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India and Korea had bilateral trade of $27.18 billion in 2025, which included imports worth $21.16 billion. India had a trade deficit of $15.14 billion with Korea last year. The two sides have also set the aim to double bilateral trade by 2030

UTI Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s net profit for the quarter ended March is expected to decline due to fall in market share and low treasury income, according to brokerages tracking the company. Higher costs are also expected to eat into its profitability, brokerages said. The asset management company is expected to post a net profit of INR 991.63 million for the quarter, down 20% on year, according to the average of estimates from eight brokerages. Sequentially, the company's net profit is likely to fall 57%. The asset manager will detail its financial results for the quarter and year ended March on Thursday.

The government has procured 3.66 million tonnes wheat as of mid-April in the 2026-27 rabi marketing season, 48% lower from the previous year due to delayed harvesting and concerns over crop quality across key northern states. Procurement had been negligible at the start of April at 24,000 tonnes, down over 60% on year, according to Food Corp. of India data accessed by Informist. To improve procurement, the Centre has accepted requests from states and relaxed quality specifications in Rajasthan and Haryana, and will soon ease them in Punjab as well, a government official said, adding that this should help speed up procurement in the coming weeks.

Steady demand from the banking, financial services, and insurance vertical, sharp depreciation of the rupee against the dollar, and the absence of one-off costs related to new labour code provisions may help Wipro Ltd. report net profit growth for the March quarter, the first in 2025-26 (Apr-Mar). Similarly, the company's top line for the quarter is expected to grow at its fastest pace in over three years, thanks to the two-month revenue contribution from its recent acquisition of the digital transformation solutions business unit of HARMAN International. However, analysts are divided on how the company will fare in terms of margin for the quarter. The information technology major's consolidated net profit for the March quarter is expected to rise around 3% sequentially to INR 35.11 billion, according to the average of the estimates from 18 brokerages. This follows a 2.5-6.7% sequential decline in its bottom line in the previous three quarters. However, on a year-on-year basis, the company's bottom line is expected to decline nearly 2%, the second straight quarter of a fall after rising for six consecutive quarters.

Analysts expect high costs to hit the earnings growth of companies in the March quarter, an otherwise better quarter that saw improvement in revenue growth. The US-Iran conflict pushed gas prices higher and interrupted the supply of key raw materials, which is likely to have resulted in higher costs for companies, brokerages said. The 49 constituents of the Nifty 50 index for which estimates were available are likely to report a cumulative net profit growth of just over 3% for the March quarter over the same quarter last year, according to an Informist poll of 16 brokerages. The latest quarter's earnings estimates were compared with the year-ago figures of adjusted net profit, which exclude exceptional items. Earnings estimates were not available for Adani Enterprises Ltd.

The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee Wednesday left the policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25% in a unanimous decision, Sanjay Malhotra, the central bank's governor, said. Malhotra said the war in West Asia poses risks to India's economy even as the fundamentals remain strong. The committee also retained its 'neutral' policy stance. The rate-setting panel's decision was on expected lines. Most economists and market participants polled by Informist had expected the committee to hold the key interest rate and stance. The committee has lowered the repo rate by 125 bps in 2025, the most in a calendar year since 2019. 

FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd., which operates its business under the Nykaa brand, Monday said its consolidated net revenue growth on year for the March quarter is expected to be in the late twenties, which would be the highest growth in the past 12 quarters. "This strong performance came on the back of acceleration in fashion vertical along with sustained strong performance of beauty vertical," the company said in an exchange filing. The company's consolidated gross merchandise value growth and net sales value growth for Jan-Mar are expected to be in late twenties and early thirties, respectively. The company's consolidated net sales value growth for financial year 2025-2026 (Apr-Mar) is expected to improve to the late twenties, up from the mid-twenties growth seen in the past two years. The company's net revenue for FY26 is expected to rise to the upper end of mid-twenties, the company said, adding that it reflects consistently healthy performance across all verticals.  

