With banks reducing savings account interest rates, financial planners are advising investors to consider overnight and liquid funds for parking surplus money. These funds invest in short-term securities, offering potentially higher returns (5-5.5%) compared to savings accounts.
The top five IT exporters' revenue share declined to a 29-quarter low of 81.3% in March 2025, as mid-tier firms like Coforge and Hexaware gained traction. These smaller companies benefited from clients' shift towards short-term projects, outpacing larger peers in revenue and profit growth over several quarters. Geopolitical uncertainty has also contributed to delayed decision-making.
Mumbai banks anticipate lower lending yields this fiscal year. Caution in unsecured loans and slower retail growth contribute. Policy rate cuts also play a role. Analysts predict a yield drop to 8.6%. Net interest margins may contract. Repricing of loans linked to external benchmarks will impact private banks. Deposit repricing lags will further squeeze margins.
Analysts predict significant upside for select stocks. Max Financial Services is projected to rise 16% due to its diversified product mix and strong partnerships. Schneider Electric Infrastructure could jump nearly 19% benefiting from government schemes and grid capex growth. Navin Fluorine is expected to gain over 12%, driven by new contracts and past investments.
The Nifty benchmark faces a significant hurdle at the 25,000 mark in 2025, struggling to maintain levels above it amid geopolitical tensions and a lack of positive catalysts. Analysts observe profit booking and heavy call writing around this level, indicating resistance to further upward movement.
The Indian rupee weakened to a two-month low of 86.28 against the dollar due to escalating tensions in West Asia, which drove crude oil prices higher. Concerns over a potential Israel-Iran conflict disrupting oil supplies further pressured the rupee, while foreign investors selling Indian assets added to the currency's woes. RBI intervention helped limit the rupee's losses.
A former top executive of Loretto Hospital on Chicago's West Side has been charged in a massive $290 million fraud scheme that allegedly used stolen patient data to bill nearly a billion dollars worth of bogus COVID-19 tests for purportedly uninsured patients at the height of the pandemic.
