Analysis

Why foreign funds are buying Indian banks again

After five weeks of selling, overseas investors have put ₹6,500 crore into financials in a fortnight, drawn by cheaper valuations and steady bad-loan numbers.

By Ananya Rao

FII net flows into financials, ₹ crore a week

Source: NSDL

Exclusive

Tata Motors to fix its demerger record date on Tuesday

By Karan Mehta

Explained

What an RBI hold on Wednesday means for your loan and FD

By Farah Siddiqui

Policy

RBI likely to hold rates at 5.50%, say 14 of 16 economists

By Meera Iyer

Markets · Lead

Sensex gains 412 points as banks lead a broad rally ahead of RBI policy

Private lenders added the most to the index after strong quarterly numbers, while foreign investors turned net buyers for a third straight session.

By Rohit Kulkarni and Sana Sheikh in Mumbai · Updated 4:10 pm

Markets at close

Markets →

Sensex	81,642.30	+0.51%
Nifty 50	24,906.75	+0.48%
Bank Nifty	53,214.10	+0.92%
Midcap 100	57,310.45	+0.31%
Nifty IT	41,870.55	−0.36%
USD/INR	84.21	−0.05%

Latest

10:00 amGST collections cross ₹1.94 lakh crore as festive buying lifts October

7:45 amWhy the RBI is expected to sit tight on Wednesday

6:00 amPetrol and diesel prices stay unchanged for a 19th month

6:00 pmIndian shares trail global peers in 2026 despite an October recovery

5:10 pmCalls pile up at 25,000 as traders bet on a breakout

4:42 pmSEBI proposes tighter rules for finfluencers on paid tips

3:40 pmDemat accounts cross 19 crore as young investors pile in

3:02 pmCoal India output falls 3% as rains slow mining

Markets

Data story

Indian shares trail global peers in 2026 despite an October recovery

The Nifty is up just 5% this year in rupee terms, behind Japan, the US and most large emerging markets.

By Rohan Nair

World markets at close

Dow Jones	43,812	+0.34%
Nasdaq	19,640	−0.21%
Nikkei 225	39,605	+0.72%
Hang Seng	20,410	−0.55%

Source: Exchanges

FII net flows into financials, ₹ crore a week

Source: NSDL

Last six listings, day-one gain

Pixel Health

+54%

Vardhan Tech

+38%

Orbit Travels

+21%

Coastal Gas

+12%

Shree Cables

+3%

Indus Retail

−6%

Source: NSE, BSE

Derivatives

Calls pile up at 25,000 as traders bet on a breakout

By Nikhil Shah

IPO

Hospital chain Sahyadri prices its ₹2,100 crore issue at a discount to listed peers

By Kavya Bhat

SEBI proposes tighter rules for finfluencers on paid tips

By Karan Mehta

Demat accounts cross 19 crore as young investors pile in

By Pooja Desai

Rupee ends flat at 84.21

By Siddharth Rao

Bond yields edge up before the RBI meets

By Meera Iyer

Kaveri Agritech IPO subscribed 42.6 times

By Kavya Bhat

Economy and policy

Economy · Data

GST collections cross ₹1.94 lakh crore as festive buying lifts October

Collections rose 9.1% from a year ago, the fastest pace since April. Imports of electronics and gold made up a third of the rise.

By Meera Iyer in New Delhi

Gross GST collections, ₹ lakh crore a month

Source: Finance Ministry

Repo rate since February 2025, %

Source: RBI

RBI preview

Why the RBI is expected to sit tight on Wednesday

By Meera Iyer

Manufacturing

Factory activity hits a 16-month high as export orders return

By Siddharth Rao

Exports rise 6% as electronics shipments jump

By Siddharth Rao

Fiscal deficit at 38% of the full-year target by September

By Meera Iyer

Vegetable prices push October inflation estimate to 3.4%

By Tanvi Joshi

Urban jobless rate falls to 6.4% in the latest survey

By Tanvi Joshi

Dealers see the rupee testing 85 if the Fed holds

By Siddharth Rao

Banking and finance

Q2 scorecard

Loans outpace deposits for a sixth quarter, and banks are paying for it

Lenders are raising bulk deposit rates and leaning on certificates of deposit to fund growth, which is squeezing margins at mid-sized private banks.

