LIC to Enter Health Insurance Sector with Stake Acquisition by March

Starting February 1 , customers will have to pay up to ₹ 32, 500 more for Maruti Suzuki India cars. Rising input costs and operational expenses compelled it to hike the prices of various models , the company said. The cost of Altok10 , an entry-level small car , will go up by up to 19, 500 , while for the popular WagonR , the prices have been increased by. 15, 000 each for Dzire , Baleno , Fronx , S-Presso and Swift. Maruti Suzuki says it is ‘ committed to optimising costs and reducing the impact on customers. But we are constrained to pass on some of the increased expenses to the market , the company added.

Gold prices hit a new record high of ₹ 82, 900 per 10 grams in Delhi on Thursday , according to the All India Sarafa Association.

Traders have attributed the rise in the precious metal 's prices to ‘ heightened ’ demand by jewellers and retailers , as well as a ‘ strong trend ’ in the international markets. In the overseas markets , Commodity exchange gold fell to $ 2, 757.70 per ounce. At $ 31.10 per ounce , silver Comex futures quoted 1.03 per cent lower in the Asian market hours.

The first full-year Budget of the new government comes against the backdrop of slower domestic economic growth , a weakening currency , and a highly uncertain global geopolitical situation. Expectations are running high for the Union Budget 2025-26.

Make interest-free capex loans to states ‘ conditional ’ Lower / simplify indirect taxes :Personal income tax rates are high , but the burden of indirect taxes is more widespread and concerning. Scheme for providing free food grains to about 81.35 crore citizens in December 2022 for one year and extended to five years in November 2023.

The 30-share BSE Sensex surged 566.63 points or 0.75 per cent to close at 76, 404.99. The broader NSE Nifty regained 23, 150 level on Wednesday following gains in blue-chip stocks.

Tata Motors , Powergrid , Axis Bank , State Bank of India , NTPC , Tata Steel and Adani Ports were the major laggards. European markets were trading higher on Wednesday. In Asian markets , Tokyo and Seoul were settled on a positive note while Hong Kong and Shanghai closed in the negative territory. Wall Street had ended higher on Tuesday.

FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd has acquired 90.5 per cent stake in skincare startup Minimalist. Deal is through secondary buyouts and primary capital infusion at a pre-money enterprise value of Rs 2, 955 crore. HUL reported a 19 per cent rise in the third quarter profit ( Q3 ) to Rs 3,001 crore on account of a one-time gain of Rs 509 crore from the divestment of Pureit business. The profit before exceptional items was flat. Sales from operations rose to Rs 15,195 crore during the December quarter as against Rs 14,928 crore a year ago.

New Delhi-based in vitro fertilization treatment provider Gaudium IVF and Women Health has filed draft papers with SEBI to raise funds via initial public offering. The fresh issue proceeds will be spent for establishment of new IVF centers , working capital requirements , and launching of FMCG products.

Sarthi Capital Advisors is appointed as the sole book running lead manager for the issue. IPO will be a combination of fresh issuance of 1.83 crore equity shares and an offer-for-sale of 25.31 lakh shares by the promoter.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will announce the Union Budget 2025-26 on February 1. Analysts and industry insiders will be listening in to see if any special mentions are made for the renewables sector. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) saw its allocation surge to Rs 19, 100 crore , 143 percent higher than the revised estimate for 2023-24. The other focus in the power sector has been on better transmission and distribution solutions , through smart metering. Thermal power , traditional power-generation segments are looking for more support for domestic manufacturing of thermal power equipment.

Take a look at which stocks will be in focus in today 's trade. Hindustan Unilever will announce quarterly earnings on January 23.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Q23 ( Standalone QoQ), Results Today , Ultratech Cement , Dr Reddy 's Laboratories , Hindustan Petroleum Corporation , Indus Towers , United Spirits , and Zee Entertainment Enterprises will announce their quarterly earnings. Mphasis , Nippon Life India Asset Management , Suryoday Small Finance Bank , Syngene International , Tejas Networks , Thyrocare Technologies , and V2 Retail will all report their quarterly results.

