Mutual fund inflow falls 26% in February
SIP inflows in February 2025 fell to a three-month low of ₹25,999 crore, down from 26,400 crore in January and ₹26,459 crore in December, amid a market selloff.
Equity mutual fund inflows slumped 26% month-on-month to ₹29,303 crore
The number of SIP accounts stood at 10.16 crore, with 44.56 lakh new accounts opened and 54.70 lakh discontinued during the month.
Total AUM via SIPs declined to ₹12.38 lakh crore in February from ₹13.20 lakh crore in January due to mark-to-market losses.
SIP assets remained 19.2% of the industry’s total AUM, indicating stable retail participation despite short-term market fluctuations.
India’s inflation falls to 7-month low of 3.6%
India’s retail inflation dropped to 3.67% in February, the lowest in seven months, compared to 4.26% in January.
The decline is mainly due to falling food prices, which make up a significant portion of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Food inflation fell to 3.75% in February from 5.97% in January, the lowest since May 2023,
Vegetable inflation dropped sharply to 1.07% in February from 11.35% in January.
Cereal prices rose by 6.1% in February, slightly lower than January’s 6.24%, while pulse prices declined by 0.35%.
Rural inflation decreased to 3.79% from 4.59% in January. RBI expects further moderation in inflation, projecting 4.2% for FY26.
SEBI to introduce test for retailers before F&O entry
SEBI is considering a “suitability exercise” for retail traders entering F&O to ensure they are financially and intellectually prepared for derivatives trading.
Regulator may introduce a test to assess whether traders understand risks
An investor examination may be introduced to gauge knowledge of derivatives trading.
Previous F&O regulations introduced by SEBI on October 1, 2024, include:
Limiting weekly option expiries to one per exchange to curb speculation.
Mandatory upfront premium payments for option buyers.
Stricter intraday monitoring, with exchanges required to check positions at least four times daily.
Raising the minimum contract value for index derivatives to ₹15 lakh to enhance trading standards.
Sensex, Nifty ends week in red
335.05
2%
Indian markets continued to decline despite softer-than-expected retail inflation in February, as global trade tensions overshadowed domestic factors.
Nifty 50 fell 0.34% to 22,395, and Sensex dropped 0.23% to 73,856, both marking their second consecutive session of losses.
Financial stocks performed well, as February’s retail inflation dropped to 3.61%, fuelling expectations of a second RBI rate cut.
U.S. inflation eased to 2.8% in February, down from 3% in January, per U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Trade war tensions escalated, with Canada imposing 25% tariffs on $20 billion worth of U.S. goods,
while the EU announced counter-tariffs on $28.31 billion worth of U.S. imports starting next month.
Indian rupee ends at 87/$ on Thursday vs Wednesday’s close of 87.21/$.
Swiggy launch ‘festive handling SWIGGY charge’ of Rs 20
Swiggy Instamart has introduced a ‘festive handling charge’ for orders placed during the Holi week. The charge ranges from INR 8.5 to INR 20, depending on location.
This is Swiggy’s first surge fee equal to its platform fee, like other quick commerce platforms.
PAASBUSINESS NEW’S LAPRAS BUSINE
During Diwali 2023, Swiggy introduced a “festive season platform fee,” which later became a permanent feature.
USINE Instamart’s Q3 FY25 loss stood at INR 527.68 Cr, up 70% YoY, while revenue jumped 114% YoY to INR 576.50 Cr.
Bernstein reports that rising competition has delayed Blink it and Instamart’s breakeven by 12 months.
Temasek acquires 10% stake in Haldi ram
Temasek has agreed to acquire nearly a 10% stake in Haldiram’s snacks division for about $1 billion, highlighting. Global investors’ interest in India’s fast-growing food sector.
The deal follows competitive bidding, with Blackstone also making an offer for a 20% stake at a lower valuation.
This marks one of the largest transactions in India’s FMCG industry.
Haldiram’s promoters are considering an IPO within the next year, potentially leveraging India’s strong stock market to enhance the company’s financial position.
The company holds a 13% share of India’s $6.2 billion savoury snacks market.
In FY24, Haldi ram Foods International reported net sales of ₹4,551 crore ($550 million), with net profit rising to ₹597 crore ($72 million)
Flipkart launch new pricing policy for sellers
Flipkart has introduced a new settlement-based pricing policy where sellers set a ‘bank settlement price,’
But the platform determines the final listing price after discounts, taxes, and fees.
Some sellers claim the policy violates Indian FDI norms by potentially enabling Flipkart to influence product prices, which could lead to anti-competitive pricing.
Policy limits sellers’ ability to adjust prices based on demand, though they can opt out if they choose
Flipkart stated that the policy aims to increase seller profitability, reduce price fluctuations, and improve customer experience by lowering cancellations and returns.
This change comes amid increasing regulatory scrutiny of e-commerce pricing practices, with a past CCI probe finding Flipkart and Amazon in violation of competition laws.
Policy bazaar to invest ₹696 crore in healthcare business
PB Fintech Ltd., the parent of Policy bazaar, plans to invest ₹696 crore in its subsidiary, PB Healthcare Services, in the next financial year.
The investment aims to support operating expenses, enhance brand awareness, expand office presence, and drive strategic initiatives.
PB Fintech’s stake in PB Healthcare will increase to up to 33.63% on a fully diluted basis.
The investment, categorized as a related-party transaction, will be executed at fair value determined by a registered valuer.
The transaction is expected to be completed within 90 days of obtaining regulatory approvals.
Phone Pe hits 600 million user milestone
Phone Pe has reached 600 million registered users after adding over 100 million in the past 16 months.
The company has a merchant network of over 40 million and handles 330 million daily transactions, with an annualized total payment value (TPV) of over 150 lakh crores.
