Equity mutual funds (MFs) saw net inflows of Rs 39,687.78 crore in January even as the domestic stock market continued its downward trend, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) on Wednesday.

This comes after December saw a strong 14.5 per cent jump in inflows to Rs 41,155.91 crore.

Despite the marginal decline, inflows into open-ended equity funds remained positive for the 47th consecutive month.

The dip in inflows coincided with a weak performance in the stock market, as the BSE Sensex fell by 1.28 per cent and the Nifty dropped 0.99 per cent in January.

Black Box Limited, Essar’s technology arm, on Tuesday announced its results for third quarter (Q3) with highest-ever profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 56 crore which rose by 37 per cent year-on-year (YoY).

For 9M FY25, the PAT increased to Rs 144 crore with a growth of 49 per cent YoY, according to its stock exchange filing.

PAT margins improved by 120 bps YoY and stood at 3.7 per cent in Q3 whereas for 9M FY25, PAT margins rose by 130 bps YoY at 3.3 per cent.

In its filing, the company said that the strong operating performance has resulted in better profitability, despite higher exceptional items.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Tuesday took strict action against LS Industries Limited, its promoter Profound Finance, and four other entities, barring them from the securities market for manipulating stock prices.

The probe uncovered suspicious trading patterns, misleading disclosures, and questionable financial transactions, including money transfers to a non-resident Indian (NRI).

During the investigation, the regulator observed wild fluctuations in the company's share price.

Between July 23, 2024, and September 2024, the stock price witnessed a staggering 1,089 per cent increase from Rs 22.5 to Rs 267.5 apiece.

However, by November 2024, the price had crashed to Rs 42.39. In December 2024, it rebounded to Rs 136.87, only to settle at Rs 67.95 in February 2025.

Swami Ramdev's Patanjali Foods has reported a significant increase in its total expenses for the third quarter of the financial year 2024-25, which rose by nearly 11.2 per cent to Rs 8,653 crore in Q3, compared to Rs 7,781.64 crore in Q2 FY25.

This increase was mainly driven by the higher costs of materials consumed, according to its stock exchange filing.

The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment saw a decline of 18.4 per cent, with revenue dropping to Rs 2,038 crore from Rs 2,499 crore in the same quarter last year (Q3 FY24).

The shares of Patanjali Foods dropped by 2 per cent to Rs 1,817.80 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Tuesday.

However, the company’s net profit jumped by 71 per cent in the quarter ended on December 31, 2024.

Real estate developer Signature Global has reported an increase in its total expenses to Rs 835.89 crore during the third quarter of the financial year 2025 (Q3 FY25), up by 6.54 per cent from Rs 784.60 crore in Q2.

The company’s expenses rose by nearly 179 per cent from Rs 299.70 crore in the year-ago period (Q3 FY24).

According to its stock exchange filing, the jump in total expenses was due to a higher cost associated with project execution and completion.

At the same time, the company’s total liabilities saw a steep rise to Rs 11,525.72 crore in Q3, compared to Rs 9,852 crore in Q2 and Rs 7,181 crore in the year-ago period.

Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), across India’s manufacturing, trading, and services sectors, have recorded an uptick in their business performance in the October-December quarter of 2024-25 and are bullish on the growth outlook for the year ahead, according to a survey released by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) on Wednesday.

"Majority of MSMEs are optimistic on sales growth buoyed by positive sentiment on order books, production and rise in selling price for the next quarter and a year ahead as well," the SIDBI’s first-ever outlook survey states.

The employment scenario was broadly steady in the October-December 2024 quarter with a majority of respondents’ employee strength remaining unchanged. The expectations for the future, however, are bullish with 30-40 per cent planning to increase their workforce in the next quarter. The optimism is more pronounced in the manufacturing sector and relatively sedate in trading.

The share of responses in favour of the adoption of digital modes for selling & marketing rising steadily going forward.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Wednesday met leading Indian startup founders and investors in a closed-door session here, and discussed the ChatGPT maker’s plans for the Indian market.

Altman, along with top company executives chief product officer (CPO) Kevin Weil and VP of Engineering Srinivas Narayanan, also discussed the challenges faced by AI-driven businesses and potential opportunities for collaboration.

Prominent startup leaders who attended the meeting included Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal, Snapdeal co-founder Kunal Bahl, Chaayos co-founder Raghav Verma, Ixigo Group CEO Aloke Bajpai, Haptik CEO Aakrit Vaish, and HealthifyMe’s Tushar Vashisht.

Altman’s visit to India comes at a crucial time when large language models (LLMs) are at the centre of global AI discussions.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday revealed a list of 12 umpires and three match referees as match officials for the 2025 ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, happening from February 19 to March 9 in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

The tournament will take place in four venues: Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi in Pakistan, and Dubai in the UAE. In a statement, the ICC said a distinguished panel of 12 umpires will officiate the eight-team event, with six of them returning after officiating in the 2017 edition.

That includes Richard Kettleborough, who stood in the final of the previous Champions Trophy in the United Kingdom in 2017. Kettleborough, a veteran of 108 Men’s ODIs, will be joined by fellow umpires Chris Gaffaney, Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Illingworth, Paul Reiffel, and Rod Tucker, who also officiated in the 2017 tournament won by Pakistan.

Zomato's rival Swiggy on Wednesday reported a Rs 799.08 crore net loss in the October-December period (Q3 FY25), as compared to a loss of Rs 625.53 crore in the previous quarter.

On an annual basis, Swiggy’s net loss widened 39 per cent, from a net loss of Rs 574 crore in the year-ago period.

The operating loss, or the losses before interest tax depreciation and amortisation, stood at Rs 725.66 crore, which increased from Rs 554.17 crore clocked in the September quarter (Q2).

However, the online food delivery company’s revenue went up 10.9 per cent from the preceding quarter to Rs 3,993.07 crore, according to its stock exchange filing.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) on Tuesday said it handled its highest-ever monthly cargo volume of 39.9 million metric tonnes (MMT) in January, which was up 13 per cent year-on-year.

This included containers (+32 per cent YoY) and liquids and gas (+18 per cent).

APSEZ has crossed new milestones of handling 372.2 MMT (+20 per cent YoY) of total cargo (+7 per cent YoY) and liquids and gases (+9 per cent YoY) year-to-date in January, informed India’s largest integrated transport utility and part of the diversified Adani Group.

Moreover, Mundra Port has achieved a series of extraordinary milestones in cargo handling during January 2025, some of which have become national records.