Top Loser : -

• Bharat Electronics Ltd: Declined by 3.10%, closing at ₹270.35.

• Tata Motors Ltd: Declined by 2.37%, closing at ₹742.75.

• Trent Ltd: Declined by 1.93%, closing at ₹5,626.35.

• Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd: Declined by 1.59%, closing at ₹297.55.

• Axis Bank Ltd: Declined by 1.12%, closing at ₹959.30.

Top Gainer : -

• Wipro Ltd: Gained by 3.60%, closing at ₹309.10.

• Infosys Ltd: Gained by 3.10%, closing at ₹1,856.45.

• Tata Consultancy Services Ltd: Gained by 2.99%, closing at ₹4,156.60.

• Tech Mahindra Ltd: Gained by 2.65%, closing at ₹1,683.95.

• Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd: Gained by 2.06%, closing at ₹1,798.95

In the Union Budget of July 2024, the Indian government increased taxes on equity investments. Short-term capital gains (STCG) tax rose from 15% to 20%, and long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax increased from 10% to 12.5%. Additionally, the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on equity derivatives was nearly doubled, with futures now taxed at 0.02% and options at 0.1%. As the 2025 Union Budget approaches, retail investors are hopeful for tax relief. The broking industry is advocating for the rationalization or removal of STT, as it currently adds to trading costs and affects profitability. There's also a call for simplifying the capital gains tax structure to reduce complexities for investors.

Macrotech Developers, led by Abhishek Lodha, has filed a ₹5,000 crore lawsuit in Bombay High Court against his brother, Abhinandan Lodha, for using the 'Lodha' trademark. The company claims exclusive rights to the name, which represents its real estate legacy since the 1980s. Abhinandan's firm, House of Abhinandan Lodha, allegedly attempted to use the Lodha logo and similar branding to mislead customers. Abhishek claims Abhinandan's earlier business exit included ₹1,000 crore, leaving the family with ₹20,000 crore debt. A hearing is set for January 27.

Today, around 50 prominent companies, including HDFC Bank, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), Coforge, Polycab India, Tata Communications, and HUDCO, are set to reveal their October-December 2024 quarterly (Q3) results. Investors and market enthusiasts eagerly await these updates to gauge the financial performance and trends in key sectors. The announcements will provide insights into the banking, FMCG, energy, and IT sectors. Stay tuned as these results shape market sentiment and guide investment strategies for the year ahead.

Navi Technologies, the fintech startup founded by Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal, suffered a loss of ₹14.26 crore due to fraud. The incident occurred over 14 days in December when scammers exploited a bug in Navi's payment system.

Using the app’s third-party payment gateway (TPAP), fraudsters initiated transactions and edited the payable amount to Re 1 after processing payments for higher amounts like ₹500 or ₹1,000. This loophole falsely recorded transactions as successful, resulting in Navi being charged the full original amount. Bengaluru’s Whitefield Cyber Crime Police have initiated an investigation into the matter.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced significant reforms to the H-1B visa program, effective January 17, 2025. These changes aim to streamline the visa approval process, allowing Indian professionals to renew their visas within the U.S. and facilitating smoother transitions from F-1 student visas to H-1B status. In 2023, 72.3% of H-1B visas were issued to Indians, highlighting the importance of these reforms for the Indian community. The updated policies also exempt research-focused institutions from the annual visa cap and enhance monitoring of visa holders and employers to ensure compliance.

The parent company of financial services platform Groww Invest Tech Pvt .Ltd could file for an Initial Public Offering ( IPO ) this year. The IPO would be to raise $ 750 million ( ₹ 6,477.95 crore ) or more . Groww was founded in 2016 by four Flipkart colleagues as an investing platform.

It currently has more than 50 million users and is backed by Microsoft 's Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadellapeak XV Partners ,formerly known as Sequoia Capital India & Southeast Asia ,Ribbit Capital and Tiger Global .