Fitch Solutions company BMI has forecast global gold prices to fall and average $4,600 per ounce in 2026. It also expects prices to remain under pressure as the year progresses due to inflation concerns from higher oil prices on the back of the US-Iran war, fuelling a hawkish pivot in the US Federal Reserve's rate policy. Gold has been on a strong rally since 2024, with the highest level on record reached on Jan. 29 at $5,645.6 per ounce, driven by geopolitical conflicts and renewed questions on the US Fed's independence, it said in a report. However, after the war in Iran broke out on Feb. 28, prices came under pressure as rising oil prices fuelled inflation and prompted a more hawkish Federal Reserve, increasing expectations of rate hikes. At the same time, institutional selling, with the central bank of Turkiye selling 58–60 tonnes of gold over two weeks in March and Russia selling 15–15.5 tonnes of gold over January and February, added to the pressure on prices, BMI said.

Goldman Sachs said that the risk-reward ratio for the Indian market is lesser compared to North Asian markets amid the ongoing hostilities in West Asia. Indian equities are more exposed to oil price shocks than others in the region, Goldman Sachs said, and added that risks for the market are tilted towards the negative for the next three to six months. The consensus estimate for earnings growth in India is at 16% for both 2026 and 2027.

Demand for gold in India could see a recovery around key festivals in April and the wedding season in smaller towns, but the overall buying interest will depend on prices of the yellow metal, according to Kavita Chacko, research head, India at the World Gold Council. Consumer demand for gold remained subdued despite the recent pullback of prices from record highs. "Buying interest was stronger during the earlier price uptrend – particularly on the investment side (bars and coins) – but has since softened amid heightened price volatility, leading consumers to defer purchases," Chacko said.

The US Federal Open Market Committee Wednesday left the federal funds target range unchanged at 3.50-3.75%, as was widely expected, and sees one rate cut in the rest of 2026. The Committee said the implications of the US-Israel war on Iran for the US economy are uncertain. This is the second consecutive meeting when the US rate-setting panel has held interest rates steady at 3.50-3.75%. Federal Reserve Governor Stephen I. Miran voted against the decision, and instead preferred to lower interest rates by 25 basis points.

Rating agency ICRA Ltd. Wednesday said it has upgraded Vodafone Idea Ltd.'s long-term fund-based credit rating to 'BBB' from 'BBB-'. ICRA also revised the outlook for Vodafone Idea's INR 23.27 billion loans to 'positive' from 'stable'. The upgrade is based on the government's revision of Vodafone Idea's adjusted gross revenue dues in January and the settlement of the contingent liability adjustment mechanism agreement with Vodafone Group PLC, the promoter of Vodafone Idea, ICRA said in a press release.

Prices of chana are expected to fall in the near term, while those of tur and urad are expected to be range-bound, the India Pulses and Grains Association said in its weekly report Monday. Chana prices could be weighed down by low demand and ample supply, the association said. Tur and urad prices could be range-bound amid steady supply and some need-based demand, it said. Chana prices are expected to remain under pressure in the short term amid sluggish demand and ample availability, the association said. Demand for chana dal, or processed chana, and besan remains low, while millers are making only need-based purchases, it said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Monday said that the government does not have any roadmap for mergers of certain public sector banks. However, the committee proposed in the Budget for 2026-27 (Apr-Mar) will look into the topic, she said. "I'm not familiar with any roadmap...there isn't one," Sitharaman said in a press conference after the board meeting of the Reserve Bank of India. Bank consolidation was not a subject here, nor was it a subject before the Budget, but the Committee which is now being appointed, once the terms of reference are given they will look into every aspect of how to strengthen Indian banking," she said.

Terming artificial intelligence a turning point for human civilisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday called for a larger vision for AI, while also urging to be responsible in its use. We need to keep our vision (for AI) big but be responsible as well. Apart from the current generation, we have to be conscious about what form of AI we will leave for the coming generation," he said at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.