Overall economic activity continued to hold up in November with demand conditions remaining robust, thanks to strengthening urban demand, but manufacturing and rural demand showed some signs of deceleration even as services remained strong, according to an article on the State of the Economy written by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials in the central bank's December bulletin.
The Budget reflects a clear focus on strengthening India's long-term prospects by leaning on nation-building sectors such as infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
Top carmakers led by Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Kia India on Saturday reported record sales in the domestic market riding on festive demand boosted by GST rate cut. Other manufacturers such as Skoda Auto India and Toyota Kirloskar Motor also posted impressive growth in sales in October.
Indian car buyers care more about affordability than technology, keeping ICE vehicles dominant while hybrids emerge as the preferred transition option and EVs struggle in the mass market.
Auto majors Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra reported robust sales in September as reduced price tags owing to GST rationalisation led to record demand in the Navaratri period. The month also saw Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra settling at number two and three positions, respectively in vehicle wholesales ahead of Hyundai Motor India.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd expects contribution of SUVs to its overall sales to go beyond 70 per cent with it making foray into the fast growing mid-sized segment with a premium positioning of its Sierra model, according to its Managing Director & CEO, Shailesh Chandra.
'Growth will definitely continue to come most from the sub-four-metre SUV segment, primarily because that is where the heart of economy and affordability is. Naturally, that will keep pushing the share of that segment (in overall PV sales) higher.'
Tech giant Apple has recorded its highest-ever value share of 28 per cent in the Indian smartphone market, driven by a surging "premiumisation" trend where consumers are increasingly opting for high-end devices, according to a report by Counterpoint Research.
The country's largest listed auto parts company by market capitalisation, Samvardhana Motherson International, reported a better than expected operating performance in the second quarter (July-September) of 2025-26 (Q2FY26). Though the global passenger vehicle (PV) market is facing multiple headwinds, the company is outperforming on the back of higher content per vehicle and market share gains.
Ecommerce (ecom) and quick commerce (qcom) platforms are expected to lead gig worker hiring in calendar year 2026 (CY26), adding nearly 1 million workers on the back of sustained demand for last-mile deliveries, higher order volumes, and continued expansion of dark stores into non-metropolitan cities, industry experts have said.
Brokerages were divided on Bajaj Finance after its 2025-26 (FY26) third-quarter (October-December/ Q3) results, with a few raising targets on valuation comfort, while others flagged concerns over the credit cost trajectory.
The idea of back-loading the target of fiscal consolidation is perhaps guided by the government's desire to be prepared for any adverse developments in the coming year, points out A K Bhattacharya.
The fiscal tilt towards capex benefits companies in investment-related sectors like capital goods, defence equipment, engineering & construction and metal & mining. The planned cut in revenue expenditure will weigh on companies in consumption sectors like FMCG, consumer durables and retail.
Automobile retail sales across the domestic market witnessed a 21 per cent year-on-year increase in the 42-day festive season led by record registrations of passenger vehicles and two-wheelers aided by GST rejig enabled drop in prices across segments, dealer' body FADA said on Friday.
Recent years have been turbulent for the insurance industry due to direct and indirect tax reforms, regulatory overhaul and other external pressures. The events cumulatively slowed growth rate to single digits from the high teens seen earlier.
The stock of automotive (auto) components major Bharat Forge has risen 14.6 per cent over the past month. Despite ongoing demand challenges, strong operating performance in the July-September quarter (Q3) of 2025-26 (FY26), a diversified revenue base, and expectations of a gradual recovery have lifted sentiment.
Marico has entered into a definitive agreement with PVR INOX to buy its 93.27 per cent stake in Zea Maize Private Limited (ZMPL), which owns the gourmet popcorn brand 4700BC, in an all-cash transaction worth Rs 226.8 crore.
Mahindra & Mahindra on Tuesday posted a 28 per cent year-on-year increase in its consolidated profit after tax to Rs 3,673 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2025, driven by robust performance of the farm sector, while also seeing the impact of the GST transition on the auto sector. The company reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 2,867 crore for the July-September period of the last fiscal.
Despite a 2.8 per cent fall in 2025 volumes, Mercedes-Benz India reported its best-ever revenue and profitability, led by top-end models, AMG growth and higher BEV mix.
FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) on Thursday reported an increase of 3.8 per cent in consolidated net profit at Rs 2,694 crore for the second quarter ending September 2025. The company had logged a net profit of Rs 2,595 crore in the July-September quarter a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing.
The Union health ministry has issued draft rules to mandate a blue vertical strip on all antimicrobial drug labels, aiming to rein in over-the-counter misuse and tackle India's growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) problem.
The business value of the league, popularly called the IPL, surged to a record $18.5 billion last year, U.S.-based investment bank Houlihan Lokey says.
Companies are squeezing more profits from their operations relative to the capital they put to work, the highest now since 2011. Profit after tax relative to capital employed came in at 10.47 per cent in September, shows data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), higher than the 8.41 per cent seen in September last year. This is the highest since March 2010.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), paving the way for the country's biggest exchange - currently valued at 5 trillion in the unlisted market - to file draft documents for its long-awaited initial public offering (IPO).
India has managed high government debt-to-GDP, a slowing domestic revenue engine, lower household savings and a more hostile geopolitical environment separately in the past. But together, they threaten to undo the growth narrative on which today's optimism rests, warns Debashis Basu.
Dr Wilfred Aulbur, Managing Director and CEO, Daimler Chrysler India, said the company had till August this year sold 290 'S' Class, 790 'E' Class and 540 'C' class cars and 70 CBU.
Kerala has overtaken more industrialised states in personal electric vehicle adoption, driven by strong middle-class uptake, policy support, and charging infrastructure.
The aggregate net worth of the country's 176 dollar billionaires dropped to $984.2 billion during 2025, down from a record $1,036.2 billion at the end of December 2024.
Trent reported decent margins in the second quarter (July-September) of 2025-26 (Q2FY26) but growth moderated. Same store growth was low single-digits. Trent's revenue growth decelerated in Q2FY26 at 17 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) while area additions were offset by decline in revenue per square foot (sq ft).
Japanese auto major Honda considers India a key market for its future growth alongside the US and Japan, according to Honda Cars India President and CEO Takashi Nakajima. The Tokyo-headquartered automaker, which operates in India through a wholly owned subsidiary, plans to drive in more SUVs in the country, as the segment continues to see robust sales across varied price points.
This Budget positions India's taxation ideology as not merely a revenue source but as a strategic catalyst for growth, inclusion and long-term confidence.
The SC has gone a step further to state that even if one were to not apply the codified GAAR provisions, the judicial GAAR would continue to apply, point out Pranav Sayta and Bhargav Selarka.
The loss of input tax credit (ITC) following the rationalisation of the goods and services tax (GST) on individual life and health insurance from 18 per cent to nil is may weigh on the profits of life insurers in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025-26 (FY26).
Leading FMCG companies in the country are expecting their sales growth numbers in high double digit in the April-June quarter, a period when the broader market was severely impacted by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. FMCG companies such as Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) and Marico, in their quarterly updates to bourses, informed about double-digit sales growth. While Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) MD and CEO Sunil D'Souza in an interview had told PTI, the Tata Group FMCG firm expects higher growth in the Q1/FY'22 over Q4/FY'21.
Shares of Dr Reddy's Laboratories jumped 5.3 per cent on Thursday to Rs 1,217 apiece, making it the top gainer in the Nifty 50 and the BSE 100 indices. By comparison, the Nifty 50 was up 0.53 per cent at 25,289.
India's top eight housing markets saw a one per cent decline in sales during the July-September period to 95,547 units, mainly due to lower demand in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi-NCR, according to PropTiger. Real estate consultant PropTiger, recently acquired by listed entity Aurum PropTech Ltd, released its data on Wednesday for India's eight primary housing markets for the July-September quarter.
The life insurance industry recorded nearly 40 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth in new business premiums (NBP), aided by the rationalisation of goods and services tax (GST) on individual life insurance premiums, which has made policies more affordable for consumers.
Makers of spirits, beer, and wine are working to identify new markets of growth as two of the industry's biggest liquor markets, Maharashtra and Telangana, remain embroiled in taxation and payment issues.
The demand for passenger vehicles (PVs) is expected to sustain even beyond the ongoing festival season as a new set of customers, those who gained confidence to buy cars following the recent GST rate cuts, will begin to visit dealerships now, said Shailesh Chandra, president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), on Wednesday.
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