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Rupee hits new all-time low as dollar index rises to 20-year high

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The Indian rupee has depreciated to the record low since the morning trade after the dollar index surged to 20-year high and 75 basis points rate hike by the US Fed, and hint at more rate hikes in the future.

Rupee’s previous record low against the greenback was 80.12 reached late in August.

At the interbank foreign exchange market at 12.30 p.m., rupee was trading at 80.71 against the dollar, which was sharply lower than its previous close.

“With the US Fed increasing rates by 75 bps and hinting at more rate hikes in the future, we believe the dollar index can see a significant increase, implying that most major market currencies, including INR should be under pressure. If we start seeing INR depreciating, then from a USD returns perspective for FPIs, India becomes unattractive,” said Naveen Kulkarni, Chief Investment Officer, Axis Securities PMS.

The US dollar index hit a fresh 20-year high on Thursday after the US Fed warned about aggressive rate hikes in the future. The dollar index jumped to 111.530 on Thursday during the afternoon trade.

The local currency as well as dollar index also got hurt due to escalating geopolitical tensions after Russia ordered a partial mobilisation of military forces in Ukraine.

Kulkarni also added that we could also witness a reversal of FPI flows in the near to medium term, which will increase market volatility. Higher interest rates in the US will force major central banks, including India, to increase interest rates to stem the pressure on their domestic currencies and with increased interest rates and cost of capital, market multiples can contract. We believe in the near term, Indian equity markets can witness increased volatility.

Kunal Sodhani, Vice President, Global Trading Center, Shinhan Bank in a note said that considering the technical charts DXY can test 112.50, EURUSD can test 0.9720/50 levels, GBPUSD can test 1.1180 levels, USDJPY can test 145.20 levels.

“For USDINR, 79.60 acts as a good base while a break of all-time high of 80.13 on a closing basis, can open doors for 80.50 levels as a lot of option sellers may trigger stop losses,” Sodhani added.

After the rate hike by the US Fed, overseas stocks tumbled which was followed by domestic equities. At 12.30 p.m., Sensex was down 608.78 points or 1.02 per cent at 58,848.00 and Nifty was 165.75 points or 0.94 per cent at 17,532.95.

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20 pc EV share by 2030 can save import bill worth Rs 1 lakh crore, Delhi policy shows the way

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New Delhi, July 2: The West Asia crisis is transforming Indians’ travel preferences with a hastened shift to electric vehicles (EV) and EV penetration could save Rs 1 lakh crore of import bill with a 20 per cent adoption rate by 2030 from the current 10 per cent, an SBI Research report said on Thursday.

With the onset of the US-Iran war on February 28, the registration of EVs have jumped significantly in India. From average 1.3 lakh registration in 2025, the March-June period exhibited average 2.3 lakh registrations — a whopping 1 lakh more compared to 2025 average.

“At the current rate, we believe, total EV registrations may cross 25 lakh mark in 2026,” said the report.

The penetration of pure EV is continuously rising in overall registration. From merely less than 2 per cent share in 2024, the registration share of pure EV has reached more than 8 per cent share in 2026 to date. In some states, the penetration of pure EV has crossed more than 10 per cent share

India has 29,151 charging stations. Two states (Karnataka and Maharashtra) accounted for 35 per cent of overall charging stations, said the report.

As per new EV policy, the Delhi government plans to install 32,000 charging points infrastructure within the next four years.

“The success of EV will largely depend upon the availability of charging stations,” said the report.

From the current level of 2.86 crore vehicle registered in India (2025), “our projections indicate that by 2030, 4 crore vehicles are going to register. We also estimate that out of these 4 crore vehicles, 20 per cent are EVs (80 lakh from the 2025 level of 15.7 lakh),” the report projected.

“Our estimate indicate that during the four-year period of 2027-2030, 35 lakh more EVs are expected to replace the petrol vehicles (as compared to current BAU scenario),” it added.

In this regard, Delhi’s new EV policy is commendable.

A purchase incentive will be provided to two-wheeler vehicles in the first three years (cumulative: Rs 60,000). For three wheelers, the incentives are Rs 1,20,000 cumulatively. N1 commercial trucks will be provided with a subsidy of Rs 1 lakh in the first year. Delhi also offers 100 per cent waiver on road tax and one-time registration fees for eligible EVs.

