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  New Delhi: Retail inflation in India cooled to its lowest level in over six years in May, helped by a sharp moderation in food prices, according to provisional government data released Thursday.Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation eased to 2.82% year-on-year, down from 3.16% in April and 4.8% in May last year, data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) showed. This marks the fourth consecutive month of sub-4% inflation, the longest such streak in at least five years.The data comes just days after the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee cut the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.5%, its third straight cut and a cumulative reduction of 100 basis points since the easing cycle began in February. The move signals a possible pivot from inflation control to supporting growth.Food inflation came in at just 0.99% in May, down from 1.78% in April and a sharp decline from 8.69% a year ago.A Mint poll of 15 economists had projected CPI ...

Since the new tax regime is the default tax regime, filing income tax return (ITR) under the old regime would require you to switch from the new tax regime. However, before you do that  -- it is imperative to be aware of certain key rules which govern the switch.Notably, the rules with regards to switching of tax regime depend on the source of income of taxpayers: salary or business/ profession.Which tax regime to choose?Taxpayers can file tax return under the old tax regime if they believe that this would lead to some amount of tax saving. On the other hand, if filing tax return under the new tax regime is profitable then naturally, one would opt for the default regime.What rules apply to salaried employees?Salaried taxpayers can switch the tax regime from old to new and vice versa every year.There is no restriction on salaried employees with regards to switching between the two tax regimes as they can do it every year. However, the same flexibility is not available for persons wh...

  JioBlackRock Mutual Fund has filed draft documents with SEBI for two debt funds — a liquid fund and a money market fund.JioBlackRock Liquid Fund.JioBlackRock Liquid Fund will be an open-ended liquid scheme with relatively low interest rate risk and relatively low credit risk. The scheme will be benchmarked against the Nifty Liquid Index A-I.The investment objective of the scheme is to generate regular income through investment in a portfolio comprising money market and debt instruments with residual maturity of up to 91 days.It is suitable for investors seeking regular income over a short-term investment horizon and aiming to generate returns by investing in money market and debt instruments with a maturity of up to 91 days.It is suitable for investors seeking regular income over a short-term investment horizon and aiming to generate returns by investing in money market and debt instruments with a maturity of up to 91 days.The scheme will offer only a direct plan, and the plan sh...

  India’s gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection for May 2025 stood at Rs 2.01 lakh crore, registering a 16.4 per cent increase over the Rs 1.72 lakh crore collected in May 2024, data released by the Ministry of Finance showed Sunday.In April 2025, India's GST collections had surged by 12.6 per cent to an all-time high of Rs 2.37 lakh crore.The year-on-year growth was driven by a 25.2 per cent increase in GST collected from imports and a 13.7 per cent rise from domestic transactions. Gross GST revenue from imports stood at Rs 51,266 crore, while domestic sources contributed Rs 1,49,785 crore.For May, gross GST revenue reached Rs 4.37 lakh crore, reflecting a 14.3 per cent rise compared to Rs 3.83 lakh crore collected in the same period last year.After refunds, the net GST revenue for May stood at Rs 1,73,841 crore, up 20.4% compared to Rs 1,44,381 crore collected in May 2024. Total refunds during the month stood at Rs 27,210 crore, down 4% year-on-year.In the Budget, the gov...

  The Indian rupee is emerging Asia’s worst performer this quarter and may continue to lag peers as the central bank aims to avert a depletion in its foreign-exchange reserves, according to analysts. Having already pledged to sell billions of dollars via derivatives contracts at various points in the future, the Reserve Bank of India is expected to buy up sizeable amounts of the US currency to prevent its holdings from running down. Those purchases are seen putting pressure on the rupee.The central bank had dollar repayments of about $73 billion as of April as indicated by its net short forwards position, a measure of the amount of greenback it has agreed to sell at a future date, according to the central bank’s latest data. It has narrowed from an all-time high of $88.8 billion in February.The potential dollar purchases may lead to the rupee falling to 86.50 per dollar by end-December, according to IDFC First Bank Ltd. The currency is likely to weaken to 87.50 per dollar, accordin...

  As we approach the middle of 2025, the global bond market is flashing mixed signals. While the U.S. Federal Reserve remains cautious, waiting for clearer signs before making any moves, bond yields in major markets like Japan and the UK are climbing. Japan's super-long bond yields have reached multi-decade highs, stirring concern over long-term fiscal pressure. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank is expected to cut rates again in early June, bringing its deposit rate to 2% — but may pause soon after, hinting that the easy money cycle is nearing its end. In contrast, India’s fixed-income markets are offering something rare these days: Stability.Domestic Data Offers Comfort,Fresh GDP data released on 30 May 2025 confirms India’s economic resilience. Growth for the January–March quarter came in at a strong 7.4%, lifting the full-year FY25 number to 6.5%. That keeps India firmly in the lead among the world’s major economies.Inflation, too, is cooperating. Retail inflation (CPI) dropp...

  Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairperson, SEBI, in conversation with Nikunj Dalmia of ET Now. Pandey says stricter regulations may not eliminate fraud. Greed can lead to misconduct even under surveillance. Overregulation to prevent a few cases can cause type II errors. This hinders business operations. Avoiding type I errors, where risky activities are allowed due to lack of regulation, is important. However, excessive surveillance leading to tighter rules is not the Solution I must put it on record that one of the big reasons why Indian markets are trading at a premium to global markets is thanks to the efficient regulator we have, I mean that is a hidden premium and which always is captured in the PE multiples of the Indian stock market. Thank you for this regulatory framework that we have. You are open to expansion of the market, which means more and more products, more and more intra-products would be there. Are we looking at the derivative market in India expanding?Tuhin Kanta Pandey...