Issue: 1157
India has 50 days of crude
stock; there are options beyond Strait of Hormuz: Govt sources amid Iran war: India is constantly monitoring
the evolving situation in West Asia with the ministry of petroleum and natural
gas concluding multiple meetings with Indian companies in the last 48 hours to
take stock of the situation and charting contingency plans, including alternative
regions for supply of crude oil, government sources aware of the development
said. India is comfortably
positioned with 50 days of crude oil and products stock amid the escalating
conflict in the Gulf and is constantly monitoring the unfolding situation,
sources said, dismissing concerns over shortage of energy requirements. The
rising tensions in West Asia has put India’s oil supplies at risk with around
40 percent of the country’s total monthly oil imports passing through the
Strait of Hormuz, a key passage between the Persian gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Government
sources said that India continues to be cautiously optimistic that it can take
domestic steps and diversify (sourcing) as the need arises. They noted that not
all supplies of oil come via the Strait of Hormuz.
(Moneycontrol)
Risk-off sentiment drags
rupee: The
rupee weakened over the last week, as global and domestic factors turned
adverse. The escalation of tensions involving the US, Israel and Iran has
sharply shifted the global risk sentiment, triggering a risk-off move across
markets. A key concern is the potential disruption of oil supplies through the
Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil
passes. Brent crude futures (now at $82/barrel) have risen about 14 per cent so
far this month and are up about 33 per cent year-to-date. Given India’s
dependence on oil imports, sustained strength in crude prices increases dollar
demand and exerts pressure on the rupee. The dollar has also
strengthened amid safe-haven flows, adding to the headwinds for emerging market
currencies. The dollar index, currently at 99, is up 2.3 per cent over the last
three weeks.
(Business Line)
State finances under
strain: Deficit rises, debt stays high: India’s State finances are showing signs of
renewed pressure, CareEdge report on Analysis of State Finances shows. After
staying below 3% for three years, fiscal deficit has risen to 3.3% of GSDP in
FY25. Debt levels remain high at around 28%, well above the recommended 20%
limit. Several large States such as Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan and Kerala face
both high debt and high deficits. Despite high debt, aggregate interest
payments have moderated to around 12% of revenue receipts, partly supported by
the Centre’s interest-free loans that reduced repayment pressure.
(Business Line)
Mutual funds
take a shine to bank stocks: The
banking sector’s robust health, signified by healthy credit growth, improving
asset quality, stable profitability and stake-buys by foreign banks and
institutions in private sector banks, has prompted mutual funds to increase
their weightage in the sector, leading to significant rise in their stakes in
various banks over the last one year. The banks in which MFs have increased
their shareholding by more than 1 per cent between December 2024 and December
2025 include AU Small Finance Bank (SFB), Axis Bank, Bandhan Bank, Equitas SFB,
Bank of Maharashtra, Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDFC First Bank,
Kotak Mahindra Bank, RBL Bank, South Indian Bank, State Bank of India and
Ujjivan SFB, according to data sourced from primeinfobase.com.
(Business Line)
CCI clears Central Bank’s
additional stake buy in Generali Central insurance ventures: The Competition Commission of
India has given its approval. Central Bank of India will acquire more shares in
Generali Central Insurance Company and Generali Central Life Insurance Company.
This follows the bank's recent consolidation of its stake in these joint
ventures. The companies operate together under the Generali Central brand. This
move strengthens the bank's position in the insurance sector.
(Economic Times)
On a War-footing:
Reinsurers move to rework marine, aviation policies as West Asia tensions rise: Reinsurers are reassessing
war-risk exposure across marine hull and cargo, and aviation policies as West
Asian tensions rise, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, which carries
about 20% of global oil flows and is now viewed as a high-risk combat zone. Global
reinsurers are reviewing war risk insurance for ships and planes due to rising
tensions in West Asia. Strait of Hormuz is now seen as a high-risk combat zone.
Premiums for war risk are expected to increase significantly. Some hull
policies have already been cancelled or repriced. Cargo policies are still
under review.
(Economic Times)
State-run banks rolling out
GCC, AI road map under EASE 9.0 reforms: Public sector
banks will roll out a global capability centre (GCC) strategy in FY27 and
prepare a capacity-building roadmap. SBI, which set up the first GCC among
state-run lenders earlier this year, will take the lead, said people familiar
with the developments. Banks are also expected to assess active-active data
centre models for inclusion in their five-year business plans. Banks will also develop advanced technology like AI
stacks and blockchain. This move aims to modernize lenders and improve
productivity. India's BFSI GCCs are projected for significant growth by 2032.
