Business
Planning To Use Your EPF Money To Pay Off Debts? Here’s What It Could Cost You
For thousands of salaried individuals, a familiar dilemma emerges a few years after buying a home. On one hand lies the home loan statement, with its stubborn outstanding balance and monthly EMI. On the other sits the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) passbook, steadily growing with every contribution and annual interest credit. The question that naturally follows is simple but consequential: should you dip into your EPF savings to repay the home loan and become debt-free? (News18 Hindi)
At first glance, the idea appears appealing. Closing a home loan using EPF funds promises immediate relief from EMIs, emotional comfort and the satisfaction of owning a house outright. However, financial experts caution that what feels like a smart short-term move could quietly weaken long-term financial security. (News18 Hindi)
EPF is not just another savings account. It is a structured, compulsory retirement instrument designed to build wealth steadily over decades. Contributions made by employees and employers earn an annual interest of around 8.25%, compounded over time. Crucially, these returns are entirely tax-free, making EPF one of the most efficient long-term investment tools available to salaried individuals. (AI-Generated Image)
Home loans, in contrast, are structured liabilities that become easier to manage with time. As EMIs progress, the interest component gradually reduces while the principal repayment increases. Simultaneously, salaries typically rise with experience and inflation, reducing the relative burden of EMIs over the years. Under the old tax regime, borrowers also benefit from deductions on both principal and interest, though these benefits are absent under the new tax regime. (News18 Hindi)
The interest rate comparison often drives confusion. Home loan rates currently hover around 7-7.5%, slightly lower than EPF’s 8.25%. On the surface, the difference appears marginal. But the real distinction lies in taxation. For someone in the highest tax slab, an 8.25% tax-free EPF return is equivalent to earning nearly 11% from a taxable investment. Few instruments offer that level of safety and assured, post-tax returns. (News18 Hindi)
Consider a commonly cited scenario. A borrower has a home loan outstanding of Rs 20 lakh with ten years remaining, and an EPF balance of Rs 20 lakh earning 8.25% interest. If the entire EPF amount is withdrawn to close the loan, the borrower saves roughly Rs 9 lakh in interest payments over the remaining tenure. However, this comes at the cost of completely exhausting the retirement corpus. Rebuilding such a fund later, especially as expenses rise with age, can be challenging. (News18 Hindi)
If the EPF is left untouched instead, the same Rs 20 lakh can grow to more than Rs 44 lakh over 10 years, entirely tax-free. Even after accounting for the interest paid on the home loan, the individual ends up with a significantly stronger financial cushion for retirement. In essence, the compounding power of EPF outweighs the interest saved on early loan closure in most situations. (News18 Hindi)
There are, however, limited circumstances where using EPF for loan repayment may make sense. Individuals who are nearing retirement, have surplus EPF savings well beyond their projected needs, or face severe cash flow stress may consider partial or full withdrawal. Even then, experts recommend caution and detailed financial planning before taking such a step. (News18 Hindi)
Business
Novo Nordisk to slash GLP-1 list prices by up to 50% in U.S. to cut costs for insured patients
The logo of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is displayed in front of its offices in Bagsvaerd, Copenhagen, Denmark, Feb. 4, 2026.
Tom Little | Reuters
Novo Nordisk on Tuesday said it plans to slash the monthly list prices of its popular obesity and diabetes drugs in the U.S. by up to 50% starting in 2027, in a bid to make the treatments more accessible to patients with insurance coverage.
The obesity injection Wegovy, its new pill counterpart, the diabetes shot Ozempic and the oral diabetes drug Rybelsus will have a new lower list price of $675 per month starting on Jan. 1, 2027. The Wegovy medicines both currently have list prices of around $1,350 per month, while the diabetes drugs have list prices of around $1,027 per month.
For the first time, Novo said its price cuts are targeting insured patients whose out-of-pocket costs are linked to list prices, such as people with high-deductible health plans or co-insurance benefit designs.
