Amid the ongoing geo-political tensions, unchanged retail fuel prices amid the volatile oil prices will support overall returns for the industry, according to a report on Thursday.

Operating profit will be higher than the $9-11 per barrel on average over the 10 years through fiscal 2024. This will partly support the continued substantial capital expenditure (capex) of Oil marketing companies (OMCs), said a CRISIL Ratings report.

OMCs are projected to see operating profit drop to $12-14 per barrel in fiscal 2025 from $20 per barrel last fiscal.

The moderation is expected as diesel spreads soften, discounts on Russian crude oil wane and the impact of inventory loss kicks in with crude oil price averaging $75 per barrel currently, down from $82 per barrel in the first half of the fiscal.

Samsung Biologics Co on Wednesday said its third-quarter net profit increased 10 per cent from a year earlier, driven by record sales.

Net profit for the July-September period came to 264.5 billion won ($191.3 million), compared with 240.4 billion won a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing, news agency reported.

Its operating income rose 6.3 per cent on-year to 338.6 billion won and sales jumped 14.8 per cent to a record high of 1.18 trillion won for the third quarter.

Samsung Biologics attributed its strong performance to new contract development and manufacturing organisation deals with global biopharmaceutical firms.

So far this year, the Korean company has secured nine deals worth a combined 4.36 trillion won with global big pharma, including the latest $1.24 billion deal with an Asia-based company.

Almost 750 million additional people were covered by 5G in 2023 and more than half of that was due to rollouts by operators in India alone, a new GSMA report said on Wednesday.

The consumer experience on mobile networks continued to see significant improvement in 2023, with global average download speeds increasing from 34 to 48 Mbps.

"This represents the largest proportional and absolute increase seen to date. The biggest increase was in South Asia, where India’s launch of 5G drove a 70 per cent increase in average download speeds in the region," according to the GSMA 'State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2024’ report.

Average rentals across all six major markets in India have breached pre-pandemic levels for the first time in 2024, a report showed on Wednesday, clocking 2-8 per cent higher rentals compared to 2019.

Delhi-NCR and Pune saw the highest rise in average rentals at about 8 per cent each during the 2019-2024 period followed by Mumbai and Chennai with about 5-6 per cent rise in the same period.

With continued strong momentum, the six major office markets have witnessed a cumulative Grade A office space demand of 264 million square feet since 2019, according to a Colliers report.

Insurance sector in India grew at an impressive 15 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past two decades, with premiums reaching Rs 10.4 lakh crore in FY23, and there is immense potential for growth that remains untapped, industry experts said on Wednesday.

Despite the consistent growth, India’s insurance penetration at 4 per cent, which is significantly lower than the global average of 6.8 per cent, and protection gap of $40 billion indicate substantial room for further expansion and development, according to the report by KPMG in India, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Supportive government initiatives and a conducive regulatory environment have played a crucial role in pushing the insurance penetration upwards. Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) have expanded coverage for the poor and vulnerable sections of the society.

Indian photographers on Wednesday said that to make this Diwali the most unforgettable bash of the year, it is time to put together some iPhone 16 camera tips to get that one-in-a-million snap.

Photographer and director Joshua Karthik said Diwali can be the most dynamic time of the year, where one moment feels unlike the other, so much so that it becomes impossible for a single camera lens to do justice to the entire tableau.

That is where iPhone 16 comes in with its 48MP Fusion, Telephoto and Ultra Wide cameras that equal having four lenses in your pocket at once.

“Go ultra-wide with your photos and videos. iPhone 16 Pro and Max shoot have four times the resolution this year, and the new 48MP sensor makes for fantastic images,” Karthik suggested.

The shares of Hyundai Motor India, the company that launched the country's largest IPO, disappointed investors on the first day of listing on Tuesday as the stock closed at Rs 1,819 a piece, down 7.16 per cent.

After listing, a selling trend was seen in the stock. The shares of Hyundai Motor India were listed at Rs 1,931, down 1.47 per cent. However, the stock later saw a slight rise and briefly went above its issue price of Rs 1,960 to Rs 1,970 a piece, but the stock could not sustain at these levels and closed at Rs 1,819 with a loss of 7.16 per cent.

Shares of Hyundai Motor India made a low of Rs 1,807 during the day's trading.

The retail inflation rate for farm and rural workers reached 6.36 per cent and 6.39 per cent in the month of September, compared to 6.70 per cent and 6.55 per cent in the same month last year, the government said on Tuesday.

The corresponding figures for August were 5.96 per cent for agricultural labourers and 6.08 per cent for rural labourers, according to the Labour Ministry data.

The All-India Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) and Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) registered an increase of 7 points each in September, reaching levels of 1304 and 1316, respectively.

Meanwhile, the CPI inflation jumped 5.49 per cent in the month of September, up from 3.65 per cent in August, due to high base effect and weather conditions. During the month of September, a significant decline in inflation is observed in pulses and products, spices, meat and fish and sugar and confectionery sub-group.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on Tuesday announced seven new initiatives aimed at revolutionising how India connects, communicates and enhances its digital security.

The new initiatives are built on three key pillars -- security, affordability and reliability.

BSNL also unveiled its new logo, which represents its renewed focus on delivering secure, affordable, and reliable connectivity to every corner of Bharat. The logo was launched by Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya M Scindia in the presence of Minister of State for Communications Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar.

Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) on Tuesday reported 20 per cent EBITDA growth at Rs 4,518 crore in the first half of FY25, as cash profit surged by 27 per cent YoY to Rs 2,640 crore.

On the quarterly basis, EBITDA from power supply saw 17 per cent growth at Rs 2,143 crore in Q2 FY25, from Rs 1,835 crore in the previous quarter.

In the first half of current fiscal, the revenue surged 20 per cent to Rs 4,836 crore in H1 FY25, from Rs 4,029 crore in H1 FY24.