'Whether I am optimistic or pessimistic is not the issue; I am just going by the evidence available.' 'The Indian economy and financial sector are now well-placed and very resilient in dealing with any kind of spillover coming from the external world.'

India's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector grew 5.7 per cent by value and 4.1 per cent by volume in the July-September quarter driven by rural demand, consumer intelligence firm NielsenIQ said in its quarterly update on Thursday. Price-led growth stood at 1.5 per cent. According to NielsenIQ data, rural volume growth outpaced urban markets for the third straight quarter despite consumption softening in both regions.

Stock markets closed lower for the second straight day on Friday amid relentless foreign fund outflows and losses in blue-chip stocks Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and State Bank of India. Benchmark BSE Sensex declined by 55.47 points or 0.07 per cent to settle at 79,486.32. During the day, it tanked 424.42 points or 0.53 per cent to 79,117.37.

Tata Power's Q2FY25 reported results were above consensus despite challenges like low plant availability at Mundra and Odisha discom operations affected by rain. A positive development for the power major included module manufacturing hitting nearly 100 per cent capacity utilisation. The Board has approved an investment proposal for a 1GW pumped storage project (PSP).

India's export of fuels like diesel to the European Union jumped 58 per cent in the first three quarters of 2024, with a bulk of them likely coming from refining discounted Russian oil, according to a monthly tracker report. The EU/G7 countries in December 2022 introduced a price cap and an embargo on the imports of Russian crude oil in a bid to cripple Kremlin's revenue and create a vacuum in its funding for the invasion of Ukraine.

Equity mutual funds witnessed a record inflow of Rs 41,887 crore in October, marking a surge of over 21 per cent on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, fuelled by robust investments in thematic funds. This also marks the 44th consecutive month of net inflow in the equity-oriented funds, highlighting the ever-increasing appeal of mutual funds among investors, data with the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) showed on Monday.

The stock of the country's largest plastic pipe maker Supreme Industries has shed 22 per cent since its highs in October. The September quarter results were below expectations as the volatility in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin prices led to a major destocking across the trade channel.

Retail investors have become a force to reckon with in the last 10 years with their ownership of Indian equities rising 800 basis points, or 8 per cent, to 23.4 per cent during this period, suggests a recent note from Morgan Stanley. This number, Morgan Stanley said, is set to rise in the next few years as Indian households are still underinvested in equities. India's demographics, policy framework, investor education and modest positive real rates, it said, will fuel the 'equity cult' in India.

The Foundation for Excellence Scholarship for Technical Courses 2024-25 programme provides financial assistance to meritorious students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who aspire to pursue undergraduate degrees in engineering, medicine or law.

The National Institute of Design (NID) is inviting applications for Design Aptitude Test (DAT) for its Bachelor of Design (BDes) and Master of Design (MDes) programmes.

Whenever tenures of army chiefs were extended in the recent past, prime ministers were subsequently eased out of office by the same army chief, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.

When SUSAN MUTHALALY decided to try Baby-Led Weaning and relinquish control of mealtimes to her seven-month-old, she was amazed at his adventurous palate

Thekkae Theruvu Malika witnesses several landmark events in the history of Travancore

From serving traditional meals in car parks to packaging coffee decoction, the city’s wedding caterers are finding innovative ways to power through the COVID-19 crisis

Acclaimed Swiss light artist, Gerry Hofstetter’s first ever light art show in India is at the Embassy of Switzerland in Delhi this evening and another one for school children on October 29

U Valli, a senior fisherwoman from Kasimedu, makes meen kozhambu and the elaborate thithippu that is specific to fisher families

'Varun was so exhilarated with the intense physical action sequences.'

IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Wednesday.

Young striker Sangita Kumari scored a brace as defending champions India defeated Malaysia 4-0 to open their campaign at the women's Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament on a confident note in Rajgir, Bihar on Monday.

Arjun Deshwal capped off an exceptional solo performance to lead Jaipur Pink Panthers to a 39-32 win over Bengaluru Bulls in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in Noida on Tuesday.

SNOWPLUS, which recently raised $125 million, is seeking to grow in SE Asia, Europe and the US.

The post Vaping startup SNOWPLUS says unfazed by COVID-19, Beijing crackdown appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Qiming, which closed a $1.1 billion fund recently, will look for startups with "good fundamentals."

The post Qiming partner Helen Wong eyes capturing ‘rare gems’ in market downturn appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The BigBasket and Portea Medical promoter expects to see venture debt rising as an asset class in India.

The post Critical to conserve cash and ride out the storm, says GrowthStory’s K Ganesh appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The industry in China has begun to show signs of a pickup with a rise in bookings, Trip.com CEO Jane Jie Sun added.

The post China’s Trip.com CEO says primary challenge is to ensure cash flows this year appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Is India’s first IPO of a credit card issuer an opportunity with boundless prospects or a victim of arrested development?

The post SBI Cards betting on millennial-driven growth story in upcoming share sale appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Startups will be judged by what they are doing rather than what they might accomplish in a starry future.

The post How unicorns can no longer expand in perpetuity with others’ money appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The market might take one or two years to see the next batch of SMEs emerge.  

