Business Today 2 March 2025

What is the relationship between the value of a currency and national pride? And how does the rupee-US dollar exchange rate impact India’s economy? The questions gain currency as the rupee touched an all-time low of nearly 88 to the dollar earlier this month. Over 10 years ago, the rupee was just above 63 to the dollar. The greenback has been strengthening and with the prospects of major disruptions in global trade, the rupee may come under further pressure. It is not just the Indian currency, many other currencies have also fallen, a point emphasised by government mandarins who point out that while many currencies have seen sharp declines, the rupee’s depreciation has been relatively modest. On its part, India’s central bank is focussed on the medium to long-term value…

COLDPLAY’S CONCERT AT NARENDRA MODI STADIUM IN AHMEDABAD ON JANUARY 25 & 26 SOURCE TATA MUTUAL FUND, BOOKMYSHOW, IXIGO, EY ₹14,300 CRORE Projected value of the live events market in India by 2026, a CAGR of 17.6% since 2023 82 PER CENT growth in the demand for premium live entertainment, especially in curated global events Business since Today 2022 26 December 2021 350 PER CENT Year-on-year spike in flight booking Mumbai witnessed during Coldplay’s concert…

15.9% OVERALL HOLDINGS OF FOREIGN INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS IN INDIAN LISTED FIRMS AS OF JANUARY 2025. THE FIGURE STOOD AROUND 16.3% AS OF JANUARY 2024 63 basis points IS THE JUMP WITNESSED BY 10-YEAR BENCHMARK US BOND YIELDS TO 4.53% FROM JANUARY 1, 2024 TO FEBRUARY 13, 2025. RISING US TREASURY YIELDS OFFER FIIs A SAFER AND MORE ATTRACTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO INVESTING IN RISKIER EMERGING MARKETS 17% CHINA’S SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX GAINED IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS TILL FEBRUARY 14, 2025. HANG SENG ALSO RALLIED 32% DURING THE SAME PERIOD, WHILE THE BENCHMARK NSE NIFTY50 DECLINED 5% DURING THE SAME PERIOD…

PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI’S four-hour long meeting with US President Donald Trump on February 13, yielded substantial gains for India. This includes a broad agreement to deepen bilateral trade ties and double it to $500 billion by 2030, as well as negotiate a bilateral trade agreement in the coming months. However, just hours before that crucial meeting, Trump announced a new system of reciprocal tariffs on trading partners of the US and said India is among the highest tariff nations, underscoring it with his grievance over customs duties India imposed on Harley Davidson motorbikes. India’s trade and industry have welcomed the discussions on deepening bilateral trade ties—after all, the US is India’s largest trading partner and biggest export market. But experts are worried about what the reciprocal tariffs would entail.…

INCOME TAX ACT, 1961 THE ACT COMPRISES 23 CHAPTERS, ORGANISED INTO 298 SECTIONS AND SUPPORTED BY 14 SCHEDULES Sale of depreciable business asset There was ambiguity in the treatment of gains or losses arising from the sale of depreciable assets. Such transactions could be interpreted as either capital gains/losses or income/losses under Profits and Gains of Business or Profession (PGBP) Capital Gains Exemption on Investment in Bonds Under Section 54EC, exemption from long-term capital gains tax was tied to the transfer of a “long-term capital asset”. Relying on the Supreme Court rulings, even short-term capital gains on depreciable assets were eligible for exemption if transferred from a block of assets Tax Deducted at Source Over 40 standalone sections navigate the intricate provisions surrounding TDS compliance Basis of Charge The concept…

NOT NOT SO LONG ago, budget airlines were the go-to choice for cost-conscious travellers. Affordable fares made air travel accessible to millions. But today, booking an air ticket—even on a low-cost carrier—feels like a premium experience, at least in terms of pricing. Whether last-minute travel, or pre-planned trips, airfares across budget airlines are soaring, often rivalling full-service carriers. From Mahakumbh in Prayagraj to the Coldplay music concert in Ahmedabad, and now the approaching summer holidays, spikes in airfares have become the norm rather than the exception. An airline ticket on the Delhi-Prayagraj route, which otherwise costs around ₹5,000, touched to ₹30,000-40,000 during the ongoing Mahakumbh. The Director General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA’s) intervention to check the surge in airfare hasn’t made much difference, though the airlines said they flew more aircraft…