Phone Pe is preparing for a potential IPO after shifting its domicile back to India from si Singapore two years ago.
Despite losses, Phone Pe reduced its FY24 loss by 28.5% to ₹1,997 crore from ₹2,792 crore in FY23.
Revenue grew 74% year-on-year to ₹5,064 crore in FY24, and the group reported an adjusted PAT of ₹197 crore, compared to a 738-crore loss in FY23.
Vedanta repay $900 million high-cost loan
Vedanta Ltd repaid a $900 million high-cost Joan, using proceeds from its $1 billion June 2024 QIP and a new $350 million loan at a lower 9.6% interest rate.
The subsidiary, THL Zinc Ventures, originally took the loan in May 2023 at a 13.9% interest rate,
The move led to a net deleveraging of $550 million and reduced annual interest costs by $90 million.
Vedanta’s net debt-to-EBITDA ratio improved to 1.4x in Q3 FY25, down from 1.9x in Q1, with a target of 1x in the medium term.
Parent company Vedanta Resources Ltd (VRL) reduced its debt to $4.9 billion, the lowest in a decade.
In February, Vedanta raised ₹2,600 crore via unsecured NCDs at a 9.40-9.50% coupon rate.
Trump announce 50% tariff on Canadian steel
Donald Trump announced plans to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports from 25% to 50%, escalating trade tensions with Canada.
Trump justified the tariffs by calling Canada “one of the highest tariffing nations” and emphasized the need to bring wealth back to the US.
The announcement triggered a sharp stock market decline, with the S&P 500 falling 2.7%, erasing gains from his 2024 election victory.
Donald Trump acknowledged a possible “transition period” for the economy but insisted tariffs would encourage companies to relocate factories to the US.
Trump warn Russia over ceasefire deal
Trump warned Putin of severe economic sanctions if Russia rejects a ceasefire in Ukraine.
US negotiators are in Moscow discussing a 30-day ceasefire proposal accepted by Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that “devastating” sanctions were possible if Russia refused a ceasefire deal in Ukraine war but added: “I hope that’s not going to be necessary.”
Russian and Ukrainian forces continue intense battles, with Russia making territorial gains.
The US resumed military aid to Ukraine after the ceasefire proposal was agreed upon. Ukraine remains sceptical about Russia’s commitment to peace, with Zelensky stating that trust in Moscow is low.
EU announce €26B Tariffs on USA Goods
European Union is imposing countermeasures on new US tariffs on steel and aluminium, planning duties on €26 billion ($28.3 billion) worth of American goods,
The move follows the US administration’s 25% tariffs on European steel and aluminium, nearly four times the size of similar duties imposed during Trump’s first term.
Brussels has been preparing targeted retaliatory measures for months, focusing on politically sensitive US exports,
The dispute began in 2018 during Trump’s first term, leading to retaliatory EU tariffs on goods like Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Levi’s jeans.
A temporary truce in 2021 partially lifted US tariffs, but with the renewed trade conflict, suspended EU duties on $3 billion of US products could be reinstated soon.
Trump layoff 1,315 employees
US Department of Education is laying off 1,315 employees, reducing its workforce to just over half of what it was before Trump took office,
The layoffs affect entire teams deemed redundant but will not impact federal student aid, grants for special needs students, or civil rights investigations.
Out of 4,133 employees, 259 accepted deferred resignation, 313 took a $25,000 voluntary. buyout, and 2,183 will remain.
Fired employees will remain on administrative leave from March 21 until termination is completed on June 9, receiving full pay, benefits, and severance payments.
Trump plans no tax for people earning under $150,000/year
Donald Trump plans to eliminate federal income tax for individuals earning less than $150,000 (over 11.3 crore) per year.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed he is working to make this goal a reality.
Lutnick proposed additional tax cuts, including no tax on tips, overtime, and social security contributions.
Trump’s policies, including trade tariffs, are ‘worth it’ even if they lead to a recession, according to Lutnick.
Criticism on social media: Some argue tax burdens shouldn’t fall solely on high earners, while others warn it could incentivize people to reduce their earnings to qualify for tax exemption.
xAl valuation up 110% since Trump election win
While Tesla’s stock has declined nearly 50% since December, the valuations of Elon Musk’s privately held companies have surged in secondary markets.
Investors have increased the collective valuation of SpaceX, Neuralink. The Boring Company, and xAl by 45% since election.
xAl has seen the biggest gain, with its valuation surging 110% to around $96 billion in secondary markets, compared to recent fundraising talks valuing it at $75 billion.
Neuralink’s valuation has risen 25% since November 5, reaching approximately $9.32 billion.
The Boring Company is the only Musk-led private firm to see a decline, dropping 7.8% since the election.
Starlink announce partnership with Airtel
Bharti Airtel has signed an agreement with SpaceX to bring Starlink satellite internet to India.
Starlink will sell its services in India and explore collaborations with Airtel’s telecom infrastructure.
The agreement is subject to regulatory approval from Indian authorities.
The partnership aims to provide high-speed satellite internet to businesses, schools, health centres, and rural communities,
Airtel’s stock closed 1.93% higher at ₹1,661.20 after the announcement.
The network supports streaming, online gaming, and video calling through satellite connectivity.
Starlink
Jio has announced an agreement with SpaceX to offer Starlink internet services in India, a day after Airtel’s similar deal.
Starlink solutions will be available through Jio’s retail outlets and online storefronts.
Jio and Starlink aim to provide broadband services across the country, including rural and remote areas,
Jio will support customer service, installation, and activation of Starlink services.
Airtel also plans to sell Starlink equipment through its retail stores and integrate services into its telecom infrastructure.
Both Jio and Airtel’s agreements with Starlink remain subject to final regulatory approvals