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Wall Street rallies as tech stocks surge on temporary tariff exemptions – Times of India

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Wall Street rallies as tech stocks surge on temporary tariff exemptions – Times of India


US stocks rallied as investors welcomed a surprise move by President Donald Trump to temporarily exempt key technology products from new tariffs. The exemption, which includes smartphones, computers, and semiconductors gave a major lift to tech-heavy indices and set a bullish tone for the start of the week.
At 9:37 am GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 413.95 points, or 1.03%, trading at 40,626.66. The S&P 500 rose 72.47 points to 5,435.83, marking a 1.35% gain, while the Nasdaq Composite surged 280.79 points, or 1.68%, to 17,005.25, led by outsized gains in the tech sector.
Tech giants rallied strongly in pre-market trading following the tariff announcement. Apple saw its shares jump more than 6%, while Nvidia added over 3%. The Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) also climbed around 3% before the market opened, reflecting broad optimism across the technology space, as reported CNBC.
Commodity and bond markets also responded to the shifting trade landscape. Gold prices fell $24.20 to $3,220.40, a decline of 0.75%, as investor appetite for risk increased. Oil prices edged up by $0.61 to $62.11 per barrel, a gain of 0.99%, reflecting renewed optimism in global growth.
Bond yields dipped, with the 10-year US Treasury yield falling to 4.395%, down 0.098 basis points, or 2.18%, indicating strong buying interest. Meanwhile, the Volatility Index (VIX) — Wall Street’s “fear gauge” — dropped sharply by 12.33% to 32.93, signalling a drop in near-term market anxiety.
Meanwhile, Futures trading showed the S&P 500 up 1.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average ahead 0.9%, pointing to a strong start on Wall Street.
European markets surged in early trade: Germany’s DAX climbed 2.5%, France’s CAC 40 rose 2.3%, and London’s FTSE 100 added 1.9%, as per news agency AP. The rally was driven by renewed confidence in the tech sector, with investors anticipating short-term stability in supply chains and production costs.
In Asia, the momentum was equally robust. Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 1.2% higher, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 2.4%, and Shanghai’s Composite Index gained 0.8%. Notably, South Korean tech majors like Samsung Electronics and Advantest posted strong gains, benefitting from their deep links to the global semiconductor industry.
China’s March export growth, up 12.4% year-on-year, added to the region’s positive tone. The strong trade data underscored resilience in manufacturing, even amid ongoing tariff friction.
The US exemption announcement came shortly after China imposed tariffs of up to 125% on US goods in retaliation for escalating US duties, which have reached 145% on certain Chinese products. Though the latest move was framed as a temporary reprieve, President Trump emphasized over the weekend that no country—“especially not China”—would escape future tariffs.
Administration officials confirmed that new levies, especially on strategic goods like semiconductors, would be unveiled within weeks. Trump cited national security concerns and reiterated the goal of reshoring chip and pharmaceutical production.
Investor sentiment steady
Markets responded positively to the breathing room, despite lingering uncertainty. Last Friday, Wall Street closed on a high note: the S&P 500 rose 1.8%, the Dow added 1.6%, and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.1%. Strong quarterly earnings from JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley helped bolster confidence.
The 10-year US Treasury yield, which had surged above 4.58% last week, eased to 4.44% Monday morning. While the bond market remains jittery, the retreat in yields suggests investors are cautiously rebalancing after sharp risk-off moves.
Currency markets also reflected shifting dynamics. The US dollar dipped slightly, with the yen strengthening to 143.16 per dollar. The euro firmed to $1.1388, and the British pound advanced to $1.3184.
Commodities
Oil prices ticked higher on improved demand outlooks. West Texas Intermediate rose 1.0% to $62.10, while Brent crude added 0.9% to $65.36. The gains reflect optimism that easing trade friction, even if temporary, could support industrial activity.
Gold, often a refuge in volatile times, edged down by $9 to $3,235 per ounce, as traders rotated back into equities and risk assets.





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ICAI to review Gensol and BluSmart financial statements – Times of India

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ICAI to review Gensol and BluSmart financial statements – Times of India


