surged Rs 723 to touch an all-time high of Rs 110,312 per 10 grams in the domestic futures market, tracking strong global cues amid growing expectations of a US Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week. Traders said weak US labour market data has strengthened the case for monetary policy easing, putting pressure on the dollar and boosting demand for the safe-haven asset.
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.
The overall third quarter demand in the country for 2013 stood at 161.6 tonnes, WGC Gold Demand Trends report showed.
Gold prices surged Rs 2,200 to hit a fresh peak of Rs 116,200 per 10 grams in the national capital on Monday buoyed by strong global cues as investors awaited key commentary from US Fed officials for policy direction. According to the All India Sarafa Association, the precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity had closed at Rs 1,14,000 per 10 grams on Friday.
India, China account for 54% of total gold demand in first four mnths of 2015.
Recycling in India fell by 22 per cent to 14 tonnes against 18 tonnes.
Going ahead, the likely implementation of the goods and services tax bill in July and how the monsoons play out will have a bearing on India's demand for gold and gold jewellery
Globally, jewellery buying fell 14%, investment slid 11%.
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.
'Earnings growth will be the main driver of India's market in 2026, with profits expected to rise 9% to 10% in H2 FY26 and accelerate to 12% to 15% in FY27.'
Silver prices are up 59.3 per cent in 2025, hitting nearly $44.55 an ounce (oz) in international markets and Rs 137,040 per kilogram (kg) in India on Thursday. It's the best return the metal has given since 2016.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra, and Deputy Governors Poonam Gupta, T Rabi Sankar, Swaminathan J, and S C Murmu on Friday addressed issues during the post-policy media interaction.
'If gold's recent surge has increased its allocation beyond 15 per cent in your portfolio, now may be a good time to rebalance.'
Gold prices advanced Rs 700 to reach a new lifetime high of Rs 91,950 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday on the back of continued buying by jewellers ahead of wedding season, according to the All India Sarafa Association. Besides, increased tensions in the Middle East and concerns about the US economic slowdown have kept the demand for safe-haven assets intact.
New investors should gradually build a 5 to 10 per cent allocation to gold.
Interest in green living is rising, with clean air and open spaces becoming key selling points for residential projects, particularly as Indian cities struggle with deteriorating air quality.
Gold future prices sustained upward trend for the fourth straight session by surging Rs 2,048 to hit a fresh record high of Rs 100,000 per 10 grams as investors rushed to safe havens after US President Donald Trump indicated plans to overhaul Federal Reserve amid continuing global trade war jitters. On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), the August delivery contract of the yellow metal bounced by Rs 2,048 or 2.1 per cent to hit a fresh peak of Rs 100,000 per 10 grams in the mid-session trade.
Brides and grooms are pulling out all the stops when it comes to wedding wear. Conventional is passé, observes Asmita Aggarwal.
A lower risk appetite among investors has driven gold, traditionally a safe-haven asset, to record highs so far this year. Fuelled by geopolitical tensions in West Asia, robust demand from central banks - particularly in Asia - and US President Donald Trump's tariff volleys, spot gold touched an all-time high of $2,956 per ounce on February 24 in the international markets.
In the Mumbai domestic market, gold stood at Rs 30,000/10g, down 0.9 per cent, while silver fell 2.5 per cent to Rs 50,275 a kg.
This festive season, silver is being reinvented from gemstone accents and heirloom-inspired decor to luxury gifts, blending tradition with modern design.
Amazon India unveiled a dedicated marketplace section highlighting products with reduced tax burdens as the goods and services tax (GST) restructuring took effect on September 22, positioning the ecommerce giant to capitalise on lower consumer prices across electronics, appliances, and other categories. Its rival Flipkart, too, has rolled out its own GST-focused storefront, the GST Bachat Utsav, aimed at helping shoppers maximise benefits from the new tax rates across multiple categories.
What fashion has in store for you in the New Year.
Amazon India has witnessed an 84 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) increase in sales of hallmarked gold jewellery and posted a 5-fold spike in demand during the first two days of its ongoing Amazon Great Indian Festival (AGIF) sale event, which started on September 27. This demand is for brands such as Malabar Gold and Diamonds, PN Gadgil Jewellers, Joyalukkas, PC Chandra and KISNA, among others. According to current trends, customers buy fine jewellery starting at Rs 2,000 in the silver category and shell out up to Rs 40,000 for gold and diamond jewellery. In the last year, Amazon has seen more customers opt for 14 Karat purity.
Do home prices really never fall? Ramalingam Kalirajan begs to differ.
India's consumer price index (CPI)-based retail inflation rate is likely to have cooled further in June, thus remaining below the 4 per cent target of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a fifth consecutive month, giving the central bank wiggle room to focus on growth. Economists reckon that the decline is on account of easing prices in various categories of goods, especially food items, and a favourable base effect.
Consumers during the quarter sold 37.9 tonnes of old gold, which is the highest quarterly sale after September 2016, when old gold sale, or scrap supply, was 39 tonnes.
In the Indian stock market, investors are interested in the actions of both domestic and foreign institutional investors (FIIs and DIIs). These groups have wealth as well as expertise in research, which makes them powerful participants in the Indian stock market. Their buy and sell positions have a large effect on stock prices and market sentiment due to the large volume.
'Customers are coming in; if they aren't buying, they are at least visiting the stores, which was not the case before the Budget.'
'Higher interest rates make gold less attractive as it doesn't generate yield.' 'However, with rates set to fall, the tables are turning for gold.'
With more than 1.2 million Indians stuck in green card backlogs, investor-driven EB-5 programme sees rising interest as a secure route for migration to the US.
Skills like social media, e-mail marketing, SEO (search engine optimisation) and PPC (pay per click) will be essential in 2025, says Sachin Alug, CEO, NLB Services.
India's craft chocolate makers are changing the market by using local cacao, creating bold new flavours, making chocolate both a luxury and a story.
Inflows into gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which manage a total of Rs 37,390 crore, have surged sharply in recent months. This trend is likely to continue, especially after the reintroduction of long-term capital gains tax (LTCG), which is likely to attract smart money into mutual fund offerings amid a robust outlook for the yellow metal. Smart money, also known as opportunistic flows, refers to strategic investments that are generally of a short-term horizon.
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