The Economic Times

Generating a steady income from investments is a common goal for many investors, especially those looking to balance growth with regular cash flow.

In line with the larger national trend, gold prices in Chennai too recorded a slight drop on Friday (April 17, 2026). As per the prices quoted by leading jewellery retailers in the city, the price of 24 karat gold was around Rs 15,431 per gram, down from Rs 15,568 per gram levels on Thursday.

22k gold rate today: Gold prices saw a slight decrease across major jewellers on Friday, April 17, 2026, ahead of Akshaya Tritiya. This dip, influenced by geopolitical developments like a Lebanon-Israel ceasefire and potential US-Iran talks, offers a potential buying opportunity for consumers.

In most cases, income increase happens over time, but the expenses, goals, and lifestyles increase more than nullify this increase. Most people struggle throughout life with this income-expense mismatch, even though they are doing well by most metrics.

Akshaya Tritiya, a festival believed to bring wealth, sees a surge in gold purchases, with demand often rising a week prior. This year, the auspicious day falls on Sunday, April 19, 2026, with specific muhurat timings varying by city. Consumers are increasingly opting for investment-grade gold like coins and bars, alongside digital gold, while traditional jewellery remains popular.

Gold ETFs have rallied up to 61% since last Akshaya Tritiya, driven by geopolitical tensions, central bank buying, and safe-haven demand. Experts advise sticking to asset-allocation disciplinebooking profits only if gold exceeds target weights. While valuations look stretched, long-term investors may continue SIPs as structural drivers remain supportive.

Twelve stocks signaled bullish momentum by moving above their 200-day moving averages, indicating strengthening trends and potential upside continuation.

Hybrid mutual funds, particularly aggressive hybrid schemes, offer resilience in volatile markets due to their equity and debt mix. These funds, mandated to invest 65-80% in stocks and 20-35% in debt, help conservative equity investors manage risk while aiming for wealth creation. Regular profit booking by fund managers can also enhance returns.

While the NC-JCM reached out to the cabinet secretary, one of its affiliated bodies, the Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers, organised a nationwide lunch-hour protest on Thursday (April 16, 2026) to voice their frustration over the delay in announcing the DA hike. The confederation also wrote a similar letter to the cabinet secretary on April 14, 2026.

An Indian employee faced a Rs 10 lakh penalty for not disclosing foreign ESOPs in his Income Tax Return. The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Chennai, has now cancelled this penalty. The tribunal ruled that the omission was accidental and bona fide, especially as it was the first year of the reporting requirement.

Indian students pursuing education in the US on F1, M1, or J1 visas often face challenges securing off-campus housing. Landlords typically require a US credit history or a guarantor due to financial risk. Students must understand lease terms, including notice periods for moving out and rules against unauthorized occupancy.

Indians are facing a new threat: PAN-based loan fraud. Criminals are using stolen PAN details to take out loans without consent. This is damaging credit scores and causing immense stress. Victims must act fast by reporting to lenders, police, and credit bureaus. Prevention through secure data sharing is key to safeguarding financial identity.

Nuvama Institutional Equities predicts eight mid-cap stocks may be upgraded to large-cap status by AMFI in its H2 CY26 rejig. This potential upgrade is based on current market capitalization trends, with the largecap cut-off expected to be around Rs 1.04 lakh crore. Indian Bank, Bosch, Jindal Steel, and Indus Towers are among the prominent names anticipated to transition.

Gold rate today: Gold prices saw a slight increase on April 16, 2026, at major Indian jewellers. This comes as Akshaya Tritiya approaches on April 19, 2026. Brands are offering pre-booking deals and rate protection to attract customers.

Mutual funds favored Healthcare, Technology, and Utilities in March, increasing their weights. While most sectors saw value declines, Infrastructure, Technology, and Healthcare experienced the least. Private Banks maintained the highest weightage despite a slight dip, and NBFC-Non Lending saw significant over-ownership.

Health insurance restoration benefits, often misunderstood as unlimited coverage, restore your sum insured only after it's fully exhausted within the policy year. However, they have specific conditions and limitations. Understanding these nuances is crucial to avoiding underinsurance during medical emergencies.

Gurgaon's property market is set for significant changes as circle rates are slated to increase by up to 75% from April 1, 2026. This revision, reflecting market values, is expected to drive property price hikes between 15% and 75% across residential, commercial, and industrial segments. Emerging corridors like Dwarka Expressway and Southern Peripheral Road are leading these substantial increases.

Equity-oriented mutual funds saw a 17.38% year-on-year growth in average net assets under management in March 2026, driven by strong investor confidence. Flexi cap funds emerged as the largest and fastest-growing category, with average net AUM rising 25.10% to Rs 5.28 lakh crore.

Mutual funds invested Rs 1,878 crore across four IPOs in March, led by Sedemac Mechatronics and Central Mine Planning & Design Institute. The data highlights strong institutional participation in new listings, with sizeable allocations and shareholdings reflecting confidence in select offerings during the primary market activity.

