BusinessLine Podcasts

Top Business & Market Headlines Today — BL Morning Report, April 2, 2026

India braces for major Oracle layoffs; ex-employees estimate 12,000 impacted Oracle has reportedly begun a new round of layoffs affecting about 30,000 employees across the United States, India, and other regions, with former employees suggesting that around 12,000 of those cuts may be in India alone. According to multiple netizens, termination emails were sent as early as 6 a.m. on Tuesday, catching employees off guard with no prior communication from managers or human resources. The job cuts appear to span several business units and geographies, impacting teams such as Revenue and Health Sciences (RHS), SaaS and Virtual Operations Services (SVOS), and NetSuite’s India Development. Some groups experienced workforce reductions of 30 per cent or more. GST collection exceeds ₹2 lakh crore in March For the first time after rate rationalisation, collection from Goods & Services Tax (GST) in March crossed ₹2 lakh crore, data on GST portal showed. Also, this number is achieved without compensation cess. However, experts anticipate cautious trajectory in April. GST collection in March is related with goods consumed and services availed in February. According to GST portal, collection was over ₹2 lakh crore as against ₹1.83 lakh crore of March 2025. This shows a growth of around 9 per cent. However, growth from domestic sources was just 6 per cent while that from import was around 18 per cent. For full fiscal, the growth rate in gross collection was 8.3 per cent. TN Assembly polls: BJP, Congress delay candidate lists as regional heavyweights gain early edge With just five days left for the close of nominations on April 6 for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled on April 23, both the national parties — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (Congress) — are yet to announce their candidates, reflecting internal pressures and strategic dilemmas within the two outfits. In between the five days, three days are holidays - Good Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In contrast, regional players, including the two heavyweights — the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — along with the new entrant, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, had announced their candidate lists last week. Several key leaders, including DMK president MK Stalin and TVK founder C Joseph Vijay, have already filed their nominations. Census 2027 The first phase of Census 2027 began on April 1, in what will be the largest such exercise in the world and it will be conducted digitally for the first time. It is India’s 16th Census and eighth after Independence. For the first time, the option of self-enumeration will also be available. The reference date of Census 2027 is 00:00 hours of March 1, 2027, (for UT of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of UT of Jammu and Kashmir and States of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh reference date is 00:00 hours of 1st October, 2026). Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases - Phase I-House Listing and Housing Census popularly known as HLO during six months from April to September, 2026, in a period of 30 days as per the convenience of the State/UT governments along with option of Self-enumeration of 15 days period just before the 30 days period of house-to-house houselisting work.

Top Business & Market Headlines Today — BL Morning Report, April 1, 2026

The Reserve Bank of India has deferred implementation of the recently issued Amendment Directions on Capital Market Exposures of Banks by three months to July 1, 2026. The move follows representations from stakeholders including banks, capital market intermediaries, and industry associations. The RBI has also issued clarifications on acquisition finance, expanding it to include mergers and amalgamations, while restricting it to cases involving acquisition of control in non-financial target companies. You can read more here Moving on. India’s IT sector is expected to see a steady but largely ordinary fourth quarter for FY26. Analysts point to selective demand, healthy deal pipelines, and early opportunities in AI-led projects supporting modest growth. However, elongated decision-making cycles and weak discretionary spending continue to limit upside. Industry experts say demand remains stable but not broad-based, with growth likely to stay in the mid-single-digit range as recovery continues. Details here Next. In the electric mobility space, Switch Mobility has overtaken Tata Motors and Olectra Greentech to become India’s largest electric bus maker in FY26. Backed by the Hinduja Group, the company recorded a 177 per cent surge in volumes, far ahead of the market’s 44 per cent growth. Switch Mobility clocked 1,144 units in FY26, with its market share rising to 26.4 per cent, driven largely by strong execution in large state transport tenders. More on this story And finally. The new Income-tax Act, 2025, set to come into effect from April 1, 2026, marks a major overhaul of India’s tax framework. The changes focus on simplifying compliance, improving transparency, and rationalising exemptions for salaried taxpayers. Among the key updates — expanded House Rent Allowance benefits, with more cities now eligible for the higher 50 per cent exemption limit. There is also a sharp increase in children’s education allowance, rising from Rs 100 per child per month to Rs 3,000. Meal-related tax exemptions have also been raised significantly, from Rs 50 per meal to Rs 200. Other changes include updates to how perks are taxed, company car usage, and provisions for overseas medical treatment. Full explainer here

