Oil prices inched higher on the first trading day of 2026 after logging their steepest annual decline since 2020, as fresh geopolitical risks resurfaced in global energy markets.Brent crude futures rose 14 cents to $60.99 a barrel by 0146 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 14 cents to $57.56 a barrel.The modest…
Prediction market traders on Polymarket are tipping 21% odds of Bitcoin hitting $150,000 this year, despite man analysts seeing 2026 as a belated bull year for Bitcoin. According to the current market on “what price will Bitcoin hit before 2027?,” Polymarket shows 45% odds of Bitcoin reaching $120,000, a price point below its all-time high….
A tiger appeared without warning, gliding like a shadow along the forest edge as a boat drifted through the Periyar waters. For a 13-year-old boy visiting Kerala in 1957, the moment was electrifying. Wildlife then was not something confined to sanctuaries; it was visible, immediate, woven into everyday landscapes. That fleeting encounter stayed with Romulus…
MUMBAI: UPI payments closed 2025 at a new high extending the steady gains seen through the year. UPI transactions grew 5.7% to 2,163 crore in Dec over the previous month, while payments value climbed 6.3% to nearly Rs 28 lakh crore. The previous high was in Oct with 2,070 crore transactions worth Rs 27.3 lakh…
CHENNAI: Battery electric vehicle penetration in India’s two-wheeler and passenger vehicle segments lost momentum in 2025 after the reduction in GST rates for petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles from Oct, even as EV volumes saw healthy growth for the year. The narrowed price gap between internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and EVs after GST reduction led…
Top stocks to buy (AI image) Stock market recommendations: According to Bajaj Broking Research, the top stock picks for January 2, 2026 are Canara Bank, and Nykaa. Here’s its view on Nifty and Bank Nifty:Index View: NiftyNifty is expected to remain range-bound with an upward bias, oscillating within the 25,700–26,300 corridor in the near term….
KOLKATA: Former Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh escalated tensions within the party after Wednesday’s meeting with Union minister Amit Shah, questioning the electoral utility of “mandir-masjid politics” and taking veiled digs at “recent entrants” to the state unit.“Mandir-masjid issues do not impact poll results,” Ghosh said Thursday, citing BJP’s loss in Faizabad LS constituency in…
NEW DELHI: The withdrawal of GST compensation cess on cigarettes from next month will be matched by an increase in excise, and pan masala will face a health and national security cess. While govt had announced the changes earlier, the date for the tax rejig, from Feb 1, was notified late Wednesday, sending cigarette stocks…
MUMBAI: Soon, banks will be able to independently sponsor funds for managing National Pension System (NPS) assets, as PFRDA on Thursday approved in principle a framework that seeks to remove regulatory constraints that had thus far limited banks’ participation in the pension fund management business. “PFRDA board has approved, in principle, a framework to permit…
MUMBAI: Deposit outflows during the first half of Dec, which was largely attributed to tax payments, widened the gap between credit offtake and deposit accretion at scheduled banks, highlighting a growing structural imbalance in the system. According to RBI data, on a year-on-year basis, deposit growth continued to lag credit expansion during the fortnight ended…
