Petrol, diesel prices hiked by Rs 3/litre after elections as crude costs bite

16/05/2026
new delhi, may 15: Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by Rs 3 per litre each on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses of fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices. The increase comes 16 days after assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Fuel prices had remained unchanged through the polling period despite a sharp rise in international oil prices triggered by the West Asia conflict. Petrol price was hiked to Rs...

Stock markets close lower as weak rupee, inflation fears after fuel price hike weigh on sentiment

16/05/2026
mumbai, may 15: Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty surrendered early gains to close lower on Friday due to selling in metal, oil & gas and PSU bank shares and caution among investors amid surging crude oil prices. The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 160.73 points, or 0.21 per cent, to settle at 75,237.99, after swinging between gains and losses during the session. The benchmark had rallied nearly 470 points in early trade before losing momentum. The 50-share NSE Nifty settled lower by 46.1...

Neolite ZKW Lightings, SS Retail, Aspri Spirits get Sebi’s go-ahead to float IPOs

16/05/2026
new delhi, may 15: Neolite ZKW Lightings, SS Retail and Aspri Spirits have secured Sebi’s approval to raise over Rs 1,200 crore collectively through initial public offerings (IPOs), an update with the regulator showed on Friday. The three companies, which filed their preliminary IPO papers in December, obtained Sebi’s observations during May 6-14. In Sebi’s parlance, obtaining observations is equivalent to securing approval to float public offering. Automotive lighting products maker Neolite...

India, UK working on ‘creative solution’ on steel issue to operationalise trade pact soon: Commerce Secy

16/05/2026
new delhi, may 15: India and the UK are working on a “unique and creative solution” to address issues arising from Britain’s recent steel safeguard measure so that the proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) can be operationalised at an early date, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Friday. "On the India, UK FTA we are very near to operationalising that, there are few sticking points as you are aware. UK has come ahead with the steel measure recently, which we had not...

Gold imports jump 82 pc to USD 5.62 bn in April; silver by 157 pc

16/05/2026
new delhi, may 15: India's gold imports surged 81.69 per cent year-on-year to USD 5.62 billion in April, driven by high prices of the precious metal, though imports may decline in the coming months following the government's sharp increase in customs duty on the yellow metal. According to the commerce ministry data, silver imports jumped 157.16 per cent to USD 411 million during the month under review. Gold imports rose 24 per cent to hit an all-time high of USD 71.98 billion in 2025-26. In v...

Retail inflation may rise to 5.1% in current fiscal from 2% in last fiscal: Crisil

16/05/2026
new delhi, may 15: Retail inflation in India is expected to rise to 5.1 per cent in the current fiscal year as higher wholesale prices, elevated crude oil costs and a weakening rupee increase pressure on consumer prices, according to a report by Crisil. The report stated that the recent sharp rise in wholesale inflation, mainly due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, could gradually pass on to consumers in the form of higher retail prices. It stated, "We expect retail inflation to print higher...

Rupee settles at record low of 95.73 against US dollar

15/05/2026
mumbai, may 14: The rupee weakened further and fell to a record low of 95.73 (provisional) against the US dollar on Thursday, amid a strong dollar and worries over inflation amid elevated energy prices. Forex traders said the rupee is expected to trade with a negative bias amid inflation concerns and the strength of the US dollar in the overseas market. The West Asia crisis and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted crude petroleum imports into India. Also, the sharp rise in crud...

India bans sugar exports till Sept 30; exemptions for EU, US quotas

15/05/2026
new delhi, may 14: India has banned the export of sugar till September 30 this year with immediate effect, a move which would help enhance domestic availability and contain prices. Earlier the exports were under a restricted category, under which a licence was required for the outbound shipments. “The export policy of Sugar (Raw Sugar, White Sugar and Refined Sugar)... is amended from 'Restricted' to 'Prohibited' with immediate effect till September 30, 2026, or until further orders, whicheve...

India’s wholesale inflation rises to 8.30% in April as crude, fuel prices spike

15/05/2026
new delhi, may 14: India’s wholesale price inflation index (WPI) jumped to 8.30 per cent in April, from 3.88 per cent in March, primarily due to increase in prices of mineral oils, crude petroleum and natural gas, basic metals, other manufacturing and non-food articles. According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Thursday, the price index for power and fuel category increased by 18.22 per cent to 181.7 in April 2026 from 153.7 in March 2026, majorly due to higher pri...

EU emerges as India’s third largest seafood export market in FY25-26, exports rise over 41%

15/05/2026
new delhi, may 14: The European Union (EU) emerged as the third-largest market for Indian seafood exports, accounting for 18.94 per cent of total export value, worth USD 1.593 billion during the fiscal year 2025-26, as per the statement issued by the Commerce Ministry on Thursday. Exports to the EU recorded significant growth over 2024-25, with export value rising by 41.45 per cent and quantity by 38.29 per cent. Farmed shrimp continued to constitute the major share of exports to the region. A...

Mutual fund equity AUM hits all-time high of Rs 39.1 trillion in April 2026: Report

15/05/2026
new delhi, may 14: The mutual fund industry’s total assets under management (AUM) rose 11.1 per cent month-on-month to Rs 81.9 trillion in April 2026, while equity AUM increased 11.4 per cent month-on-month to an all-time high of Rs 39.1 trillion, according to Motilal Oswal Financial Services’ latest report. The report noted that net equity inflows moderated to Rs 431 billion in April 2026 from Rs 485 billion in March 2026. Sales of equity schemes declined 14.3 per cent month-on-month to Rs 87...

Sensex jumps nearly 790 pts on buying in telecom, banking shares

15/05/2026
mumbai, may 14: Stock markets rose for the second consecutive day on Thursday with the benchmark Sensex jumping by nearly 790 points in a volatile session, driven by value buying in telecom, pharma and private banking shares. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 789.74 points, or 1.06 per cent, to close at 75,398.72. The index opened higher but slipped into negative territory in late morning deals. However, value buying in telecom and banking shares helped the barometer pare losses and later jump ...

Will start introducing India-specific models from 2028, to leverage on 2W biz: Honda Global CEO

15/05/2026
new delhi, may 14: Japanese auto major Honda Motor Co will start introducing models tailored for the Indian market from 2028 and leverage its two-wheeler business to upgrade customers to passenger vehicles as part of rebuilding its automobile business, company Global CEO Toshihiro Mibe said on Thursday. The company has positioned India along with North America and Japan as priority markets for its future growth strategy and will strategically allocate resources to these markets, Mibe, who is t...

Mittal to hand over reins of Airtel in next decade, desires Bharti Telecom regains 51% stake in co

15/05/2026
new delhi, may 14: Telecom czar Sunil Bharti Mittal plans to hand over the reins of Bharti Airtel in the next decade and desires that promoter firm Bharti Telecom regains over 50 per cent stake in the company. Owned by the Mittal family and Singtel Group, Bharti Telecom at present holds 40.47 per cent stake in Airtel. The promoter firms, including Bharti Telecom, the Mittal family holding firm Indian Continent Investment, the Singtel Group firm Pastel, and others jointly hold a 48.87 per cent...