Silver prices edged lower during the session as concerns over industrial demand weighed on sentiment. Global cues from base metals and mixed economic data added to the cautious outlook. Despite short-term weakness, long-term fundamentals for silver remain intact, supported by demand from renewable energy, electronics and electric vehicle segments.

Nifty closed almost flat after oscillating between gains and losses throughout the session, reflecting indecision among investors. Buying interest emerged at lower levels, but higher zones witnessed consistent resistance.

A business forum organised by the Indian Consulate in Seattle brought together industry leaders to highlight investment opportunities across sectors such as artificial intelligence, ag-tech, quantum technology and healthcare.

In recent market activity, several blue-chip companies including Wipro have announced dividends totalling Rs 44 per share, setting a record date of January 27 for shareholder eligibility. Dividend declarations often signal confidence in corporate cash flows and can boost investor sentiment, particularly in sectors with stable earnings.

Christy Mathai, Fund Manager – Equities at Quantum AMC, says the recent market correction in Indian equities has created selective buying opportunities, particularly in midcap and smallcap stocks that have fallen sharply. However, she stresses that largecap stocks continue to offer stronger earnings visibility over the medium term — making them more attractive as core holdings in portfolios right now.

Experts point to several genuine fundamental improvements in the PSU banking space that powered this rally rather than just market hype:
✅ Improving asset quality – bad loans (NPAs) have fallen sharply and provisioning has improved, strengthening banks’ balance sheets.

1. Renewed Global Geopolitical & Trade Tensions
A major trigger has been escalating geopolitical uncertainty and global trade fears, particularly around renewed rhetoric from the U.S. (including controversial comments from U.S. political leadership), reviving trade-war concerns and risk-off sentiment across world markets. This pushed global indices sharply lower, dragging Asian markets including India along with them.

India’s top IT services companies — long admired for steady cash flows and generous returns to shareholders — are now facing a strategic vulnerability in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). A new ET Prime analysis highlights how a prolonged focus on payouts over deep reinvestment in innovation has hampered their readiness for the AI revolution.

Strong GDP growth may sound like a perfect recipe for soaring stock markets, but the relationship between economic expansion and equity returns is surprisingly weak — and here’s why that’s often the case in practice:

India’s Supreme Court has ruled that Tiger Global’s $1.6 billion capital gain from selling its stake in Flipkart to Walmart in 2018 is taxable in India, rejecting the argument that Mauritius-based holding companies should be exempt under the India-Mauritius Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).