The post Vietnam 2020: Soaring valuations, weak SME deal flow may cloud prospects appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

At 24 per cent of Indonesia’s GDP, the country’s logistics costs are among the highest in Southeast Asia.

The post Current challenges in Indonesian logistics sector throw up opportunities appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Alibaba can’t be included in the stock connect programme linking Hong Kong with the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges at present.

The post Alibaba’s China disconnect a serious blow to Hong Kong appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

CFO Maggie Wu told investors that China's retail and local consumer businesses would be hit hardest.

The post How China’s coronavirus outbreak is bringing Alibaba to its knees appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The Japanese megabank and the Singapore-headquartered superapp get to plug gaps in their businesses.

The post How MUFG’s $700m investment in SoftBank-backed Grab is a three-way shared ride appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Eddie Thai, a Partner at 500 Startups, lists out specific tips for surviving in these tough times.

The post Guest Post: How to help your startup survive a pandemic appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The cost of protecting against the virus will fall disproportionately on the poor.

The post In India, the virus lockdown will turn into a $28b gig-loan buster appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

What may be happening to the value of a private-equity portfolio in the COVID-19 crisis?

The post Guest Post | ‘Nowcasting’ private equity in the coronavirus crisis appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Overall, if we can learn from history, there is a decent chance startups are in for a rough time ahead.

The post Guest Post | This is how much harder it is to raise capital during a downturn appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

General Motors Co is retreating from more markets outside of the United States and China.

The post General Motors to wind down Australia, NZ operations, sell Thai plant appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

A consortium that includes SMBC and Kasikornbank is providing debt funding for the project.

The post Nexif Energy secures funding for 92MW co-generation power project in Thailand appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Omise dominates in Thailand thanks to its extensive relationships, but other markets pose more of a challenge.

The post Thai fintech startup Omise is betting on blockchain to cash in on e-commerce growth appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Tentatively, parts of Europe are emerging from lockdown, with France and Belgium joining the list of countries easing measures on Monday, amid fears of a second coronavirus wave.

As France begins to lift its eight-week Covid-19 lockdown, the government is stepping up efforts to ‘protect, test and isolate’. But many still fear a second wave.  

As schools and businesses get set to reopen some citizens urge caution, wary of a spike in infections

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France is set to end eight weeks of strict lockdown as the government urged people to behave responsibly to avoid a sudden spike in coronavirus cases.

Hours before the national déconfinement there were reports of two new Covid-19 clusters in départments designated green – areas where the virus has largely stopped circulating and where most restrictions are being lifted.

Like man buns on scooters and ukulele busking, Covid-19 has now spread to the north from London – inspiring a coronavirus soapcom from our self-isolating comedy-writer

Up here in the north-west, we’re used to living in the slipstream of London’s sleek urban shenanigans. Whatever the cultural breakthrough – man buns on scooters, cashless ukulele busking, emotional support bees – it takes a while to reach the Lancaster and Morecambe Non-Metropolitan Area. If it ever does.

A Street Stranger Watch leads to a death and the appearance at midnight of the street’s original Victorian inhabitants

The anatomy of Downing Street is complicated. The prime minister doesn’t live at No 10, No 9 has become a power address since the Brexit vote, and then there’s the house at the end …

No 9: That’s the boring property next to the security gates on the west side of Whitehall, the one that TV news crews never bother to film because it leads a quiet life. All this may change now that it is set to become Brexit HQ, David Davis’s centre of Leave EU planning, or possibly of panic, plots and pique. No 9 used to be the office of the judicial committee of the privy council until that moved into the old Middlesex Guildhall along with the new-fangled supreme court in 2009. In recent years, it has been the office of the chief whip, though their official address remains No 12. But Davis, an old Whitehall hand, refused to be fobbed off with a base so far from Theresa May that it was almost in Wales. He has what he wants: his officials have a power address.

Related: Boris Johnson forced to share mansion with Liam Fox and David Davis

As he tussled with John Humphrys on Radio 4, the Labour leadership challenger sounded confident, articulate and human

Listening to the radio this morning I had an experience I realised I’d almost forgotten. It was the sound of a Labour politician being combatively quizzed on Radio 4 by Today’s John Humphrys in the key 8.10 spot and giving confident, articulate answers in return. When did I last hear that, I wondered?

What follows here isn’t a party political broadcast for Owen Smith. For the first time since Labour’s glittering leadership contest to succeed Harold Wilson in 1976 – Callaghan versus Healey, Foot, Crosland, Jenkins and Benn – he’s a leadership contender whom OAP Mike doesn’t really know.

Howard Green, who has died aged 91, was my first editor, a journalist of the old school who worked his way up from junior reporter at 15 to the board of Thomson Regional Newspapers (TRN) when it was a force in the British regional press.

In the mid-1960s he was a key player in the plans of his Canadian proprietor, Lord (Roy) Thomson of Fleet, to ring London with new evening papers, located on the emerging motorway network and printed on state-of-the-art web offset presses. With well-run local papers still profitable, the big idea was eventually to print and distribute Fleet Street newspapers away from the clutches of its famously disruptive unions.