“Both of these patient populations should, beginning [in 2027], see a benefit with lower out-of-pocket burdens,” Jamey Millar, the company’s head of U.S. operations, told CNBC in an interview.
He added that Novo expects improvements in access and uptake among patients in the commercial insurance market, though the company is not giving any specific expectations.
The move could help Novo compete better with Eli Lilly, which now holds the majority share in the blockbuster GLP-1 market. Lilly’s more effective drugs and earlier foray into the direct-to-consumer space have allowed it to take the lead in the space, but the company has yet to significantly lower the U.S. list prices of its medicines.
It’s unclear exactly how much commercial insured patients typically pay out of pocket for Novo’s drugs. Those patients may pay as little as $25 per month for Novo’s drugs in “only the best of circumstances,” Millar said.
But patients in high-deductible plans would have to pay out-of-pocket “more or less the full list price of a drug until they reach that” threshold and the insurance benefit kicks in, he added. Millar said some of those patients defer treatment entirely because they don’t want to shoulder that expense. The number of patients using high-deductible plans has increased over the years due to the trade-off of lower premiums, he noted.
Meanwhile, Millar said other people have 25% to 33% of their co-insurance linked to the list prices of those drugs.
The Danish drugmaker has previously cut the direct-to-consumer prices of Wegovy and Ozempic, which primarily benefit cash-paying patients who often don’t have insurance coverage for the drugs.
Novo offers its drugs to cash-paying patients for $149 to $499 per month, depending on the specific product and dose. Novo and Lilly have escalated a GLP-1 pricing war over the last year, especially following the landmark “most favored nation” deals they struck with President Donald Trump in November.
The move also coincides with new, lower Medicare prices going into effect for Novo’s obesity and diabetes drugs in 2027 following negotiations with the federal government under the Inflation Reduction Act. The new negotiated prices for Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus will be $274 per month.
Business
Home Depot tops earnings estimates for the first time in a year as demand for projects remains muted
Home Depot on Tuesday posted a roughly 4% quarterly sales decline, as a sluggish real estate market and selective spending by homeowners continued to weigh on home improvement demand.
The company also stuck by the current fiscal year forecast that it shared in December at an investor day. It said it expects full-year total sales growth to range between about 2.5% and 4.5% and adjusted earnings per share to be between roughly flat and up 4% from $14.69 in the prior fiscal year. It expects full-year comparable sales growth, which takes out one-time factors like store openings and closures, to range from flat to up 2%.
Despite the fourth-quarter sales decline, Home Depot topped Wall Street’s revenue and earnings expectations for that period.
In an interview with CNBC, Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail said U.S. consumers and the company have “been in a frozen housing environment for three years” – and there hasn’t been a meaningful thaw.
“What we’ve seen as an added pressure during the last year has been this increase in consumer uncertainty, a gradual decline in consumer confidence,” he said. “And so those are signs we’re watching.”
He said customers have told the company that they are concerned about housing affordability and job losses, dynamics that colored Home Depot’s outlook for the year.
Here’s what Home Depot reported for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2025 compared with Wall Street’s estimates, according to a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $2.72 adjusted vs. $2.54 expected
- Revenue: $38.20 billion vs. $38.12 billion expected
Shares rose about 2% in premarket trading on Tuesday, as Home Depot beat earnings expectations after missing estimates three quarters in a row.
Higher interest rates, lower housing turnover and economic uncertainty have challenged the company, as homeowners delay the pricier projects typically spurred by buying or selling a home.
As the Atlanta-based retailer waits for business to pick up, it laid off 800 employees and announced a five-day a week return-to-office policy in late January.
Yet some investors anticipate an inflection point could be coming for Home Depot, as mortgage rates moderate slightly. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.99% on Monday, matching its lowest level since 2022, according to Mortgage News Daily.
Home Depot’s biggest selling season, springtime, is also ahead.
McPhail said Home Depot’s business was relatively stable throughout the year, including in the fourth quarter, when adjusting for storms. He said the company is gaining market share, even as the sector lags.
