Fed holds rates steady, to slow balance sheet reduction

• In a major shift in its perspective, the Fed also now expects to raise borrowing costs only once more through 2021
• The Fed's policy statement was unanimous

Govt said to offer SpiceJet Jet Airways grounded planes

• The proposal involves SpiceJet, led by chairman Ajay Singh, acquiring as many as 40 of Jet Airways’ grounded planes 
• The government has also reached out to otheir airlines to pick up Jet Airways planes

Behind Vodafone Idea rights issue deep discount is a tested strategy

• Vodafone Idea had to resort to a deeper discount, given the competition from the Airtel rights issue
• Vodafone Idea's balance sheet is also far more precarious when compared to Bharti Airtel's

Nirav Modi's bail plea rejected, extradition hearing on 29 March

• Nirav Modi was arrested at a tube station in London on Wednesday on India's extradition request
• The PNB fraud accused will remain in police custody till his extradition hearing on 29 March

Mindtree board fails to decide on share buyback amid L&T hostile takeover bid

• Mindtree says its board considered a share buyback proposal but decided to discuss it at a future date
• Larsen and Toubro (L&T) made a hostile takeover bid to buy up to 66% stake in Mindtree for around ₹10,800 crore

Investors give a thumbs up to Embassy Office Parks REIT IPO

• As of 5.30pm on Wednesday, the Blackstone-Embassy REIT IPO was subscribed 2.58 times
• Institutional investors subscribed to 215% of the shares alloted for them in the Embassy REIT IPO, retail subscription stood at 310%

Huawei Mate X first impressions: Shouldn’t we just be happy for foldable phones

• Throughout Huawei Mate X's hands-on session in India, it didn’t let journalists fold or unfold the phone by themselves
• The software on the Mate X (and other foldable phones) is plain Android

SBI boss insists bankruptcy 'last option' for Jet Airways

• All options being considered: SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar
• Putting Jet Airways under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) the last option

After Baleno, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Ertiga to be sold as Toyota in India

• Toyota, Suzuki also plan to produce electric vehicles and compact cars for each other to compete better in the auto industry
• Toyota is helping Suzuki to develop and market electric cars in India, while Suzuki helps Toyota increase its presence here

ArcelorMittal-Essar Steel case: NCLAT calls for rework of payout of dues

• NCLAT tells Essar Steel's RP to call a fresh meeting of creditors to discuss distribution of funds coming in from ArcelorMittal
• NCLAT upholds in 'letter and spirit' NCLT Ahmedabad's 8 March order, which approved ArcelorMittal offer for Essar Steel

‘Chowkidar’ PM addresses watchmen as authorities get hold of Nirav in London

• The timing of the arrest is significant as India is in the midst of a high-intensity election campaign
• The BJP credited the Prime Minister for the arrest of Nirav Modi, but opposition parties said the timing of the arrest was suspect

How Ninjacart became a B2B agritech startup

• Ninjacart realised that while there was consumer demand for online vegetables marketplace, the supply side was too fragmented
• Ninjacart then pivoted to a B2B agritech platform to to solve one of the toughest agricultural supply chain problems at its root

CRPF jawan kills 3 colleagues in J&K's Udhampur

• Constable Ajit Kumar shot three of his colleagues from his service rifle at the 187th battalion camp
• Senior CRPF officials in New Delhi confirmed that the incident had occurred at 10 pm 

Bain Capital Ventures invests in cryptocurrency trading platform CoinDCX

• CoinDCX will use the funding from Bain Capital Ventures to scale its tech infra, introduce new products, says co-founder Sumit Gupta
• CoinDCX is looking to be a platform that provides investors with a complete set of financial instruments to trade their digital assets

Mixed bag for Congress in stitching alliances

• The party has struck alliances in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. However, several others are still a work in progress
• A key state in which last-minute talks on division of seats are still on is Maharashtra

NDA's offensive posture on terror may get it votes, burnish Modi's credentials

• Modi’s strong response to the Pulwama and Uri terrorist attacks may have high recall value for the Indian public when they elect the next government
• Modi had spoken tough on terrorism emanating from Pakistan well before he assumed office on 26 May 2014, and subsequently too

Islamabad extends restrictions on its airspace for commercial flights

• Pakistan’s move has caused flight disruptions for domestic and foreign airlines operating in India
• A Pakistani civil aviation official, requesting anonymity, said that talks were on with the government to lift the restrictions

L&T storms Mindtree gates, but its own investors feel the heat

• Larsen and Toubro's (L&T's) hostile takeover provides a nice exit window for Mindtree investors at ₹980/share
• The worry is for L&T investors, since the engineering conglomerate is increasing exposure to non-core businesses

PM Modi feeds on the optics of Nirav Modi arrest, ‘chowkidar’ outreach

• PM Modi’s outreach puts corruption on the centre stage and strengthens the optics of the BJP’s poll pitch 
• The day also marked the arrest of diamond tycoon Nirav Modi, accused in a $1.8 billion PNB fraud case

Donald Trump says tariffs will stay until China complies with the trade deal

• Trump comments dim hopes that the trade negotiations could lead to removing the roughly $360 billion in tariffs they’ve imposed on each other’s imports
• US officials are concerned that Beijing is pushing back against some American demands in trade talks

National security, corruption, economic reforms on agenda this election

BJP will stress India’s response to Pulwama was possible due to a strong and stable govt

