Cement companies face margin pressure in the March quarter due to weaker prices and higher pet coke costs, despite a 10% volume growth. Most producers, except UltraTech Cement, are expected to report profit declines. While sales volumes improved, rising input costs will likely compress EBITDA margins and impact overall profitability compared to last year.

The dollar plummeted to a six-month low following China s increased tariffs on US goods, triggering bearish sentiment among options traders. Intensifying trade tensions between the US and China fueled a flight to safety, benefiting havens like the yen and Swiss franc. Concerns about US economic growth and rising debt are undermining confidence in the dollar s reserve currency status.

Ashish Anup Nigam, a former Axis Capital executive director, and Nehal Milan Mehta have resolved an insider trading case with Sebi, paying ₹1.13 crore. Mehta will also disgorge ₹37.2 lakh with interest. The Sebi investigation revealed Nigam, privy to UPSI regarding BF Investment s delisting, shared it with Mehta, who then traded on the information.

U.S. stock investors are bracing for continued market volatility as trade tensions and a weakening dollar create uncertainty. Despite a brief reprieve after Trump eased some tariffs, concerns about economic damage persist amid ongoing trade battles, particularly with China.

Wall Street saw gains as big banks started first-quarter earnings season. The week had market swings due to the US-China trade war. Federal Reserve assurances helped. JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo reported good profits. Inflation data showed cooling, but consumer sentiment dropped. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all closed higher. Citi lowered its S&P 500 year-end target.

European stocks closed lower on Friday, concluding a volatile week marked by escalating trade tensions and fluctuating U.S. tariff policies. The STOXX 600 experienced its third consecutive weekly decline as investors grappled with uncertainty surrounding the economic impact of the trade war.

RBI s draft guidelines on partial credit enhancement (PCE) are poised to revolutionize corporate financing, particularly for infrastructure projects. By reducing capital requirements and increasing the PCE limit to 50%, the move will enable companies to access bond markets at lower rates.

About 60% of commercial bank s loans are pegged to external benchmarks, like the policy repo rate that was lowered the second time in as many months to 6%. For private sector banks, the share of external benchmarks lending rate (EBLR) loans-or advances linked to repo rate-is 85.9%, while for public sector banks it is 44.6%. Effectively, the margins of private banks are expected to be impacted more than PSU banks.

The Sensex returns in rupee terms have been between 190% and 1,500% in past three bullish eight-year cycles since 1984. In bearish periods, their returns dropped to the range of 20-50%