Business

A drop in US mortgage rates is offering early encouragement to prospective homebuyers ahead of the crucial spring homebuying season, even as borrowing costs continue to hover near the 6% mark.The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage declined to 6.01% this week from 6.09% a week earlier, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday, AP…

Swiss President Guy Parmelinbacks a governance framework for AI that does not rely on a single instrument and calls for societal norms that guide users. Excerpts from an interview with TOI:How should countries deal with AI regulation? Is there a need to have a new agency? Will a regulatory set up stifle innovation and development…

Rising geopolitical tensions and renewed safe-haven buying pushed precious metals sharply higher on Thursday, sending silver soaring in the domestic market while gold extended its upward momentum.Silver prices in the national capital surged by Rs 18,000, or 7.32 per cent, to Rs 2,64,000 per kg (inclusive of all taxes), according to local marketmen, PTI reported….

US stocks edged lower on Thursday as rising oil prices and renewed concerns over a potential US-Iran conflict weighed on investor sentiment, even as several companies reported mixed quarterly earnings, according to AP.The S&P 500 slipped 0.4% and was on track for its first decline in four sessions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 257…

The US trade deficit in goods widened to a record level in 2025 even as overall trade flows expanded, underscoring persistent import strength despite tariffs imposed during President Donald Trump’s first year back in office, according to the US government data.Data released by the Commerce Department showed the US goods deficit reached $1.24 trillion in…

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) remains one of the government’s flagship housing schemes aimed at improving home ownership affordability across urban India. The programme provides interest subsidies and financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries, particularly those in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Low Income Group (LIG), and Middle Income Group (MIG) categories.For applicants, documentation plays…

Stock market today: Benchmark equity indices snapped a three-day winning streak on Thursday, with the Sensex plunging over 1,200 points and the Nifty closing near the 25,450 mark amid a broad-based sell-off triggered by escalating geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran.The 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 1,236.11 points, or 1.48 per cent, to settle at…

Demand for rare earth permanent magnets in India is projected to double by 2030. Stressing on the importance of self-reliance, Union Minister of Mines and Coal G Kishan Reddy on Thursday said that India aims to begin domestic production of rare earth permanent magnets by year-end through collaboration with private industry.Reddy stressed on the strategic…

India’s state-owned Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and private refiner HPCL Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL) have each bought one million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude oil, marking BPCL’s first-ever purchase and HMEL’s first in two years, according to Reuters sources on Wednesday. The deals, arranged through trader Vitol, will increase India’s Venezuelan oil imports to at…

Gold and silver price prediction: Gold may extend its rally to the Rs 1,63,000 per 10 grams mark and silver has managed to sustain support, says Abhilash Koikkara, Head – Forex & Commodities, Nuvama Professional Clients Group. MCX Gold Price Outlook On the weekly chart, MCX Gold has been moving in a consolidation phase after…