The RBI wants the yields to remain at 6 per cent, but bond dealers say the central bank will have to step up its bond-buying programme. The bond market is not in a mood to reason with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on keeping yields low. The 10-year bond yields continued to rise for the fourth straight session to close at 6.202 per cent from its previous close of 6.135 per cent. The yield was at 6 per cent a week ago. The RBI wants the yields to remain at 6 per cent, but bond dealers say the central bank will have to step up its bond-buying programme. A section of the market also says the RBI should not hurry in normalising its liquidity operations because that is scaring bond market participants, even as excess liquidity in the system is nearly Rs 6 trillion. The RBI has been devolving auctions, or forcing underwriters of bonds to buy the bonds, or even cancelling auctions to check yields. However, those actions are not having the desired effect. The ... » Learn More about RBI’s lack of support pushes up bond yields
Renard bond
When Mohan Bhagwat became a hardliner
'RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was on the Hindu extremists' hit-list. In June 2008, this information was made public. Prior to that, you should hear Bhagwat's speeches and listen to his 'liberal' statements.' 'After he was informed that he was on their hit-list, he became a hardliner. He was not like that before.' Maharashtra MLA Kapil Patil tells Neeta Kolhatkar about his fight against Hindu extremist groups whom he accuses of being behind the murders of activists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare. L ok Bharti Party legislator Kapil Patil made waves in the 1990s when he launched a Marathi tabloid Aaj Dinank in which he tackled issues boldly. Since entering politics, Patil, below, left , has focused on lending a voice to the 'Bahujan' community and the minorities and the issues that affect them. Through his network as a social activist, he keeps his ear to the ground. Patil recently accused extremist Hindu groups -- who he says subscribe to the 'Nathurami' (after ... » Learn More about When Mohan Bhagwat became a hardliner
BSE, NSE snap 5-day losing streak in choppy trade
ONGC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying around 6 per cent, followed by IndusInd Bank, L&T, UltraTech Cement, Titan, SBI and NTPC. NSE Nifty settled 32.10 points up at 14,707.80. Markets found firmer ground on Tuesday after five days of heavy losses as investors made a cautious return to select energy, banking and infra counters amid mixed global cues. A spurt in COVID-19 cases and lack of fresh buying triggers continued to weigh on sentiment, traders said. After gyrating 667.46 points during the day, the 30-share BSE Sensex ended just 7.09 points or 0.01 per cent higher at 49,751.41. On similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty settled 32.10 points or 0.22 per cent up at 14,707.80. ONGC topped the Sensex gainers' chart, climbing 5.55 per cent, followed by IndusInd Bank, L&T, UltraTech Cement, SBI, NTPC and Titan. Index heavyweight Reliance Industries rose 0.84 per cent after the company announced the contours of carving out of its ... » Learn More about BSE, NSE snap 5-day losing streak in choppy trade
May 23 to be observed as ‘Day of Chabahar’: Rouhani
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhan during a joint press conference after their meeting at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran on Monday. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo Iranian President Dr. Hassan Rouhani on Monday announced that May 23 will henceforth be called the ‘Day of Chabahar’ as India, Iran and Afghanistan signed the historic Chabahar Agreement. ‘This is a very important day for Iranians and now on it is going to be even more important because today is going to mark the day of cooperation between three of us, Iran, India and Afghanistan and from now on this day can be called the day of Chabahar,’ he said at trilateral summit. Asserting that it was an important day in the history of the relationship between the three countries, Iranian President said that Tehran, Delhi and Kabul would give this message to the region that the path of progress of the countries of the region goes through cooperation and utilization of ... » Learn More about May 23 to be observed as ‘Day of Chabahar’: Rouhani
Sensex falls over 200 points in early trade; Nifty below 15,000
Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex dropped over 200 points in opening trade on Monday tracking losses in index majors HDFC, ITC and L&T amid tepid cues from global markets. After dropping to 50,685.42, the 30-share BSE index pared most losses to trade 65.13 points or 0.13 per cent lower at 50,824.63. After a similar movement, the broader NSE Nifty was quoting 8.40 points or 0.06 per cent down at 14,973.35. L&T was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2 per cent, followed by M&M, Dr Reddy's, Maruti, HDFC, TCS and Bajaj Auto. On the other hand, ONGC, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra and Infosys were among the gainers. In the previous session, Sensex ended 434.93 points or 0.85 per cent lower at 50,889.76, and Nifty gave up the 15,000 level, dropping 137.20 points or 0.91 per cent to 14,981.75. Foreign institutional investors were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 118.75 crore on Friday, as per exchange data. ... » Learn More about Sensex falls over 200 points in early trade; Nifty below 15,000