Planning for long-term financial goals through mutual funds requires not just consistency, but the right asset allocation and regular portfolio reviews.

Senior Citizen Savings Scheme interest rate : SCSS is a government-backed small savings scheme specifically designed for small-scale investors seeking a fixed income option in their old age.

As per the AM retail prices updated by the Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association Ltd (IBJA) on Thursday, fine gold (999 purity) is priced at Rs 15,331 per gram, 22 carat gold at Rs 14,963 per gram, 20 carat gold at Rs 13,644 per gram, 18 carat gold at Rs 12,418 per gram.

8th Pay Commission pay hike: Employee unions calculate the minimum pay for an employee based on the rates of a food basket for a month. The food basket includes protein sources, dairy consumption, fruits, vegetables, spices and the things of daily use. The drafting committee of NC-JCM has also recommended for five family units instead of three.

home loan interest rates: The RBI's decision to maintain the repo rate at 5.25% has left borrowers questioning the impact on home loan interest rates and EMIs. While floating rate loans are directly influenced, fixed-rate loans remain unchanged. The article provides a comparative list of the lowest home loan interest rates offered by public and private banks for loans exceeding Rs 75 lakh.

Mutual funds raised tech exposure in March after an eight-year low, driven by tactical rebalancing and improved valuations. Experts say global cues like US tech recovery and easing rate concerns are aiding sentiment. Despite recent losses of up to 25%, the sector outlook remains gradually positive, supported by AI and cloud trends, though near-term volatility persists.

Six mutual funds fully exited 12 smallcap stocks in March as part of active portfolio rebalancing, according to Nuvama Institutional Equities. HDFC, SBI and Nippon India Mutual Funds led the exits across multiple stocks, while others trimmed select holdings, reflecting cautious positioning and ongoing churn in the smallcap segment.

Partition of a property means the legal division of jointly owned property among co-owners or legal heirs, severing joint occupancy into individual shares. Now you can either do partition of the family property amicably via a registered partition deed or through a civil court by filing a partition case if property disputes arise, resulting in each heir getting a defined portion.

The strategy has, however, lagged higher-returning asset classes such as gold and global equities, with 14.7% and 18.6% annualised returns, respectively, over the same period. How gold, equity or debt behaves in isolation is very different from how a well-constructedcombination performs, said Aashish Sommaiyaa, ED & CEO, WhiteOak Capital Mutual Fund.

Maharashtra is set to become India's first state to digitize Living Will records. A new portal on mahaulb.in will allow citizens to permanently store their medical treatment preferences. This initiative aims to eliminate practical hurdles and provide clear, legally backed direction for end-of-life care. Municipal officials will act as custodians, ensuring secure maintenance and access to these vital documents.

The Reserve Bank of India has eased rules for non-banking financial companies. NBFCs can now open branches without prior approval in most situations. This change aims to simplify business operations. Deposit-taking NBFCs have specific conditions based on their net owned funds and credit ratings for opening branches or appointing agents.

With TradFi Perpetual Contracts, Binance has introduced round-the-clock trading for stocks, commodities, and indices. A look at why this matters, and what it means for Indian retail investors.

A 34-year-old investor's Rs 30,000 monthly SIP portfolio, despite diversification, has seen short-term losses amid market volatility. Experts advise a more aggressive equity allocation and disciplined investing to achieve a Rs 3-4 crore retirement corpus by age 56, emphasizing compounding and regular reviews.

SBI Mutual Fund has launched two new passive debt index funds, targeting short-term investment needs in the financial services sector. These funds, SBI CRISILIBX Financial Services 36 Months Debt Index Fund and SBI CRISILIBX Financial Services 912 Months Debt Index Fund, offer transparent, low-cost solutions. The NFO is open until April 20, with a minimum investment of Rs 5,000.

In Chennai too, gold prices rose slightly in line with the larger trend in India. As per the prices quoted by leading jewellery retailers in the city, the price of 24 karat gold was around Rs 15,622 per gram, while 22 karat gold was largely priced between Rs 14,320 to Rs 14,240 per gram.

Gold prices are climbing ahead of Akshaya Tritiya on April 19, 2026, a highly auspicious day for buying precious metals. Leading jewelers like Tanishq and Kalyan Jewellers have seen a rise in 22k gold rates. IBJA's indicative rates also show an upward trend for various gold karats and silver, signaling increased demand.

Akshaya Tritiya 2026: Jewellery brands are launching special offers for Akshaya Tritiya 2026. Customers can avail pre-booking schemes, cashback, and gold rate protection plans. These schemes allow buyers to lock in gold prices or benefit from lower rates.

The Wealth Company Mutual Fund, part of the Pantomath Group, has launched its SIF brand WSIF along with two new funds featuring differentiated long-short strategies. The new fund offerings aim to combine equity investing with tactical hedging approaches, marking the fund houses entry into the emerging Specialised Investment Funds category.