RBI may have to bring more money into market to rein in short-term rates
INDIA MARKET | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 6:24AM IST
Market participants anticipate the Reserve Bank of India will inject further liquidity in February and March to stabilize short-term borrowing costs. Despite previous injections, commercial paper and certificate of deposit rates have risen significantly due to tight liquidity, subdued government spending, and increased credit demand. This liquidity crunch is expected to persist, potentially impacting government bond yields.
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After asset quality hit, small finance banks to sharpen risk controls for 2026
INDIA MARKET | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 6:11AM IST
Small finance banks are strengthening their risk management. They plan to reduce unsecured loans and boost secured lending like vehicle and housing loans. Credit guarantee schemes will cover more microfinance loans. This strategy aims to prevent asset quality issues. Banks like ESAF, Suryoday, Ujjivan, and Utkarsh are implementing these changes to ensure stability and growth.
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Allegiant to Buy Sun Country Airlines in $1.5 Billion Deal
GLOBAL NEWS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 6:10AM IST
The combination of the two small, budget airlines comes as low-cost carriers have struggled with high costs and competition.
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24m
Renewing motor policy: when less can be more
INDIA BUSINESS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 6:04AM IST
Logically, the renewal premium should be lower since the sum insured reduces each year, yet it remains unchanged, or is even higher and the reasoning is that it is because the car is older
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30m
Nifty in a bear hug, needs to break above 26,100 levels: Analysts
INDIA MARKET | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 6:01AM IST
Indian equity markets face a bearish outlook as the Nifty breaks key supports. Analysts predict further declines, with the Nifty potentially testing the 25,300 to 25,350 levels. Sentiment is unlikely to improve without a strong rebound above 26,100. Investors are advised to adopt a sell-on-rise strategy.
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33m
Stocks in news: TCS, HCL Tech, DMart, ICICI Lombard, RIL, Lemon Tree Hotels
INDIA MARKET | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 6:01AM IST
Markets extended their decline on Friday, mirroring weak global cues and disrupting the Nifty's short-term up move. Several companies like TCS, HCL Tech, and RIL are in focus due to Q3 results and significant investment announcements, including Adani Group's Rs 1.5 lakh crore commitment in Kutch.
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33m
Banks to reassess Vi funding after AGR relief
INDIA NEWS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 6:00AM IST
Mumbai: Banks led by State Bank of India will reassess extending fresh funds to Vodafone Idea after the government last week approved a relief package freezing the telcos adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues and stretching repayment over 16 years.Bankers said the decision has altered the company's liability profile, adding that clarity on its funding needs and future business plans are crucial for considering fresh funding.Banks have been wary of lending to Vi because of its huge liabilities, majorly consisting of statutory dues including deferred spectrum payment and AGR liabilities, strained cash flows, and doubts about its ability to service new loans. Our team will reassess (extending fresh funds) in the light of the new developments, a senior bank executive familiar with the details said.Vi required Rs 35,000 crore, according to the plans shared by the company previously. We need to figure out how much they need now and how much is viable based on the firm's cash flows, the banker told ET on condition of anonymity. Its a big amount and will have to come from a consortium of lenders for which banks will have to meet and decide. 126470464 Staggered RepaymentsLead lender SBI did not reply to an email seeking comment. Last week, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) froze Vis AGR dues of Rs 87,695 crore for the period from 2006-07 to 2018-19, and allowed staggered repayments over 16 years until 2041. Under the revised schedule, Vi will pay Rs 124 crore annually for six years between March 2026 and 2031, followed by Rs 100 crore per year for four years from March 2032-35. The remaining amount will be repaid in equal annual instalments over six years from March 2036-41, after a DoT-appointed committee reassesses the final liability, the filing said. This means nearly 95% of Vis AGR liability of Rs 87,695 crore will remain frozen for the next decade. This is a significant development as it deals with a big overhang, a second bank executive said. Vi needs funds. But banks will look to also hear from the company on its needs and plans for the future.Debt BurdenThe person said many banks have no exposure to Vi now as their loans have been repaid, but they remain engaged with the company The DoTs decision has come as a huge relief to the telco, which was facing payment obligations of Rs16,400 crore in March 2026. While the company continues to grapple with a total debt burden of nearly Rs2 lakh crore, it mostly comprises statutory dues including Rs1.2 lakh crore in spectrum dues. Fresh funding is crucial for Vi to continue its network investments as its equity raise of more than Rs 20,000 crore done in April 2024 has been utilised. The company did not reply to an email seeking comment. Bankers said with clarity on AGR dues, both debt and equity funding is back on the table. They need funds, so it could be a mix of both, a third banking executive said. They will reach out to banks with their plansmay be after a few weeks, based on which banks will also make their own assessments and form a new consortium, the executive said.Strategic InvestorThe company may also tap the equity markets, experts said. Bringing in a strategic investor is also a possibility. ET had reported in September 2025 that the government is scouting for a strategic investor to pump in $1 billion in Vi for a 11-13% stake. US PE firm Tillman Global Holdings was reportedly in talks for an investment.
