RBI’s rap on HDFC Bank underlines a new risk for investors

• RBI has not acted in haste nor has it acted harshly. Reports of issues in digital transactions have surfaced time and again for HDFC Bank customers in the past few months

Is Bharti Airtel throwing good money after bad with Infratel investment?

• Airtel’s investment, despite this bleak backdrop, suggests it expects Vodafone Idea, which makes up for 40% of Infratel's revenues, to survive, even if with a much lower market share.

Mid-cap IT stocks outperform larger peers in 2020 but valuations are a concern

• A freeze on wage hikes and a fall in travel and other expenses meant that the sector benefitted from margin tailwinds as well. Of course, an improvement in the onsite-offshore mix and higher realisations also aided margins

Nifty fails to close above 13,150 but midcap shine. What analysts say

• Maruti Suzuki India jumped 7.5%
• Capping gains, top private-sector lender HDFC Bank Ltd closed down 2.1%

Pfizer says 'committed to engaging with Indian govt to make vaccine available'

• Global pharma major Pfizer has said that it remains 'committed' to engaging with the Indian government to explore opportunities to make the Covid-19 vaccine available in the country
• The Pfizer vaccine, which has been cleared by Britain, reported an efficacy rate of more than 90%

Railways new Zero-based time table: What it could mean for passengers

• Indian Railways 'zero-based' time table initiative includes rationalization of stoppages and trains taking into account the demand, utility for the passengers and commercial viability

After Pfizer’s UK covid-19 vaccine nod, where it stands in Asia

The quick approval of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine in the UK isn’t likely to accelerate the availability of the shot in Asia, as countries work to complete local safety tests and negotiate deals

Second covid wave gets stronger in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is catching up fast with larger states, with Shimla alone recording a 26% rise in coronavirus cases within a week’s time

Govt allows domestic carriers to operate at 80% of pre-Covid capacity

'Domestic operations recommenced with 30,000 passengers on 25 May and have now touched a high of 2.52 lakhs on 30 Nov 2020,' said Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Rajinikanth enters political fray, to launch a political party in January

Indian film superstar Rajinikanth said with 'huge support from people' he would be launching a political party in January that is expected to contest elections scheduled in Tamil Nadu state next year

AIIMS director hopeful of Covid-19 vaccine approval in India this month

• AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said that there is good data available that the vaccines are very safe
• 'We should get emergency use authorisation from Indian regulatory authorities to start giving vaccine to public,' Dr Randeep Guleria said

How India Inc is rethinking inclusion during pandemic

• On International Day of Disabled Persons, we look at the ways corporates are supporting their differently abled employees

Delhi traffic: Which borders are open, partially open and closed for traffic

• Commuters may use Apsara border on GT Rd, Bhopura border on Wazirabad road and DND flyover for Delhi from the UP side

Covaxin: West Bengal's Firhad Hakim becomes 2nd minister to take trial dose

• The Covaxin phase 3 trial, which started at Kolkata's ICMR-NICED, was inaugurated by state Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar

No night curfew to be imposed in Delhi or parts of it for now: AAP govt to HC

• Delhi HC directed the AAP govt to 'focus on testing and tracing' to deal with the COVID-19 infections numbers in the national capital
• The court said that the time to declare results should be brought down to within 24 hours from 48 hours or more even now

Former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal returns Padma Vibhushan over farm laws

• 'Today when he has lost more than his honour, I see no point in holding on to the Padma Vibhushan honour,' the Shiromani Akali Dal leader said
• Badal said the farmers are waging a bitter struggle in the severe cold just to secure their fundamental right to life

PhonePe hived off Flipkart, valued at $5.5 billion

• Besides becoming an independent entity, PhonePe will also appoint a fresh board of directors, which will include company co-founders Sameer Nigam and Rahul Chari, as well as stalwarts from the BFSI and financial technology ecosystem

SC asks Franklin trustees to hold vote on winding up, stays redemptions

• In October, the Karnataka high court had ruled against Franklin Templeton’s winding up of the schemes without consent of unit holders, but had stayed the order till 5 Dec

