India

These are the most popular stories from the Financial Times. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. Headlines After three years of negotiations, UK and India reach a trade agreement UK closes on US trade deal with lower tariff quotas and cars After rival complaint, a Czech court stops an $18 billion deal for nuclear reactors Brussels wants to force EU gas companies to reveal their Russian contracts View the full article Britain and India have signed a free trade agreement that has been long sought after. The tariff wars sparked by U.S. president Donald...

Castrol India, a producer of engine oil and lubricants, reported a 8% increase in its first-quarter profits on Monday due to the growing demand for their products. The profit at Castrol India (majority owned by British oil giant BP) increased to $27.4 million from the 2.16 billion rupees it earned a year earlier. Revenue increased by 7.3%, to 14.22 billion Rupees. Castrol is India’s largest private retailer for engine oils. It has focused on providing premium products to sport utility vehicles, India's top-selling car category. Analysts believe the company will benefit from the rising demand for oil products, as India's...

Reliance Industries, India's largest company, beat expectations for its fourth-quarter profits on Friday as strong performances in its retail and digital business offset the weakness in its Oil-to-Chemicals (O2C), unit. According to LSEG, the Mukesh Ambani conglomerate reported a consolidated net profit of 194.07 trillion rupees (2.27 billion dollars) for the three-month period ended March 31. This was higher than analysts' expectations (188.77 trillion rupees), according to LSEG. The company reported that the EBITDA (earnings before taxes, depreciation and amortization) of its mainstay O2C businesses fell by 10% as a result of a weakness in transportation fuel cracks. The EBITDA...

Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that India raised the excise tax on petrol and diesel on Monday without passing higher costs on to consumers. This would increase government tax collections amid falling oil prices worldwide. Puri, at a recent press conference, said that the increase in excise taxes would be absorbed and not passed on to consumers. He said that higher tax collections from state-owned fuel retailers and private fuel retailers could help New Delhi partially compensate state companies who suffered a revenue loss in 2024/25 of 413.80 trillion rupees (4.8 billion dollars) on sales of local cooking gas...

India's Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that India and the United Arab Emirates had agreed to build an energy hub in Sri Lanka. This comes as New Delhi's rivalry with China in the Indian Ocean Island nation grows. The three nations signed a pact to create the hub during Indian PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka. This was the first time a world leader visited Sri Lanka since Anura Kumara dissanayake became president in September. New Delhi and Colombo are working to strengthen their ties, as India's southern neighbor recovers from the severe financial crisis that was triggered in...

Indian shares sold off on Friday amid fears of a global economic recession due to the U.S. tariffs. They had largely avoided the storm during the previous session because the duties on India were lower than those on its competitors. As of 10:51 a.m. IST the Nifty 50 was down 1.17% at 22,977.85, and the BSE Sensex fell 0.97% to 76,552. On Thursday, they fell by a very mild 0.4%. The Asian share market fell by 0.8% today, following a 0.7% drop on Thursday. This was after Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all imports as well as higher rates...

The oil prices were stable on Wednesday, after falling the previous day on fears that new U.S. trade tariffs to be announced later in the session could deepen a worldwide trade war and limit crude demand. Brent futures fell 2 cents, to $74.47 per barrel at 0016 GMT on Wednesday after falling 0.4% Tuesday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures rose 1 cent to $71.21 following a 0.4% drop. On Monday, prices rose to the highest level in five weeks. The White House confirmed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump would impose new trade barriers on Wednesday. However, it did...

Maruzen Petrochemical in Japan, a subsidiary of Cosmo Energy Holdings will close its ethylene plant in Chiba during the fiscal year 2026/27 and consolidate its production at Keiyo Ethylene - its joint venture with Sumitomo Chemical - the companies announced on Tuesday. The three companies released a joint statement saying that the move is intended to improve the utilization rate of Keiyo Ethylene. Keiyo Ethylene is owned by Maruzen and Sumitomo, respectively. Low operating rates have plagued Japanese ethylene plants due to a global oversupply caused by China's large-scale capacity expansions, as well as a declining domestic market. Energy transportation...

