BQuick On Jan. 15: Top 10 Stories In Under 5 Minutes  

Here’s a roundup of the day’s top stories in brief.

1. BQ Exclusive: Google's India Clean-Up

At least 200-250 loan providers have been pulled down by Google India from the Android Play Store as the search giant tries to crack down on errant lending apps, five people in the know have confirmed.

2. How Indian IT Giants Fared In Q3

Infosys Ltd. and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. stood out as clients shifted to digital services amid the ongoing pandemic. All four major IT services providers have raised their revenue guidance for the current fiscal year.

3. Tata Steel Preparing For A ‘Super Cycle’?

Tata Steel Ltd.’s Chief Financial Officer Koushik Chatterjee feels there are enough triggers in India to boost domestic demand for steelmakers. For him, the bigger challenge is meeting demand. Mainly due to two C’s—capital and carbon. Watch Chatterjee’s conversation with Menaka Doshi here.

4. Gold Demand Seen Spiking

India’s gold demand is set to bounce back after collapsing in 2020, according to the World Gold Council. Postponed weddings and festive buying that was put-off last year by consumers is likely to return in 2021, and that may boost sales.

5. Sensex Slumps 550 Points

Indian equities eked out gains for the week even as the benchmarks fell over 1% each on Friday. The S&P BSE Sensex closed at 49,034, while the NSE Nifty 50 index ended at 14,433.

Related Coverage

• GAIL approves Rs 1,046-crore buyback, declares dividend.

• CLSA's 2021 consumption themes and stock picks.

• PVR shares rise on lower-than-expected Q3 loss.

6. RBI Drains Excess Liquidity To Crank Up Shorter Rates

India’s bond yields surged the most in four months after the nation’s central bank drained Rs 2 lakh crore from the banking system at a higher-than-expected rate.

7. Amazon's Eight Letter To SEBI Since October

Amazon.com Inc. has asked the market regulator to suspend its review of the Rs 24,713 crore Future Group-Reliance Industries Ltd. deal and not grant a no objection certification on the ground that its challenge to the agreement was before the Delhi High Court.

8. Raghuram Rajan's ‘Taper Tantrum’ Warning

The pandemic has forced central banks across the globe to pump in excess liquidity. Whenever a rollback happens, a ‘taper tantrum’ is likely, according to former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.

9. Budget 2021 Must-Dos — Priorities In A Post-Covid Year

The coronavirus pandemic has obliterated many parts of the Indian economy. And there’s never enough money to spend on everything for a revival. The dilemma of where to spend will be particularly acute for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman when she delivers the Union Budget.

10. All You Need To Know About Bharat Biotech

Bharat Biotech International Ltd. has come into the limelight since its coronavirus vaccine candidate, which is yet to complete human stage trials, has been approved for use by the government. The company makes and supplies vaccines for polio, rotavirus and typhoid, which bulk of its business coming from supplies to India. BloombergQuint takes a deep dive into the company’s financials.