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Fuel prices continue to be steady as global oil prices soften

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Fuel prices have remained unchanged in the country post revision of duties by state governments and the Centre providing further relief to consumers from consistent increase in rates earlier.

Accordingly, petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged for the eighth consecutive day on Friday under the daily price revision mechanism followed by oil marketing companies.

So, the pump price of petrol in Delhi, which fell to Rs 103.97 a litre at 6 a.m. last week on Thursday from the previous days level of Rs 110.04 a litre, remained at the same level on Friday. The diesel prices also remained unchanged in the capital at Rs 86.67 a litre.

In the financial capital Mumbai, petrol continued to be priced at Rs 109.98 a litre and diesel Rs 94.14 a litre.

Prices also remained static on Wednesday in Kolkata where the price of petrol reduced by Rs 5.82 to Rs 104.67 per litre and that of diesel by Rs 11.77 to Rs 89.79 per litre last week.

Petrol price in Chennai also remained at Rs 101.40 per litre and diesel Rs 91.43 per litre.

Across the country as well, the price of the fuel largely remained unchanged on Friday but the retail rates varied depending on the level of local taxes.

After softening, the global crude prices have again touched three-year high level of over $85 a barrel now. Rise in the US inventory has pushed down crude prices a bit but OPEC+ decision on only gradual increase in production in December could push up crude prices further. This could put pressure on oil companies to revise fuel prices upwards again.

Before price cuts and pause, diesel prices have increased 30 out of the last 49 days taking up its retail price by Rs 9.90 per litre in Delhi.

Petrol prices have also risen on 28 of the previous 45 days taking up its pump price by Rs 8.85 per litre.

Since January 1, 2021 petrol and diesel prices have risen by more than Rs 26 a litre before the duty cuts.

The excise duty cut by the Centre last week was the first such exercise since the onset of Covid pandemic. In fact, the government had revised excise duty on petrol and diesel sharply in March and again in May last year to mobilise additional resources for Covid relief measures.

The excise duty was raised by Rs 13 and Rs 16 per litre on petrol and diesel between March 2020 and May 2020 and was standing high at Rs 31.8 on diesel and Rs 32.9 per litre on petrol before finally the centre decided on duty cut.

Business

Commercial LPG cylinder prices reduced across metros from November 1

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New Delhi, Nov 1: State-run oil marketing companies have reduced commercial LPG cylinder prices across metros, offering a slight relief to businesses, starting from Saturday.

The move will provide marginal relief to thousands of small and medium-sized businesses.

According to the latest revision announced by state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs), the 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder will now cost Rs 1,590.50 in Delhi, reflecting a Rs 5 cut from the previous rate of Rs 1,595.50.

With the highest drop of Rs 6.50 per cylinder among the metros, the charge in Kolkata will now be Rs 1,694 per cylinder. Chennai will now charge Rs 1,750 (down Rs 4.50), while Mumbai now charges Rs 1,542 (down Rs 5).

For businesses that depend significantly on LPG for their everyday operations, like restaurants, hotels, and catering services, the most recent revision provides a small reprieve following a hike of Rs 15.50 that was put into effect late in September.

However, domestic LPG prices have not changed and are the same in every city.

Earlier in September, OMCs had reduced the price of commercial LPG gas cylinders by Rs 51.50. Following the revision, a 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder in Delhi was available at Rs 1,580.

Earlier, OMCs had reduced the price of a 19 kg commercial LPG gas cylinder by Rs 33.50. Before that, prices had been reduced by Rs 58.50 on July 1.

Earlier in June, oil firms had announced a Rs 24 cut for commercial cylinders, setting the rate at Rs 1,723.50. In April, the price stood at Rs 1,762. February saw a small Rs 7 reduction, but March reversed this slightly with a Rs 6 increase.

Meanwhile, the Centre had announced to provide 2.5 million free LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) during the festival season.

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Business

Nifty, Sensex end 4-week winning streak amid profit booking

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Mumbai, Nov 1: Indian equity benchmarks ended their four-week winning streak, closing marginally lower this week amid profit-booking and mixed global cues.

Benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex dipped 0.65 and 0.55 per cent during the week to close at 25,722 and 83,938, respectively.

Market optimism was bolstered during the first three sessions by positive domestic economic data and China’s approval for few Indian companies to import rare earth magnets.

However, sentiment turned cautious after the US Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to the 3.75 per cent–4 per cent range.

“India’s industrial output rose 4 per cent YoY in September 2025, supported by strong manufacturing activity. The US Federal Reserve hinted that the 25-bps cut might be the final one in 2025, which dampened hopes of further near-term easing,” said Ajit Mishra- SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd.

Further, steady corporate earnings and continued FII inflows through October helped cushion the downside, he added.

Metals, energy and realty stocks were the major contributors to the rally, while auto, pharma and IT stocks experienced profit-taking.

“While PSU banks surged on reports of a potential hike in foreign investment limits, metal counters gleamed on renewed optimism after China’s pledge to rein in steel overcapacity and signs of progress in US-China trade talks,” added Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited.

Analysts said that capital market stocks lost momentum as SEBI’s proposed overhaul of TER structures weighed on sentiment.

Support for the Nifty is currently located close to the 25,600 zone and the 25,400 zone, while resistance is seen around 26,100, analysts said.

In the upcoming holiday-shortened week, investors are looking for cues from the final readings of the HSBC Manufacturing PMI and HSBC Services and Composite PMI data.

Investors are also keen on the India-US trade deal and trends in developed markets, while on the earnings front, several index heavyweights are set to announce their quarterly results.

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Business

India aims 300 million tonnes of crude steel production capacity by 2030

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New Delhi, Oct 31: India aims to achieve 300 million tonnes of crude steel production capacity by 2030, Union Minister of State for Steel, Bhupathiraju Srinivas Varma, said on Friday.

In a meeting with Sara Modig, State Secretary to Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, Sweden, here, in presence of Swedish Ambassador to India Jan Thesleff and other officials, the minister highlighted India’s growing steel sector, driven by visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Notably, India’s domestic steel demand is growing at an impressive 11-13 per cent, fuelled by large-scale infrastructure projects, while global demand faces a slowdown, according to Steel Ministry.

The discussions were held to explore collaboration opportunities in the field of research and development in Green Steel production and other advanced technologies to reduce carbon emissions.

Varma reaffirmed the invitation extended to Sweden to participate in Bharat Steel 2026, an International Conference-cum-Exhibition dedicated to the steel industry, scheduled to be held on April 16–17, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the growth rate of India’s eight core industries was recorded at 3 per cent in September this year compared to the same month of the previous year, with the steel and cement sectors recording strong growth during the month, data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry showed.

Steel production surged by a robust 14.1 per cent in September compared to the same month of the previous year on the back of increased demand from big-ticket infrastructure projects being carried out by the government. The cumulative growth of steel during April to Sept of 2025-26 increased by 11 per cent over the corresponding period of the previous year.

The government imposed a 12 per cent temporary safeguard duty on certain steel imports in April 2025 to protect the domestic market. These measures follow previous actions and are part of ongoing efforts to safeguard the industry while promoting self-reliance under initiatives like ‘Make in India’.

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