Entry-level smartphone market shrinks 59%

NEW DELHI: India’s entry-level smartphone market suffered a collapse in the first quarter of 2026. Rising component costs and weakening consumer demand reshaped the country’s handset landscape, according to new data from IDC.India’s overall smartphone shipments declined 4.1% year-on-year to 31 million units in Q1 2026, but the steepest pressure was concentrated in devices priced…

Read More

Gen Z pros embrace ‘portfolio careers’ as side hustles surge

BENGALURU: India’s Gen Z workforce is embracing what experts describe as “portfolio careers” – balancing multiple professional identities and income streams simultaneously. New research from LinkedIn shows that 75% of Gen Z entrepreneurs in India now manage multiple income streams, significantly higher than the 62% among Gen X entrepreneurs. The findings point to a growing…

Read More

Petrol and diesel prices: Frozen for four years despite rising crude costs – how deep is India’s fuel price dilemma?

India may have enough fuel in its tanks for now but rising global crude prices combined with unchanged domestic rates are pointing towards a pressing question: How likely are petrol and diesel price hikes?The government has repeatedly assured citizens that there is no fuel shortage or rationing plan despite global energy market disruptions caused by…

Read More

‘Unfair trade practice’: Consumer commission pulls up EPFO over decade-long PF delay, orders Rs 50,000 compensation

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh has held that the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) cannot cite software glitches or technical issues to justify a nearly 10-year delay in transferring provident fund (PF) accumulations from an employee’s old account to a new one.The commission partly allowed a complaint filed by employee Rajesh Garg and…

Read More

US stock market today (May 12, 2026): Oil price surge, inflation fears drag Wall Street, S&P 500 down 0.6%, Nasdaq 0.9% lower

AI image for representation US stocks retreated on Tuesday as rising oil prices, sticky inflation and a selloff in technology shares cooled Wall Street’s record-setting rally.The S&P 500 fell 0.6 per cent after closing at an all-time high in the previous session, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 288 points, or 0.6 per cent….

Read More