🏦 Economy / Policy
• Retail inflation rose to 1.66% in December 2025 from 0.71% in November, driven by higher food prices, though it remains well below RBI’s comfort band 💹
• India’s forex reserves fell sharply by $9.81 billion to $686.8 billion, led by declines in foreign currency assets and gold holdings 💰⚠️
• Union Budget 2026 will be presented on Sunday, February 1, confirmed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla 🏦
• Doubling cinema screens could create 1.25 lakh jobs and significantly boost tax revenues, according to a new report 🎬📈
• India’s Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme under Semicon India shows momentum with 16 tape-outs, six ASIC chips, and 10 patents, engaging over 1,000 engineers 💻📈
🏢 Companies / Sectors
• TCS posted Q3 FY26 revenue of ₹67,087 crore (+4.9% YoY), but profit fell 13.9% due to a ₹3,391 crore exceptional loss; AI revenue reached $1.8 billion 📉🤖
• HCLTech reported Q3 FY26 revenue of ₹33,872 crore (+13.3% YoY) with profit down 11.2% on labour code impact, while raising FY26 growth guidance to 4–4.5% 📈
• Reliance Industries has paused lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing plans after failing to secure technology licensing from a Chinese supplier, underscoring clean-energy supply chain challenges 🔋⚠️
🌍 Global / World
• US President Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Iran’s trading partners; for India, this could mean a cumulative 75% tariff on exports to the US, complicating trade talks ⚠️💹
• EU–India trade deal could be concluded by end-January, said Germany’s Chancellor Merz, signalling momentum in negotiations 🌍📈
• India and Germany signed 19 MoUs, spanning defence manufacturing, semiconductors, and critical minerals, deepening strategic and industrial ties 🤝
• US CPI data for December is released today, with expectations of 2.7% YoY headline and core inflation—key for Fed rate-cut outlook and EM flows 📊