HUL, Nestle India, Britannia, Godrej Consumer Products, Marico, Dabur, Emami, Jyothy Labs et al: What’s weighing on the FMCG sector and is demand recovery in sight?

While globally, FMCG/ consumer non-discretionary sectors are viewed as defensive plays, in India, for over a decade, they also served as aggressive growth bets. Why not, when GDP was growing consistently in mid- to high-single digits pulling up millions of people out of poverty and pushing them into the consumption class! On top of this,…

Russia says it has fully retaken Kursk, but Ukraine says fighting continues | Russia-Ukraine war News

Ukraine dismisses report of Kursk loss as a ‘propaganda ‘trick’. Russia said its forces have completely recaptured the embattled Kursk region, eight months after Ukraine’s military stormed into the Russian territory in a surprise counteroffensive, but Ukrainian officials quickly rejected the claim. Russia’s military Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov made the declaration during a video…

Pak airspace closure: Centre asks airlines to bolster passenger facilities

The Union government has instructed airlines to bolster passengers’ “amenities as well as handling protocols” with immediate effect to shield flyers from the fallout of Pakistan’s airspace closures. As an air corridor, Pakistan’s airspace is vital for Indian airlines, especially for westbound flights from northern cities like Delhi to Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia,…

Zelensky and Trump hold ‘very productive’ talks at Vatican

Emma Rossiter & Paul Kirby BBC News Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky meet before Pope Francis’s funeral Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump have met inside St Peter’s Basilica ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral. The White House described the 15-minute meeting as “very productive” and Zelensky later called it “very symbolic” with…

IDFC First Bank reports a sharp 58% drop in Q4FY25 standalone net profit at ₹304 crore

IDFC First Bank reported a sharp 58 per cent year-on-year (yoy) drop in fourth quarter (Q4FY25) standalone net profit at ₹304 crore, with the bottomline being dragged by a jump in provisions, including towards deliquent assets in the microfinance portfolio. Sharply lower tax expenses, to an extent, acted as a counterweight to the aforementioned provisions,…