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US stocks: Dow drops nearly 650 points on Trump tariff concerns – The Times of India

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US stocks: Dow drops nearly 650 points on Trump tariff concerns – The Times of India


People work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York.

US stocks fell sharply on Monday, wiping out much of their gains since President Donald Trump’s election, after he announced that tariffs on Canada and Mexico would take effect within hours.
The S&P 500 dropped 1.8% following Trump’s statement that there was “no room left” for negotiations to lower the tariffs, which will begin Tuesday. The move dashed Wall Street‘s hopes for a softer trade policy.
Why it matters
Monday’s losses cut the S&P 500’s post-Election Day gains to just over 1%, down from a peak of more than 6%. The market had rallied on hopes that Trump’s policies would strengthen the economy, but recent trade tensions and economic data have raised fears of a slowdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 649 points, or 1.5%, while the Nasdaq composite slumped 2.6%.
Between the lines
The market decline came amid broader concerns about US economic growth. A report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) on Monday showed that manufacturing activity remained in expansion but at a slower pace than economists expected. More concerningly, manufacturers saw a contraction in new orders, while prices rose amid discussions over who will bear the cost of Trump’s tariffs.
Timothy Fiore, chair of ISM’s manufacturing survey committee, noted, “Demand eased, production stabilized, and destaffing continued as panelists’ companies experience the first operational shock of the new administration’s tariff policy.”
What they’re saying
Wall Street had anticipated that Trump might use the tariffs as leverage for negotiations rather than enforcing them. However, the decision to proceed unsettled investors already wary of economic uncertainties.
“Markets were looking for another 11th-hour deal to further delay tariffs, but aren’t going to get one this time,” said Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group. “The next phase is to endure them. Markets have to price that reality, and those numbers are painted red.”
James St Aubin, chief investment officer at Ocean Park Asset Management, echoed the concerns: “It’s just more of a continuation of a string of bad economic news that tends to put a little bit of a dampener on the optimism we saw from fourth-quarter earnings.”
Zoom in
Certain sectors and stocks were hit particularly hard. Nvidia fell 8.8%, and Tesla slipped 2.8%. Retail giant Kroger dropped 3% after its Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen resigned following an internal investigation into his personal conduct.
Even stocks connected to cryptocurrency took a hit. MicroStrategy, now known as Strategy, slid 1.8%, while Coinbase dropped 4.6% despite Trump’s weekend announcement that his administration was moving forward with a crypto strategic reserve.
The global picture
The effects of Trump’s trade policies are being felt worldwide. In China, manufacturers reported an increase in orders in February as buyers rushed to secure goods ahead of higher US tariffs. Trump’s 10% tariff on Chinese imports rose to 20% on Tuesday, and the administration has also ended the “de minimis” loophole that exempted imports worth less than $800 from tariffs.
European markets, in contrast, performed better. Germany’s DAX surged 2.6%, and France’s CAC 40 rose 1.1% following a report that showed inflation was easing in February. This bolstered expectations that the European Central Bank may cut interest rates later this week. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, bubble tea chain Mixue Bingcheng soared 43% in its market debut, boosting the Hang Seng index by 0.3%.
What’s next
Investors will be closely watching upcoming economic reports and Federal Reserve signals. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.16% from 4.24% before the manufacturing report’s release, reflecting concerns about a slowing economy. Typically, falling Treasury yields can boost stocks, but this time the decline is driven by fears of a broader economic downturn.
With inflation worries still present, the Federal Reserve may have limited room to cut interest rates to stimulate growth. Market expectations currently point to at least two 25-basis-point rate cuts by the end of the year, but economic conditions could force a reassessment of that outlook.
(With inputs from agencies)





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Pune company loses Rs 6.5 crore in cyber fraud – Times of India

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PUNE: Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) cyber frauds cheated a Pune-based firm, dealing in IT services and imports of dry fruits, out of Rs 6.5 crore on March 27.
MitM is a type of cyber fraud in which an attacker intercepts and relays communication between two parties, making it appear as if they are communicating directly.
As per the police complaint, the 39-year-old company director received an email on the company ID purportedly from a US firm he did business with about a payment request. He initiated the transaction believing the email request was legitimate. But later, when he contacted officials of the other firm, they denied receiving the amount. He checked the email he had received and discovered fraudsters had made two alterations – they changed one letter in the other firm’s email address and its bank account number.





