The price of building India: Why cement remains in the 28% GST slab

The 31st meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, held in December 2018, deferred a decision to reduce the GST rate for cement from 28 per cent to 18 per cent. Kindly note the image has been published

Banking, oil shares drag Sensex down 156 points

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended lower in a range-bound trade on Tuesday due to profit booking, mainly in banking and oil shares, and investors staying on the sideline amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Photograph: Arko Dutta/Reuters Snapping

What are India’s free trade agreements?

India finalised a free trade agreement with the UK, its 16th so far as the country aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investments. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff The other regions and countries with which India has signed such agreements include the

India, UK conclude landmark multi-billion-pound trade deal

India and the UK on Tuesday sealed an ambitious free trade deal along with a double contribution convention with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the landmark pacts will catalyse trade, investment, growth and job creation in both the economies.

Moderate valuation, growth triggers augur well for Shriram Finance stock

Shriram Finance’s (SHFL’s) profit after tax (PAT) rose 10 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 2,140 crore in the fourth quarter of the financial year 2024-25 (Q4FY25). Photograph: Kind courtesy Shriram Finance/Instagram The FY25 PAT (excluding exceptional gain) grew 15

Sensex climbs 295 points on sustained foreign fund inflows

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed higher on Monday, supported by sustained foreign fund inflows and a sharp correction in global crude oil prices. Photograph: PTI Photo from the Rediff Archives The 30-share BSE benchmark climbed 294.85 points or

Early-bird Q4 results reflect earning hiccups

Early-bird results for the January-March 2025 quarter (Q4FY25) suggest a slowdown in earning growth for India Inc, despite a benign cost environment that has led to an improvement in margins. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff The combined net profit (adjusted for exceptional

Apple India shipments grew 25% in Q4, Vivo tops smartphone market

Apple’s iPhone supplies in India grew 25 per cent year-on-year in March quarter 2025, capturing 8 per cent market share, a CyberMedia Research report said on Monday. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters Chinese smartphone company Vivo led the overall smartphone market in

Automobile retail sales up 2.95% in April: FADA

Overall automobile retail sales in India grew a modest 2.95 per cent in April this year to 22,87,952 units with completion of purchases by customers around Chaitra Navratri, Akshay Tritiya, Bengali New Year, Baisakhi and Vishu helping April end on

NMDC posts record 15% rise in iron ore production in April

State-owned NMDC has reported a 15 per cent rise in its iron ore production and 3 per cent growth in sales of the mineral in April. Photograph: David Gray/Reuters In a statement on Sunday, NMDC said it produced 4 million