Gold prices hit a fresh all-time high in the Indian market on Monday, with the yellow metal's futures with February expiry peaking at ₹1,35,496 per 10 gm, as per MCX. Meanwhile, silver prices fell after crossing ₹2 lakh per kg for the first time. Silver futures with March expiry dipped to a low of ₹1,94,681 per kg.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s kitchenware brand Wonderchef reported ₹421 crore in revenue and ₹44 crore in profit in FY25. Launched in 2009, the brand sells cookware, appliances and kitchen solutions across offline and online channels. Wonderchef now aims to reach ₹1,000 crore in revenue by 2026 through product expansion and wider market reach.

The annual wholesale price inflation rate stood at (-)0.32% in the month of November. The negative rate of inflation is primarily due to a decrease in prices of food articles, mineral oils, crude petroleum and natural gas, the manufacture of basic metals and electricity. The rebound comes after the rate turned to a provisional deflation of (-)1.21% for October year-on-year.

Bengaluru startup NeoSapien, founded by cousins Dhananjay Yadav and Aryan Yadav, has built Neo 1, India’s first AI necklace that listens with user consent and turns daily conversations into searchable memory. The pendant can record meetings, extract action items and track follow-ups via the NeoSapien app. The founders appeared on Shark Tank India and secured early funding.

Assam-based homemade food biz Desi Tesi, founded by Tilak Pandit from Motihari, Bihar, sells traditional thekua snack to customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Assam and Uttar Pradesh. Started in 2023 after a college fest stall sparked demand, the brand has served over 3,000 customers and recorded about ₹10 lakh in total revenue since inception.

Government is expected to provide Vodafone Idea (Vi) an interest-free moratorium on pending statutory dues linked to adjusted gross revenue (AGR), the Economic Times reported. The moratorium period on ₹83,000 crore AGR dues will be of four to five years. After moratorium period ends, the total amount is likely to be reduced by nearly half, following a reassessment of liabilities.

The government will introduce a Bill with a new job guarantee scheme in Lok Sabha to replace Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Under the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) or "VB-G RAM G BILL", the number of guaranteed work days will be increased to 125 from 100 and the states' spending will be increased.

Jhansi entrepreneur Jalaj Verma, 22, skipped college to launch HelloCloud, a skincare brand focused on Indians aged 18–26. After early jobs in Bangalore and selling his first startup, Jalaj returned home and built HelloCloud with co-founders Parth Singh Parihar, Akash Patel and Hamza Khan. The brand began with serums developed from market research and reached early sales via Instagram.

In FY24, Uttarakhand received CSR funds worth ₹360.76 cr from 573 companies with a major focus on Haridwar. Other districts enjoying CSR benefits in the state include Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar, Chamoli, Tehri Garhwal, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Nainital, Almora and Rudra Prayag. In FY24, the top 3 companies spent ₹29.53 crore, ₹26.81 crore and ₹18.92 crore respectively.

Ragini Das unpacked why many startups struggle to scale despite strong ambition. She explained that growth accelerates only when the broader ecosystem works in harmony. According to Das, real scale emerges from the right mix of technology access, capital availability, skilled talent and enabling government policy, all aligned with clear intent and long-term collaboration across stakeholders.