India’s macros (like fiscal consolidation, strong balance sheets and recovery in consumption) remain robust amid slowing global growth and the country's long-term growth prospects remain steady, projected at 6.5 per cent real GDP growth and 10-11 per cent nominal GDP growth, according to a report on Wednesday.

The strength of banks (NPAs below 1 per cent) and corporate balance sheets is notable. India Inc.’s profits are growing strong, but they are also generating large amounts of free cashflows in sharp contrast to 2003-2008, where free cashflows were in deficit, according to the monthly insight report from global financial services company Mirae Asset.

Household debt levels are also reasonable compared to global standards. India's aggregate debt to GDP is lower than in 2010, while it has risen globally, the findings showed.

A thick fog enveloped the national capital and surrounding areas early Wednesday morning, severely affecting visibility and causing widespread transportation disruptions. At least seven flights were cancelled, while 184 others were delayed. Additionally, 26 trains heading to Delhi were running late, with six train schedules altered due to the low visibility.

The thick fog caused visibility levels to plummet to near zero in several areas disrupting air, road, and rail traffic.

This comes a day after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert in the national capital, warning of dense to very dense fog.

Road traffic also slowed down as dense fog made commuting difficult across Delhi and other cities in the NCR.

In a statement around 7:30 am, Delhi Airport urged passengers to stay informed about their flight status. "Although landings and take-offs continue, flights that do not meet the CAT III (Category III Instrument Landing System) standards may experience delays. We advise passengers to check with their airlines for the latest updates. We regret any inconvenience caused," said Delhi Airport in repeated advisories.

The Indian stock market opened higher on Wednesday as buying was seen in the auto, IT and PSU bank sectors.

At around 9.26 am, Sensex was trading at 76,758.37 after rising 258.74 points or 0.34 per cent, while Nifty was trading at 23,225.50 after climbing 49.45 points or 0.21 per cent.

On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 1,263 stocks were trading in green, while 289 stocks were in red.

Nifty Bank was up 154.60 points or 0.32 per cent at 48,883.75. Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 53,846.40 after adding 169.90 points or 0.32 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 17,329.05 after climbing 71.25 points or 0.41 per cent.

According to experts, market will witness lots of stock-specific action in response to the Q3 results.

Market has been rewarding performers, delivering better-than-expected results and punishing those delivering worse-than-expected results.

Dense fog enveloped the national capital and surrounding regions on Wednesday morning, as a persistent cold wave continued to grip northern India. The thick fog caused visibility levels to plummet to near zero in several areas, significantly impacting transportation services, especially rail and flight operations.

At 5:30 am on Wednesday, Delhi recorded a temperature of 10 degrees Celcius, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted the minimum temperature for the day would dip to 9 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, the maximum temperature was forecast to reach around 19 degrees. The weather department also warned of a generally overcast sky throughout the day, with light rain or drizzle expected to occur later in the evening or night.

The morning temperature in Delhi was recorded at 9 degrees Celsius, and with the dense fog still lingering, the IMD issued another forecast suggesting more fog in the evening and night.

The annual rate of inflation based on the all-India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) edged up to 2.37 per cent for the month of December, compared to the same month of the previous year, according to figures released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Tuesday.

The positive rate of inflation in December is primarily due to increase in prices of food articles, manufacture of food products, other manufacturing, manufacture of textiles and non-food articles.

However, the month over month change in WPI for the month of December, 2024 stood at (-) 0.38 per cent as compared to November, 2024.

The index for primary goods decreased by 2.07 per cent in December compared to November 2024, as price of food articles declined (-3.08 per cent) and crude petroleum and natural gas fell (-2.87 per cent) during the month.

The fuel and power index increased by 1.90 per cent in December compared to November 2024, as the price of electricity (8.81 per cent) and coal (0.07 per cent) increased during the month. However, the price of mineral oils (-0.06 per cent) decreased in December as compared to the previous month.