By Aditi Ghosh in Mumbai

Credit and deposit growth, % a year

Source: RBI

September quarter scorecard, year on year

Bank	Loans	Profit	Gross NPA
HDFC Bank	+9.0%	+16.2%	1.33%
ICICI Bank	+11.5%	+14.1%	1.97%
SBI	+12.4%	+10.6%	1.83%
Kotak Bank	+13.2%	+9.8%	1.49%
Axis Bank	+8.1%	+6.2%	1.44%
Bank of Baroda	+11.0%	−2.4%	2.26%

Source: Company filings

Scorecard

September quarter scorecard: how the big banks did

By Rahul Verma

NBFCs

Gold loan companies post record disbursals as prices climb

By Aditi Ghosh

Bajaj Finance assets under management cross ₹4.1 lakh crore

By Rahul Verma

RBI tightens rules on unsecured gig-worker loans

By Aditi Ghosh

LIC raises its stake in four state-run banks

By Rahul Verma

Credit card spends touch ₹2.1 lakh crore in the festive month

By Neha Kapoor

UPI handles 20.7 billion payments in October, a new high

By Neha Kapoor

Startups and venture capital

Venture capital

Funding rises for a second quarter as fintech and climate deals return

Startups raised $3.8 billion between July and September, the most in two years. Late-stage rounds are still scarce, and investors are writing smaller, slower cheques.

By Kabir Malhotra in Bengaluru

Startup funding, $ billion a quarter

Source: FinanceBharat funding tracker

Where the money went, Q3 2026

Fintech 34%Climate 22%Consumer 18%Others 26%

Source: FinanceBharat funding tracker

Data

Fintech takes a third of all startup money as climate rounds double

By Ishita Rao

Seed rounds fall to a three-year low as angels pull back

By Ishita Rao

Quick commerce startups raise $600 million in a month

By Kabir Malhotra

GIFT City funds become the new route for foreign VC money

By Ishita Rao

Founders

Founders turn to venture debt as growth rounds stay scarce

By Kabir Malhotra

Two Bengaluru unicorns take lower valuations in new rounds

By Ishita Rao

Family offices are now writing bigger cheques than VCs

By Ishita Rao

Auto

Monthly sales

Car makers post their best October on record, and SUVs are 6 of every 10 sold

Dealers received 4.1 lakh passenger vehicles, up 11% from a year ago. Mahindra gained the most share, while hatchback sales fell for a ninth month.

By Arjun Menon in Chennai

Passenger vehicle sales by maker, October

Maruti Suzuki

1,82,400

Mahindra

54,200

Hyundai

52,800

Tata Motors

48,900

Toyota

28,600

Kia

24,100

Source: Company filings

Electric share of car sales, %

Source: VAHAN

Electric

Electric cars cross 5% of sales for the first time

By Arjun Menon

Two-wheelers

Scooter and bike sales hit a five-year festive high as rural buyers return

By Sneha Pillai

Hero MotoCorp to launch two electric scooters by March

By Sneha Pillai

Truck sales slow as freight rates soften

By Arjun Menon

Tractor sales up 14% on a good monsoon

By Sneha Pillai

Energy and power

Renewables

India adds a record 9.2 GW of solar in a quarter as Rajasthan parks come online

Large parks in Bikaner and Jaisalmer made up half the additions. Developers say transmission lines, not panels, are now the main hold-up.

By Vikram Desai in Jaipur

Solar capacity added, gigawatts a quarter

Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Fuel prices in Delhi today

Fuel	Price	Change
Petrol, litre	₹94.77	no change
Diesel, litre	₹87.67	no change
CNG, kg	₹76.09	+₹1.00
LPG, 14.2 kg	₹853.00	no change

Source: Indian Oil

Fuel prices

Petrol and diesel prices stay unchanged for a 19th month

By Rhea Banerjee

Oil and gas

Cheaper crude could save India $9 billion on its import bill

By Rhea Banerjee

Coal India output falls 3% as rains slow mining

By Rhea Banerjee

Peak power demand eases to 219 GW

By Vikram Desai

Rooftop solar scheme crosses 20 lakh homes

By Vikram Desai

Adani Green and NTPC win 4 GW in the latest auction

By Rhea Banerjee

Tech

IT services

Big IT firms add staff again as AI deals start to pay

Three of the five largest companies grew headcount in the September quarter, the first net hiring in six quarters. Freshers are back on campus, though in smaller batches.

By Divya Raman in Bengaluru

Net headcount change, July to September

TCS

+5,370

Infosys

+2,480

HCLTech

+1,140

Tech Mahindra

−920

Wipro

−1,620

Source: Company filings

GCCs

Homes sold, July to September

Mumbai region

38,200

Pune

19,400

Bengaluru

16,800

Delhi NCR

15,100

Hyderabad

12,600

Chennai

6,300

Kolkata

4,200

Source: FinanceBharat analysis of property consultant data

Offices

Industry

Consumer

Villages outspend cities on soaps and snacks for a third quarter

By Ritu Agarwal

FMCG volume growth, %

Source: Industry data

Source: Pharmexcil

Bharti Airtel

₹245

Reliance Jio

₹209

Vodafone Idea

₹177

Source: Company filings

IndiGo 64%Air India group 27%Akasa 5%Others 4%

Source: DGCA

Source: Agriculture Ministry

Source: IBJA

Source: AMFI

Dow Jones	43,812	+0.34%
Nasdaq	19,640	−0.21%
Nikkei 225	39,605	+0.72%
Hang Seng	20,410	−0.55%