Indians keen on going to UK to get covid-19 vaccine: Travel agents

A Mumbai-based travel agent told that some people on Wednesday raised queries on 'how and when and if' they can travel to the UK to get the COVID-19 vaccine

Gold prices today jump, rise ₹1,350 in 3 days, silver rates up

• Gold has bounced back from recent lows
• However, a sustained recovery in gold is unlikely unless ETF buying picks up, say analysts

Mumbai NCLT approves Jio's resolution plan for Anil Ambani's Reliance Infratel

• According to the plan approved by lenders, RCom and its subsidiary RTIL will go to UV Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd whereas the tower unit, Reliance Infratel, will go to Jio

Flipkart to spin off PhonePe, digital payments business valued at $5.5 billion

• The funds will be raised at a post-money valuation of $5.5 billion from existing Flipkart investors led by Walmart

Dollar plumbs two-year lows as stimulus, vaccine hopes boost risk appetite

• The dollar fell, hitting as low as 90.834 versus a basket of currencies - its lowest since April 2018
• Risk appetite was also boosted by optimism about recent developments towards the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines

Class 10, 12 board exams: CISCE seeks partial reopening of schools from January

The council has also written to the Chief Election Commissioner of India to share the poll schedule of the states where elections are due in April and May so the datesheet for board exams can be finalised accordingly

New Nissan Kicks teaser revealed. Expected to get new grille, sleek headlamps

• The car is expected to get some major tweaks in the interior design as well
• The company has even unveiled a new electric version of the Kicks in the Singapore market

HDFC Bank outages: RBI tells bank to stop sourcing new credit card customers

• RBI on December 2 had issued an order with regard to certain incidents of outages in HDFC Bank's internet banking, mobile banking and payment utilities over the past 2 years

For big oil companies, coffee and chocolate could be the new black gold

Under pressure from investors and governments alike to cut emissions, major European oil companies are ploughing billions into renewable energy but are struggling to craft business plans that promise the returns shareholders have come to expect

India services PMI at 53.7 in November, expands for the second month in a row

• PMI manufacturing fell to a three month low at 56.3 from an over 12 year high of 58.9 in October but remained strong

10 best performing police stations in India; Manipur's Nongpok Sekmai tops list

The top 10 best performing police stations for 2020 were selected from India's 16,671 police stations

Demand for free covid-19 vaccine likely to be raised at all-party meet on Friday

• The demand for free vaccine has arisen from several states including Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Maharashtra

Radhakishan Damani sells stake in Tata group's retail arm Trent

The shares were sold on November 27, 2020, and, based on the weighted average price of the stock at ₹717.92 apiece

India’s bond market is bracing for a liquidity vigilance from RBI

• Notwithstanding the crash in short-term rates, the sovereign yield curve has been steeper than expected. The spread between one-year and 10-year bonds has widened by 20 basis points in the past one month

Jabs for all versus enough shots for herd immunity

The Centre says India need not administer covid-19 vaccine jabs to the entire population. Rather, inoculating a 'critical mass' on priority will help break the chain of transmission. If the earlier presumption was that all would be given the shots, what does this mean? Mint delves in

Focus on surplus liquidity with rate cut seen remote

• Some experts also believe that instead of squeezing out the liquidity, RBI could tread the middle path by fixing the floor price on overnight rates that have fallen to record lows

Tales from the pandemic

• Three individuals, aiming to study the effects of the coronavirus on ordinary lives, have set out on an odyssey along the borders of India, covering 25,000km and 30 states by car

India’s quest to fix its payments puzzle

• Amid suspicion about foreign firms and a new 30% market share cap in UPI, fintech is headed for upheavals
• The recent moves have evoked analogies with the licence raj and prove how vexatious internet regulation in India is becoming. Critics say the 30% cap is arbitrary

With consolidation picking pace, pipe stocks gain popularity among investors

• Companies expect better volume growth performance in the second half of the fiscal year aided by demand uptick in the real estate sector
• Large manufacturers have seen an increase in market share as smaller players are cash-strapped due to the pandemic

Centre explores legal recourse to HC stay on Chandigarh discom privatisation

• Chandigarh discom sale marks the start of India’s efforts to privatise the electricity discoms of its Union territories as part of its next generation power sector reforms