Sector Updates

During Sep-25, Indian steel prices fell 2% MoM to Rs48,500/tonne, while Chinese steel prices declined by 6% MoM to $470/tonne impacted by seasonal demand weakness and changes in export tax regulations that led to front-loading by exporters. Coking coal prices increased 6% MoM to $164/tonne, driven by supplyside disruptions amid the monsoon. In Aug-25, Indian steel production rose by 0.7% MoM to 14.1 mn tonnes. Estimated Chinese steel output declined by 3% MoM to 77 mn tonnes amid government-mandated environmental sanctions and sluggish domestic demand, while global steel production contracted by 3% MoM to 145 mn tonnes. Chinese steel exports decreased by 3% MoM and were flat YoY to 9.5 mn tonnes, as...

At present, we continue to prefer banks with promising growth prospects, healthy deposit franchises, stable asset quality metrics, and strong and steady management teams.

The RBI MPC maintained the policy repo rate at 5.5% and reiterated its neutral stance, as most of the domestic high frequency indicators suggest that economic activity continued to remain resilient, despite global tariff-related uncertainties.

Indian HRC: Indian HRC prices decreased by 0.8% WoW to Rs 48,700/tonne, amid limited purchases as buyers resort to need-based buying due to the slowdown from festive holidays and post-GST cuts traders are still gauging their effect on pricing and demand. Billet-Ex-Raipur: Billet prices decreased by 1.1% WoW to Rs 36,500/tonne, as buying activity remains weak, weighed down by...

Credit card spends moderated in Aug'25, declining by ~1.5% MoM (vs a ~6% increase July'25), while YoY growth stood at ~13.6% (vs ~12.2% in July'25). Cards-in-force reached ~112.3Mn as of Aug'25, up ~6.5% YoY with limited sequential growth. Net new card additions improved to ~6.9 lakhs (vs ~4.2 lakhs in July'25), with HDFCB (~2.2 lakhs), AXISB (~1.4 lakhs) and SBI (~0.7 lakh) leading issuances. Transaction volumes posted a modest ~1.5% MoM rise (vs ~6% increase in July'25) and ~26% YoY growth (vs ~27% in July'25). Looking ahead, we expect September'25 to witness a pickup in spends, supported by festive seasonality, recent GST cuts, and aggressive discounting...

The US Government on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, announced fee hike to US$100k for applicants to the H-1B visa program for skilled foreign workers starting with FY26 lottery cycle. The one-time fee applicable on all companies (Indian/US) that use the...

Textile companies are focusing on diversification as risk mitigating strategy with focus on diversifying the production base in other countries and improve the regional mix and not to depend on single country/region in the near future....

In August, Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rose to 2.1%, while Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation reached a four-month high of 0.5%. Food-driven pressures surfaced even as core inflation remained stable, and most of the CPI basket stayed below 4%.

CLSA highlights that inflation in over 70% of the CPI basket has fallen below 4%, marking a record low. The brokerage expects vegetable deflation to persist through November, keeping headline inflation in the 1–2% range before it edges up toward 4% by early 2026. It anticipates the RBI will hold rates in October but may leave room for a cut in December.

The month of August, like the month gone by, continued to be volatile as ever. From our coverage universe, Methanol registered the highest price spurt of 14% MoM. This has been on the back of a recent US clamp down on Iran origin imports. This has led to a supply shortage in the West, while the capacities run in full swing. The prices for methanol are expected to stay elevated in the near term, even as the demand stays lackluster. Indian players (except the ones sanctioned due to Iran origin) stand on solid ground as Chinese excessive supply has led to Chinese Methanol prices melting. TDI prices, which had declined by...