Source: Exchanges

Investing

Why foreign funds are buying Indian banks again

Tata Motors to fix its demerger record date on Tuesday

What an RBI hold on Wednesday means for your loan and FD

RBI likely to hold rates at 5.50%, say 14 of 16 economists

Sensex gains 412 points as banks lead a broad rally ahead of RBI policy

Indian shares trail global peers in 2026 despite an October recovery

Calls pile up at 25,000 as traders bet on a breakout

Hospital chain Sahyadri prices its ₹2,100 crore issue at a discount to listed peers

SEBI proposes tighter rules for finfluencers on paid tips

Demat accounts cross 19 crore as young investors pile in

Rupee ends flat at 84.21

Bond yields edge up before the RBI meets

Kaveri Agritech IPO subscribed 42.6 times

GST collections cross ₹1.94 lakh crore as festive buying lifts October

Why the RBI is expected to sit tight on Wednesday

Factory activity hits a 16-month high as export orders return

Exports rise 6% as electronics shipments jump

Fiscal deficit at 38% of the full-year target by September

Vegetable prices push October inflation estimate to 3.4%

Urban jobless rate falls to 6.4% in the latest survey

Dealers see the rupee testing 85 if the Fed holds

Loans outpace deposits for a sixth quarter, and banks are paying for it

September quarter scorecard: how the big banks did

Gold loan companies post record disbursals as prices climb

Bajaj Finance assets under management cross ₹4.1 lakh crore

RBI tightens rules on unsecured gig-worker loans

LIC raises its stake in four state-run banks

Credit card spends touch ₹2.1 lakh crore in the festive month

UPI handles 20.7 billion payments in October, a new high

Funding rises for a second quarter as fintech and climate deals return

Fintech takes a third of all startup money as climate rounds double

Seed rounds fall to a three-year low as angels pull back

Quick commerce startups raise $600 million in a month

GIFT City funds become the new route for foreign VC money

Founders turn to venture debt as growth rounds stay scarce

Two Bengaluru unicorns take lower valuations in new rounds

Family offices are now writing bigger cheques than VCs

Car makers post their best October on record, and SUVs are 6 of every 10 sold

Electric cars cross 5% of sales for the first time

Scooter and bike sales hit a five-year festive high as rural buyers return

Hero MotoCorp to launch two electric scooters by March

Truck sales slow as freight rates soften

Tractor sales up 14% on a good monsoon

India adds a record 9.2 GW of solar in a quarter as Rajasthan parks come online

Petrol and diesel prices stay unchanged for a 19th month

Cheaper crude could save India $9 billion on its import bill

Coal India output falls 3% as rains slow mining

Peak power demand eases to 219 GW

Rooftop solar scheme crosses 20 lakh homes

Adani Green and NTPC win 4 GW in the latest auction

Big IT firms add staff again as AI deals start to pay

Global capability centres hire one in three tech freshers this year

Freshers' starting pay stays flat for a fourth year

Infosys raises its full-year revenue forecast

Dholera chip plant hires its first 800 engineers

Centre clears ₹4,000 crore subsidy for AI compute

Why mid-tier IT firms are winning the AI deals

Home sales in seven big cities rise 8% even as prices hit a record

Office leasing in Bengaluru and Hyderabad hits a record as GCCs expand

Highway building slows to 28 km a day, the lowest in five years

Bullet train viaduct crosses the 320 km mark

Navi Mumbai airport seeks bids for Terminal 2

Cement makers raise prices by ₹15 a bag

Industry

Villages outspend cities on soaps and snacks for a third quarter

HUL cuts prices on detergents as palm oil eases

Quick commerce orders rise 40% in the festive month

Drug exports head for a record year as US generic orders hold

Hospital chains raise room rates by up to 12%

US regulator clears two Hyderabad plants after inspections

Airtel now earns ₹245 a user each month after July's tariff rise

5G users cross 32 crore

Satellite internet licences issued to two more operators

Domestic flyers hit a festive record of 5.1 lakh a day

Akasa orders 40 more narrow-body jets

Air fares to the Gulf jump 30% ahead of the holidays

Kharif harvest set for a record 172 million tonnes

Wheat sowing runs 6% ahead of last year

Onion prices double in a month

Gold is up 31% in a year. Jewellers say buyers are switching to lighter pieces