US retail sales rose 0.6 per cent in February after a slight decline in January, signalling cautious consumer activity even before a sharp surge in fuel prices triggered by the Iran war, according to AP.Data released by the Commerce Department showed retail sales rebounded from a 0.1 per cent drop in January, beating expectations. However,…
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty ended nearly 2 per cent higher on Wednesday, starting the new financial year on a firm footing as global markets rallied on hopes of a potential de-escalation in the ongoing West Asia conflict.The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 1,186.77 points or 1.65 per cent to settle at 73,134.32. During intra-day…
Gold prices in India remained firm on Wednesday tracking gains in the futures market, even as retail rates across cities showed an upward trend.On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold futures continued to trade higher with all major contracts posting gains. The June 5, 2026 contract was trading at Rs 1,52,113 per 10 grams, up…
Reserve Bank of India (File photo) With the beginning of the new financial year, India’s digital payments landscape is poised for a major security overhaul as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rolls out stricter authentication norms from April 1.The move comes in response to rising transaction volumes and increasing fraud risks. RBI aims to…
Top 10 changes to your finances (AI image) It’s the start of a new financial year 2026-27, and from today, April 1, 2026 several small and big changes in the way you manage your finance, and income tax come into effect. Some of the changes affect credit card users, FASTag subscribers, RuPay debit cardholders. Here…
Representative image (AI-generated) With the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupting global oil supplies, several Asian countries are turning to Russian oil to fill the gap caused by the Iran war.Energy-starved nations in the region are taking advantage of US sanction waivers to secure Russian crude, Bloomberg reported. The Philippines recently received its first…
Since the onset of the geopolitical tensions, the currency has declined by roughly 4%. (AI image) Will the US-Iran war lead to the rupee hitting the 100 per dollar mark? Experts are of the view that a prolonged Middle East conflict may lead to the rupee depreciating even more with policy measures unlikely to offer…
European Union energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen warned that amid the ongoing Iran war, oil and gas prices in Europe are unlikely to return to normal levels anytime soon, even if peace were declared tomorrow.Skyrocketing energy costs have pushed gas prices up by about 70% and oil prices by 60% in Europe since the conflict began.“What…
Representative image (AI-generated) Oil prices rose on Wednesday, with Brent crude climbing above the $100 per barrel mark and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also gaining sharply.Brent crude rose by 0.63 per cent to $104.63 per barrel. WTI crude rose by 0.95% to $102.34 per barrel, while WTI futures for June rose 46 cents,…
Asian shares rallied in early trade on Wednesday after hopes grew that the Iran war could end soon.MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose by 2.7%, while South Korea’s Kospi surged as much as 5.5% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 3.9%.The gains came after US President Donald Trump said that the United States…