As Diwali and Dhanteras approach, gold continues to remain a preferred investment and a symbol of tradition in India. While most consumers buy gold in the form of jewellery, coins, and bars during the festive season, digital gold has been attracting attention from investors seeking convenience and systematic wealth accumulation.Digital gold allows investors to benefit from rising gold prices without holding the metal physically. Unlike jewellery, it does not carry making charges and can be purchased online with investments starting as low as Rs 10. The metal is stored in secured vaults, protecting buyers from theft, damage, or the hassles of safe storage, according to an ET report.“Digital gold feels cheaper because you can start small, even with Rs 10. But add platform spreads and GST, and the total cost often comes close to buying physical coins. The real value is convenience. For serious investors, however, Gold ETFs are a smarter alternative as they are regulated by SEBI,” said Trivesh D, COO, Tradejini.Physical gold, on the other hand, retains its charm with lustre and wearability, and its price appreciates over time. Experts, however, point out that it quietly eats into returns due to GST, making charges, and annual locker fees. “Digital gold also has costs: 3% GST and usually a fee as small as 0.3–0.4% annual fee after five years, which varies, but it is transparent and predictable. Over time, digital gold and gold ETFs often cost less unless you are buying large, high-purity coins or bars directly from trusted mints,” Trivesh added, ET quoted.When physical gold makes senseFor large investments exceeding Rs 2–3 lakh, physical gold, especially coins or bars, may be more cost-effective, factoring in per-gram platform costs of digital gold over time, said Prithviraj Kothari, Managing Director at RiddiSiddhi Bullions Ltd. and President of India Bullion and Jewellers Association Ltd. “Investors get to have the physical gold while avoiding prolonged storage fees imposed by digital options after five years. For smaller ticket sizes or systematic accumulation (Rs 100–Rs 10,000), digital gold is a great option because of fractional buying and instant liquidity,” he added.Digital gold also offers unmatched liquidity, allowing investors to buy or sell 24×7 at market-linked rates via trusted apps. “Physical gold, though tangible, involves valuation deductions, purity checks, and buyback delays. The ability to instantly redeem digital gold into cash or physical coins, often linked via UPI, has made it a preferred choice among younger and tech-savvy investors seeking flexibility,” said Aksha Kamboj, Vice President, India Bullion & Jewellers Association (IBJA) and Executive Chairperson, Aspect Global Ventures.Security is another advantage. Digital gold is stored in insured, bank-grade vaults audited by independent trustees. “You do not have to worry about theft, damage, or locker keys. Physical gold, even in a locker, carries some risk and an annual rent without full-value insurance. However, platform credibility is crucial,” said Trivesh. Reputable platforms use a custodian model to safeguard ownership even if the provider goes out of business, noted Vijay Kuppa, CEO, InCred Money.Investors can also gradually accumulate wealth through digital gold SIPs. “With the option to start from as little as Rs 10, investors can accumulate gold consistently through automated purchase plans offered by fintech platforms. Given gold’s steady appreciation in 2025, digital gold SIPs are emerging as a convenient and smart long-term savings tool,” said Aksha. Vijay added, “Digital gold perfectly supports the Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) model. Investors can set up recurring, small purchases at daily or monthly intervals. Even such a small SIP can eventually lead to an important step in generating wealth.”Over a five- to ten-year horizon, both physical and digital gold track similar price trajectories, but digital gold may deliver slightly better post-tax returns due to negligible storage costs, absence of making charges, and ease of portfolio rebalancing. “With gold prices rising rapidly in 2025 amid global uncertainty, systematic accumulation through digital platforms ensures efficiency and tax parity while avoiding the expenses associated with holding physical gold,” Aksha said.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market and other asset classes given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

The Canadian government has threatened legal action against global car giant Stellantis over its plans to move production of the Jeep Compass to the US.

Earlier this week, Stellantis revealed a $13bn (£9.68bn) investment in America and plans to shift manufacturing of the Compass model from Ontario to its Illinois plant.

Canada’s Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the firm had made a “legally binding” commitment to stay in the city of Brampton in exchange for financial support, and would “exercise all options, including legal” if it did not uphold the agreement.

Stellantis has been approached for a comment.

In her letter to Stellantis chief executive Antonio Filosa, Mélanie Joly said the country had given the company “billions of dollars” and the move would jeopardise the future of its Brampton factory.

In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Filosa it was the largest investment in the company’s history, and “would drive our growth, strengthen our manufacturing footprint and bring more American jobs to the states we call home” – but did not mention its Canadian operation.

Responding to the announcement, Joly said the car maker and the Canadian government had “built a strong and enduring partnership”.

“We were there for the company in 2009 to pull it back from the brink of bankruptcy, and now we expect you to be there for Canadians,” she added.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said the government was working with the company to protect Stellantis staff at the Brampton site and try “to create new opportunities” for them locally.

Stellantis owns 14 car brands, including Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Jeep, Fiat, Citroen, Chrysler and Dodge.

While the car maker has manufacturing plants in the US, it also produces vehicles in the UK, Europe, Canada, Mexico and South America.

In July, the company said tariffs imposed by the Trump administration had cost it $349.2m (£259.6m).

President Trump introduced car tariffs to boost the American car manufacturing industry, but within a month he eased tariffs on foreign car parts.

On Tuesday, Trump’s new 10% tariff on softwood lumber came into effect. It means products from Canada – the second largest producer globally and a major US supplier – now face levies of more than 45%.

Most Canadian producers already faced a combined 35% in US tariffs due to a long-running trade dispute between the two countries over the product.

India is looking to reduce its Russian oil imports with refiners planning a gradual reduction, according to a Reuters report quoting sources. Russia continues to be India’s largest crude oil supplier. The Donald Trump administration has imposed 50% tariffs on India, 25% of which are for the latter’s crude oil procurement from Russia.On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given assurance that India would discontinue purchasing oil from Russia.“So I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia,” Trump informed reporters at a White House gathering on Wednesday.Sources told Reuters that Indian refiners have not received any official directive from the government regarding stopping Russian oil imports.The sources quoted in the report indicated that an immediate halt to Russian oil purchases would be problematic, as transitioning to alternative crude sources would result in increased global oil prices and potentially trigger inflation concerns.During April to September, India’s Russian crude imports averaged 1.75 million barrels per day, representing approximately 36% of total oil imports, down from 40% in the corresponding period last year, according to government statistics.Imports of US crude increased by 6.8% year-on-year to roughly 213,000 bpd, constituting 4.3% of total imports.For the six-month period ending September 2025, Middle Eastern oil’s proportion increased to 45% from 42%, as revealed by the data.Following Trump’s claim, India issued a statement on Thursday emphasising its two primary objectives: maintaining stable energy prices and ensuring supply security.“It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.Indian officials are currently conducting trade negotiations in Washington, whilst the US has increased tariffs on Indian goods by twofold to encourage New Delhi to decrease Russian oil imports. US negotiators have indicated that reducing these purchases would be essential for lowering India’s tariff rate and concluding a trade agreement, the Reuters report said.India and China have emerged as the leading purchasers of Russian seaborne crude exports, benefiting from reduced prices that Russia has had to offer following European buyers’ withdrawal and sanctions imposed by the US and EU after the Russia-Ukraine war that started in February 2022.Meanwhile India has indicated that it is exploring enhanced energy collaboration with the United States.“The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in the statement.