The Indian market extended its winning streak on Friday, supported by foreign inflows, easing U.S. bond yields, a stronger rupee, and festive optimism.

Emirates NBD is acquiring a 60% stake in RBL Bank for $3 billion. This significant deal will allow RBL Bank to launch a wealth management business. The transaction is expected to be completed in five to seven months. RBL Bank will become a listed subsidiary of Emirates NBD. This move strengthens India's midsize banks and attracts foreign investment.

Four mutual funds added eight new midcap stocks to their portfolios in September, including Cummins India, Lupin, Mazagon Dock, Biocon, Oracle Financial Services, Jubilant Foods, Indus Towers, and ACC Gra.

HDFC Bank sees artificial intelligence as an opportunity, not a threat to jobs. The bank's chief executive Sashidhar Jagdishan believes AI will help redeploy staff from backend operations to customer-facing roles. This strategic shift aims to enhance customer engagement and innovation. HDFC Bank is conducting experiments with generative AI, expecting benefits in the next 18 to 24 months.

A Goan homebuyer successfully challenged the tax department's denial of his Section 80C deduction for home loan repayment. The ITAT Panaji ruled in his favor, stating the cooperative bank was authorized to provide housing loans. The tribunal also ordered a fresh review of the unexplained cash credit issue, allowing the homebuyer to present evidence.

Equity mutual funds delivered up to 4% returns last week (1318 October), led by Motilal Oswal, ICICI Pru, HDFC, SBI, and Mahindra Manulife, while global indices showed mixed movements.

Equity mutual funds delivered up to 70% returns since the last Diwali, with 407 out of 522 funds giving positive gains. Top performers include Mirae Asset, Invesco, Nippon India, and Motilal Oswal.

A bank employee dismissed in 1998 for assaulting a colleague has won his pension case in the Supreme Court. After a 27-year legal fight, the court ruled he is entitled to his pension. The Supreme Court's decision harmonizes the Bipartite Settlement with bank regulations, ensuring superannuation benefits for eligible employees removed from service.

I am 60 and retired recently. I have a retirement corpus of Rs 3 crore, and our monthly household expenses currently stand at about Rs 3 lakh. My concern is how long this corpus will realistically last, given our lifestyle expenses, medical needs as we age, and the impact of inflation?

Diwali celebrations will bring multiple bank holidays across India in October 2025. Different states will observe closures on October 20, 21, 22, and 23. These holidays are for Diwali, Naraka Chaturdashi, Kali Puja, Diwali Amavasya, Govardhan Pooja, and Bhaidooj. Some states like Sikkim will have extended breaks. Citizens should check local bank schedules.

The Ministry of Finance has extended the deadline for filing GSTR-3B returns for September 2025. The new due date is October 25, 2025. This extension also applies to the July-September 2025 quarter. The decision provides relief to taxpayers and professionals during the Diwali festive season. This move aims to ease compliance burdens and allow for peaceful celebrations.

If you are planning to take a exposure in precious metals like gold, silver, platinum and others, here is what experts say.

Sovereign Gold Bond: The Reserve Bank of India has announced the premature redemption price for Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) 2020-21 Series-VII, allowing investors to redeem on October 20, 2025. These bonds, issued at Rs 5,051 per gram, will yield an impressive 153.26% return on redemption, offering a significant gain over the initial investment.

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority has introduced new guidelines for National Pension System onboarding. Subscribers can now register through digital or physical channels. The process includes robust KYC verification using various face-to-face and non-face-to-face methods. Simplified onboarding is available via CKYC identifiers and existing bank KYC records. This aims to make NPS enrollment seamless and inclusive for all.

Government clerks demanded Rs 2 lakh from a widow to clear her late husband's pension and gratuity. She paid Rs 2.8 lakh but received nothing but later made an out of court settlement. The Chhattisgarh High Court has stayed the FIR against the clerks. The court ruled that such offenses involving corruption cannot be quashed solely on a compromise. The investigation will proceed.

Here are the top 10 states contributing maximum to the total AAUM, according to a report by Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund.

5 funds have added 13 new smallcap stocks in their portfolios in September.

Farmers eagerly anticipate the 21st PM Kisan installment. The government may release funds before Diwali 2025. This scheme provides financial support to small and marginal farmers. eKYC is a mandatory step for all registered beneficiaries. Farmers can check their status online. The next installment is expected in October or November.

Diwali 2025 approaches with high gold prices. Gold Exchange Traded Funds present a smart solution for tradition. These ETFs allow investment in gold as low as 0.01 grams. They offer purity, liquidity, and price efficiency. Investors can buy or sell units easily through a demat account. This makes owning gold accessible and convenient for everyone this festive season.

Dhanteras saw a surge in gold and silver ETF investments, with gold ETFs returning up to 64% and silver ETFs up to 72% since last year. Experts suggest continued upside potential for both, advising staggered investments to capitalize on any short-term corrections and maintain portfolio diversification.

Dhanteras, 2025: Dhanteras, October 18, 2025, sees a surge in gold purchases as Hindus embrace the auspicious tradition for prosperity. Jewellery brands like Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Joyalukkas, and Kalyan Jewellers are offering 22K gold at Rs 11,865 per gram. IBJA rates also show varying prices based on purity, with 24K gold at Rs 12,725 per gram.