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Sensex, Nifty end higher as FMCG, banking and realty stocks lift benchmark indices

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Mumbai, July 1: Indian equity benchmark indices ended higher on Wednesday, supported by strong buying in FMCG, banking, financial and realty stocks.

The Nifty climbed 140.10 points, or 0.59 per cent, to close at 24,005.85, while the Sensex advanced 443.97 points, or 0.58 per cent, to settle at 76,922.64.

Commenting on Nifty technical outlook, experts said that the 24,100–24,200 region, which coincides with the 100-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), continues to act as the immediate resistance zone.

“A sustained breakout above this band would reinforce bullish momentum and could pave the way for an advance towards the 24,400 region,” an analyst stated.

“On the downside, the 23,900–23,800 zone continues to serve as a crucial support area, closely aligned with the 20 and 50-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs),” a market expert added.

Among the Nifty constituents, Eternal, Adani Enterprises and Nestle India emerged as the top gainers, helping lift the benchmark index.

The broader market also finished in positive territory, with the Nifty MidCap index rising 0.34 per cent and the Nifty SmallCap index gaining 0.36 per cent.

On the sectoral front, the Nifty Realty index led the gains, followed by the Nifty FMCG and Nifty Auto indices, as investors accumulated shares in these sectors. However, the Nifty IT, Nifty Metal and Nifty Pharma indices underperformed the broader market and ended with relatively weaker gains or losses.

Analysts said that domestic equities extended their upward momentum, with gains across key sectors outweighing weakness in information technology, metal and pharmaceutical stocks.

“The domestic markets entered H2 CY26 on an optimistic footing as multiple headwinds began to abate, with the anticipated US-India trade agreement, easing Middle East tensions, and benign oil prices emerging as the key drivers of positive sentiment,” an analyst added.

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MSC Group’s arm to invest around $1.4 billion for 49 pc share in Adani’s Vizhinjam port

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Ahmedabad, June 30: Adani Ports on Tuesday said it has entered into a definitive agreement with MSC Group under which MSC’s container terminal operating and investing arm Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) will invest for 49 per cent interest in Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL), the concessionaire for Vizhinjam port.

The strategic collaboration represents the single largest foreign private investment in Indian port infrastructure and cements Vizhinjam’s emergence as a dominant transshipment gateway in the Indian Ocean region.

TiL will invest $1.397 billion, equivalent to its proportionate 49 per cent share in Vizhinjam port in total deal value of $2.85 billion.

“Vizhinjam port has emerged as a premier transshipment hub and ramped up at an unprecedented pace, becoming the first Indian port to earn the unique distinction of crossing two million TEUs within 18 months of operations,” said Ashwani Gupta, Whole-time Director and CEO, APSEZ.

“I am delighted to expand APSEZ’s long-standing partnership with MSC to Vizhinjam, as we prepare for the port’s next leg of journey. I am confident that our association will deliver enhanced supply chain efficiencies at a global scale and improve India’s access to key global mature and developing markets,” Gupta said.

The transaction is subject to customary approvals, including regulatory ones.

The strategic collaboration between APSEZ and MSC Group will deliver significant advantages for APSEZ, including enhanced volume visibility and accelerated ramp-up ahead of plan, driven by additional cargo volumes; a higher share of Bangladesh cargo, largely dependent on competing Southeast Asian transshipment hubs; strengthen presence on East Africa trade routes; and elevated relay cargo volumes.

TiL is one of the world’s largest container terminal operators and part of the MSC Group comprising a portfolio of more than 100 container terminals across five continents and a throughput of more than 70 million TEUs per annum.

Commissioned in December 2024, Vizhinjam port is India’s first deep-draft mega transshipment port with 1.6 million TEU capacity. The port is undergoing expansion that will increase capacity 3.5x to 5.7 million TEUs by December 2028, according to the company.

Vizhinjam port is strategically located just 10 nautical miles from the East-West shipping route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf, and the Far East.

During FY26, Vizhinjam port handled 1.3 million TEUs. In its first year, Vizhinjam port handled 1.3 million TEUs and 615 vessels, becoming the fastest Indian port to cross the one million TEU milestone.

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