top of page
by Square League
All Posts


US Wants India to Refine More Venezuelan Oil: Should Investors Care?
On 20 October, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Mumbai that he would discuss with Reliance Industries the idea of refining more Venezuelan crude. He also said Reliance taking part in oil production in Venezuela could be discussed. Oil prices are high and markets are nervous about the Iran conflict, so the talks matter. Here is what investors should know. Item What the reports say Why it matters The ask US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Mumbai on 20 October th

Editor
Oct 234 min read


Jio Platforms IPO: What India’s Biggest Public Issue Means for Investors
Jio Platforms, the digital and telecom arm of Reliance Industries, is getting ready for what is expected to be the largest IPO in Indian history. The issue is reported to open on 21 October and close on 23 October 2026, with listing expected on 28 October. At the top of the reported price band, it could raise about ₹30,200 crore, ahead of Hyundai Motor India’s ₹27,860 crore issue in 2024. This is also the first public offer from the Reliance group since 2008, and the first fr

Editor
Oct 144 min read


RBI Hikes Repo Rate by 25 bps to 5.50%: What It Means for Markets and Your Money
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised the repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) from 5.25% to 5.50%. The move follows signs that inflation is spreading beyond headline numbers into core prices. Here is what it means for the market, your loans and your investments. What is the repo rate? The repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends money to banks. When it goes up, banks pay more to borrow, and that cost usually reaches customers through higher loan rates. The chain is si

Editor
Oct 83 min read


Sensex and Nifty Are Back at 2024 Levels: What Went Wrong and What SIP Investors Should Do
Indian markets have fallen back to 2024 levels. The Nifty 50 is now at about 22,422 and the Sensex at about 71,910, its lowest close since March after four straight losing sessions. These are levels last seen in early 2024: on 1 January 2024 the Sensex touched about 72,500 and the Nifty about 21,800. From the record highs of late 2025 (about 86,000 on the Sensex and 26,300 on the Nifty), the indices are down roughly 16% and 15%. This article explains what is behind the declin

Editor
Oct 35 min read


The Middle Class Playbook
Being middle class in India is often treated as a ceiling a comfortable plateau between rent, EMIs and the next salary credit. In reality, it is a starting line. What separates a household that stays on the plateau from one that climbs off it is rarely the size of the paycheque ; it is where that paycheque is directed every month. This playbook lays out six practical moves from choosing the right assets to using calculators before committing money that middle class earners i

Editor
Sep 256 min read


The Rs 4 Lakh Crore IPO Year: What It Means for the Everyday Investor
On 24 September 2026, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) lists on the BSE. This is a big moment NSE is the exchange where most Indians buy their first stock or mutual fund unit, and it has waited almost ten years to list. Its ₹22,562 crore share sale got 5.7 times more bids than shares on offer, Just two months earlier, on 21 July, SBI Funds Management the company that runs SBI Mutual Fund, India's biggest asset manager listed too. So two companies at the heart of how Indians

Editor
Sep 254 min read


Fed Raises Rates to 4%: What the First Hike Since 2023 Means for Global Markets
On September 16, 2026, the US Federal Reserve raised its benchmark federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a target range of 3.75%–4.00% its first increase since 2023. The Federal Open Market Committee's decision was unanimous, a 12–0 vote, marking a shift from the split 9–3 outcome at July's meeting, when three regional Fed presidents had already pushed for tightening. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh described the US economy as “expanding at a solid pace” but flagged that inflation “

Editor
Sep 186 min read


India's Mutual Fund AUM Crosses ₹85 Lakh Crore:What's Driving the Growth?
India's mutual fund industry has quietly crossed another milestone. As of July 2026, industry-wide assets under management (AUM) touched ₹85.76 lakh crore, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) up nearly six-fold from ₹15.18 lakh crore just a decade earlier, in July 2016. The Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) own Annual Report for 2025-26 puts average AUM for the year at ₹73.7 lakh crore, a 12.2% year-on-year increase, with activ

Editor
Sep 105 min read


Core to Satellite: A 5-Fund Framework for Indian Investors
Most seasoned mutual fund investors don't pick one fund and stop there. They build a portfolio in two layers. The first layer, called the core, is made up of diversified equity funds meant to be held for years, forming the bulk of the portfolio. The second layer, the satellite, is a smaller allocation to funds with a sharper, more tactical purpose a specific theme, sector, or asset class that can add extra return or act as a hedge, without derailing the whole portfolio if it

Editor
Sep 46 min read


Direct vs Regular Mutual Funds:Do Lower Fees Really Mean Higher Returns?
If you've bought a mutual fund in India, you've likely seen two versions of the same scheme: a Direct Plan and a Regular Plan. Both invest in the same portfolio of stocks or bonds, managed by the same fund manager. The only structural difference is cost, and cost compounded over years is a bigger deal than most investors realise. This raises a fair question: if a direct plan is cheaper, does that automatically mean it earns you more money? The short answer is yes, in a mechan

Amal K B
Aug 245 min read


First Salary? Master These 5 Money Moves Before You Spend It
That first salary credit is exciting and it's also the best time to set financial habits that compound for years. Most young earners focus only on how much they make, not how well they organise it. Here are five practical steps that make the difference between money that just passes through your account and money that actually starts working for you. 1. Three Bank Accounts A single account trying to hold your income, your savings, and your monthly expenses at once makes it ha

Amal K B
Aug 175 min read


BEATING INFLATION :Five Asset Classes for Indian Investors
How different investments have preserved and grown real wealth over the last five years. Horizon ≈ 5 years · 2020–2025 Currency INR Measure CAGR, point-to-point Inflation quietly erodes wealth: money left idle loses purchasing power every year. Between FY2021 and FY2025, India's consumer price inflation averaged roughly 5.5%, so any asset returning less than that lost real value. Over this five-year window, several asset classes cleared that bar comfortably. Indian equi
Samuel Zachariah
Aug 144 min read


India Clears New Tax Breaks for Foreign Investors: What's Changing and Why?
Foreign investors putting money into India are getting a string of tax breaks this year. It started with an emergency order in June and has since grown into a full bill in Parliament. Together, these changes touch government bonds, offshore fund managers, electronics companies and even the diamond trade. Here's a simple breakdown of what happened, why the government moved so quickly, and what it could mean going forward. Why the government acted The trigger was a rough patch

Amal K B
Aug 145 min read


TRC to Tax Relief: How UAE and Singapore Residents Claim DTAA on Indian Income
Introduction If you live in the UAE or Singapore and earn income from India such as dividends from Indian shares, interest on NRI deposits, rental income, or capital gains you may worry about paying tax twice. This can happen because India taxes the income where it is earned, while your country of residence may also tax the same income. To prevent this, India has signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) with both the UAE and Singapore. These agreements ensure that

Amal K B
Aug 75 min read


How the Indian Government Helps Entrepreneurs Get Funded: 4 Schemes Explained
Discover four government schemes—PMMY, Stand-Up India, PMEGP, and SAMRIDH—that help Indian entrepreneurs access funding, loans, and startup support.

Amal K B
Aug 59 min read


Tokenization in Finance: SEBI, RBI, GIFT City Testing Future Ownership
A simple guide to how digital tokens are changing the way we own bonds, real estate and cash Imagine being able to buy a small slice of a commercial building in Mumbai, or a piece of a government bond, for the price of a dinner out and having that ownership recorded instantly and safely on a digital system that cannot be tampered with. This is the basic idea behind tokenization, one of the biggest shifts underway in global and Indian finance today. Tokenization is not crypto

Amal K B
Aug 46 min read


4 GOVERNMENT SCHEMES EVERY INDIAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
The Government of India offers several social security schemes that provide affordable insurance, healthcare, and retirement benefits for every citizen. This guide explains four essential schemes—Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), and Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY—covering their eligibility, benefits, and why they are important for your family's financial security.

Amal K B
Jul 315 min read


India's Atomic Renaissance: Decoding the SHANTI Act and the Era of Private Nuclear Energy
Learn how the SHANTI Act transforms India's nuclear sector, enabling private investment, boosting clean energy, and reshaping the future of atomic power.

Amal K B
Jul 274 min read


What is NPS (National Pension System) and How Does It Work?
A simple guide to India's National Pension System how it works, who can join, the tax benefits, and what to keep in mind before you invest. What is NPS? The National Pension System (NPS) is a retirement savings scheme backed by the Government of India and regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). It was originally created for government employees, but today almost anyone can join salaried employees, self-employed individuals, minors (through

Amal K B
Jul 245 min read


FCNR(B) Deposits Explained: A Complete Guide for NRIs Looking for Safe, Tax-Free Dollar Returns
FCNR(B) deposits let NRIs earn tax-free interest in US dollars while protecting savings from currency fluctuations. This guide explains how FCNR(B) accounts work, their benefits, eligibility, interest rates, tenure options, tax implications, and why they are considered one of the safest dollar-denominated investment choices for Indians living abroad.

Amal K B
Jul 217 min read
bottom of page
