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India's newest fund category is growing faster than almost anyone predicted. Here is what Specialised Investment Funds actually are, why they matter, and what to watch before you write the cheque. Specialised Investment Funds are suddenly everywhere. Assets have crossed ₹10,000 crore, fund houses are launching new strategies every month, and India’s biggest AMCs are racing to be part of what could become the next evolution of investing. Recently, HSBC Mutual Fund launched its

On March 23, 2026, the Union Power Minister Manohar Lal launched the Indian Carbon Market Portal and announced that formal Carbon Credit Certificate trading would begin within four months. That was not a policy paper. That was a government official naming a live deadline for a market that is already legally operational. It almost sounds futuristic, but India's version is already running, it covers specific named companies, it is backed by enforceable penalties, and it is goin

Most gold investments give you exposure to gold. What if one could actually let you collect it? On May 4, 2026, the National Stock Exchange launched the Electronic Gold Receipt (EGR). This is a new exchange-traded security representing ownership of physical gold stored in SEBI-accredited vaults. You can buy it like a stock, hold it in your demat account, and if you ever want the actual gold, you can redeem it! What exactly is it? This means, physical gold that meets LBMA Go

The weakest opening forecast in over 20 years is in now in 2026! It is forecasted to be 92% of the Long Period Average (LPA) by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This falls in the “below normal” bracket. At first glance, that might sound like a routine deviation. It is not. The RBI's April 2026 Bulletin identified something broader. Climate change, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures are now having a considerable effect on India's food prices and economic outpu

On April 28, the UAE announced it was exiting OPEC and its broader OPEC+ alliance, effective May 1. This is a clean break from the oil cartel it had been part of since 1967. The announcement sent oil futures swinging, analysts scrambling, and investors asking a simple question: what happens next? To answer that, we need to start at the beginning Understanding OPEC OPEC, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, was born in 1960 when five oil-rich nations (Saudi A

In March 2026, the U.S. national debt crossed $39 trillion for the first time. Less than five months earlier, it had just hit $38 trillion. At the current pace of roughly $7.2 billion per day, the $40 trillion mark could arrive before the end of this year. To put that in perspective: it took the United States about 200 years to accumulate its first $1 trillion in debt. Today, it adds that much in a matter of months. These are big numbers that can feel abstract. But they have

On the morning of February 28, 2026, oil traders woke up to chaos. Overnight, the United States and Israel had launched airstrikes on Iran. Within hours, Iran responded by choking the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow artery through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil flows. Markets reacted instantly. Brent crude jumped more than 50% in March from $71, briefly touching $120 per barrel. Even now, in late April, prices remain above $105. For nearly two months, the world’s most i

The past week gave us a mixed picture, steady growth in some areas, but clear pressure building underneath, largely due to the ongoing Middle East conflict. Let’s start with India. Infrastructure output slipped by 0.4% in March 2026, a sharp reversal from the 2.8% growth in February. This marks the first contraction since October and reflects how quickly global events can ripple into domestic data. The biggest hit came from energy-linked sectors, fertiliser production plunged

What if someone told you there's a single number, released every month, that tells you whether Indian businesses are growing or shrinking, whether companies are hiring or firing, and whether prices are going up or coming down? And what if that number comes out weeks before any official government data? That number exists. It's called the PMI. And right now, it's telling a fascinating story about the Indian economy that every investor should be paying attention to. So What Exa

A city where an artificial brain runs the show. It manages traffic, predicts water demand, sorts waste, optimises energy, all in real time, without a single human clicking a button. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, right? But this is actually the plan for Cyber Valley, a 300-acre integrated AI township coming up as part of Infopark Phase III in Kochi, Kerala. If it works, it could become a blueprint for how Indian cities get built in the age of AI. So, What Exac

In November 2025, the Union Cabinet approved a ₹7,280 crore scheme to manufacture something most Indians have never heard of - sintered rare earth permanent magnets. If you’re wondering how big this is: every EV motor, every wind turbine, every guided missile, and every MRI machine depends on these magnets. And right now, India imports 85-90% of them from a single country - China. For decades, this dependency was the cost of doing business. But with China repeatedly using exp

On 13th April 2026, LIC’s board approved something the company had never done in its four years as a publicly listed entity: a bonus share issue in the ratio of 1:1. For every one share you hold, you’ll receive one additional share. The stock responded well. LIC rallied about 7% over the two trading days that followed, touching ₹841 - a five-week high. The market cap crossed ₹5.10 lakh crore. For the shareholders who’ve been watching the stock sit below its issue price of ₹94

India is moving to nuclear energy and it is going to completely transform our economy. Read more to find out!

Let’s start with India. The HSBC India Composite PMI was revised to 57.0 in March 2026, down from 59.9 in February, marking the slowest expansion since November 2022. The services sector continues to do the heavy lifting, while manufacturing is losing some steam. What stands out is that new orders grew at the slowest pace since November 2023, hinting that domestic demand is easing. At the same time, export demand is picking up, which is a positive sign. The services sector, w

When tensions around the Strait of Hormuz disrupted energy flows, India plunged into a crisis, and it exposed a major vulnerability. Nearly 20% of global oil and a significant share of LPG and LNG pass through this passage every day - and India depends heavily on it. India imports nearly 60% of its LPG, and 90% of those imports move through Hormuz. With over 330 million households dependent on LPG cylinders, even a temporary disruption created shock waves in our supply. On Ma

Kerala’s economy is deeply tied to the Middle East. As the Middle East war continues, sectors like remittances, banking, tourism, and real estate face growing risk.

Starting with India, India’s manufacturing momentum slowed in March, with the HSBC Manufacturing PMI easing to 53.9 from 56.9 in February. This marks the weakest improvement in nearly four years. The slowdown seems to be coming from rising cost pressures, intense competition, and uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict. Employment saw its fastest growth in seven months, and exports remained strong, showing the best expansion since September 2025. Interestingly, compani

Last week’s global economic data tells a clear story: growth is slowing, but it’s far from collapsing. Let’s start with Japan, where inflation eased to 1.3% in February 2026 from 1.5%. This is the lowest since March 2022 and, importantly, below the central bank’s 2% target. Core inflation also dropped to 1.6%, while prices declined 0.2% month-on-month for the third straight month. Falling energy costs and softer food inflation are helping here, signalling that price pressures

Money is flowing out, the rupee is weakening, and growth is slowing. Are these early signals that India is heading towards a slowdown?

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is trying to make possible. In a recent proposal, the regulator has introduced the idea of mutual fund investments through prepaid gift instruments (PPIs), essentially turning mutual funds into something you can gift like a voucher.