The price of oil rose slightly on Tuesday, after U.S. president Donald Trump threatened to impose secondary duties on Russian crude as well as attack Iran. However, concerns about the impact of trade wars on global economic growth limited gains. Brent futures rose by 16 cents or 0.2% to $74.93 a bar at 0330 GMT. U.S. West Texas intermediate crude futures climbed by 13 cents or 0.2% to $71.61. A day earlier, the contracts had settled at a five-week high. Market participants are pricing in the risk of tighter oil supply due to U.S. threats to impose secondary tariffs on...

The threat by U.S. president Donald Trump to impose secondary duties of 25 to 50 percent on buyers of Russian crude is so outrageous and bold that it may achieve his stated goal of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. What is important now is how the other key players react to the latest move of this mercurial, inconsistent U.S. president. Do Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping, believe that Trump is going to follow through on his promises? If so, what will this mean for the energy situation of...

The oil markets shrugged Monday off the threat of U.S. president Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Russian oil buyers as the shock factor of the White House's barrage of threats begins to wear out with jaded traders. Analysts and traders have questioned the seriousness of Trump's proposal. Warren Patterson, ING's director of commodities strategy, said that the U.S. government's announcements on tariffs and other sanctions have a tired feel. He said that the market would not overreact until he could provide more concrete information. The price of oil fell on Monday. Brent crude futures, the most active, were down...

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio has signed a deal to bring Starlink satellite Internet services to India. This is a surprising move by the billionaires who had been at odds with each other for months about how India should allocate spectrum to them. This deal comes on the heels of a similar announcement made by Starlink with India's No. 2 telecom player Bharti Airtel a day before. Starlink will be available in the retail stores of Indian telecom operators, giving Starlink direct access to thousands of outlets in India. The two deals are contingent upon Starlink receiving government approval for operations...

A top executive at Indian wire and cable maker R R Kabel’s said on Monday that the company expects its volume to grow by more than twice in fiscal 2026. The U.S. Tariff Policy presents "an opportunity" for trade, as China's tariffs are increasing, he added. R R Kabel's finance chief Rajesh JAIN said that the company expects volume growth to be between 16 and 18% in fiscal 2026. This is partly due to U.S. Tariff policy, which affects Indian exporters more than their Chinese competitors. India's exports are more competitive because of higher levies against China. "I had only...

A government official revealed on Monday that the Indian government had discussed with banks an order by a court to cancel JSW Steel’s four-year old buyout of Bhushan Steel and Power, and was finalising its response. The Supreme Court nullified JSW’s takeover of Bhushan Steel four years ago, under the country’s insolvency laws, and ordered its liquidation. This affected the deal’s bankers who had been paid. "I've already discussed (the order with) all lenders." We have taken a stance, we've studied the judgement and we've gotten our lawyers' opinion on the judgment," M Nagaraju said, secretary of India's Department of...

Copper prices in London rose on Thursday, as optimism about progress in U.S. trade talks with China, the world's largest consumer of copper and other trading partners boosted metals. By 1027 GMT the benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was up by 0.8% to $9,199 per kilogram, surpassing the resistance of its 21-day moving median at $9195. The metal used in construction and power, dropped 3.3% on Tuesday under pressure due to a steeper drop in the U.S. Comex contract, weak Chinese manufacturing activity, and trade uncertainty in light of U.S. tariffs. On Wednesday, U.S. president Donald...

The gold price has stabilized after reaching a new record high. There are early signs of consolidation in the wake of a rally fueled by fears about Donald Trump's policies on trade. The price of gold slipped to $3,287.72 per ounce, a 6.1% drop from its all-time high of $3,500.05 on April 22, a decline that was accompanied by a decline in the number. Spot gold has still risen 30% since its low price of $2,536.71 per ounce in November 2014, the day after Trump won the election over former Vice President Kamala Harris. World Gold Council data shows that...

