New GST rate cuts will boost organized apparel retailers. Festive and wedding seasons are driving consumer spending. Easing food prices and softer inflation also improve sentiment. This should add 200 basis points to revenue growth. Larger brands will capture demand faster. Smaller retailers will also benefit, drawing consumers from the unorganized sector. Growth is expected across all segments and locations.
Gold and stocks are simultaneously rallying, a rare phenomenon attributed to a global flood of liquidity from pandemic-era stimulus. This excess money is fueling momentum trades across asset classes, with individual investors increasingly participating. While gold has recently seen a pullback due to profit-taking and easing tensions, equities continue their upward trajectory, driven by strong fundamentals and policy support.
Indian markets are nearing record highs. Traders anticipate a US trade deal as the next market trigger. Rahul Sharma suggests a potential shift from largecaps to midcaps after the deal. Midcap indices show strong technical patterns. GMR Airports and KFin Technologies are highlighted as midcap opportunities. The IT sector is also showing short-term strength driven by quarterly results.
Russian goals in Ukraine remain unchanged, and the root causes of the conflict need to be resolved, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Moscow.
Japan's fresh foreign minister has voiced a resolute commitment to strengthening the country's defense capabilities, signaling a proactive response to changing battlefronts and surging regional tensions. As President Donald Trump's anticipated trip to Tokyo approaches, it presents a critical moment for evolving the Japan-US alliance.
Samir Arora of Helios Capital is bullish on India's equity markets, anticipating FII return as global allocations shift from the U.S. He notes U.S. market volatility and global diversification create opportunities for India, which has stable fundamentals. Arora expects steady market gains of 10-15%, aligning with corporate earnings, and views gold as a limited hedge.
China's oil sector faces pressure from US sanctions on Russian energy firms. About 20% of China's crude imports come from Russia. Companies risk secondary penalties if they deal with sanctioned entities. This could cut off access to western banking and global commodity markets. China may lose discounted Russian oil supplies. The situation impacts major oil projects.
