IBTimes

Firms like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Uber, and eBay are offshoring roles, with 38% of respondents saying India hiring replaces US-based jobs. H1B visa restrictions are also influencing this trend, and companies are expanding India teams through scaling existing staff, creating new roles, or moving specific projects. This signals a structural shift in global workforce planning.

Gold and silver prices hit fresh record highs as global uncertainties intensified due to escalating tensions between the US Justice Department and the Federal Reserve, geopolitical risks from Iran, and weaker-than-expected US jobs data. MCX gold and silver futures surged sharply, while spot prices also touched new peaks, driven by strong safe-haven demand and expectations of further US interest-rate cuts.

Motilal Oswal expects MCX silver prices to continue their strong rally in 2026, projecting a target of Rs 3.20 lakh per kg, implying nearly 27 per cent upside from current levels. After surging 170 per cent in 2025 and outperforming gold, silver's rise has been driven by geopolitical tensions, trade uncertainties, easier monetary policies, strong ETF inflows, supply constraints and robust safe-haven demand. The brokerage highlighted silver's dual role as a precious and industrial metal, with rec

MCX Silver contracts for March expiry showed significant surge during the week surging to Rs 2,52,002 per kg, confirming a decisive breakout from its recent consolidation range and re-entering a strong bullish channel.

Earnings from Reliance Industries Ltd will be another major trigger next week, given its significant weight in the indices. Investors will watch trends across the energy, retail and telecom businesses, with guidance on demand, margins and capex likely to drive sentiment, said market watchers.

The number of countries importing South Korean cosmetics reached 202 in 2025, up from 172 in 2024. Shipments to Europe, the Middle East, Southwest Asia and Latin America continued to grow, while the shares going to the U.S. and China have declined, the ministry said.

The monthly mutual fund SIP inflows reached a new record high in December at Rs 31,002 crore, compared to Rs 29,445 crore in November. The SIP investments rose by 5 per cent and 17 per cent on a monthly and yearly basis, respectively.

As of 9.29 am, Sensex slipped 107 points, or 0.13 per cent to 84,073 and Nifty eased 26 points, or 0.10 per cent to 26,850. Main broad cap indices posted stronger losses compared to benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap 100 down 0.29 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 lost 0.84 per cent.