Economist Vidya Mahambare said India should consider subsidising rental housing near employment centres instead of focusing primarily on home ownership. She argued that housing far from jobs can restrict worker mobility. Mahambare also called for working women's hostels, childcare facilities and public transport near workplaces to help workers move closer to employment opportunities.

Indian equities have fallen despite stronger-than-expected corporate earnings. A Bank of America survey found 32% of fund managers were net underweight on India, citing limited AI exposure, weak growth, high valuations and a lack of reforms. The Nifty 50 has fallen about 7.9% this year, while foreign investors have withdrawn around $25 billion.

Muthoot Finance shares rose 4.85% to ₹2,997.80, while Manappuram Finance gained 3.41% to ₹351.60 as gold prices surged over 3%. Spot gold jumped 3.6% to $4,487.91 an ounce, boosting the value of pledged collateral, supporting larger gold loan disbursals and reducing lenders' credit risk.

L&T shares gained 1.05% to ₹4,083.60 after its consortium with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries won a large order to design and build the Automated People Mover system at Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport. The order covers the design, construction, supply, testing and commissioning of key airport infrastructure.

RVNL shares rose 3.5% to ₹231.20 after securing a ₹161.02-crore order from East Coast Railway for Multi-Section Digital Axle Counters across multiple stations. The project is expected to be completed within 18 months. RVNL's Q1FY27 profit rose 18% YoY to ₹159 crore, while revenue grew 10.5% to ₹4,321 crore.

Aditya Infotech shares rose 5% to ₹3,468 after Motilal Oswal initiated coverage with a 'Buy' rating and ₹4,200 target, implying a 27% upside. The brokerage expects India's video surveillance market to more than double to ₹22,700 crore by FY30 and sees Aditya Infotech's market share rising above 58% by FY28.

IT stocks extended gains for a second session, with Coforge rising over 3% and Persistent Systems gaining more than 2%. Infosys, Wipro, TCS and Tech Mahindra also advanced, lifting the Nifty IT index nearly 2%. The rally was supported by value buying and a weaker rupee, while Sensex and Nifty ended a seven-session losing streak.

MCX shares jumped over 4% as gold, silver and copper futures gained after a US Treasury liquidity support move. The stock has surged around 900% in three years. UBS upgraded MCX to 'Buy' with a ₹3,800 target, while HDFC Securities retained its 'Buy' view, citing regulatory easing, wider participation and strong growth potential.

Aditya Birla Capital shares rose 2.3% to ₹408.70 after the company announced its entry into the gold loan business. It plans to open 200-300 dedicated branches by March 2027 and expand to 1,000 branches over three years. Its lending AUM rose 28% YoY to ₹1.67 lakh crore in Q1FY27, while PAT increased to ₹1,175 crore.

A 1% higher expense ratio in regular mutual fund plans can significantly reduce investors' wealth over time. For a ₹10,000 monthly SIP over 20 years, earning 12% annually in a direct plan versus 11% in a regular plan could result in a corpus difference of around ₹10.34 lakh. Compounding turns a seemingly small annual cost into a substantial long-term hit.

A Loan Against Shares (LAS) is a secured loan where investors pledge shares as collateral to borrow funds from a lender. The loan amount depends on the shares' market value and applicable loan-to-value ratio. Lenders may offer up to 50% of the shares’ value, subject to limits. Shares remain invested and are released after full repayment.

Bitcoin jumped nearly 11% over the past 24 hours to trade above $71,000 on Thursday, hitting its highest level in over two months. The rally added nearly $190 billion to the total crypto market capitalisation. The surge comes after US President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass legislation aimed at creating clearer rules for the cryptocurrency industry.

The prices of gold and silver rose suddenly for the second time this week, as per IBJA data. Gold price closed ₹3,212 higher at ₹1,57,080 per 10 grams on Thursday, marking the second time that the precious metal ended higher this week. Silver price also rose by ₹8,541 on Thursday, closing at ₹2,37,766 per kilogram.

Sensex and Nifty closed in the green on Thursday, ending a four- and a seven-day losing streaks, respectively. The markets rebounded as they were in oversold territory, experts said, adding that they're witnessing short covering. Sensex and Nifty rose because of FPI buying and a fall in the dollar index and benchmark 10-year bond yields, which eased market concerns.

State Bank of India announced the fees it'll charge for ATM withdrawals from customers with basic savings bank deposit (BSBD) accounts. It said the first four withdrawals will remain free for all BSBD account holders, with every additional transaction costing ₹15 plus GST. The new charges will come into effect from October 1 and are likely to promote digital banking.

Car buyers shouldn't choose a loan based only on low EMI as longer tenures can increase total interest. They should compare interest rates and charges across lenders and check processing fees, documentation charges, insurance-linked costs, prepayment and foreclosure charges. It's advisable to avoid very low down payment and calculate the car's full costs, including maintenance charges.

Profit gained by selling gold is subject to taxation, even if it is used to buy new jewellery as sale and purchase are treated as separate transactions, a report by Upstox said. The tax levied is calculated on the profit and not on the selling amount. If the product is sold after 2 years, the profits are taxed at 12.50%

Indian traders lost a total of ₹91,685 crore while trading in the equity derivatives segment in FY26, translating to a loss of over ₹29,000 per second, as per a SEBI study. The segment also saw a 20% reduction in active traders and a 40% cut in new entrants. Only one in every 10 traders managed to profit from F&O trades.

There is no tax liability on property transferred as alimony to the wife during divorce proceedings. However, if the wife rents out the property or sells it, she will have to pay capital gains tax on the profit. The profit earned from the property will be calculated on the basis of the cost of acquisition paid by the original owner.

RBI rules require issuers to obtain consent before activating a credit card. If the card hasn't been activated and the issuer doesn't receive consent for activation, the issuer must close the card account without charging the customer. RBI's rules provide for closure of a credit card account if it hasn't been used for more than a year after prior notice.