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Banks to review Vodafone Idea funding plan after AGR relief
INDIA BUSINESS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 6:00AM IST
Bankers said the decision has altered the company's liability profile, adding that clarity on its funding needs and future business plans are crucial for considering fresh funding.
Continue reading at Economic Times
34m
Oil marketers may gain, producers may drain in Q3
INDIA MARKET | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 5:46AM IST
Oil marketing companies are poised for strong earnings growth in the December quarter, driven by robust refining margins and improved fuel price spreads. Upstream producers, however, face pressure from lower crude oil prices, while city gas distributors are expected to report healthy volumes and expanding margins despite some headwinds.
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48m
INDIA MARKET | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 5:40AM IST
Gold and silver are predicted to rise significantly. US equities are expected to deliver decent but moderate returns in 2026. India's equity market faces challenges, with valuations not yet corrected and high earnings expectations. China's growing market share in emerging economies is a concern. US tariffs may lead to slight inflation, impacting consumers.
Continue reading at Economic Times
54m
TCS to log a steady Q3 amid AI pivot, IT spending trend in focus
INDIA MARKET | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 5:33AM IST
Tata Consultancy Services and HCL Technologies will announce their December quarter results. Both companies are expected to show modest revenue increases. Analysts are watching for management insights on IT budgets for 2026 and the impact of artificial intelligence. Client spending and order pipelines will be crucial indicators for future growth.
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1h
Looking sharp! Trent plans high store density in mature markets
INDIA BUSINESS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 5:30AM IST
Trents strategy is similar to some of the worlds largest retailers, including Spains Inditex, owner of Zara, and British department store chain Primark, which has long prioritised dense store networks in high-footfall catchments, using scale for more bargaining power with vendors and real estate developers.
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1h
From Coke to Kingfisher, beverage makers rush to import cans as BIS delays choke local supply
INDIA BUSINESS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 5:26AM IST
Beverages makers like Coca-Cola and Kingfisher are facing a critical shortage of aluminium cans ahead of the summer seasons. Manufacturers are doubling import orders from West Asia and Sri Lanka due to manufacturing compliance delays and rising demand, aiming to prevent a repeat of last year's shortages. Beer makers are seeking government intervention to ease certification requirements for imported cans.
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1h
Podcasts Hit the Golden Globes: Nominees Include Call Her Daddy and More
GLOBAL NEWS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 1:58AM IST
The annual awards show will anoint a best podcast for the first time this year, a sign of the industrys increasing status in Hollywood.
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4h
Trump's latest actions stoke Canadian fears
INDIA NEWS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 12:34AM IST
For months, many Canadians hoped Donald Trump had lost interest in making their country the 51st US state - his plate full with turning Washington and the global trading system upside down.Those hopes are fading.The shock capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Trump's ramped-up talk of seizing Greenland have rattled Canada, forcing citizens to take seriously the US president's past threats to Canadian sovereignty. The administration's declaration that "THIS IS OUR HEMISPHERE" makes Trump's earlier comments about annexing Canada seem ever less like mere insults aimed at former PM Justin Trudeau, or negotiating tactics in his trade war with current PM Mark Carney.A blunt column in Canada's largest national newspaper went viral this week warning of the possibility that Trump may use "military coercion" against the country. The authors' advice: Learn from Finland's defenses against Russia. Expand the civil defense force. Build a national drone strategy, inspired by Ukraine's example. And think about the unthinkable. "It's all about changing the calculus," said Thomas Homer-Dixon, one of the authors and a Canadian academic who researches global security. "If there is an attempt to use military coercion against us, it needs to be clear that it's going to be enormously costly." The fear has even inspired its own dark comedy. A widely-shared story on The Beaverton, a satirical website similar to The Onion, sported the headline, "Mark Carney turns off geolocation on phone just in case."While Trump's actions have unnerved leaders around the globe, Canadians have particular reason to worry. After all, with Greenland, Trump and his advisers are seeking control - even raising the possibility of military action - of a territory that is democratic, strategically located in the Arctic, and part of Nato. Canada is all of those things, too. "I think many officials in Ottawa just find it hard to believe that we're in this space, no matter what the evidence is," said Wesley Wark, a former adviser to the Canadian government on security and border issues. Most analysts doubt the US military would invade Canada. "I still do believe that's in the realm of science fiction," said Stephanie Carvin, associate professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and a former national security analyst for the Canadian government.