Top Business & Market Headlines Today — BL Morning Report, March 31, 2026

Nifty posts worst FY26 close as West Asia war enters week five, Rupee bleeds past 95 Markets ended the final session of FY2026 sharply lower on Monday, with the Nifty 50 falling 488 points or 2.14 per cent — marking a loss of 5.05 per cent for the full financial year — as the US-Iran conflict entered its fifth week without any credible pathway to resolution, and crude oil holding above $100 a barrel. It was the worst monthly decline for equities in six years while the Nifty50 ended nearly at a one-year low and the Sensex at a 2-year low. The Sensex fell 1,636 points. India VIX surged to an intraday high of 28.79 before settling near 30. The Nifty opened gap-down at 22,549, briefly touched 22,714, then slid to a session low of 22,283. This was the eighth session in the March expiry series where the index closed with losses exceeding 1 per cent. India 10-year bond yield tops 7%, sees biggest monthly surge in 9 years Indian government bonds slumped on Monday, closing out a rough financial year, with the 10-year benchmark bond yield posting its biggest monthly spike in nine years, on ‌bets that a protracted Middle East war would upend the government’s fiscal plans and as the rupee plunged past ⁠95 per dollar. The 10-year bond yield breached the 7% level for the first time since July 2024 and ended 9 basis points higher ‌at 7.0345%, its highest since May 2024. The yield jumped 37 bps in March, the biggest such move since ‌February 2017. The rupee plunged to a low of 95.21 ‌against ⁠the dollar on Monday, while stocks also tanked. Bonds were caught ⁠in a sharp selloff across the country’s markets that included surging swap rates as investors weighed the risks of the Middle East war escalating further, which could hurt growth and stoke inflation ‌for net energy importer India. Fertilizer sales spike in March, surpassing monthly estimates and previous year totals Farmers appear to be stockpiling fertilizers as government sales data for March shows a sharp spike in demand. By March 23, the volume of crop nutrients purchased had already overtaken the estimated demand for the full month and surpassed sales from the same period last year. As much as 20.21 lt of urea was sold during February 28-March 23, as against 16.2 lt in the whole of March 2025 and against estimated demand of 14.96 lt for the month. Similarly, 4.78 lt of DAP was sold between February 28 and March 23, against an estimated demand of 2.43 lt for the whole of March 2026, while 1.58 lt of MOP was sold against 1.8 lt of estimated demand, and 7.22 lt of complex was sold against 7.05 lt of estimated demand, reports Prabhudatta Mishra. Committee of Creditors to record reasons for selection of successful resolution applicant under IBC The amended Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) framework sharpens transparency norms by requiring the Committee of Creditors (CoC) to record detailed reasons for selecting the successful resolution applicant, a move Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said would strengthen accountability in the resolution process and reduce litigation over bid selection. The provision forms part of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025, passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday after being reworked in line with the recommendations of a Select Committee. Replying to the debate, Sitharaman said the government had accepted all 11 recommendations of the committee and added an additional transparency clause of its own, reports Shishir Sinha.

Top Business & Market Headlines Today — BL Morning Report, March 30, 2026

Today’s top headlines: Mass protests across the United States against President Trump, the passing of industrialist Vijaypat Singhania, a key ruling empowering tribunals to defreeze demat accounts in insolvency cases, and the Vedanta Adani dispute over the Jaiprakash Associates bid. Stay updated on: US political developments, India Inc leadership legacy, insolvency law and tribunal powers, and the latest corporate battles shaping business.

Top Business & Market Headlines Today — BL Morning Report, March 27, 2026

Get today’s top business news, market headlines about the Stock Market, Sensex & Nifty trends, key market insights, economic highlights, and the latest updates from India and global markets.