SynopsisFD interest rate in December: State Bank of India has revised its fixed deposit interest rates, reducing them by 5 basis points for tenures between 2 to less than 3 years. General citizens will now earn 6.40%, while senior citizens will receive 6.90%. These changes place SBI's FD rates in comparison with those offered by HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Canara Bank. ...

Kondawar said the Nifty has seen a “roller-coaster ride” over the past 14 months, but current valuations appear more reasonable. “The Nifty is trading at close to 24 times earnings, which is near its long-term average. Over the next two years, the market is factoring in 10–12% EPS growth, but we genuinely feel there could be upside surprises,” he said.According to Kondawar, several sectors that have been under pressure are poised for a rebound. “Banking is long due for a pickup. Export-oriented sectors tha ...

Bankers said the move will delay margin recovery since they cannot cut deposit rates sharply due to stiff competition from alternative investment avenues such as mutual funds.Though the lending rate cut is lower than the 25-basis point repo rate cut announced by the RBI, it is likely to delay the recovery in bank NIMs, they said.On Friday, SBI cut its benchmark MCLR rate by five basis points across all tenures. The interest rate on its special Amrit Vrishti 444-day deposit scheme was also cut by 15 basis p ...

Market Capitalization Trends - The combined market capitalization of eight of India's ten most-valued companies fell by Rs 79,129.21 crore last week, reflecting a broadly weak trend in equities [4][6] - The BSE benchmark index dropped by 444.71 points, or 0.51%, during the same period [4][6] Major Losers - Bajaj Finance experienced the largest decline, with a market cap drop of Rs 19,289.7 crore, bringing its valuation to Rs 6,33,106.69 crore [4][6] - ICICI Bank followed closely, losing Rs 18,516.31 crore, resulting in a valuation of Rs 9,76,668.15 crore [4][6] - Other significant losses included Bharti Airtel (down Rs 13,884.63 crore to Rs 11,87,948.11 crore), State Bank of India (down Rs 7,846.02 crore to Rs 8,88,816.17 crore), Infosys (down Rs 7,145.95 crore to Rs 6,64,220.58 crore), TCS (down Rs 6,783.92 crore to Rs 11,65,078.45 crore), and HDFC Bank (down Rs 4,460.93 crore to Rs 15,38,558.71 crore) [4][6] Major Gainers - In contrast, Reliance Industries added Rs 20,434.03 crore to reach a market cap of Rs 21,05,652.74 crore, maintaining its position as India's most valuable company [5][6] - Larsen & Toubro also saw gains, increasing by Rs 4,910.82 crore to a valuation of Rs 5,60,370.38 crore [5][6] Company Rankings - The current ranking of India's most valuable companies is led by Reliance Industries, followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, TCS, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Infosys, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, and LIC [5][6]

Market Valuation Summary - The combined market valuation of eight of the top-10 most valued domestic firms decreased by ₹79,129.21 crore last week, with Bajaj Finance and ICICI Bank experiencing the largest declines [1] - The BSE benchmark index fell by 444.71 points or 0.51 percent during the same period [1] Individual Company Performance - Bajaj Finance's market capitalization dropped by ₹19,289.7 crore to ₹6,33,106.69 crore [2] - ICICI Bank's valuation decreased by ₹18,516.31 crore to ₹9,76,668.15 crore [2] - Bharti Airtel's market capitalization fell by ₹13,884.63 crore to ₹11,87,948.11 crore [3] - State Bank of India's valuation diminished by ₹7,846.02 crore to ₹8,88,816.17 crore [3] - Infosys lost ₹7,145.95 crore, bringing its market valuation to ₹6,64,220.58 crore [3] - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) saw a decline of ₹6,783.92 crore to ₹11,65,078.45 crore [3] - HDFC Bank's market capitalization dipped by ₹4,460.93 crore to ₹15,38,558.71 crore [3] - Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) experienced a valuation erosion of ₹1,201.75 crore to ₹5,48,820.05 crore [3] Gainers in the Market - Reliance Industries' market capitalization increased by ₹20,434.03 crore to ₹21,05,652.74 crore, maintaining its position as the most valued firm [4] - Larsen & Toubro's valuation rose by ₹4,910.82 crore to ₹5,60,370.38 crore [4]