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6h
Credit demand zooms as policy eases
INDIA NEWS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 12:24AM IST
Mumbai: Credit demand in India is getting a boost from the reduction in the goods and services tax (GST) and a more accommodating monetary policy, which have helped spur investment activity, data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) shows. As of the end of December, credit demand saw a year-on-year growth of 14.5%, according to CMIE data. Investment proposals in the first nine months of the financial year increased to 26.62 lakh crore, up from 23.62 lakh crore a year ago, data showed, supporting the pickup in credit growth. Outstanding bank credit at the end of December stood at 203.2 lakh crore, crossing the 200-lakh crore mark for the first time. Year-to-date (YTD) credit expanded by 20.78 lakh crore, compared with an increase of 13.18 lakh crore in the same period a year ago.126470158 At 11.4%, the YTD credit growth surpassed the previous year's 8%, despite lingering uncertainty over trade deals, pointing to a rebound driven by rate cuts. The pace of credit expansion has already exceeded the 11% growth projected for FY26 by the Reserve Bank of India and professional forecasters in the Monetary Policy Report released in October. This month's credit and deposit data was released after recent amendments to the Banking Regulations Act, 1949, that allow the RBI to publish credit and deposit numbers on the 15th and the last day of the month, instead of alternate Fridays-a move aimed at reducing interpretational ambiguity. Outstanding aggregate deposits stood at 248.5 lakh crore, up 12.7% on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis and 10.1% on a YTD basis. In the corresponding period a year ago, deposits rose by 9.8% y-o-y and 7.8% on a YTD basis. "Credit growth is being driven largely by auto loans, which typically pick up at the end of the calendar year, along with demand from small and mid-sized companies, finance companies and the home loan segment," said Saurabh Bhalerao, associate director and head of BFSI research at Care Ratings. "That said, a base effect has also come into play. Last year's data was for December 27, 2024, the final reporting Friday of the month, which makes the 14.5% growth appear particularly strong," he said. A bank analyst said, "In any case, the growth looks high partly because these are month-end numbers, and one should factor in an element of window dressing that happens at the end of every quarter. Also, due to this base effect, the 14.5% credit growth may not be sustainable." A credit growth of 14.5% was last reported on July 12, 2024, RBI data showed. That said, demand could remain resilient if higher investment intentions translate into actual spending. "There has been a tendency for interest rates to also come down, which is expected to spur investment activity," said Bank of Baroda in its report Investment Climate in 9 Months-FY26. "Hence, the investment environment does appear to be positive in the present financial year." The top five sectors accounting for around 80% of total proposed investments include electricity, chemicals, metals, IT and transportation. Bank credit growth had fallen to a three-year low of 8.9% on a y-o-y in May last year, after which the RBI announced a 50 basis point cut in the repo rate, against market expectations of a 25 basis point reduction, and surprised markets with a staggered 100 basis point cut in the cash reserve ratio. The weak credit demand during that quarter may have prompted RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra to urge lenders last August to revive "animal spirits" and push credit growth. At a FICCI IBA conference, the governor told bankers and corporate heads to "champion the entrepreneurial spirit" and urged lenders to push the "frontiers of growth and seize the opportunities". If credit growth is sustained at the current levels, it could surpass the 11.5-12.5% forecast by Care Ratings and the 10.7-11.5% projected by Icra.
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6h
INDIA MARKET | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 12:24AM IST
India's credit demand is surging. Lower taxes and supportive monetary policy are fueling investment. Outstanding bank credit has crossed a major milestone. This growth surpasses projections, indicating a strong economic rebound. Auto loans, small and mid-sized companies, and home loans are key drivers. Investment intentions are translating into spending, creating a positive environment.
Continue reading at Economic Times
6h
Radio industry advertising revenue picks up pace in FY25
INDIA BUSINESS | Mon, 12 Jan 2026, 12:24AM IST
The downturn in FY21 was sharp, with FM radio ad revenues plunging to 941 crore. Since then, the recovery has been steady. Revenues rose to 1,227 crore in FY22, climbed to 1,547 crore in FY23 and reached 1,776 crore in FY24, according to data submitted by private FM radio operators to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
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