In the three-month period that ended Feb. 1, Home Depot’s net income fell to $2.57 billion, or $2.58 per share, from $3.0 billion, or $3.02 per share, in the year-ago period.
Revenue dropped from $39.70 billion in the year-ago period. The company said some decline was due to the most recent fiscal year 2025 having one fewer week. The additional week in the 2024 fiscal year contributed $2.5 billion in sales.
Comparable sales, an industry metric also called same-store sales, increased 0.4% in the fiscal fourth quarter across the business and 0.3% in the U.S.
Store transactions in the quarter across Home Depot’s website and stores dropped by 1.6% year over year, but average ticket rose 2.4% year over year. Big-ticket purchases, which the company defines as those over $1,000, were 1.3% higher than the year-ago period.
Some of those larger orders may reflect higher prices. McPhail said Home Depot has had “modest” price increases, though he declined to say which items and categories now cost customers more.
Higher tariffs have been one of the forces driving price hikes at retailers, including Home Depot. Companies now face a new landscape for import duties after the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that some of the Trump administration’s tariffs were illegal. Soon after the ruling, President Donald Trump said at a press conference that he would pursue alternative tariffs and proposed an across the board global tariff that he has since set at 15%.
He said Home Depot is “still in the middle of our analysis” after the Supreme Court ruling and latest proposed tariffs.
“Not all the information is out right now. Not all the language is final around what was announced,” he said. He added that Home Depot is “as well positioned as anyone to understand any impacts and manage through them.”
More than half of what Home Depot sells comes from the U.S., according to the company. It’s diversifying its imports, so that no single country outside of the U.S. represents more than 10% of the company’s purchases, McPhail said.
Though do-it-yourself buyers have cut back, the company still has a more stable business segment.
A growing business from home professionals, such as contractors and roofers, has boosted Home Depot’s overall business. It acquired SRS Distribution, a company that sells supplies to roofing, landscaping and pool professionals, for $18.25 billion last year in 2024 and bought GMS, a specialty building products distributor, for about $4.3 billion last year.
Pro sales were stronger than do-it-yourself sales during the fourth quarter, McPhail said, though he declined to share specific figures.
Home Depot opened 12 stores in fiscal 2025 and plans to open 15 additional stores this fiscal year.
The company also announced on Tuesday that its board of directors increased its quarterly dividend by 1.3%, or 3 cents, to $2.33 per share. It will be payable next month.
As of Monday’s close, Home Depot shares are down about 2% over the past year, but up about 10% year to date. That compares to the S&P 500’s nearly 14% gains over the past year and its roughly flat performance year to date.
Last Updated:
AI is reshaping work in India, with LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise 2026 report highlighting demand for AI, Data, Cybersecurity, and leadership skills.
38% Indians Feel Unready for AI Shift: LinkedIn Reveals Top Emerging Skills
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a future trend — it is the present reality of work. From content creation to coding, hiring to sales forecasting, AI tools are now part of daily workflows across industries. As companies rapidly adopt automation and data-driven systems, professionals are feeling the pressure to keep up.
According to LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise 2026 report, 38% of Indian job seekers say they feel unprepared for how fast technology is changing job requirements. At the same time, 74% of recruiters in India say it is harder than ever to find qualified talent. The gap is clear — and AI is at the centre of it.
The report highlights five major skill stacks that are shaping hiring trends: AI & Automation, Data & Analytics, IT & Cybersecurity, Business & Growth, and People & Leadership. What stands out is that companies are no longer looking for just technical specialists. They want “skill stackers” — professionals who combine AI fluency with data understanding, operational efficiency and strong collaboration skills.
AI & Automation roles are seeing strong demand, especially in Prompt Engineering, Workflow Automation, LLMOps and AutoML. But AI skills are not limited to tech jobs anymore. Marketing, HR, consulting and sales teams are also expected to use AI tools effectively.
Data roles are also expanding. