55th GST Council defers rate cut decision on health insurance premiums

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on Saturday deferred the decision on rate cuts on life and health insurance premiums,  as some more technicalities need to be ironed out.  The GST exemption/reduction on life and health insurance premiums is a long-pending demand of the industry, as the move would alleviate the tax burden on … Read more

Industry must fully integrate with government digital platforms to boost logistics sector: Piyush Goyal

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday called for a 100 per cent integration of industry stakeholders onto the government digital platforms to improve the logistics sector.  During his address at the ULIP Logixtics Hackathon 2.0 Awards Ceremony here, the minister urged the participants to think about sustainability and integrate green practices … Read more

Bears colour stock market red ahead of Christmas, time for balanced investment strategy

Indian benchmark indices declined 5 per cent this week amid global selloff, mainly triggered by the US Federal Reserve's caution approach for rate cuts next year, which resulted in relentless selling by the foreign institutional investors (FIIs).  With this, Sensex lost over 1,000 points in three out of five trading sessions this week, and nearly … Read more

Net inflows in SIPs up 233 pc in India this year, MF industry sees 135 pc growth

There has been a massive 233 per cent growth (year-on-year) in overall net inflows in systematic investment plans (SIPs) in India this year, according to a new report, as the Indian economy remains resilient amid rough geo-political conditions.  Overall net inflows stood at Rs 9.14 lakh crore from January to November this year, as against … Read more

India`s Shriram Finance targets 50 billion rupees AUM for green lending vertical in 3-4 years

India's non-banking finance company Shriram Finance has consolidated its green finance business under Shriram Green Finance, it said on Friday, and targeted assets under management (AUM) of 50 billion rupees ($588 million) over the next three to four years under the portfolio. The green finance vertical will be built through financing electric vehicles (EV), including … Read more

High prices impinging on India`s growth, central bank minutes show

High prices are the cause for demand slowdown in India, and aligning inflation to the central bank's 4% target is key to ensuring sustained economic growth, members of the rate-setting panel said in the minutes of the December meeting. "The policy priority at this critical juncture has to be on restoring the inflation growth balance," … Read more

India`s BPCL buys first Argentinian crude oil cargo for Feb delivery, sources say

India's Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd has bought its first crude oil cargo from Argentina, two trade sources said on Friday, part of the company's effort to diversify the grades processed at its refineries. The state-run refiner has purchased the 1-million-barrel cargo of Medanito crude for February delivery from European trader Mercuria, the sources said. The … Read more

India steel imports from China hit record high, data shows

 India's finished steel imports from China reached an all-time high during the first eight months of the fiscal year to March 2025, provisional government data showed, adding to concerns among domestic mills about cheap shipments from China. Total imports of finished steel were at an eight-year high with India, the world's second-biggest crude steel producer, … Read more