Business

The government said India has adequate petrol, diesel and LPG stocks despite panic buying in some states. Officials attributed temporary dryouts at fuel stations to sudden demand spikes, agricultural consumption and consumers shifting from costlier private retailers to PSU-operated pumps

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government sacrificed over Rs 1 lakh crore annually through fuel excise cuts to cushion consumers from inflation, while defending recent petrol and diesel price hikes as market-driven revisions caused by surging global crude oil prices amid the West Asia conflict

Rupee appreciated 35 paise to 95.25 against US dollar extending gains for third session amid optimism over US-Iran peace talks, RBI assurances on forex stability, and easing crude prices. Equity markets surged while foreign investors continued selling equities net basis

Nirmala Sitharaman said the West Asia crisis could raise fuel and shipping costs for common people and businesses as petrol and diesel prices rose again. She added the government sacrificed Rs 1 lakh crore in revenue through excise duty cuts

Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rallied sharply in early trade on Monday as crude oil prices declined and global sentiment improved amid optimism surrounding US-Iran negotiations. Investors also tracked positive Asian market trends and easing concerns over inflation and import costs.

The rupee strengthened by 40 paise against the US dollar in early trade amid optimism over possible US-Iran peace talks and progress in India-US trade negotiations. Positive global cues, easing oil prices and strong equity markets also supported the domestic currency.

Gold and silver prices rose in Mumbai, supported by a weaker US dollar and falling crude oil. MCX gold held above ₹1,59,000 with resistance near ₹1,60,000, while silver surged past ₹2,76,000 amid geopolitical uncertainty and safe-haven demand

Microsoft is scaling back employee access to Anthropic’s Claude Code due to rising AI costs, redirecting engineers to GitHub Copilot CLI. Despite rollback, its Anthropic partnership via Azure remains intact as enterprises face surging token-based expenses from generative AI

Equities surged on Monday as crude oil prices fell below $100, boosting investor sentiment amid hopes of a US-Iran peace deal. Sensex and Nifty gained over 1%, with autos leading, while Hindalco and select stocks declined modestly

Rising fuel prices, in particular, are having a ripple effect on transport, food and household expenses

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed strong India-US strategic ties, highlighting cooperation on counter-terrorism, critical minerals, supply chains and emerging technologies. During talks with S. Jaishankar, Rubio described India as one of America’s most important global strategic partners

Six of India’s top-10 most valued companies added Rs 74,111 crore in market valuation last week, led by Reliance Industries. Gains in Reliance, TCS and ICICI Bank outweighed losses in Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank and SBI amid volatile stock market conditions and mixed global cues.

Tata Sons faces pressure to list after RBI’s NBFC classification. Can it remain a philanthropic guardian, or will it reshape into a transparent entity answerable to shareholders and markets?

Gokaldas Exports reported a 31.97 per cent fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 35.96 crore in the March quarter due to US tariffs and geopolitical volatility. However, the apparel manufacturer recorded revenue growth and maintained stable EBITDA margins during the period

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the government does not intervene in exchange rates as they are market-driven, influenced by global factors. He added that India is focused on boosting exports, reducing imports, and strengthening investment through trade reforms and policy support

Gold prices rose during the week amid geopolitical uncertainty and fluctuations in crude oil prices. Analysts said US-Iran negotiations, bond yields, rupee volatility and global market developments will continue to influence bullion prices, while India’s gold demand may decline following the recent import duty hike

AGC Asia Pacific India Private Limited inaugurated the AAPI Innovation Hub at IIT Hyderabad Technology Research Park to strengthen industry-academia collaboration. The initiative aims to support Digital Transformation talent through internships, collaborative research and innovation-focused projects involving AGC engineers, students and researchers

Indian Oil Corporation said there is no nationwide shortage of petrol or diesel and described supply disruptions at some outlets as temporary and localised. The company attributed higher demand to harvesting season needs, migration from private pumps and increased institutional purchases

Petrol and diesel prices were increased again on Saturday, taking the cumulative hike to nearly Rs 5 a litre in under 10 days. CNG prices also rose, amid soaring global crude oil prices, rising import costs and concerns over inflationary pressure

Indian equity benchmarks ended the week with modest gains as easing crude oil prices and reports of indirect US-Iran talks improved investor sentiment. IT stocks led the rally, while analysts said resistance levels and global inflation concerns may keep markets cautious ahead.

Diplomacy must match its ambitions with stronger institutions, energy resilience, and coalition-building to turn strategic autonomy into lasting global influence

The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced that the two-day nationwide strike planned by the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation (AISBISF) for May 25–26 has been deferred after talks with management.

The Indian rupee strengthened for a second straight session, rising 63 paise to close at 95.73 against the US dollar. Support came from easing crude oil prices, positive equity markets, softer US yields and expected Reserve Bank of India intervention

The Reserve Bank of India announced a record dividend payout of Rs 2.87 lakh crore to the Centre for FY26. The surplus transfer comes amid geopolitical challenges and follows strong growth in the central bank’s net income and balance sheet during the financial year