Business
No Proposal To Levy Charges On UPI Transactions: RBI Governor
New Delhi: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Wednesday reiterated that the central bank has no proposal to impose a fee on transactions done through Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
The governor’s clarification came during his address after the post-Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.
Malhotra stated that he had never said UPI could stay free forever, but he noted that someone needs to bear the costs associated with its functioning.
“What I said was there are costs associated with UPI transactions, and the same need to be paid for by someone,” the governor said.
The governor had clarified the same during the previous post-policy conferences.
Earlier in the morning, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) data showed that the UPI saw 31 per cent transaction count growth (year-on-year) at 19.63 billion in September.
The transaction amount also rose 21 per cent to Rs 24.90 lakh crore.
Month-wise too, UPI witnessed a growth in transaction amount, from Rs 24.85 lakh crore in August.
Average daily transaction amount in September stood at Rs 82,991 crore, a rise from Rs 80,177 crore in August, the NPCI data showed.
According to data, the UPI recorded 654 million average daily transaction counts in the month, up from 645 million in August.
In August, the UPI transactions had crossed 20 billion for the first time in its history. UPI had earlier achieved a record of crossing 700 million transactions in a single day on August 2.
Meanwhile, the RBI’s monetary policy committee (MPC) has decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 5.5 per cent, and stick to the “neutral” policy stance.
A neutral stance finds a delicate balance between containing inflation without impairing growth, so it doesn’t call for either stimulation or liquidity restrictions.
The RBI Governor stated that the sharp drop in food prices and the reductions in the GST rate had made the inflation outlook even more benign. As a result, the RBI has changed its average inflation rate forecast from 3.1 per cent in August to 2.6 per cent for 2025–2026.
Business
Buy or sell: Stock recommendation by brokers for November 19, 2025 – The Times of India
Jefferies has initiated its coverage of WeWork India with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 790. Analysts said that the company is the largest flexible workspace operator by revenues in India. At about 17% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR), flexible workspace stock is growing at two times the pace of office stock, with room for further penetration. They said WeWork’s premium positioning helps command higher average revenue per member and margins than peers.Motilal Oswal Securities has initiated its coverage of PB Fintech with a neutral rating and a target price of Rs 2,000. Analysts expect PB Fintech to post a strong FY25-FY28 revenue, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) and profit after tax (PAT) CAGR of 35%, 156% and 56%, respectively, after factoring in a strengthening position in under-penetrated credit and insurance industries. However, they believe the stock is fairly valued, and all positives are priced in at current levels. Any possibility of commission restructuring by insurance companies due to the loss of input tax credit post GST exemption poses a key risk for the company’s top-line growth.Morgan Stanley has an overweight rating on Eternal (formerly Zomato) with the target price at Rs 427. They believe Eternal has the best risk-reward matrix and investors would use the current weakness to accumulate the stock. Like Eternal’s strategy of doubling down on customer market share as wallet share expansion can follow later. Theyassume a stress case of higher aggression could mean push out of profitability but this is not a game changer. They are assuming a stress case scenario where the stock would bottom out at Rs 280 – Rs 285.UBS has a buy rating on Max Healthcare Institute with the target price at Rs 1,550. Analysts expect the company’s brownfield capacity addition to drive growth and earnings. The management said that it recently commissioned a Mohali facility including an oncology facility. It’s also commissioning a facility at Nanavati hospital inMumbai.Also the construction activity at other new hospitals is progressing well. The management indicated that the issues related to cashless service for insurance patients has been resolved and mentioned there was no/only limited impact as patients shift from insurance to cash in such instances.Nomura has a neutral rating on Oil India with the target price at Rs 430. Analysts said the company’s July-Sept quarter was a soft one as volumes were impacted by external factors. The expansion work at Numaligarh Refinery was on track, with first crude intake expected next month and a meaningful volume uptick by the July-Sept quarter ofnext year. Analysts cut Oil India’s FY26 and FY27 profit estimates by 37% and 18%, respectively, to reflect: Lower gas sales volume, lower crude price realizations, higher depletion & depreciation expenses, and sharply higher exploratory write-offs and impairments.