Novel chip for Covid-19 testing delivers results on smartphone
Scientists have developed a stamp-sized chip that simplifies Covid-19 testing and delivers results on a smartphone in less than 55 minutes. The microfluidic chip developed by researchers from Rice University in the US measures the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein , a biomarker for Covid-19, in blood serum from a standard finger prick. According to the research published in the journal ACS Sensors, the nanobeads bind to SARS-CoV-2 N protein in the chip and transport it to an electrochemical sensor that detects minute amounts of the biomarker. The researchers noted that their process simplifies sample handling compared to swab-based PCR tests that are widely used to diagnose Covid-19 and need to be analysed in a laboratory. "What's great about this device is that it doesn't require a laboratory," said Rice lab of mechanical engineer Peter Lillehoj. "You can perform the entire test and generate the results at the collection site, health clinic or ... » Learn More about Novel chip for Covid-19 testing delivers results on smartphone
: ‘My fights with Rubina were not staged’
'We still don't know how the fights started, so we have promised that we do not want to take this forward.' Indian Idol Season One finalist Rahul Vaidya was among the top two finalists of Bigg Boss 14 , but he lost out to Rubina Dilaik. Rahul came across as easy-going, but would get agitated with those whom he thought were fake. He had fights with Rubina and Abhinav Shukla. Besides Aly Goni, the singer could not connect with any other house mate on an emotional level. That was the reason he made a voluntary exit from the show after Aly's eviction. But he got a second chance and made the most of it. "I came with the sole intention of winning a new fan base and that has been achieved," he tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor Rajul Hegde . You were so close to winning the Bigg Boss 14 trophy. Was it a déjà vu moment for you, as it had happened to you during Indian Idol too, when you lost out to Abhijeet Sawant? It was not déjà vu ... » Learn More about : ‘My fights with Rubina were not staged’
Bitcoin heads for worst week since March, slumps 6 per cent
London: Bitcoin fell over 6 per cent on Friday (February 26) to its lowest in two weeks as a rout in global bond markets sent yields flying and sparked a sell-off in riskier assets. The world's biggest cryptocurrency slumped as low as $44,451 before recovering most of its losses. It was the last trading down 1.2 per cent at $46,525, on course for a drop of almost 20 per cent this week, which would be its heaviest weekly loss since March last year. The sell-off echoed that in equity markets, where European stocks tumbled as much as 1.5 per cent, with concerns over lofty valuations also hammering demand. Asian stocks fell by the most in nine months. "When the flight to safety mode is on, it is the riskier investments that get pulled first," Denis Vinokourov of London-based cryptocurrency exchange BeQuant wrote in a note. Bitcoin has risen about 60 per cent from the start of the year, hitting an all-time high of $58,354 this month as mainstream companies such as ... » Learn More about Bitcoin heads for worst week since March, slumps 6 per cent
Sensex surges over 300 points in early trade; Nifty above 14,700
Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex jumped over 300 points in the opening session on Tuesday tracking gains in index majors Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and L&T. After touching a high of 50,128.85 in early trade, the 30-share BSE index was trading 260.39 points or 0.52 per cent higher at 50,004.71. After a similar movement, the broader NSE Nifty was quoting 81.50 points or 0.56 per cent up at 14,757.20. ONGC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying around 6 per cent, followed by L&T, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank. On the other hand, Asian Paints, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Auto, Maruti and HDFC were among the laggards. In the previous session, Sensex tumbled 1,145.44 points or 2.25 per cent to close at 49,744.32, and Nifty sank 306.05 points or 2.04 per cent to finish at 14,675.70. Foreign institutional investors turned net sellers in the capital market as they offloaded shares worth Rs ... » Learn More about Sensex surges over 300 points in early trade; Nifty above 14,700
Two-way fund flows set to be encouraged
Individuals may be permitted to invest in foreign shares, insurance products China is likely to achieve a breakthrough this year that would permit personal investment in securities and insurance products overseas, an indication that policymakers are willing to see more active two-way capital flows, experts said on Monday. The experts also hinted at the possibility of further removing limits on personal cross-border investment, with a senior official from the foreign exchange regulator suggesting the revision of some relevant rules in an article published in China Forex, a magazine, on Friday. Ye Haisheng, director of the Capital Account Management Department at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, said regulators are considering allowing individuals to invest in overseas securities and insurance products within the annual quota of $50,000. The SAFE will also study to ease restrictions in an orderly way on outboard personal investment, amend the management regulations ... » Learn More about Two-way fund flows set to be encouraged