Mint

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will table the Economic Survey 2025–26 in Parliament today between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM, followed by a briefing from Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran.
• The Gift Nifty indicates a weak start for the Indian benchmark indices, trading at a discount of nearly 86 points from the previous close.
• The US Federal Reserve, led by Jerome Powell, has kept interest rates steady at 3.50-3.75%, maintaining a cautious stance on global economic risks.
• Market participants are closely watching the Economic Survey for GDP growth projections, which were previously estimated at 6.4% for the current fiscal year.

Business Standard

• Several dividend-paying stocks, including Coforge, CAMS, Siemens Energy India, and Godrej Consumer Products, are in focus today following corporate payout disclosures.
• Apple and Microsoft continue to lead the 2026 Global 500 brand value rankings, with NVIDIA climbing to the fifth position.
• Under the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, India has reportedly agreed to allow European Union banks to open 15 new branches over the next four years.
• Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani stated that Voice AI is poised to become India's next "UPI moment," potentially revolutionizing digital interactions in the country.
• The government has scrapped the prior approval system for Bioavailability and Bioequivalence (BA/BE) studies of low-risk drugs to ease the regulatory burden.

Economic Times

• India's Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growth zoomed to a over two-year high of 7.8% for December, driven by strong manufacturing performance.
• The Central Government is weighing a proposal to raise the EPFO wage ceiling from the current Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per month to expand social security benefits.
• Space startups have submitted a wishlist for Budget 2026, seeking "critical infrastructure" status and assured government demand to boost the sector.
• In the ongoing India-EU trade negotiations, India is moving to protect mass-market cars, dairy products, and staples from sudden import surges.
• Tax filing data reveals a massive migration of the salaried class into middle-income brackets, with the ₹10-15 lakh slab seeing a six-fold increase in filers.

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