Business
Paint sector slowdown: Early monsoon and price wars hit June quarter earnings, companies eye festive revival – Times of India
The June quarter turned out to be a muted one for India’s leading paint makers, as the early arrival of the monsoon and aggressive pricing by new entrants ate into their growth. Asian Paints, Berger Paints, Kansai Nerolac Paints and Akzo Nobel India all reported subdued numbers, though sequential improvement was visible in urban markets and realisations improved due to price hikes.Early monsoon dampens demandAsian Paints Managing Director and CEO Amit Syngle said the business saw a sharp impact from the unexpected onset of rains.“In April and May, the demand was better, but it was strongly impacted by the early monsoon. However, I think the silver lining was that we saw some shoots of demand coming up in urban areas, which were down, and we hope that it continues as we go ahead,” Syngle said, quoted PTI.The company reported a 1.19 per cent dip in standalone sales revenue to Rs 7,848.83 crore. Its volume growth stood at 3.9 per cent year-on-year, but value fell 1.2 per cent.Berger Paints CEO Abhijit Roy too pointed to the “heavier than expected monsoon towards the end of May and June,” which he said moderated growth. The company posted an 11 per cent fall in consolidated net profit at Rs 315 crore, while revenue from operations rose 3.55 per cent to Rs 3,200.76 crore.Competition squeezes marginsAlongside the weather, intensifying market rivalry weighed heavily. “The overall competition in the market is intense, with a lot of new competition coming in,” said Syngle, pointing to aggressive new players challenging incumbents in the decorative paints segment.Kansai Nerolac’s Managing Director Pravin Chaudhari also highlighted the pressure. “Overall, monsoon in many places has caused some disturbances that have led to temporary stoppages, especially in projects as well as some part of retail,” he said. The company reported a 4.12 per cent drop in consolidated net profit to Rs 215.6 crore, while revenue rose 1.35 per cent to Rs 2,162.03 crore.Akzo Nobel India, which reported a 20.6 per cent decline in net profit to Rs 91 crore, described the quarter as “stressed” due to muted consumer sentiment and competitive intensity. CMD Rajiv Rajgopal said revenue growth across top players remained “pretty flattish.”Paint makers are betting on the festive season to drive a turnaround. With Diwali coming earlier than last year, companies expect demand in August and September to improve. “Construction activity based on whatever we saw in the month of June, we believe that Q2 should be better as far as decorative is concerned,” Chaudhari added.The Rs 75,000-crore Indian paint industry remains dominated by Asian Paints, with Berger, Kansai Nerolac, Akzo Nobel, Indigo Paints, Shalimar Paints and Nippon Paints also vying for market share.
Business
Gross GST collections for November stand at over Rs 1.70 lakh crore; up 0.7 per cent – The Times of India
GST collections: The Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for the month of November came in at over Rs 1.70 lakh crore. This is a rise of 0.7%, according to official data.SBI Research in a report in November had estimated that the gross domestic GST collections may come around Rs 1.49 lakh crore for November 25 (returns of October 25 but filed in Nov’25), a YoY growth of 6.8%.“Coupled with Rs 51,000 crore of IGST and cess on Import, the November GST collections thus could cross Rs 2.0 lakh crore, driven by the peak festive season demand led by lower GST rate and increased compliance while most of states experience positive gains,” SBI Research had said.This story is being updated
Business
Key Financial Deadlines That Have Been Extended For December 2025; Know The Last Date
New Delhi: Several crucial deadlines have been extended in December 2025, including ITR for tax audit cases, ITR filing and PAN and Aadhaar linking. These deadlines will be crucial in ensuring that your financial affairs operate smoothly in the months ahead.
Here is a quick rundown of the important deadlines for December to help you stay compliant and avoid last-minute hassles.
ITR deadline for tax audit cases
The Central Board of Direct Taxes has extended the due date of furnishing of return of income under sub-Section (1) of Section 139 of the Act for the Assessment Year 2025-26 which is October 31, 2025 in the case of assessees referred in clause (a) of Explanation 2 to sub-Section (1) of Section 139 of the Act, to December 10, 2025.
Belated ITR filing deadline
A belated ITR filing happens when an ITR is submitted after the original due date which is permitted by Section 139(4) of the Income Tax Act. Filing a belated return helps you meet your tax obligations, but it involves penalties. You can only file a belated return for FY 2024–25 until December 31, 2025. However, there will be a late fee and interest charged.
PAN and Aadhaar linking deadline
The Income Tax Department has extended the deadline to link their PAN with Aadhaar card to December 31, 2025 for anyone who acquired their PAN using an Aadhaar enrolment ID before October 1, 2024. If you miss this deadline your PAN will become inoperative which will have an impact on your banking transactions, income tax return filing and other financial investments.
Business
Stock Market Live Updates: Sensex, Nifty Hit Record Highs; Bank Nifty Climbs 60,000 For The First Time
Stock Market News Live Updates: Indian equity benchmarks opened with a strong gap-up on Monday, December 1, touching fresh record highs, buoyed by a sharp acceleration in Q2FY26 GDP growth to a six-quarter peak of 8.2%. Positive cues from Asian markets further lifted investor sentiment.
The BSE Sensex was trading at 85,994, up 288 points or 0.34%, after touching an all-time high of 86,159 in early deals. The Nifty 50 stood at 26,290, higher by 87 points or 0.33%, after scaling a record intraday high of 26,325.8.
Broader markets also saw gains, with the Midcap index rising 0.27% and the Smallcap index advancing 0.52%.
On the sectoral front, the Nifty Bank hit a historic milestone by crossing the 60,000 mark for the first time, gaining 0.4% to touch a fresh peak of 60,114.05.
Meanwhile, the Metal and PSU Bank indices climbed 0.8% each in early trade.
Global cues
Asia-Pacific markets were mostly lower on Monday as traders assessed fresh Chinese manufacturing data and increasingly priced in the likelihood of a US Federal Reserve rate cut later this month.
According to the CME FedWatch Tool, markets are now assigning an 87.4 per cent probability to a rate cut at the Fed’s December 10 meeting.
China’s factory activity unexpectedly slipped back into contraction in November, with the RatingDog China General Manufacturing PMI by S&P Global easing to 49.9, below expectations of 50.5, as weak domestic demand persisted.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 1.6 per cent, while the broader Topix declined 0.86 per cent. In South Korea, the Kospi dropped 0.30 per cent and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.31 per cent.
US stock futures were steady in early Asian trade after a positive week on Wall Street. On Friday, in a shortened post-Thanksgiving session, the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.65 per cent to 23,365.69, its fifth consecutive day of gains.
The S&P 500 rose 0.54 per cent to 6,849.09, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 289.30 points, or 0.61 per cent, to close at 47,716.42.
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