London copper rose on Thursday, after U.S. president Donald Trump hinted that a possible trade deal could be reached with China. This signaled a deescalation of tensions with the world's largest metals consumer. However, a stronger dollar, and weak U.S. economic data, capped gains. As of 0402 GMT, the benchmark copper price on London Metal Exchange (LME), rose by 0.2%, to $9,142 per metric ton. Trump stated on Wednesday that he had "potential" deals with India and South Korea, and said that it is very likely that the U.S. would make a deal in China. The dollar rose on Thursday,...

The World Gold Council (WGC), a global organization that promotes gold, said the share of investment demand will rise in India by 2025 as the price rally reduces jewellery demand, but attracts investors who are looking to diversify portfolios in the face of geopolitical tensions. Sachin Jain said on Wednesday that the correction in stock markets amid fears of a global trade conflict has driven investment demand. This is especially true for gold exchange-traded fund (ETFs), whereas jewellery demand has taken a hit. In the quarter of January-March, jewellery demand fell by 25% over the previous year to 71.4 tons....

The West African nation's gold trading regulator announced on Tuesday that three Indian nationals were arrested on suspicion of running a gold smuggling ring. Authorities believe the gang has been smuggling tons of gold out of Ghana for more than a decade. GoldBod spokesperson said that the three plead guilty to their charges and will be held in custody until May 12th, when a hearing is scheduled. Smuggling is responsible for the loss of billions of dollars worth of gold in Ghana and other African countries every year. In March, the country created a new government agency called GoldBod to...

Hindustan Zinc reported an increase in profit for the fourth quarter on Friday. This was due to higher production and rising zinc prices. The net profit of the company for the three-month period ending March 31 was 30.03 billion rupees (US$351.5 million), up 47.4% on a yearly basis. Systematix estimates that domestic zinc prices increased by 17.5% during the quarter due to increased demand in India's construction, manufacturing and industrial sectors. The company stated in a filing on the exchange that "Zinc prices and lead are expected to remain resilient, despite an anticipated surplus." The company stated that domestic demand...

This week, gold discounts in India reached their highest level in nine years, as record prices discouraged buyers. Premiums in China also rose to an all-time high, leading to increased shipment to the largest bullion buyer in the world. This week, Indian dealers offered a discount The largest discount since July 2016 is up to $80 per ounce, including 6% import duties and 3% sales taxes. The discount last week was up to $74. Prices have increased and jewellery sales are down. Jewellers across the country feel the slowdown as shoppers are not buying the same amount of jewelry they...

Jayant Acharya said on Thursday that India's decision to impose a temporary 12% tariff on certain steel imports would help reduce imports in some cases. India, the world's second largest crude steel producer, has imposed temporary tariffs, or a provisional safeguard duty on certain steel imports. The duty will last for 200 days. The country's imports for finished steel products increased for the second consecutive year in fiscal 2025, with imports reaching an all-time high amid increased shipments from China. The influx of steel cheaper from China has forced Indian mills into reducing their operations and considering job cuts. Acharya,...

A government source who is directly familiar with the situation said on Thursday that India expects steel imports to slow down after temporary tariffs are imposed this week. India, the second largest producer of crude iron and steel in the world, announced a temporary duty or safeguard provision of 12% on certain steel imports. This duty will last for 200 days. India's imports for finished steel products increased for the second consecutive year in fiscal 2025, with shipments reaching an all-time high. This trend has continued as shipments from China and South Korea have also been increasing. The government source...

Executives at India's smaller mills said they would delay job cuts, and take other measures, such as reducing output. This comes after the government implemented a temporary tariff in order to protect local producers against a surge of cheap imports from China. India, the second largest producer of crude iron and steel in the world, announced a temporary duty or safeguard provision of 12% on certain steel imports. This duty will last for 200 days. Adarsh Garg is the chairman and managing director of Jogindra Group, a state in northern India. He said: "We will wait and see how the...