India’s inflation rate, based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), rose to 2.36% in October this year, compared to the same month of the previous year on the back of higher food prices, figures released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Thursday showed.

Inflation in October has risen from 1.84 per cent in September, primarily due to an increase in prices of food articles which jumped by 13.57 per cent during the month as vegetables such as potatoes and onions turned costlier following the damage to crops caused by the late withdrawal of the monsoon.

The wholesale price inflation in manufactured goods, which have a weightage of over 64 per cent in the index, rose by 1.5 per cent. There was a decline in prices in the fuel and power category with the inflation rate at a negative (-) 5.79 per cent, according to the official figures.

The Indian stock market opened flat on Thursday as buying was seen in IT, PSU banks, financial services and pharma sectors at Nifty.

In early trade at around 9:43 am, Sensex was at 77,728.24 after rising 37.29 points or 0.05 per cent while Nifty was at 23,562.05 after a marginal rise.

The market trend remained positive. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 1,486 stocks were trading in green, while 803 stocks were trading in red.

Nifty Bank was at 50,385.90 after rising 297.55 points or 0.59 per cent. Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 54,062.80 after gaining 261.95 points or 0.49 per cent. Nifty Small cap 100 index was at 17,573.25 after gaining 114.35 points or 0.66 per cent.

The Indian stock market closed on a bearish note on Wednesday with significant declines across major indices.

The Sensex fell by 984 points or 1.25 per cent to settle at 77,690, while the Nifty dropped 324 points or 1.36 per cent to close at 23,559.

This week so far, Sensex was down 1,795 points or 2.26 per cent and Nifty was down 589 points or 2.44 per cent.

Sectors such as Metal, auto and banking faced substantial selling pressure, contributing to the overall market decline.

The average number of daily e-transactions to access public services in India has increased by 56 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year while there has been a transfer pf Rs 6.9 lakh crore through the digitally-powered Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) under 314 schemes, benefiting 176 crore beneficiaries in the financial year 2023-24, RBI deputy Governor Michael Patra said on Wednesday.

Addressing the conference on ‘Digital Technology, Productivity and Economic Growth in India’, Patra said over the years, these DBTs have resulted in estimated cumulative cost savings of Rs 3.5 lakh crore up to March 2023.

The RBI deputy governor further stated that India is uniquely positioned to unlock new growth avenues and optimise existing ones with its digital public infrastructure (DPI), a vibrant information technology (IT) sector and a burgeoning youth population, including one of the largest AI talent bases.

Indian equity indices traded in deep red on Wednesday due to large selling in the heavyweights like Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank, among others.

Sensex was down 530 points or 0.67 per cent at 78,158 and Nifty was down 180 points or 0.76 per cent at 23,702 during the intra-day trading.

In the trading session, Sensex made an intra-day low of 77,959.

The market trend also remained negative. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 289 stocks were in the green and 2,163 stocks were in the red.

Due to heavy selling, the market capitalisation of all listed companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) declined by over Rs 6 lakh crore to Rs 430 lakh crore. On Tuesday, it was Rs 436 lakh crore.

Driven by tier 2 and 3 cities, India’s e-commerce sector registered a gross merchandise value (GMV) of approximately $14 billion (more than Rs 1.18 lakh crore) in this year’s festive season, marking a 12 per cent growth over last year’s festive period, a report said on Wednesday.

This growth was fuelled by resilient consumer spending across categories, including quick commerce, electronics, fashion, beauty and personal care (BPC), home furnishings and groceries, according to the report by Redseer Strategy Consultants.

Higher engagement with premium products and low average selling price (ASP) items alike indicated a dynamic consumer market this festive season (from September 15 to October 31).

The Indian stock market opened in red on Wednesday as selling was seen across sectors, except private banks, in early trade.

Sensex was trading at 78,260 after slipping 414 points and Nifty was trading at 23,706 after dropping 167 points.

The market trend remained negative. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 335 stocks were trading in green, while 1,948 stocks were trading in red.

Nifty Bank was at 51,194.40 after gaining 36.60 points or 0.07 per cent. Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 54,375.30 after falling 882.20 points or 1.60 per cent. Nifty Small cap 100 index was at 17,618.75 after a huge fall of 372.85 points or 2.07 per cent.

M&M, Tata Steel, Maruti, Sun Pharma, Reliance, Nestle India, JSW Steel and Power Grid were the top losers in the Sensex pack. NTPC, Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank and HDFC were the top gainers.

The Indian stock market closed in red on Tuesday as heavy selling was seen in all sectors except IT and realty.

India's main benchmark indices closed down by more than 1 per cent at the end of trading. Sensex fell 820.97 points, or 1.03 per cent, to 78,675.18 and Nifty settled at 23,883.45, down 257.85 points, or 1.07 per cent.

Selling was driven by banking stocks. Nifty Bank fell 718.95 points or 1.39 per cent to 51,157.80. Nifty midcap 100 index closed at 55,257.50 at the end of trading after falling 596.25 points or 1.07 per cent. The Nifty smallcap 100 index closed at 17,991.60 after falling 233.55 points or 1.28 per cent.

Among the sectoral indices, PSE, auto, PSU Bank, financial service, pharma, FMCG, metal, media, energy, private bank, and infra were major losers.

In the Sensex pack, NTPC, HDFC Bank, Asian Paints, SBI, Tata Motors, JSW Steel, Maruti, Power Grid, Bajaj Finance, M&M, Bajaj Finserv, Nestle India, Axis Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the top losers. However, Sun Pharma, Infosys, and ICICI Bank were the top gainers.

The Indian stock market opened flat on Tuesday as buying was seen in realty, media, IT, PSU bank, financial services and pharma sectors in early trade.

Sensex was trading at 79,584.29 after rising 88.14 points or 0.11 per cent. At the same time, Nifty was trading at 24,172.95 after rising 31.65 points or 0.13 per cent.

The market trend remained positive. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 1,525 stocks were trading in green, while 651 stocks were trading in red.

Nifty Bank was at 52,933.60 after rising 56.85 points or 0.11 per cent. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 56,230.10 after gaining 376.35 points or 0.67 per cent. At the same time, the Nifty Small cap 100 index was at 18,352.55 after gaining 127.40 points or 0.70 per cent.

Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma, Axis Bank, HCL Tech, Power Grid, Tata Motors and Infosys were the top gainers in the Sensex pack. At the same time, Asian Paints, M&M, HDFC Bank, Maruti, Nestle India and IndusInd Bank were the top losers.

The Indian stock markets closed flat on Monday as selling was seen in the auto, pharma, FMCG, and metal sectors.

Sensex closed at 79,496.15 after a marginal gain of 9.83 points or 0.01 per cent.

Nifty closed at 24,141.30 after a marginal decline of 6.90 points or 0.03 per cent.

Nifty Bank rose 315.55 points or 0.61 per cent to 51,876.75. The Nifty Midcap 100 index closed at 55,853.75 at the end of trading after falling 498.25 points or 0.83 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index closed at 18,225.15 after falling 220.45 points or 1.20 per cent.

Buying was seen in the IT, PSU Bank, Financial Services, Private Bank and PSE sectors of Nifty. There was heavy selling in the metal, media and healthcare sectors.