Amid rising tension between India and Pakistan, Moody's Ratings warned it would weigh on Pakistan's growth. "Persistent increase in tensions could impair Pakistan's access to external financing and pressure its foreign-exchange reserves, which remain well below what is required to meet its external debt payment needs," it stated. India's macroeconomics condition would remain stable, Moody's added.

D2C brands need agile supply chains. From inventory to fulfilment, speed matters. Owning logistics or partnering with tech-led players reduces delays and improves margins. When operations move as fast as demand, brands can launch, test, and scale with far less friction. Operations must match the velocity of customer expectations.

Despite global uncertainties, FIIs are increasing bets on India, driven by resilient growth, a diversified economy, and shifting global supply chains. DSP's Jay Kothari notes that India is benefiting from US-China trade tensions, with inflows likely to grow. Recent weeks saw net positive flows, and India's limited export exposure makes it attractive amid global turbulence.

From teen-fuelled cinema chaos to surging perfume sales and a slump in sneaker demand, consumer trends are shifting in unpredictable ways. Govindraj Ethiraj explores how legacy data can't always keep pace, with brands like Lenovo spotting unexpected booms in tablet sales. The new consumer economy, amplified by TikTok, is now built on surprises, not just insights.

Maharashtra leads India's states in CareEdge's 2025 rankings, excelling in financial development and scoring high across economic, fiscal, and social pillars. Gujarat and Karnataka follow in the top three. The report, covering 50 indicators across seven pillars, highlights western and southern states' dominance, while Goa ranks No.1 among smaller states for balanced growth.

Indian stock markets closed higher last week, with the Sensex up 1,289 points and the Nifty adding 307 points. On Friday, the Sensex rose 259 points to 80,501, while the Nifty 50 edged up 12 points to 24,346. Mid and small-cap indices saw marginal declines. Foreign investors remained net buyers, adding $300 million in April and continuing purchases into May.

Most churn happens in the first 7 days. That's not a retention issue, it's a broken onboarding one. If users don't find value quickly, they leave. Onboarding is your chance to deliver a 'quick win', show relevance, and build confidence. Fixing churn starts where the journey begins.

In D2C, the buying journey doesn't end at checkout. From tracking to returns, support to packaging, every touchpoint matters. Great experiences turn one-time buyers into brand advocates. Experience isn't a department, it's a full-stack retention strategy. In D2C, service speed is as critical as product quality.

D2C is booming in India. With rising digital access and changing consumer habits, brands are skipping middlemen and going direct. This shift gives them control over pricing, experience, and customer relationships. D2C isn't a niche, it's the new way to scale, connect, and sustain.

Not all users have the same goals. Smart onboarding adapts. Based on use case, industry, or user type, the flow changes. Personalised checklists, content, and tips make users feel seen. In a world of choice, relevance is the differentiator. Personalisation helps you retain what you've acquired.

Automation may impact women in India differently. Sectors which have high female employment like BPO, retail, and textiles face task automation risk. But flexible tech-enabled jobs could open new paths. The outcome depends on digital access, skilling, and inclusive workplace design.

Customer onboarding isn't a checklist, it's your first real impression. Done right, it reduces churn, builds loyalty, and boosts retention. Users decide early whether to stay. If they don't feel guided, they drop. Good onboarding turns buyers into believers. It's a silent sales engine post-purchase.

Performance marketing powers D2C growth, but only if backed by data. Smart brands test creatives, optimise funnels, and measure LTV vs CAC constantly. It's not about loud campaigns. It's about knowing which clicks convert, and doubling down on what truly works. Without ROI clarity, ad spend is just noise.

On marketplaces, your product competes your brand doesn't stand out. D2C changes that. It gives full control over storytelling, packaging, and service. Strong brands aren't just discovered; they're remembered. And in D2C, that memory leads to margin and repeat business. The brand becomes the moat, not just the marketing.

Urban talent adapts faster to automation. But in rural areas, lack of infrastructure and training access puts workers at higher risk. If India doesn't bring tier-2 and tier-3 towns into skilling programmes, automation could deepen the economic divide rather than fix it. Bridging this gap is key to inclusive and balanced growth.

Completion rate isn't enough. Look at time to value, user activation, feature adoption, and early support requests. These reveal how effective your onboarding really is. Metrics must show whether users get value not just whether they reach the end. Success means habit, not just signup.

NETGEAR Inc announced the opening of a software development centre in Chennai as part of its continuing investment in AI and cloud-based solutions for advanced business connectivity. Central to the transformation of NETGEAR business offerings is a recently announced R&D investment that will accelerate the company's objective to create next-generation networking.

B2B onboarding often needs more handholding, demos, role-based access, team rollouts. B2C onboarding should be fast and self-serve. The expectations differ. The outcome doesn't. Both need to deliver value fast. Matching the flow to user context is key for activation success. A mismatch in flow can cost you users before they even start.

Swiggy has paused its Genie delivery service in major cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi NCR, citing a temporary break with no return date. The move comes as Swiggy focuses on food delivery and Instamart, just ahead of its Q4 results. Losses are expected to rise due to aggressive expansion and competition in the fast-growing quick commerce space.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India is rapidly progressing in shipbuilding and repair, with Kochi poised to become a global hub for the industry. He said India is advancing towards establishing a shipbuilding and repair cluster in Kochi. "Once completed, it will create new employment opportunities, providing Kerala's local talent and youth with a growth platform," PM said.

Brent crude oil prices dipped below the $59 per barrel mark on Monday. This was reportedly the commodity's lowest price in four years. The dip comes after the oil-producing group OPEC+ recently announced plans to raise output by 4,11,000 barrels per day in June, marking the second consecutive month of oil production hike.

The benign inflationary patterns suggest an aggressive rate cut trajectory by the RBI, with key policy rate likely to breach the ‘Neutral’ rate by March 2026, an SBI Research report said on Monday. A cumulative rate cut of 125-150 bps is estimated in FY26 in the best case scenario with inflation to breach 3% consistently for next 3 months barring any food price shock/heatwave, the report stated.

The Delhi High Court has ruled that tax cases can not be reopened after 3 years, regardless of whether the old/new reassessment rules are used. This gives taxpayers more certainty and protection from delayed notices. The ruling is backed by a 2024 Supreme Court case and applies to all assessment years before 2016–17.

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri called US President Donald Trump's 100% tariffs on foreign movies "a disastrous move". "If this absurdity prevails, India's struggling film industry will collapse entirely, with no one to save it," he said. "Indian film leaders must wake up, unite and fight this threat instead of chasing paparazzi and self-glorification," he added.

The Income Tax Department has notified the revised ITR-1 (Sahaj) form for AY 2025–26. This income tax return form applies to resident individuals (excluding not ordinarily residents) whose annual income does not exceed ₹50 lakh. The income of these individuals should be from salary, pension, income from one house property, fixed deposits, or agricultural income up to ₹5,000 per year.