The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has decided to review the financial statements of Gensol Engineering Ltd and BluSmart Mobility Pvt Ltd for the financial year 2023–24, following serious allegations of financial misconduct and governance lapses involving the two companies.
The move was confirmed by ICAI president Charanjot Singh Nanda, who said the decision was taken during a board meeting of the Financial Reporting Review Board (FRRB) on Wednesday.
Nanda told PTI that the FRRB decided to undertake a review of the financial statements and the statutory auditor’s report of Gensol Engineering and BluSmart Mobility for the financial year 2023-24.
The FRRB’s mandate includes assessing compliance with accounting standards, standards on auditing, and schedules II and III of the Companies Act, 2013. It also evaluates adherence to various guidance notes and RBI-issued master directions.
Gensol Engineering recently came under regulatory scrutiny after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) issued a market ban on the company’s promoters, Anmol Singh Jaggi and Puneet Singh Jaggi. The order, issued on April 15, alleged that the promoters siphoned off loan funds from the publicly-listed firm for personal gain, raising serious concerns about corporate governance and potential financial misconduct.
BluSmart Mobility, which operates a ride-hailing service, is also promoted by Anmol Singh Jaggi.
In case the FRRB identifies significant accounting irregularities during its review, the matter will be referred to ICAI’s Director Discipline for a detailed investigation. The findings may also be shared with relevant regulatory authorities.
Meanwhile, the ministry of corporate affairs said on April 21 that it will consider taking appropriate action against Gensol Engineering after examining Sebi’s order.
Under the Companies Act, 2013, the ministry has powers to act on corporate violations, which may include inspections by the Registrar of Companies or a probe by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in more serious cases.





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Ola Group surges in deep-tech, owns majority of patents granted to 117 unicorns

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Ola Group surges in deep-tech, owns majority of patents granted to 117 unicorns


Ola Founder Bhavish Aggarwal.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Ola Group, spanning ride-hailing, electric vehicles, and AI, now holds over 50% of all patents filed by India’s 117 unicorns.

India’s unicorns collectively hold only 229 patents, with Ola Group owning more than half, according to data from the Indian Patent Advanced Search (IPAS) System.

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Ola Founder Bhavish Aggarwal shared, “Happy that Ola group @OlaElectric @Olacabs and @Krutrim have half of all granted patents for all Indian unicorns put together. Not happy with our number of 650 applied patents though. We will accelerate much much more in coming years!”

Sources close to Ola confirmed that the group has filed over 650 patent applications, with 180 already granted. This includes filings by Ola Electric, Ola Consumer, and Krutrim, with Ola Electric accounting for the lion’s share of about 70-80% of the total.

The report reveals that 101 of India’s unicorns have filed zero patents, spotlighting a heavy tilt in the startup ecosystem toward valuation and market capture rather than technology creation.

In this context, Ola Group’s IP portfolio stands out as an example of deep-tech commitment. Ola Electric, the EV arm, filed 205 patents in FY23 alone, making it India’s top patent filer in the electric vehicle sector. These patents span battery innovation, vehicle software, AI, safety systems, and more.

In FY23 alone, Ola Electric invested ₹507 crore in R&D, representing 19.3% of its annual revenue, a sharp rise from ₹175 crore the previous year. The company is set to further ramp up innovation spending, earmarking ₹1,600 crore for R&D between FY25 and FY27.

As stated in its IPO prospectus, “R&D and technology form the backbone of our business model.”

The group’s filings also extend globally, with patents granted and pending in the U.S., U.K., Japan, China, and Australia, positioning Ola as a global tech-driven company.



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FY25 new business of life insurers rose 5% to ₹3.97 lakh cr. 

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Facilitating growth of GCC is a priority for govt 


New business premium of life insurance companies in India increased 5.13% for the fiscal ended March to ₹3,97,336.78 crore compared to ₹3,77,960.34 crore a year earlier.

Ending a fourth month decline streak, in March the life insurers clocked a little over 2% increase in the premium to ₹61,439.11 crore (₹60,213.62 crore), the business figures released by Life Insurance Council showed.

Private life insurers fared better with 9.80% increase in the premium to ₹1,70,666.87 crore (₹1,55,437.34 crore). In March, their premium rose to ₹24,531.79 crore (₹23,913 crore).

For the fiscal market leader, the State-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) reported a 1.86% increase in new business ₹2,26,669.91 crore (₹2,22,522.99 crore). In March, the premium rose 1.67% to ₹.36,907.33 crore (₹36,300.62 crore). LIC sold 1.78 crore new policies in the year, which saw introduction of new surrender value norms in October 2024.

The new business of LIC during the fiscal included ₹62,404.58 crore from individual new business. Individual new business premium for FY25 registered a growth of 8.35% year on year.

The Council said for the individual new business premiums of the life insurers during 2024-25 went up 11.17% to ₹1,66,590.81 crore (₹1,49,851.67 crore).

It said the “strong performance” during the fiscal is on account of the life insurers focus on encouraging first-time buyers to secure comprehensive financial protection, resulting in a 4.47% growth in combined individual premium collections for March 2025.

In the group policy segment, single premiums reached ₹33,543.21 crore, with the category registering a 0.46% growth in premiums collected during March 2025. The insurers efforts to expand access was complemented by significant agent additions —over 11,15,661 new individual life insurance agents were added in 2024-25 — leading to a 7.88% growth in the cumulative agent count.



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