Facebook eyeing investments in content startups in India

• Facebook is in early-stage talks with several content startups, including PoPXo for potential investments
• Any startup funding would also be a departure from Facebook’s usual strategy of buying companies outright

Give fashion the pause when on a discovery trail

• Go-to gadget: Jay Lakhani still believes in the virtues of a good old physical map as well as a great guidebook on the destination for recommendations
• Stealing a few breaks that coincide with business travel offers snatches of time to reboot

Samjhautha Express trial carried out in transparent manner: Indian envoy to Pak

• Four improvised explosive devices were planted on the train on 18 February 2007, in which 68 lives were lost
• At least 42 of the dead were Pakistani nationals

Social media firms come up with ethics code for Lok Sabha polls

• The code comes into force as of Wednesday till the end of the Lok Sabha polls
• The code goes in detail over the issue of political advertisements including transparency in paid political advertisements

Bharti Realty bags land development right at Aerocity from Delhi Airport

• The deal will fetch ₹363.5 crore in annual lease and ₹1,873 crore one-time payment to Delhi Airport, GMR says
• The proposed land development by Bharti Realty will add value to the existing Delhi airport ecosystem, the company says

FDI shock for Flipkart, Amazon as govt says no to deadline extension

• The decision not to delay the e-commerce norms was taken after 'due consideration', Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion said
• Flipkart and Amazon, are expected to bear the brunt of the new regulations, which come into effect on Friday

A successful founder is one who sticks with an idea without seeking early exit

All things being equal, the ability to stay the course makes all the difference in a startup

SpiceJet, IndiGo shares surge at the expense of Jet Airways

• SpiceJet shares rise 16.38% to ₹91.65 apiece on the BSE while IndiGo shares gain 7.3% to end the day at ₹1,422.80
• Investors are betting that SpiceJet and IndiGo will gain financially amid a Jet Airways crisis that refuses to abate

MG Motor signs Benedict Cumberbatch as India brand ambassador

• Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has a lot in common with Morris Garages, says MG Motor India MD Rajeev Chaba
• The MG Hector SUV will be launched in 2019, followed by the rollout of electric cars by 2020

Allocation to equities lowest since 2016, shows BofAML survey

• Allocation to global equities continued to decline in March, falling to 3% overweight, according to the BofAML survey
• Investors aren’t too gung-ho on equities despite the ongoing rally and improved outlook on corporate earnings growth

India aviation industry hits airpocket amid Jet Airways crisis

• All major carriers operated a truncated schedule, mostly led by the crippled Jet Airways and budget carrier Indigo
• Indigo retained its top position with a market share of 43.4%, carrying 4.93 million passengers in February

Regaining pricing power to be a long grind for cement companies

• Inadequate demand growth to absorb excess capacity is weighing on cement prices, especially in the south
• As March approaches, cement companies are under year-end pressure to meet sales targets

Coal stock rises at thermal power plants, but will it be enough?

•  Coal stocks at 126 thermal power plants rose for a fourth successive month in February to 26 million tonnes, says Elara Capital
• Rise in coal inventory, however, coincides with a slump in power demand—electricity generation in Jan-Feb declined 0.9%

How the teams in IPL 2019 stack up on experience

When it comes to balancing myriad factors in team composition, last year’s finalists—Chennai and Hyderabad—look most settled in this year’s IPL too

Opinion | The Indian electorate is not easily swayed by terrorism

For all their fury, Indian voters have rarely shifted votes on the basis of terror attacks as an issue

Nirav Modi likely to be held in separate cell in prison

• HMP Wandsworth is a Category B prison, where criminals are held if not deemed to be of a high level of security risk
• Nirav Modi is likely to be held in a separate cell until his next hearing on March 29

Vodafone Idea prices ₹25,000 crore rights issue at ₹12.5 a share

• Vodafone Idea shareholders will be able to buy 87 shares for every 38 shares held for an issue price of ₹12.50 apiece, a 60% discount
• The rights issue will increase the number of Vodafone Idea shares by 229%, diluting it to 28.74 billion outstanding shares

India's telecom subscribers base crosses 120 crore: Trai data 

• Reliance Jio dominated growth by adding over 93 lakh new mobile customers
• The net increase of telecom subscriber in January was 59 lakh, compared to over 1 crore subscribers added by the three players

Opinion | If you ban PUBG, why not cricket as well?

It makes no sense to deprive people of a particular game’s thrills on vague allegations of its bad influence. Arbitrary bans reveal a lack of clarity on the principles of governance 

Movie review: ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ is a loving pastiche 

• Vasan Bala’s film pays tribute to the martial arts cinema of the 1970s and ‘80s
• Abhimanyu Dassani stars as a fighter who’s born with insensitivity to pain

Opinion | The ideal way to honour the memory of Darryl D’Monte 

The journalism he personified persists in the work of reporters who care for people and the planet

Thyssenkrupp, Tata Steel get EU extension of JV remedy deadline

• Thyssenkrupp, Tata need more time to work out remedies
• Deadline for Commission decision now 13 May

Optimism about jobs rises among India's youth: Survey

Perceptions about employment prospects are changing among urban youth, but a majority are still dissatisfied with the job market, shows a Mint-YouGov survey

Govt looks at providing Jet Airways' unused airport slots to other airlines

• Civil Aviation Secretary said the ministry would discuss with Jet Airways about its requirements, including how many slots are being used
• Cash-strapped Jet Airways, which is looking to raise fresh funds, has grounded at least 47 planes due to non-payment of lease rental