India can sustain “J‑curve” gains despite rupee weakness, if trade diversion becomes embedded in durable supply chains and is supported by logistics efficiencies, a report said on Friday.

The report from Emkay Global Financial Services further stressed restrained tariffs on capital goods and intermediaries as well as steady long‑term FDI to sustain the J-curve gains, adding that these factors will matter far more than tariffs over the medium term.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), with the new base year 2024, will increase marginally by 20-30 bps and in the months when food inflation is higher, the new CPI will be low by 20-30 bps, according to an SBI Research report.

The government had formed an expert group to measure CPI accurately, with the changing consumption behaviour of the households and to incorporate latest global best practices including methodological developments.

Gold and silver prices fell on Friday, after hitting record highs in the previous session as investors booked profits and the US dollar gained strength.

MCX gold February futures fell 1.03 per cent to Rs 1,67,656 per 10 grams around 10 am on an intraday basis. Meanwhile, MCX silver March futures dipped 3.42 per cent to Rs 3,86,200 per kg.

The Indian equity markets traded lower early on Friday as the metal stocks plummeted under pressure.

As of 9.30 am, Sensex eased 525 points, or 0.64 per cent, to reach 82,040, and Nifty lost 159 points, or 0.63 per cent, to settle at 25,259.

The government’s calibrated fiscal strategy has anchored India’s economic growth with stability amid global turbulence, according to the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

It highlights that rising tax collections and focus on capital expenditure has reduced the fiscal deficit and strengthened the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals.

The Economic Survey projects India’s real GDP growth for the financial year 2026-2027 in the range of 6.8 to 7.2 per cent based on an outlook for the economy that is one of steady growth amid global uncertainty.

The survey states that for India, “these global conditions translate into external uncertainties rather than immediate macroeconomic stress. Against the backdrop of global uncertainties, the domestic economy remains on a stable footing. Inflation has moderated to historically low levels, although some firming is expected to occur going forward.”

Investors should consider booking profits on silver and rebalance into diversified Indian equity funds or blue‑chip stocks, a report said on Thursday.

The report from WhiteOak Capital Mutual Fund said that investors should trim precious metals allocation back to a safe‑haven allocation level and stop chasing further upside.

"Book profits on silver, as its current valuation is the most over-extended relative to historical periods. Trim precious metals back to a safe haven level in your total portfolio," the report said.

The Economic Survey for 2025-26, tabled in Parliament on Thursday, has raised India’s potential growth rate to 7.0 per cent, up from 6.5 per cent three years ago, as “sustained domestic reforms and public investment are lifting the economy’s underlying growth capacity” despite the global headwinds.

“The expansion of infrastructure -- illustrated by the doubling of the airport network over the past decade and the rapid growth of freight movement through inland waterways -- is easing logistics constraints and raising economy-wide efficiency,” the economic survey notes.

Gold and silver prices surged to record highs on Thursday, amid a rise in geopolitical tensions following US President Donald Trump's threat of military action against Iran.

Strong buying demand, driven by central bank purchases and further weakening of the US dollar, also fuelled the rally.

The Indian equity markets traded lower early on Thursday, tracking mixed global cues and weakness in IT stocks.

As of 9.30 am, Sensex eased 347 points, or 0.42 per cent, to reach 81,997, and Nifty lost 81 points, or 0.32 per cent at 25,260.

The rupee declined past the key 92 a dollar barrier in early trade, eclipsing its previous all-time low of 91.9650 last week.

The government's capex (capital expenditure) may cross Rs 12 lakh crore in the forthcoming Union Budget for 2026-27, which would represent an increase of around 10 per cent over the corresponding figure of the previous financial year, according to an SBI report released on Wednesday.

This would enable the government to step up investments in big-ticket infrastructure projects in the highways, railways, ports and power sectors to boost growth and jobs in the economy.

India’s strategic mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deal value rose 42 per cent (year-on-year) to $113 billion in 2025, a new report showed on Wednesday.

The growth was driven primarily by robust domestic dealmaking, which accounted for 60 per cent of total deal value, alongside a sharp increase in inbound activity, up more than 300 per cent year on year. Foreign investors continued to target financial services and technology assets, according to Bain & Company in its report.

