Business

Consumer durables companies faced a tough first quarter of FY26 as weak demand for summer products weighed heavily on sales, according to a Union Bank of India Research report. The early onset of monsoon cut short the summer season, hitting the demand for cooling appliances like room air conditioners and air coolers, which saw more than 30 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in sales. Fans and refrigerators also recorded double-digit contraction.

With about 60 per cent of semiconductor output by the Asia-Pacific region, which continues to dominate global production, India is fast emerging as a key player. The country's semiconductor market, valued at USD 34.3 billion in 2023, is expected to triple to USD 100.2 billion by 2032, registering a CAGR of 20 per cent.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions have expanded significantly in 2025, both in terms of value and volumes, according to a report by SBI.

India needs a fully homegrown dominant UPI app to truly leverage data rather than remain dependent on foreign-grown payment platforms, according to a report by the State Bank of India (SBI).

Indian stock markets opened with a strong rally on Monday as investor sentiment improved following the government's announcement of GST cuts and the sovereign rating upgrade for India by S&P Global.

The three-year safeguard duty on steel imports by Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) could cripple the auto, engineering, and construction sectors by pushing up input costs and squeezing downstream users, stated a report by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).