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LIC to expedite claim settlements of Pahalgam terror victims

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Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) on Thursday (April 24, 2025) announced that it will expedite claim settlements of Pahalgam terror attack victims in an effort to provide financial relief to their families.

Expressing deep grief over the death of innocent citizens in the terrorist attack, CEO and MD Siddharta Mohanty said LIC has decided to offer concessions to mitigate the hardships of the claimants.

In lieu of death certificates, any evidence in government records of death of the policyholder due to the terrorist attack or any compensation paid by the Union or State governments will be accepted as proof of death. All efforts will be taken to ensure that the claimants are reached out to and claims settled expeditiously to the affected families,” he said in a release.

For assistance, the claimants may contact the nearest LIC branch, division, or customer zones. They may also call LIC call centre at 022 68276827, the company said.

Insurance aggregator Policybazaar said it would like to offer a job to a family member in any of the Policybazaar or Paisabazaar offices located across India or sponsor a child’s education for every impacted Indian family in Pahalgam. “It is a very small gesture towards creating a social security cover for these families,” co-founder Alok Bansal said in a social media post.



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ACC Q4 profit declines 20.4% to ₹751 crore, revenue up 12.7% to ₹5,991 crore

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Cement maker ACC Ltd on Wednesday (April 23, 2025) reported a 20.4% decline in consolidated net profit to ₹751.04 crore during the March quarter.

The company had posted a profit of ₹943.39 crore in the year-ago period, according to a regulatory filing from ACC, which is now a part of Adani Cement.

Its revenue from operations was at ₹5,991.67 crore, up 12.7% in the March quarter. It was at ₹5,316.75 crore in the corresponding period a year ago.

ACC’s total expenses in the March quarter were at ₹5,514,82 crore, up 13.11%.

During the March quarter, ACC’s revenue from the cement business was at ₹5,685.53 crore, up 11.14%.

During the quarter, ACC reported a sales volume of 11.9 million tonnes, reporting a growth of 14%, which, according to the Adani group firm is the “highest-ever sales volume in a quarter” for the company.

Similarly, its revenue from ready mix concrete was at ₹419.92 crore, up 32.12% in the March quarter.

The total income of ACC, which includes other income, was at ₹6,066.52 crore, up 12% in the March quarter of FY25. According to the company, this is the “highest-ever quarterly revenue”.

For the financial year ended on March 31, 2025, ACC’s net profit was at ₹2,402.27 crore, up 2.87%.

Similarly, in FY25, ACC’s total income was at ₹22,834.74 crore, up 11.65%. It was at ₹20,451.77 crore a year before.

Commenting on results, Whole-Time Director & CEO Vinod Bahety said, “This year has been marked by strategic milestones that reinforce our position as a leader in the Indian cement industry. Our capacity expansion initiatives, including the commissioning of new grinding units supported by debottlenecking and modernisation, are aligned with growing infrastructure and booming demand of the nation.”

The board of ACC has approved a dividend of ₹7.50 per equity share having a face value of ₹10 each fully paid-up for 2024-25, which, according to the company, is in the context of the ongoing capex and growth plans.

Over the outlook, ACC said, “The growth is anticipated to range of 7-8% for the coming fiscal, driven by ongoing consumption demand in the housing and infrastructure segments, as well as the favourable impact of the pro-infra and housing Budget 2025.”

Cement consumption grew 8% during Q4 FY25, marginally higher as compared to 7% in the previous quarter. The increase in demand was driven by a pick-up in construction activities, improvement in rural demand, traction in the real estate sector, and increased government spending on infrastructure and construction activities.

“As per the growth trends observed in Q3 and Q4 FY25, it is projected that cement demand during FY26 will continue to benefit from the momentum gained by government spending on infrastructure and construction activities,” it said.

Shares of ACC Ltd on Wednesday settled at ₹2,068 on the BSE, up 0.79% from the previous close.



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