Market Overview - The BSE benchmark index declined by 444.71 points or 0.51 percent last week [1][7] - The combined market valuation of eight of the top-10 most valued domestic firms eroded by Rs 79,129.21 crore amid a largely bearish trend in equities [7] Company Valuations - Bajaj Finance's market capitalisation dropped by Rs 19,289.7 crore to Rs 6,33,106.69 crore [7] - ICICI Bank's valuation tumbled by Rs 18,516.31 crore to Rs 9,76,668.15 crore [4][7] - Bharti Airtel's market capitalisation tanked by Rs 13,884.63 crore to Rs 11,87,948.11 crore [5][7] - State Bank of India's valuation diminished by Rs 7,846.02 crore to Rs 8,88,816.17 crore [5][7] - Infosys lost Rs 7,145.95 crore from its market valuation, which stood at Rs 6,64,220.58 crore [6][7] - TCS's market capitalisation declined by Rs 6,783.92 crore to Rs 11,65,078.45 crore [6][7] - HDFC Bank's valuation dipped by Rs 4,460.93 crore to Rs 15,38,558.71 crore [6][7] - LIC's valuation eroded by Rs 1,201.75 crore to Rs 5,48,820.05 crore [6][7] - Reliance Industries' market capitalisation increased by Rs 20,434.03 crore to Rs 21,05,652.74 crore, maintaining its position as the most valued firm [7] - Larsen & Toubro added Rs 4,910.82 crore, taking its valuation to Rs 5,60,370.38 crore [6][7] Top Valued Firms - Reliance Industries remains the most valued firm, followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, TCS, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Infosys, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, and LIC [7]

This is a U turn of sorts for banks that were digitising almost every service possible, simplifying operations into a single-click. But the challenge of mule accounts and fraud attacks are forcing them to introduce physical checks into their digital onboarding processes.Lenders such as HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, Also Read: Financial fraudsters turning business accounts into mules for illicit fund transfersThe tightening of processes could also be related to the Reserve Bank of India imposing fines on b ...

Market Overview - Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced significant declines after two days of gains, driven by profit-taking among investors and continued selling by foreign investors [1][4] - The BSE Sensex fell by 609.68 points (0.71%) to close at 85,102.69, while the NSE Nifty dropped by 225.90 points (0.86%) to settle at 25,960.55 [4] Investor Sentiment - Analysts noted that investors adopted a defensive stance ahead of the US Federal Reserve's policy decision, which negatively impacted market sentiment [3][6] - Despite strong domestic growth figures and a recent rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), short-term sentiment is clouded by global monetary policy concerns, persistent foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows, and currency depreciation [8] Sector Performance - Among the Sensex constituents, several companies such as Bharat Electronics Ltd, Tata Steel, and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards, while Tech Mahindra and HDFC Bank were the only gainers [5] - The market saw a broad-based decline, with the Nifty slipping below the 26,000 mark as caution prevailed among investors [6] Foreign Investment Activity - Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth ₹438.90 crore, while domestic institutional investors purchased stocks worth ₹4,189.17 crore [9] Global Market Context - Other Asian markets showed mixed performance, with South Korea's KOSPI rising by 1.34% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index falling by 1.23% [9] - The surge in Japanese bond yields to multi-year highs raised concerns about potential unwinding of the yen carry trade, contributing to market volatility [8] Commodity Prices - Brent crude oil prices decreased by 0.61% to $63.37 per barrel, reflecting broader market trends [10]

Core Insights - The Indian rupee has depreciated past 90 to the dollar, marking a record low and making it Asia's worst-performing currency with a 5% decline this year [1][8] - Economists predict that the rupee's depreciation will persist, particularly if a US-India trade deal is not secured, with expectations of further weakening beyond 90 per dollar [8][6] Currency Performance - The rupee closed at 89.98 per dollar on December 3, 2023, and is expected to trade in the range of 89-91 by March 2026 if no trade deal is reached [1][8] - HDFC Bank forecasts the current account deficit (CAD) to widen to 1.1% of GDP in FY26, while IDFC First Bank projects a deeper deficit of 1.6%, compared to 0.6% in FY25 [5][8] Trade Deal Implications - A potential US-India trade deal is anticipated by the end of December, which could provide temporary support to the rupee, but any gains may be limited due to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) actions [6][8] - The ongoing 50% US tariff, which includes a 25% penalty on Russian oil imports, is expected to add approximately 0.3% of GDP to the FY27 CAD [4][8] Economic Outlook - The RBI has cut its policy rate by 25 basis points, but this is expected to have only a temporary effect on the currency, with trade deal outcomes and capital flows being the main drivers of currency performance [6][8] - Seasonal trends may provide some relief for the rupee in Q4 FY26, as the trade deficit narrows and the balance of payments may turn surplus [5][8] Inflation Impact - Economists do not foresee significant inflationary pressure from the rupee's weakness, attributing inflation more to food price trends and recent GST rationalization [7][9] - Core inflation may see some impact from gold and jewelry prices, but this is expected to be offset by lower food prices [9]

Over the same period, the BSE benchmark closed with a narrow rise of just 5.7 points, while the NSE Nifty slipped 16.5 points, reflecting the muted market mood. TCS delivered the biggest boost in absolute terms, strengthening its valuation by Rs 35,909.52 crore to reach Rs 11,71,862.37 crore. Infosys secured the second-largest growth of the week, adding Rs 23,404.55 crore and ending with a valuation of Rs 6,71,366.53 crore. Other companies that finished in the green included Bajaj Finance, whose market cap ...