(Economic Times)
Dow drops 1.8% as global
stocks slide, oil leaps as Iran war intensifies: A sell-off for stocks is slamming Wall Street
after careening from Europe and Asia, and oil prices are leaping even higher as
rise that the war with Iran is widening and may do more sustained damage to the
economy than feared. The S&P 500 dropped 1.6 per cent in early trading on
Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 880 points, or 1.8 per cent ,
and the Nasdaq composite lost 1.8 per cent. Crude oil prices jumped more than 8
per cent as Iran struck the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia, part of a widening of
targets that's also including areas critical to the world's oil and natural gas
production. Treasury yields rose.
(Business Standard)
Trump threatens to cut trade with Spain over lack of support on Iran attack: President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to end trade with Spain, citing a lack of support over the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and the European nation's resistance to increase its Nato spending. "We're going to cut off all trade with Spain," Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "We don't want anything to do with Spain." The US president's comments came a day after Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said his country would not allow the US to use the bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the United Nations' charter.
(Business Standard)
India, Canada sign 5-year
MoU to boost agri-food research cooperation: India and Canada strengthened
bilateral cooperation in the agri-food sector with the signing of a five-year
Memorandum of Understanding between the National Institute of Food Technology
Entrepreneurship and Management-Kundli (NIFTEM-K) and the University of
Saskatchewan (USask). The MoU provides for joint
research projects, online teaching and training programmes, faculty and student
exchanges, integrated degree programmes in Food Processing Technology, and
industry-oriented short courses. It also envisages collaborative funding
proposals, seminars and workshops aimed at advancing innovation, sustainable
food systems, food security and value-chain development.
(Business Standard)
Centre aiming to quadruple
intake of foreign students in India by 2030: The Centre is aiming to quadruple the yearly
intake of international students in Indian educational institutions to 200,000
by 2030 from around 50,000 currently. This comes as the government aims to
market India as a transnational education hub, offering policy certainty and
geopolitical stability to students. “The government has intensified its Study
in India programme and is working closely with universities and states to
achieve this goal,” said an official with the Department of Higher Education.
(Business Standard)
Irdai proposes April 2026
shift to Ind AS with parallel reporting phase: The Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India (Irdai) on Tuesday issued a consultation paper
outlining the proposed transition of insurers to Indian Accounting Standards (Ind
AS) from the current Indian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (Igaap)
framework, with implementation slated for April 1. The move aims to align
financial reporting for insurers with global best practices under International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Insurers now follow a regulatory
accounting framework prescribed under the Insurance Act, 1938, and Irdai
regulations, even as most listed companies and large non-banking financial
companies have migrated to Ind AS.
(Business Standard)
NAGGING
· A
dark pattern practice due to which a user is disrupted and annoyed by repeated and persistent
interactions, in the form of requests, information, options, or interruptions,
to effectuate a transaction and make some
commercial gains, unless specifically permitted by the user.
·
For example; Repeatedly asking
the customer to enable non-essential cookies on website / mobile application
despite the customer having refused earlier. Inserting multiple dialogue boxes
(e.g., for seeking reviews) and asking the customer to mandatorily select an
option before allowing him / her to leave
the application / website.
RBI KEY RATES
Repo
Rate: 5.25%
SDF:
5.00%
MSF
/Bank Rate: 5.50%
CRR:
3.00%
SLR:
18.00%
FOREX RATES (RBI REF. RATE)
INR
/ 1 USD : 91.4514
INR
/ 1 GBP : 122.4499
INR
/ 1 EUR : 107.3920
INR
/100 JPY: 58.2600
EQUITY INDEX
Sensex: 80238.85 (-1048.34)
NIFTY: 24865.70 (-312.95)
Bnk NIFTY: 59839.65 (-689.35)
National Safety Day: National Safety
Day is celebrated in India on March 4 every year. It is a day dedicated to
promoting safety awareness and reducing the number of accidents that occur in
the workplace and other areas of daily life.
Historical events: 4th March holds
significant historical importance, marked by the 1961 commissioning of India's
first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, and the 1951 inauguration of the first
Asian Games in New Delhi. It is also celebrated as National Safety Day in
India. Globally, it is known for the 1789 commencement of the US government
under the Constitution and the 1975 knighting of Charlie Chaplin.
****Have a nice Day****
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