The report notes that India’s M&A activity was supported by stable macroeconomic fundamentals, favourable demographics, and cost competitiveness, contributing to increased domestic consolidation and inbound interest. Outbound deal value also rose 83 per cent (on-year) to $24 billion.

Gold and silver prices continue to scale record highs on Wednesday, amid strong buying demand, weakening dollar, and rising geopolitical tensions, raising safe haven demand.

MCX gold February futures rose 2.97 per cent to Rs 1,62,387 per 10 grams around 11.30 am. Meanwhile, MCX silver March futures rose 6.21 per cent to Rs 3,78,401 per kg.

International markets also saw gold and silver touching records as caution grew due to ongoing policy uncertainty, fresh tariff threats, and criticism of the Federal Reserve from the US administration.

India’s defence tech ecosystem recorded $247 million in funding in 2025, its highest annual inflow till date despite a lower number of deals, a report said on Wednesday.

The report from data intelligence platform Tracxn said total all‑time equity funding for the sector stood at $711 million across 232 rounds, and that annual funding rose from $5 million in 2016 to a peak of $247 million in 2025, the report said.

The Indian equity markets posted strong gains on Wednesday, extending gains from the previous session after the conclusion of a long-awaited trade deal ‌with the ‌European Union (EU) raised hopes of an economic ‌boost.

As of 9.30 am, Sensex added 545 points, or 0.67 per cent, to reach 82,402, and Nifty gained 183 points, or 0.73 per cent to 25,359.

Main broad-cap indices performed in line with the benchmark indices, as the Nifty Midcap 100 gained 0.77 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 surged 1.17 per cent.

India continues to remain the bright spot supported by its strong macro fundamentals and the government capex may cross Rs 12 lakh crore in FY27, a year-on-year growth of 10 per cent, an SBI Research report said on Monday.

The nominal GDP growth relevant for Budget math is expected at 10.5-11 per cent with the uptrend in global commodity prices may percolate in a higher WPI.

A bit slower nominal growth may hurt tax revenues in FY27, requiring better expenditure planning. However, GST rationalisation and reduction in marginal tax rates for personal income tax is expected to cushion the impact of sluggishness in tax base, said Dr. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Advisor, State Bank of India.

 As India approaches Union Budget 2026-27, industry sentiment points to a clear shift from headline announcements to policy direction, continuity and execution, a survey showed on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the 77th Republic Day celebrations by paying homage to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial in New Delhi on Monday.

Upon his arrival, he was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

In a dramatic rally, the gold prices have surpassed $5,000 an ounce, hitting another record high amid heightened global uncertainties.

The safe-haven metal reached $5,026 an ounce in trading, as silver reached $102 an ounce for the first time. In January 2024, Gold stood at just above $2,000 an ounce.

Precious metals continue to trade in a structurally strong bull market as we move deeper into 2026, with momentum firmly intact despite intermittent corrections and elevated price levels.

Investors are likely to remain on edge over the proposed US framework on Greenland, and near-term volatility related to this issue can continue, a report has said.

The report from Bank of Baroda said that market participants are awaiting more details that could determine whether negotiations succeed or unravel.

"Going ahead, investors are likely to await more details of the deal, as there are a few sticking points which can derail the negotiations. Hence, some volatility can be expected," the report said.

The launch of a new skills accelerator in India strengthens a global network of 45 national accelerators that have collectively supported 14.8 million people, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has said.

Announcing major global commitments to invest in skills development for workers, the WEF said these accelerators bring together government, business and civil society to translate global insights into country-specific action on employment, skills development and inclusive economic growth.

Indian equity benchmarks closed this week down over 2.5 per cent due to profit-booking, sustained foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows and renewed concerns over global trade disruptions stemming from the US tariff rhetoric.

All sectoral indices ended in the red this week, with Realty logging the worst-performance, dipping 11.33 per cent. Consumer durables, telecom, and consumer discretionary sectors went down over 5 per cent.

India's foreign exchange reserves witnessed a massive surge of $14.167 billion to reach $701.36 billion in the week ended January 16, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data showed on Friday.

In the preceding week that ended January 9, the country's foreign exchange reserves had increased by $392 million.

Gold and silver prices surged to record highs on Friday, as the US dollar weakened and geopolitical tensions surged over threats of US intervention in Iran.

