RBI announced that banks must offer loans at a rate that includes all costs, not just interest. This applies to retail and MSME loans, and the total cost will be provided in a Key Fact Statement. This is currently only required for certain loans, but will be mandated for all regulated entities. RBI will issue a circular for this new loan pricing mechanism and banks will be given time to comply.

Govt has tightened wheat stock holding norms for wholesalers, big chain retailers, and processors to prevent hoarding. Traders can now hold a maximum of 500 tonnes of wheat instead of 1,000 tonnes, while big retailers can hold 5 tonnes in each outlet and total 500 tonnes at all depots. Processors can only maintain 60% of their monthly capacity multiplied by remaining months until April 2024.

NHAI has achieved a record-breaking monetization value of Rs 15,624.9 crore through InvIT mode. This was achieved by monetizing 10 stretches of about 890 km. NHAI has also successfully awarded four bundles and raised a total of Rs 15,968 crore this financial year through the TOT mode. Additionally, they have raised Rs 26,366 crore through previous rounds of TOT.

British house prices saw a 2.5% increase in January, the strongest annual growth since June 2022. This was driven by falling mortgage rates and a resilient labor market, boosting confidence among buyers and sellers. The Bank of England's next interest rate move is expected to be downward, potentially supporting future housing market activity.

A parliamentary panel reported that the wages paid under the rural employment scheme, MGNREGA, are inadequate and not keeping up with the rising cost of living. This has led to a shortage of workers participating in the scheme. The panel recommended an increase in wages and expressed concerns over the insufficient budget allocation for the scheme.

ISRO is launching INSAT-3DS satellite on February 17, which will improve meteorological observations and provide better forecasts and disaster warnings. It will be launched using GSLV F14 and will join existing satellites in monitoring weather and ocean surfaces. The satellite has multiple payloads for different purposes and is fully funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

British American Tobacco (BAT) plans to exit its stake in Indian cigarettes maker ITC Ltd's hotel business after the latter's demerger from the parent company. ITC shareholders will hold 60% of the new hotel entity, with BAT likely to monetize its remaining 40% stake. The demerger is expected to result in improved returns for both ITC and its shareholders.

The Ahmedabad civic body will hold another land auction, with five plots up for sale, including two new plots and three from the previous auction that went unsold. The cumulative reserve price for these plots is Rs. 647.62 crore. The auction will take place on Feb 27 and 28, after registering bidders until Feb 21. In the previous auction, two plots were sold for Rs. 109.65 crore.

Government not currently discussing consolidation or privatisation of public sector banks due to their good performance and upcoming elections. Amendments need to be made in banking laws for privatisation to occur. Previous consolidations happened when banks were under corrective action, but now smaller banks are performing well. PSU banks have made record profits.

Jefferies analyzed the performance of midcap stocks in India's Q3FY24 and found a strong earnings growth of +30% YoY. Key contributors include Dixon, Kajaria Ceramics, Pidilite, and V-gaurd. However, softer demand affected B2C companies like Havells and POLYCAB. Cables & Wires segment saw double-digit volume growth while DIXON and Pidilite reported strong Q3 performances.

The RBI conducted a 14-day variable rate repo auction of Rs 1.75 lakh crore on February 8 and will reverse the funds on February 23. This is to infuse liquidity into the banking system, which currently has a deficit of around Rs 1.53 lakh crore. There is also a scheduled reversal of an auction worth Rs 2.50 lakh crore on February 9.

On Thursday, Nifty fell by 200+ points resulting in a bearish candle on the daily chart, indicating a possible weakening of the short-term trend. However, the near-term uptrend remains intact and any further decline could present an opportunity for buying at levels of 21,550-21,500. Analysts suggest that if Nifty remains above 21,700, there could be a recovery.

The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India on February 8 reported a 49 percent year-on-year (YoY) rise in net profit at Rs 9,441 crore for the October-December quarter of the financial year 2023-24, from Rs 6,334 crore recorded in the year-ago period. Net premium income grew 4.67 percent to Rs 1.17 lakh crore in the quarter under review, from Rs 1.11 lakh crore in the year-ago period.

Indian cement industry remains optimistic despite challenges, with single-digit growth expected in coming quarters. Factors such as government spending on infrastructure and housing projects, as well as potential price hikes allow for expectation of 6-10% growth. Election slowdown, flooding and construction ban caused brief dip, but demand has since picked up.

Microsoft partners with Indian startup Sarvam AI to support the development of voice-based generative AI applications focused on Indic languages and context. Sarvam AI, funded by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures, will make its Indic voice models available on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform.