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Tuesday,07-July-2026
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Fuel prices remain unchanged even as global oil rates firm up

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After big cuts in petrol and diesel prices following centre and states reducing taxes, fuel prices have remained unchanged providing further relief to consumers.

Accordingly, petrol and diesel prices continued to be stable for sixth consecutive day on Wednesday under the daily price revision mechanism followed by oil marketing companies.

The pump price of petrol in Delhi, which fell to Rs 103.97 a litre at 6 a.m. on Tuesday from previous day’s Rs 110.04 a litre, remains the same. The diesel prices also remained unchanged in the capital at Rs 86.67 a litre.

In the financial capital Mumbai, petrol continues to be priced at Rs 109.98 a litre, while diesel is being sold at Rs 94.14 a litre.

Rates also remained static in Kolkata where the price of petrol came down 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 prices in Chennai also remains at Rs 101.40 per litre and diesel Rs 91 .43 per litre.

The fuel prices across the country largely remained unchanged but the retail rates varied depending on the level of local taxes.

After softening, the global crude prices have again touched a three-year high level of over $85 a barrel now. 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 had increased on 30 out of the last 47 days taking up its retail price by Rs 9.90 per litre in Delhi.

Petrol prices had also risen on 28 of the previous 43 days taking up its pump price by Rs 8.85 per litre.

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

The excise duty cut by the Centre last week was 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 to stand high at Rs 31.8 on diesel and Rs 32.9 per litre on petrol before the Centre finally decided on the duty cut.

Business

Kutch Copper Ltd’s ‘Adani Copper’ becomes London Metal Exchange-registered brand

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Ahmedabad, July 7: Kutch Copper Limited (KCL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd, has earned London Metal Exchange (LME) certification for ‘Adani Copper,’ according to a statement issued by the company on Tuesday.

“Approval by the world centre for the trading of industrial metals validates KCL’s manufacturing excellence and responsible sourcing practices against strict global benchmarks, enabling Adani Copper cathodes to be delivered with warrants eligible for issuance against LME Copper futures contracts from July 10, 2026,” the statement said.

For the Adani Group, LME’s listing of Adani Copper as a Good Delivery brand for ‘Copper Grade A’ contracts places the brand alongside the world’s leading copper brands, conferring international recognition and market credibility on the Group’s entry into the metals sector and its emergence as a globally competitive producer of refined copper.

“Copper is the backbone of the global energy transition. Achieving LME brand status places Adani among the world’s leading copper producers and strengthens India’s role in building a resilient, responsible supply chain for this vital metal. Kutch Copper’s world-class infrastructure and ESG standards make this recognition both timely and well-deserved. It will enhance the global acceptance of Adani Copper. Apart from reinforcing India’s growing stature in the international metals industry, the registration is a landmark step towards self-reliance in refined copper,” Adani Enterprises’ CEO, Natural Resources, and Kutch Copper Ltd Managing Director Dr Vinay Prakash said.

An LME-brand certification is a rigorous process involving superior quality assurances — covering chemical composition, shape and weight — alongside strict responsible sourcing protocols. The LME listing enables Adani Copper cathodes to be placed on warrant in LME-approved warehouses, strengthening financing flexibility as LME-listed metal is recognised as a highly liquid asset that can be used as collateral. For the LME, the addition of Adani Copper broadens the exchange’s deliverable base with high-quality cathode from a major new production hub, deepening the liquidity and geographic diversity of the global copper market.

The $1.2 billion Kutch Copper facility with production capacity of 0.5 million tonnes — one of the world’s largest single-location custom copper smelting complexes, designed with state-of-the-art technology, advanced process automation, and sustainability-led design principles embedded across operations — strengthens domestic supply, reduces the nation’s dependence on imported copper, and advances India’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ ambitions in a metal central to electrification, renewable energy and the energy transition, the Adani Group statement added.

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Sensex, Nifty trade higher in early deals amid positive global cues

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Mumbai, July 7: Indian equity benchmark indices traded higher on Tuesday amid positive global cues and crude oil prices hovering around the $70-a-barrel mark.

Sensex jumped as much as 0.27 per cent or over 200 points to hit an intraday high of 78,504 in early trade, while Nifty was trading around 60 points or 0.23 per cent higher at 24,488.

Sectorally, IT, banking and financial stocks led the gains. Nifty IT rose 1.28 per cent, followed by Nifty PSU Bank which gained 0.45 per cent.

In contrast, Nifty Metal was the worst performer, falling 0.86 per cent, followed by Nifty Media, which declined 0.38 per cent. Nifty Chemicals and Nifty FMCG slipped up to 0.30 per cent.

Among the Nifty stocks, Trent was the biggest loser, plunging 8.81 per cent, followed by Bharat Electronics (BEL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), which declined about 1 per cent each. Meanwhile, InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) fell 0.88 per cent, while Coal India slipped 0.84 per cent.

According to market experts, there are distinct signs of an uptrend in the market.

They noted that two factors weighing on Indian markets — the crude price hike and sustained FPI selling — are now behind us and have reversed. Crude prices are back to their pre-war levels, while FPIs have turned buyers. Although FPI buying is not yet a strong trend, the fact that foreign investors have stopped selling and turned buyers marks a significant shift that is likely to be sustained, supported by strong fundamentals.

Technically, the Nifty’s breakout above its 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) for the first time since February has strengthened the market’s bullish structure, according to analysts.

They expect the 24,600 level to act as the immediate resistance, with a sustained move above it potentially paving the way towards 24,800, while the 24,400-24,300 zone is likely to provide near-term support.

International benchmark Brent crude rose about 1 per cent to $72.77 a barrel. Similarly, US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 1.12 per cent to $69.32 a barrel.

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WhatsApp keeps ‘username feature’ launch on hold; wins more time to respond to govt notice

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Meta-backed messaging platform WhatsApp has assured the Indian government it will not roll out its proposed username feature in the country until ongoing consultations with authorities are completed, sources familiar with the matter said.

The Meta‑owned messaging platform has also been granted an additional three days to respond to the government notice seeking clarification on the feature. The original deadline for WhatsApp’s reply had lapsed on Friday.

WhatsApp had proposed a username option which would allow users to communicate on WhatsApp without sharing their phone numbers.

The Central government issued a formal notice last week expressing concerns that such a move could heighten risks of online fraud, phishing and impersonation. The government asked WhatsApp to keep the feature on hold until discussions address its security and consumer‑protection concerns, and a Meta delegation met officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Friday to discuss the matter.

Earlier this week, WhatsApp reiterated that several safeguards have been built into the username feature to prevent impersonation, scams and unwanted contact as it prepares for a wider rollout later this year.

The messaging platform addressed a series of frequently asked questions on microblogging platform X after concerns were raised over the feature, including by the government, which has asked the company to defer its rollout in the country pending consultations.

The company said users will not be required to create a username and that existing Instagram and Facebook usernames, along with those of public figures, celebrities, government entities and Meta Verified accounts, have been reserved so they can only be claimed by their legitimate owners.

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