Banks have started offering higher returns on FDs amid fierce competition to raise more deposits. While leading banks such as SBI and HDFC were the first to raise interest rates on FDs, smaller banks such as IDBI have followed suit for fear of getting left behind in the race.

SBI introduced a new category of super senior citizens above 80 years -- who will get 10 basis points more than senior citizens. This scheme has been adopted by IDBI Bank as well.

IDBI Bank has launched the 'IDBI Chiranjeevi-Super Senior Citizen FD', a fixed deposit product exclusively for individuals aged 80 years and above. The scheme offers an additional 0.65 per cent interest above the standard fixed deposit rates. The interest rates under this scheme include 8.05 per cent for a 555-day tenure, 7.9 per cent for 375 days, 8 per cent for 444 days, and 7.85 per cent for 700 days. The scheme is effective from January 13, 2025.

Equity alternative investment funds (AIFs) in India achieved a notable pooled internal rate of return (IRR) of 21.5 per cent between fiscals 2013 and 2024, according to a report on Tuesday.

Across the past five fiscals, the benchmark outpaced the BSE Sensex Total Return Index (TRI), reaffirming the resilience and importance of private markets in India’s investment landscape, according to the second edition of the Crisil-Oister report.

Stage-wise, the benchmark of early-stage funds generated a pooled IRR of 26.9 per cent between fiscals 2013 and 2024, outperforming the BSE 250 Smallcap TRI by 4.29 per cent.

Similarly, the benchmark of growth and late-stage funds delivered a robust pooled IRR of 23.6 per cent between fiscals 2015 and 2024, surpassing the BSE 200 TRI by 5.97 per cent, the report noted.

The domestic benchmark indices opened higher on Tuesday as HCLTech’s stock tanked 9 per cent in early trade after posting Q3 results that left brokerages unimpressed.

Brokerage firm Nuvama has downgraded HCLTech to "hold" from its earlier rating of “buy".

NSE Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex opened higher. As of 9:16 a.m., the Nifty 50 was 113.60 points or 0.49 per cent higher at 23,199.55, and the Sensex was 370.21 points or 0.49 per cent higher at 76,700.22.

According to market experts, the constant refrain from many saner voices that the broader market is overpriced and may correct sharply is now playing out.

Reversion to mean valuations are happening in large caps, too. Strengthening dollar, 10-year US bond yields rising to above 4.7 per cent, uncertainty regarding Donald Trump’s actions after January 20 — all have combined to cause this market correction, they noted.

Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the 'poor' category and fog continued to persist in the morning hours on Tuesday also.

The AQI stood at 247 at 6 a.m. but deteriorated slightly to 250 by 8 a.m., remaining in the "poor" category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The dense fog engulfed the city, significantly reducing visibility, as the cold wave maintained its grip on the region. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted isolated rainfall in Delhi and nearby areas on January 15 and 16, with a fresh western disturbance expected to impact northwest India starting Tuesday.

A marginal rise in temperatures was noted over the past 24 hours, with the city recording maximum temperatures of 16-17 degrees Celsius and minimum temperatures of 9-10 degrees Celsius. While clear skies are forecast for January 14, cloudy conditions are likely to prevail on January 15 and 16.

Indian stock market fell more than 1 per cent on Monday amid mixed global and local cues, including strong US employment data suggesting fewer rate cuts in 2025.

Among other factors that led to the market tumbling were rising crude oil prices, weakening rupee and massive foreign capital outflows which dragged the market, resulting in a loss of around Rs 12 lakh crore for investors.

Heavy selling was seen in realty PSU banks, metal, auto and pharma sectors. Realty sector ended in red with a decline of more than 6 per cent.

Sensex ended at 76,330.01, down by 1,048.90 points, or 1.36 per cent, and Nifty settled at 23,085.95, down by 345.55 points or 1.47 per cent.

According to experts, the global markets witnessed a significant sell-off, prompting a similar response in domestic markets due to strong US payroll data suggesting fewer rate cuts in 2025. This has strengthened the dollar, driven up bond yields, and made emerging markets less attractive.