6 Financially Smart Ways to Start 2025 As 2025 approaches, it's the perfect time to reassess your financial situation and make adjustments to help you achieve your goals. A little planning now can set the stage for a successful year. Here are six detailed steps to guide you: Revisit Your Budget: Start by thoroughly reviewing your current budget. Take stock of your income sources and all expenses, including fixed c

SEBI Bars YouTuber Ravindra Balu Bharti and Associates from Securities Market Until 2025 The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred YouTuber Ravindra Balu Bharti and his company, Ravindra Bharti Education Institute Pvt Ltd, from accessing the securities market until 4 April 2025. SEBI has also ordered them to disgorge ₹9.50 crore, along with 6% simple annual interest, for unlawful gains earn

Finance Minister’s View on GDP Growth: In a recent statement, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed the lower-than-expected growth in India’s GDP for the September quarter, calling it a "temporary blip." She emphasized her confidence that India’s economy will regain strong growth in the upcoming quarters. Despite the slowdown in the second quarter, she highligh

The Indian rupee opened at 84.83 against the US dollar on Monday, a depreciation of 4 paise compared to the previous close of 84.79. The decline in the rupee is largely attributed to the uncertainty following the announcement of a leadership transition at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Shaktikanta Das will be succeeded by Sanjay Malhotra, sparking initial concerns in the market. However, markets quickly adjusted to the news, with experts noting that the RBI is closely monitoring banking sys

Switzerland has decided to suspend the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) status granted to India, which could result in higher taxes for Indian companies operating in the country. Starting January 1, 2025, Indian companies will face increased withholding tax rates on income such as dividends and royalties generated in Switzerland. The new tax rules will impose a 10% tax on dividends earned by Indian entities. This move follows a ruling by the Indian Supreme Court in October 2023, which sta

India's inflation rate, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), moderated to 5.48% in November, down from 6.21% in October, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. This easing, however, is still above the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) target of 4%, with food prices continuing to drive inflationary pressure. The food inflation rate surged by 9.04%, continuing its trend of high costs. Economists had forecast a median inflation estimate of 5.5% fo

 In light of US President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariff measures on China, Canada, and Mexico, India is poised to capitalize on potential shifts in global manufacturing. With Trump’s plan to impose tariffs of 25% on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China, manufacturers may seek alternative locations to bypass the 60% levy on Chinese goods. India, with its low-cost labor, skilled workforce, and growing tech sector, is an attractive destination for this shift. Invest

The Indian Rupee weakened by 13 paise, hitting a new record low of 84.86 against the US Dollar during trading on Tuesday. The currency had opened lower at 84.79, weakening by 6 paise from the previous day’s close of 84.73. This marks a sharp dip despite a recent positive momentum for the rupee last week, when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) held interest rates steady and announced measures to improve financial market liquidity. Monday’s announcement of Sanjay Malhotra as

The increasing integration of technology into workstreams is reshaping traditional job roles, with AI, machine learning, and analytics leading the charge. According to a recent report by Indeed and Nasscom, cybersecurity has emerged as the second-most sought-after domain, surpassing cloud technology. The report identifies the top five in-demand job roles as data scientist/analyst, AI/ML expert, cybersecurity specialist, cloud architect/engineer, and DevOps engineer. HR leaders empha

In a significant political move, Bangladesh is set to remove Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's image from its currency notes, marking a dramatic shift in the country’s national identity. Known as the "Bangabandhu" or "Friend of Bangladesh," Rahman was the iconic founding father of the country. However, recent political developments, including the student-led protests and the rise of new leadership, have led to his image being gradually erased from public life, starting wit

India's foreign exchange reserves saw an increase to $658.1 billion for the week ending November 29, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This rise followed an eight-week decline, with a $1.5 billion increase from the previous week. In comparison, the reserves had dropped by $1.31 billion in the prior week, reaching $656.58 billion. Foreign investors have invested Rs 1.75 lakh crore into India's debt and equity markets in 2024. However, the month of November witness

In November, the median perception of current inflation among households increased to 8.4%, up by 30 basis points from the previous survey round in September, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Households’ Inflation Expectations Survey. Meanwhile, expectations for inflation over the next three months moderated slightly by 10 basis points, reaching 9.1%. However, households' expectations for inflation a year ahead inched up by 10 basis points to 10.1%. The survey

The Indian rupee ended the trading session stronger after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to keep the benchmark interest rates unchanged, while unveiling measures aimed at improving liquidity in the banking system. The domestic currency gained 3 paise, closing at 84.70 against the US dollar, compared to 84.73 in the previous session. As part of the monetary policy changes, the RBI raised the interest rate ceiling on one-year Foreign Currency Non-Resident (FCNR) deposits by 200 basis p

On Friday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced it would keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5% for the 11th consecutive time. This decision comes despite the GDP growth rate for the July-September quarter falling to a 7-quarter low of 5.4%, which was below the RBI's earlier projection of 7%. The RBI paused its rate hike cycle in April last year after raising rates by 250 basis points since May 2022. In the fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review for the current fiscal year,

In October 2024, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) made a significant move by adding 27 tonnes of gold to its reserves, bringing its total gold purchases for the year to 78 tonnes. This marks the highest level of purchases since 2009, when India acquired 200 tonnes from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The RBI's total gold reserves now stand at 882 tonnes. In comparison, India had bought only 16 tonnes of gold in 2023. The RBI's gold purchase comes amid global economic i

A panel of state ministers has recommended changes to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure, specifically targeting sin goods, including tobacco products, aerated beverages, and luxury cars. These goods are currently taxed at the highest 28% GST rate, along with an additional cess. The proposal, which is part of a rate rationalisation report, is set to be presented before the GST Council in its upcoming meeting later this month. The Group of Ministers (GoM), led by Bihar Deputy Chief Min

The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is expected to maintain the status quo on the benchmark repo rate at 6.5% in its upcoming meeting from December 4 to 6. Despite India's GDP growth slowing to 5.4% in the July-September quarter, economists suggest that inflation concerns will likely take precedence, making a rate cut unlikely in December. Retail inflation rose to 6.2% in October, exceeding the RBI’s target range of 2-6%. Though a repo rate cu

The Indian Rupee has depreciated to a record low of 84.61 against the US Dollar, marking a fresh setback for the currency. This comes after former US President Donald Trump's threat to impose a 100% tariff on BRICS nations if they fail to continue using the US Dollar. Trump's demand for a commitment from BRICS countries not to create a new currency or back alternatives to the dollar has put additional pressure on global markets, including the Indian Rupee. Along with this geopolitical

As of October 2024, the Union government's fiscal deficit for the financial year 2024-25 stands at 46.5% of the total budgetary target, amounting to Rs 7.5 lakh crore. This is in line with the government's fiscal consolidation strategy, which aims to bring down the fiscal deficit to 4.9% of GDP for the year, an improvement from the previous fiscal year's target of 5.6%. The fiscal deficit gap, which represents the difference between government expenditure and revenue, is

The Finance Ministry is set to review the windfall tax on fuel exports, including petrol, diesel, and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), following the stabilization of global crude oil prices. The tax, introduced in July 2022, was implemented to address the substantial profits earned by oil refiners exporting fuel, which had an impact on domestic supplies. The review will assess the tax’s effectiveness and the revenue it has generated, with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas already re