CATEGORIES

China mulls $411-bn special treasury bonds in 2025

CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAVE agreed to issue 3 trillion yuan ($411 billion) worth of special treasury bonds next year, two sources said, which would be the highest on record, as Beijing ramps up fiscal stimulus to revive a faltering economy.

Biden to decide on takeover of US Steel

NIPPON STEEL'S PROPOSED $12.3 billion acquisition of US Steel moved a step closer to being blocked after a US national security panel deadlocked on its review and left the final decision with President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly indicated his opposition to the deal.

Honda-Nissan merger requires time

HONDA AND NISSAN expect big benefits from their potential merger to create the world's third-largest auto group, but intense competition from China raises questions about whether they can make it work in time.

'Crop, motor, health and commercial to equally contribute to portfolio by FY26'

Universal Sompo General Insurance, known for its focus on motor and crop insurance, is setting its sights on expanding its health and commercial lines portfolio. In an interaction with Narayanan V, managing director and CEO Sharad Mathur shares the strategic rationale behind this diversification. Excerpts:

Lokpal calls Sebi chief, complainants for 'oral hearing' on January 28

ANTI-CORRUPTION OMBUDSMAN LOKPAL has called Sebi chief Madhabi Puri Buch and also complainants, including TMC MP Mahua Moitra, for \"oral hearing\" next month in connection with corruption complaints being heard by it, alleging impropriety and conflict of interest on the basis of a Hindenburg Research report, according to an official order.

Rupee hits record closing low for 6th straight session

THE RUPEE WEAKENED to its all-time low for the sixth consecutive trading session on Tuesday as a rise in US bond yields boosted the dollar and strong demand for the greenback from importers added to the lingering pressure on the local currency.

Tata Capital listing hopes drive shares of group companies

At ₹900 a share, the unlisted market is valuing the company at ₹3.5 lakh crore

Cashify eyes growth with D2C play

SHIFT IN STRATEGY

SaaS firm LeadSquared looks to turn profitable by FY26

LEADSQUARED, a Bengaluru-based SaaS unicorn, is setting its sights on profitability by FY26, despite past challenges stemming from the downturn in the edtech sector.

Rise in active mobile users indicates tariff hike absorption

THE INDUSTRY-WIDE addition of 6.8 million active users in October 2024 suggests that the industry has more or less absorbed the tariff hikes taken in July this year, experts said, analysing the latest telecom subscriber data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

Ola enters grocery delivery biz again

BHAVISH AGGARWAL-LED OLA has announced its entry into the quick delivery space for groceries with \"Ola Grocery\". In a social media post, the firm said the service is live across India.

IndiQube files draft papers for ₹850-cr IPO

BENGALURU-BASED INDIQUBE, which provides co-working and managed office spaces, has filed its draft papers with the regulator for an initial public offering to raise ₹850 crore.

inDrive eyes last-mile delivery

Plans to leverage logistics expertise

Gift voucher: Clarity on GST spurs optimism

THE GST COUNCIL's decision to exempt gift vouchers from indirect taxation has brought much-needed clarity to the retail and corporate sectors, with industry leaders lauding it as a significant step forward.

Coforge working on 30 GenAI use cases in insurance, 10 live

IT SERVICES COMPANY Coforge is actively working on over 30 generative AI (GenAI) use cases within its insurance vertical, with 10 already in production.

Logistics leasing to hit 50 mn sq ft

LOGISTICS & INDUSTRIAL (L&I) real estate leasing volume for 2024 is expected to reach 50-53 million square feet (MSF), marking the third consecutive year with leasing volume exceeding 50 million sq ft, according to a report by property consultant Cushman & Wakefield.

Emerging tech sectors stake claim on 600 MHz spectrum

Allocation should not be beyond a point, say telcos

Happiest Minds sees slower FY25 revenue growth

HAPPIEST MINDS TECHNOLOGIES anticipates its revenue growth for fiscal 2025 to be at the lower end of the guided range of 30-35%, Venkatraman Narayanan, managing director and CFO of the company said.

Exporters draw up plans to raise share in US market

IN ANTICIPATION OF the US going ahead with higher tariffs on Chinese imports, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has formulated a strategy to raise its share in the US market.

Duty-free import of yellow peas extended till February

THE GOVERNMENT ON Tuesday extended duty-free import of yellow peas, used as a substitute of chana, for two more months till the end of February, with the aim to curb prices of the key pulses variety.

Laptop import nods may be tied to capacity growth

BOOSTING DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING

Kirana body seeks tech support for e-comm challenge

THE FEDERATION OF Retailer Association of India on Tuesday asked the government to provide enhanced technology platform to Kirana stores to enable them to compete with quick commerce firms.

Unincorporated sector generates 11 mn jobs

THE UNINCORPORATED NON-AGRICULTURAL sector in India has added about 11 million more jobs in October 2023-September 2024 as compared to the year-ago period, with addition of 8.4 million establishments, official data released on Tuesday showed.

Household liabilities rise to 6.4% of GDP in FY24

Household liabilities rise to 6.4% of GDP in FY24

Mining sector gets a leg-up, import reliance down

INDIA'S MINING INDUSTRY took a long stride this year, supported by government policies in the critical minerals mining as it intends to boost domestic production, reducing dependency on imports and helping in realising the renewable energy targets.

Rabi sowing a tad below last year's level; oilseed cultivation down 5.5%

WITH JUST a few weeks left for the rabi season to be over, sowing of winter crops such as wheat, pulses, oilseeds, and coarse cereals has been a tad below last year's level so far as the area under oilseeds have declined.

The year AI took centrestage

The debate if it is a blessing or a Frankenstein rages on

'Tech must become accessible & affordable'

Panellists discussed how technology can be leveraged to help in urban planning and expansion at the fifth edition of the IE Thinc: CITIES series, presented by The Indian Express with Omidyar Network India. The session was moderated by Udit Misra, Associate Editor

Shyam Benegal, pioneer of parallel cinema, dies

Hindi cinema stepped into an exciting new phase with the rise of the 'Angry Young Man' in the '70s,

Now, Musk wants you to pay 'X-tra' as premium plans

Marks the largest price increase since acquisition