MCX gold February futures rose 1.23 per cent to Rs 1,58,261 per 10 grams around 11.25 am. Meanwhile MCX silver March futures rose 2.63 per cent to Rs 3,35,900 per kg.

International markets also saw gold trading near historic highs, holding firm around the $4,951 zone after marking a fresh record at $4,967.

Silver’s exceptional rally of over 200 per cent in the last 12 months sharply outperforming gold’s 80 per cent surge has created a condition in favour of yellow metal in the near term, a new report has said.

The report from Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd. (MOFSL) said that the current gold–silver ratio favours the yellow metal after silver’s outsized run.

The sharp outperformance of silver over has led to a "significant compression in the gold–silver ratio, which has fallen from pandemic highs of 127 to around 50 at the start of 2026," the report mentioned.

Growth picked up pace for both manufacturing and services in India in January as the HSBC Flash PMI figures on Friday showed quicker increases in new orders and output, alongside the reinstatement of job creation and a rebound in business confidence in the country.

The next fiscal (FY27) is likely to be a year of fiscal restraint for the upcoming Union Budget 2026-27, after having given a lot of tax breaks in FY26, according to a new report.

As far as expenditure is concerned, at least a 10 per cent capex growth is assumed with limited room for revenue expenditure (as per our base case), according to the Budget Preview from HSBC Mutual Fund.

The Indian stock market opened higher on Friday, extending gains for the second consecutive trading session while tracking positive global cues.

As of 9.30 am, the Sensex added 132 points, or 0.16 per cent to reach 82,440 and the Nifty advanced 52 points, or 0.21 per cent to 25,342.

Assets under management (AUM) of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) specialising in gold loans is set to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40 per cent between this fiscal and next, surpassing Rs 4 lakh crore by March 2027, a Crisil Ratings report showed on Thursday.

According to the report, the surge will be driven by elevated gold prices, a shift towards secured credit and an evolved regulatory environment, outpacing the CAGR of 27 per cent clocked between fiscals 2023 and 2025.

A FICCI pre-Budget survey on Thursday reflected strong optimism across industry, with nearly 80 per cent of respondents expressing confidence in India’s growth prospects.

Nearly half of the participants expect GDP growth to remain in the 7–8 per cent range in FY 2026–27, reaffirming faith in India’s medium-term fundamentals despite persistent global uncertainties.

Gold futures on the MCX dipped close to 1 per cent on Thursday from record high in the previous session due to profit booking, amid easing geopolitical tensions and strengthening of dollar.

Fears of a US‑EU trade conflict moderated after US President Donald Trump softened his tone on acquisition of Greenland.

MCX gold February futures dipped 0.78 per cent to Rs 1,51,665 per 10 grams. Meanwhile MCX silver March futures dipped 0.62 per cent to Rs 3,16,509 per kg.

The overnight signs of a climbdown in Greenland-related tensions will provide relief to market sentiments and rupee volatility is likely to persist in the near term but depreciation is expected to be more gradual than the recent sharp moves, a report showed on Thursday.

The rupee rebounded from its all-time low levels to gain 15 paise at 91.50 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday.

According to Radhika Rao, Executive Director and Senior Economist at DBS Bank, the bearish handover from last year was further fuelled by a confluence of global as well as domestic cues.

The Indian benchmark indices posted strong gains in early trade on Thursday, after US President Donald Trump walked back on his tariff threats against eight European countries over Greenland ownership.

As of 9.25 am, the Sensex added 568 points, or 0.69 per cent to reach 82,477 and the Nifty advanced 160 points, or 0.64 per cent to 25,317.

Main broadcap indices overperformed the benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap 100 adding 0.94 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 advancing 1.01 per cent.

Indian equity benchmark indices ended lower on Wednesday for the third straight session, weighed down by rising geopolitical tensions that kept investors cautious.

The Sensex closed at 81,909.63, slipping 270.84 points or 0.33 per cent. Meanwhile, the Nifty settled at 25,157.5, down 75 points or 0.3 per cent.

“A sustained break below 25,130 could reopen downside toward 24,920–24,900,” a market expert said.

With less than two weeks to go for the Union Budget 2026–27, experts from different sectors are sharing their expectations, stressing the need to sustain economic growth while creating large-scale employment opportunities.

Karnataka Digital Economy Mission CEO Sanjeev Kumar Gupta said the upcoming budget should strongly focus on faster adoption of technology by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).