A sister's children claimed rights to their grandfather's land sold by their uncle. The Kerala High Court ruled against them. The court found that under traditional Hindu Mitakshara law, a father's self-acquired property devolved solely upon his male heir if he died before 1956. The sister's claim was therefore invalid. The uncle's sale was upheld.

Saturday bank holiday: Banks nationwide will be open today, October 18, 2025, as it's the third Saturday, except in Assam due to the Kati Bihu festival. Regular banking operations will continue elsewhere. October 2025 features numerous bank holidays for various festivals across India, impacting branch services on specific days.

Public sector banks Uco Bank, Central Bank of India, and Bank of India reported increased net profits in the September quarter, driven by higher interest income and reduced provisions. Despite a dip in net interest margins, all three banks saw loan growth outpace deposit growth, indicating a positive operational trend.

Reliance Industries Q2 net profit grew 10% YoY to Rs 18,165 crore, led by strong performance in telecom and retail segments, despite a dip in sequential profit and challenges in the O2C business.

Small finance banks faced profitability pressures in the second quarter due to higher credit costs and expenses. AU Small Finance Bank saw a dip in net profit, while Ujjivan and Jana reported significant drops. Lenders expressed confidence in improving credit quality from unsecured business in the coming quarter.

India Cements Ltd (ICL), now part of the Aditya Birla Group firm, on Friday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 8.81 crore in the September quarter of FY26.

Markets regulator Sebi on Friday proposed measures to make it easier for investors to dematerialise physical shares and transfer them, especially those lodged before April 1, 2019.

State-owned REC Ltd on Friday posted an over 9 per cent year-on-year increase in net profit to Rs 4,414.93 crore in September quarter, on higher income.

JSW Steel's net profit surged over four times year-on-year in the September quarter, driven by a 17% increase in production to an all-time high of 7.90 million tonnes and a 20% rise in sales volume. Despite this strong performance, the company's bottomline fell short of analyst expectations.

Dalmia Bharat posted a fivefold rise in Q2 net profit to Rs 239 crore, driven by improved operating performance, higher sales volumes, steady costs, and favorable logistics, despite rising raw material and fuel expenses.

L&T Technology Services (LTTS) on Friday reported a 2.8 per cent increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 328.7 crore in the quarter ending September 2025.

Reliance Retail Q2 Results: Reliance Retail achieved strong results in the second quarter. Net profit rose 22% year-on-year. Revenues saw a 19% increase. The grocery and lifestyle businesses were key growth drivers. Festive buying and operational excellence contributed to the performance. Investments in stores and digital platforms also played a role. The company expects GST rate changes to boost consumption further.

Reliance Jio Q2 results: Reliance Jio reported a strong second quarter with a 13% year-on-year net profit growth to Rs 7,379 crore and a 15% revenue increase to Rs 36,332 crore. The company saw its average revenue per user (ARPU) rise to Rs 211.4, supported by increased customer engagement and a surge in data usage.

Reliance Industries Q2 Results: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) on Friday reported a 10% year-on-year growth in its consolidated Q2 net profit at Rs 18,165 crore versus Rs 16,563 crore reported in the year-ago period.

Persistent Systems stock jumped 8% after reporting robust Q2 results, including sequential revenue growth, 16.3% operating margin, record $609.2 million order bookings, and a healthcare recovery driving FY26 growth.

JSW Energy reported a 17% year-on-year fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 705 crore for Q2, despite a 60% revenue surge to Rs 5,177 crore. EBITDA increased by 67% YoY to Rs 3,180 crore, driven by renewable capacity additions. The company affirmed its healthy balance sheet and credit ratings, with installed capacity at 13.2 GW.

Post Office employees will receive a 60-day Productivity Linked Bonus for the accounting year 2024-25, announced by the Department of Posts. This bonus, equivalent to 60 days' emoluments, will be paid to eligible MTS, Group C, and non-gazetted Group B employees. Gramin Dak Sevaks will receive an ex-gratia bonus, and casual labourers will get an ad-hoc bonus.

Global mutual fund AUM surged nearly 21-fold in the past decade, reaching Rs 57,911 crore by September 2025, driven by rising participation in global fund of funds and ETFs.

Gold has delivered substantial gains, soaring 67% in less than a year and showing strong CAGR over longer periods. Experts attribute this rally to robust global demand, currency weakness, inflation, and central bank diversification. While short-term volatility exists, the long-term outlook for gold remains positive, driven by economic uncertainties and geopolitical events.

Here are the top 10 stock holdings of the fund house, according to a report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Bharti Airtel topped mutual fund holdings in September, with over 550 schemes investing, reflecting strong institutional confidence in large-cap banking, telecom, and diversified blue-chip stocks.

JioBlackRock Mutual Fund's flexi-cap fund NFO attracted Rs 1,460 crore. The fund reopened for investments on October 17. It has built a client base of over 150 institutional and 6.35 lakh retail investors. The fund house's total AUM now stands at Rs 15,980 crore. This marks a significant milestone for the new fund house.

Punjab National Bank has reduced locker rent charges across all regions and locker sizes, effective 30 days after publication on its website. Customers are allowed 12 free locker visits annually, with a Rs 100 charge for additional operations. Lockers can be broken open under specific circumstances, including misplaced keys or non-compliance with terms, following a strict notice procedure.