Business
Top stocks to buy today: Stock recommendations for November 19, 2025 – check list – The Times of India
Stock market recommendations:According to Mehul Kothari, DVP – Technical Research, Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers, the top stocks to buy today are Life Insurance Corporation of India, Coromandel, and Doms Industries:Life Insurance Corporation of India – Base Formation near 200-DEMA + Dual MACD Bullish CrossoverBuy near: ₹920–₹910 | SL: ₹885 | Target: ₹975 | Time Frame: 90 DaysLife Insurance Corporation of India has developed a strong base near the 200-DEMA, indicating that the recent decline is stabilizing around a crucial long-term support. A bullish divergence on the hourly chart suggests that downside momentum is fading and buyers are gradually stepping in. On the daily timeframe, both the short-term and long-term MACD have produced a bullish crossover above the zero line — a powerful signal hinting at a potential trend reversal.These technical factors collectively point to improving strength and increase the probability of an upward move toward ₹975. Traders may look to build long positions in the ₹920–₹910 zone.Coromandel – Support at 200-DEMA/SMA + Long-Term MACD DivergenceBuy near: ₹2215–₹2200 | SL: ₹2095 | Target: ₹2450 | Time Frame: 90 DaysCoromandel has taken strong support at both the 200-DEMA and 200-SMA — a zone that has historically acted as a reliable demand area for long-term buyers. The long-term MACD has formed a bullish divergence, indicating weakening downside momentum and the possibility of a trend reversal. Price action is gradually showing early signs of recovery, while the 25-period ROC on the hourly chart has turned positive, affirming improving momentum.Given this confluence of technical signals, the stock presents a favourable risk–reward opportunity in the ₹2215–₹2200 zone for a potential move toward ₹2450.DOMS – Breakout Above 2580 + Momentum Revival Through MACDBuy near: ₹2580–₹2540 | SL: ₹2450 | Target: ₹2800 | Time Frame: 90 DaysDoms Industries Ltd has established a strong base within the ₹2500–₹2580 consolidation zone, reflecting sustained accumulation at lower levels. On 14-11-2025, the stock confirmed a decisive breakout above the ₹2580 mark, signalling fresh buying interest and a likely continuation of the prevailing uptrend. This breakout is further supported by a bullish MACD crossover above the zero line, indicating strengthening momentum on the higher timeframes.With both price structure and momentum indicators aligning positively, DOMS offers a robust setup for an upside move toward ₹2800.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
Business
Adverts for Booking.com and three major hotel chains banned over misleading prices
Four major players in the travel industry have had their adverts banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for misleading customers.
The ASA ruled that Booking.com and hotel groups Accor, Travelodge, and Hilton all used “from” price claims for hotel rooms that overstated how many were available at the advertised rate.
With only a limited proportion of rooms genuinely offered at the advertised prices across various dates, the ASA deemed the promotions misleading and consequently prohibited their future use.
In Booking.com’s case, an ad on May 6 stated “Places to stay in Sheffield – Best Price Guarantee, and further text read “easyHotel Sheffield City Centre From £28”.
Booking.com said the dates and prices displayed were “dynamically chosen” by Google from data it provided, meaning they could vary for each user and search.
They believed the information displayed in the ad was accurate and not misleading.
The ASA said the data Booking.com provided showed that seven bookings were made at the easyHotel Sheffield City Centre for the advertised price in May.
It said it did not receive any other information from Booking.com, such as the number of dates on which rooms were available for £28, to enable us to make an adequate assessment of the proportion of rooms at the hotel available at the advertised price and therefore considered that the information provided was insufficient to substantiate the claim “From £28”.
The watchdog found Accor’s ad for £27 rooms at its Ibis Budget Birmingham Centre were only available for a night’s stay on July 30, and was therefore “not a true reflection of the price most consumers could expect to pay”.
It said consumers would understand the claims “Travelodge Nottingham Riverside From £25” and “Travelodge Swansea M4 From £21” to mean that a significant proportion of rooms at each hotel would be available at the advertised price.
However, it understood that the advertised prices were only available to book for a night’s stay on May 18.
In Hilton’s case, the ASA said it had not seen sufficient evidence to demonstrate that a significant proportion of hotel rooms were available at the advertised prices of £68 at Hampton by Hilton Hamilton Park or £59 at Hampton by Hilton Newcastle.
ASA operations manager Emily Henwood said: “Advertised prices must match what’s really available.
“If only a few rooms are actually offered at the price shown, or it only applies to a specific date, then this information must be made clear to avoid misleading people.
“Otherwise, it’s unfair to anyone trying to find a good deal or make informed choices about where to book.
“People should be able to trust the prices they see in ads and these rulings show that we will take action if the rules are broken.”
Travelodge said in a statement: “Travelodge takes its responsibilities under the ASA advertising guidelines seriously. The prices shown in the ads were generated from our live pricing feed and represented the cheapest bookable date available.
“We recognise that customers expect clarity and transparency in pricing, and we continue to work closely with Google to ensure all ad formats are clear and fully compliant. This particular ad format was removed prior to the ASA ruling, and we remain committed to transparent, accurate, and great-value pricing for all our customers.”
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