Lenders are shovelling out gold loans as customers juice soaring gold prices, even as barriers rise in personal loans and credit cards. Banks handed out more gold loans than any other type of retail loan including home loans in FY26, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data available up to end-July showed. While they disbursed ₹70,675 crore of home loans, the figure for gold loans stood at ₹85,432 crore. The momentum is expected to pick up further, after banks were recently allowed to lend more against the precious ...

Core Insights - The introduction of new tariffs, including a baseline 10% tariff on all imports, is expected to significantly impact consumer prices across various sectors, including electronics and groceries [3] - Experts recommend proactive financial planning to mitigate the effects of potential price hikes due to tariffs, emphasizing the importance of emergency funds and debt management [2][8] Financial Strategies - **Emergency Fund**: It is advised to bolster emergency savings to cover three to six months of expenses, especially in light of potential inflation from tariffs [1] - **Debt Management**: Paying off high-interest debt is crucial, as rising costs may lead the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates, making variable-rate debts more expensive [4] - **Investment Diversification**: Investors are encouraged to diversify their portfolios with index funds and ETFs to manage market volatility caused by trade wars and tariffs [5] - **Certificates of Deposit (CDs)**: CDs currently offer rates above 4.00%, which may become more attractive if interest rates rise due to tariffs [6] - **Timing Major Purchases**: Consumers are advised to consider making significant purchases sooner rather than later to avoid potential price increases on imported goods [7]