Economy / Policy
• India ranks 3rd globally in rare earth reserves but lags in production due to structural bottlenecks in mining and processing, highlighting supply-chain vulnerabilities. 💹📉
• Industrial growth surged to a 25-month high of 6.7% in November, indicating improving demand and manufacturing momentum. 📈🏭
• Defense Acquisition Council approved ₹79,000 crore of defense procurement including Astra Mk-II missiles, Pinaka rocket systems, loiter munitions and anti-drone systems, boosting indigenous manufacturing. 🛡️💰
Companies
• Amazon and Meesho are racing to deploy LLM-powered shopping tools as AI reshapes online buying, discovery and personalization in Indian e-commerce. 🤖📦
• Coforge acquired Encora for $2.35 billion in India’s largest IT services ER&D deal, creating a ~$2.5 billion revenue entity with a $2 billion AI-led engineering services backbone. 💹🧠
• Bharat Electronics secured additional ₹569 crore in defense orders since December 12, covering radars, tank overhaul, fire control and antenna stabilization systems. 🏭🛡️
• Defense sector momentum remains strong as PSU order books expand on the government’s indigenisation push, benefiting BEL, RVNL and HAL subsidiaries. 📈💰
Global / World
• Silver fell below $75/oz after topping $80/oz as new CME norms came into force, triggering position adjustments and profit-taking. 🌍💰