Widespread protests have erupted across Iran, fueled by a severe economic downturn, rising prices, and a depreciating currency. Merchants, shop owners, and students have taken to the streets, leading to clashes with security forces and fatalities in several provinces. The demonstrations, the largest in three years, have disrupted daily life and put pressure on the country's leadership.
January 2026 is poised to see significant IPO activity, with five major offerings totaling approximately Rs 18,000 crore expected to test investor appetite. These include prominent companies in AI, renewable energy, coal, lending, and hospitality, signaling a potentially active start to the year for India's primary market.
Hero MotoCorp is riding high on its recent sales success, with shares climbing steeply after announcing impressive December 2025 figures. The year-on-year increase in dispatches and demand indicates a thriving market, bolstered by the recent launch of exciting new models in the ICE scooter sector during Q3FY26.
Exciting developments are afoot as Devyani International announces a strategic merger with Sapphire Foods India, set to establish the largest Yum! Brands franchisee in the country. The newly formed entity will manage an extensive array of KFC and Pizza Hut outlets, providing shareholders of Sapphire Foods with shares in Devyani International.
In the Nifty500 pack, nine stocks' closing prices crossed above their 200 DMA (Daily Moving Averages) on January 1, 2026, according to stockedge.com's technical scan data. The 200-day daily moving average (DMA) is used by traders as a key indicator for determining the overall trend in a particular stock. As long as the stock is priced above the 200-day SMA on the daily timeframe, it is generally considered to be in an overall uptrend. Take a look:
Gold loans have seen a remarkable surge, growing by 125 percent in a year. This boom is attributed to rising gold prices, making it a more valuable collateral. Banks have now overtaken NBFCs in the gold loan market share. Other loan segments like vehicle and personal loans also showed growth, while consumer durable loans contracted.
Corporate India anticipates improved performance in 2026, driven by rising disposable incomes, a stronger rural economy, and infrastructure spending, partially offsetting rupee depreciation. Key sectors like automobiles, banking, FMCG, IT, metals, oil & gas, power, and pharmaceuticals are poised for growth, with AI and premiumization emerging as dominant themes.
