BENCHMARKING

Indian Oil agrees to five-year LNG deal with Trafigura, sources say

India’s biggest refiner, Indian Oil Corporation, has agreed to a five-year deal to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from global trading firm Trafigura, according to three trade sources on Wednesday. The price for the LNG will be linked to the U.S. Henry Hub benchmark.

Consistent outperformers: 31 equity mutual funds beat their benchmarks in 3, 5, and 7 years

Around 31 equity mutual funds have outperformed their respective benchmarks in the last three, five, and seven years. ETMutualFunds analysed the performance of 164 equity mutual funds that have completed seven years of existence in the market.

MF Tracker: HDFC Small Cap Fund turns Rs 10,000 SIP to Rs 1.14 crore in 17 years

HDFC Small Cap Fund marks 17 years. A monthly SIP of Rs 10,000 grows to Rs 1.14 crore. The fund outperforms its benchmark in the last six months and three years. Experts suggest small caps have growth potential. Investors should consider their risk appetite. The fund's top holdings are in healthcare, IT, and automobiles.

Sensex jumps over 100 points, Nifty tops 24,350; HDFC Bank, TechM lead gainers

Indian equity markets initially dipped due to geopolitical tensions with Pakistan, overshadowing positive signals from U.S. trade negotiations. However, the indices recovered, supported by sustained foreign institutional investor inflows and India's economic resilience. Experts advise investors to remain calm during crises, noting the market's surprising strength despite recent challenges.

Ahead of Market: 10 things that will decide stock market action on Wednesday

Indian markets closed higher for a second straight day on Tuesday, supported by FII inflows and hopes of a U.S. trade deal, though gains were limited by geopolitical tensions and mixed Q4 earnings.

Ahead of Market: 10 things that will decide stock market action on Tuesday

Indian stock markets rose sharply on Monday, led by strong Reliance Industries earnings and steady FII inflows, despite India-Pakistan tensions. Sensex gained 1005.84 points and Nifty rose 289.15 points, with analysts advising cautious optimism amid geopolitical risks.

LICHFL cuts home loan interest rates for both old and new home loans; new home loan interest rate starts from 8%

Life insurance coporation of India housing finance has cut its benchmark home loan rates by 0.25%. This means now both old and new customers of LIC HFL can get the benefit of a lower home loan interest rate. In a press release, LIC HFL informed that the new interest rates start from 8% per annum. The name of the benchmark is: LIC Housing Prime Lending Rate (LHPLR).

Buoyant equities help boost rupee, technical resistance limits gains

The Indian rupee logged its best day in more than two weeks on Monday, aided by likely portfolio inflows into local equities while a key technical resistance near its year-to-date peak limited the currency's rally.

3 smallcap mutual funds which outperformed their benchmarks in 5 years

39% of equity mutual funds outperform respective benchmarks in March

38.64% of equity mutual funds outperformed benchmarks in March 2025, with large cap funds leading at 71.88%. Small cap funds underperformed with 10%. AUM grew 7.68%, and SIPs yielded over 12% annual return in top quartile funds.

Nilesh Shah lists 5 key challenges faced by mutual fund managers in generating alpha

Kotak Mutual Fund’s schemes have consistently delivered alpha across SIP, point-to-point, and rolling return bases, despite multiple constraints, said Nilesh Shah. Highlighting challenges like cash drag, stock weight limits, and transaction costs, Shah likened fund managers’ efforts to running a hurdle race while being judged as if they ran a flat race, showcasing resilience in outperforming benchmarks.

For your PSUs only! Bond market's cheapest in 3 years

But since corporate debt is fixed with a mark-up on the benchmark bond yield to account for individual risk exposure beyond the sovereign borrower, the effective borrowing rate has taken longer to trudge durably below the 7% threshold.

Geopolitical developments, earnings to drive markets in holiday-shortened week: Analysts

Geopolitical developments between India and Pakistan, quarterly earnings and macro data will be the key drivers of stock markets in the holiday-shortened week, say analysts.

Mcap of six of top 10 valued firms soars by Rs 1.18 lakh cr; TCS biggest winner

The combined market valuation of six of the top-10 valued firms soared by Rs 1,18,626.24 crore last week, with Tata Consultancy Services stealing the show with maximum gains.

5 flexi cap mutual funds which outperformed their benchmarks in 5 years

RBI to auction new 10-year benchmark bond next week

A new 10-year government bond is likely to be introduced on May 2. The existing benchmark paper has a residual maturity of 9.5 years. Heightened tensions between India and Pakistan may increase government borrowing costs. The 10-year paper is actively traded and serves as a reference rate for corporate bonds.

Equity investors' wealth erodes by Rs 8.88 lakh cr in two days

Investors' wealth got wiped out by Rs 8.88 lakh crore in two days of market slump due to profit-taking and growing tensions along the Indo-Pak border following the terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir.

Risk adjusted, majority of equity funds fail to beat benchmarks

A higher information ratio, typically above 0.5, suggests a fund manager is consistently generating returns above the benchmark. A negative information ratio, shows that the fund has failed to beat its benchmark for the risk it has taken, meaning investors would be better off with passive funds.

Ahead of Market: 10 things that will decide stock market action on Friday

Markets traded range-bound on April expiry day amid global selling pressure and weak FMCG earnings; analysts expect continued consolidation and advise stock-specific buying on dips.

Air India receives GDP certification for cargo business, setting new benchmark in pharma logistics

With investments in infrastructure, training, and partnerships, Air India is well-positioned to support India's growing pharmaceutical exports.

Ahead of Market: 10 things that will decide stock market action on Thursday

Indian markets extended gains for the seventh day, driven by IT and auto stocks, positive global cues, and HCLTech’s outlook. Analysts flagged possible near-term volatility amid geopolitical tensions and mixed earnings.

Dollar slides to three-year low as Trump attacks threaten Fed's independence

The dollar tumbled on Monday to its lowest level in three years as investor confidence in the U.S. economy took another hit over President Donald Trump's attacks on the Federal Reserve chairman, potentially putting the central bank's independence under threat.

78% smallcap mutual funds outperform their benchmarks in one year. Have you invested in any for your portfolio?

Around 78% of smallcap mutual funds in India outperformed their benchmarks in the past year, with 21 out of 27 funds exceeding expectations. Top performers included Bank of India Small Cap Fund and Invesco India Smallcap Fund. However, six funds, including Baroda BNP Paribas Small Cap Fund and Quant Small Cap Fund, failed to beat their benchmarks.