Money & markets in 5 minutes

Things worth knowing

1. 01
   MARKETS

   Eighth straight losing week for Nifty and Sensex, the longest run since 2001

   The Nifty 50 fell 198.50 points (0.88%) to 22,421.95 and the Sensex dropped 570.59 points (0.79%) to 71,909.70, the Sensex's fourth losing session in a row. In this holiday-shortened week the Nifty lost 3.1% and the Sensex 2.7%; across eight weeks the two are down about 8.7% and 8.4%. Auto was the worst sector, falling about 3%, with Bajaj Auto down 7.6% and Maruti Suzuki down 4.9%; metals, FMCG and media also fell. IT was the bright spot, up over 2%, led by Infosys (up 4.1%) after softer US inflation data. The broader market was weaker too: midcap and smallcap indices fell about 1% each, declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones by more than two to one, and the India VIX (the market's fear gauge) jumped about 16%. Heavy foreign selling, Brent crude above $100 and multi-year-high US bond yields weighed on sentiment.

   So what for you?

   Eight weeks of falls feels long, but the index is still a basket of businesses whose prices move with money flows, oil and interest rates. If you invest through a monthly SIP, a falling market simply means each instalment buys more units; whether that suits you depends on your goals and time horizon, not on one week's headlines.

2. 02
   CURRENCY

   Rupee breaks past 96 per dollar as yields and oil climb

   The rupee closed at 96.31 against the US dollar (provisional), 37 paise weaker than Wednesday's 95.94, after touching 96.34 during the day. Global bond yields hit multi-year highs, the dollar index rose about 0.5% and Brent crude climbed back above $100 a barrel after China suspended oil product exports. Traders said state-run banks sold dollars, likely on behalf of the RBI, which limited the fall.

   So what for you?

   A weaker rupee makes anything priced in dollars costlier: foreign travel, overseas education fees, imported gadgets and, over time, fuel. If you have a dollar expense coming up, today's rate is a useful reminder to budget with some buffer.

3. 03
   ECONOMY

   Factories have their best month since February; GST collections rise 14.7%

   The HSBC India Manufacturing PMI rose to 55.1 in September from 52.8 in August, a seven-month high, with output growing at the fastest pace in four months and hiring at the quickest since May (any reading above 50 means expansion). Separately, gross GST collections for September rose 14.7% from a year earlier to ₹2.04 lakh crore, driven largely by import-linked GST (up 25.9%), while domestic collections grew a slower 10.1%.

   So what for you?

   Strong factory and tax data are signs the economy is still growing despite market weakness. Stock prices and the economy do not always move together in the short run.

4. 04
   COMPANIES

   September auto sales: exports strong, home demand patchy

   Bajaj Auto's total September sales rose about 5% to 5.38 lakh units, but domestic sales fell about 9% while exports jumped about 32%; the stock fell 7.6%. Mahindra and Mahindra hit a 52-week low. Hyundai Motor India went the other way, reporting its highest-ever monthly sales of 77,916 units.

   So what for you?

   Monthly auto sales are an early signal of how much Indians are spending; weaker home sales at the start of the festive season can reflect softer rural demand after a patchy monsoon.