💹 Economy / Policy
- Retail inflation dropped to a series low of 0.25% in Oct, aided by strong base effects and easing food prices.
- Ind-Ra projects India’s Q2 FY26 GDP growth at 7.2%, driven by private consumption and steady investment momentum.
- The Cabinet approved ₹45,060 crore schemes to support exporters hit by new US tariff measures, enhancing trade resilience.
- Govt rationalised royalty rates for four critical minerals to attract private exploration and reduce import dependency.
- Withdrawing ISTS charges for renewable power will help address regional imbalance in RE capacity setup, says Power Ministry.
🏦 Companies / Sectors
- Cement industry to add 160–170 MT grinding capacity by FY28 with ₹1.2 lakh crore capex, per Crisil, signaling robust infra growth.
- Public sector banks reported over ₹93,000 crore net profit in H1 FY26, reflecting strong credit demand and asset quality.
- Online grocery market growing rapidly, but fresh produce remains offline, says PwC, highlighting last-mile and logistics gaps.
- RBI’s new gold loan norms prompt lenders to wind down repledged portfolios, tightening liquidity for NBFCs.
🌍 Global / World
- India to become the epicentre of oil demand growth by 2035, with import dependency expected to hit 92%, per IEA.
- Trump signs deal ending the longest US government shutdown in history, restoring federal operations.
- Anthropic to invest $50 billion in building US-based AI data centers, intensifying AI infrastructure race.
- Google Drive, Docs & Sheets faced a major outage across the US, disrupting productivity for thousands.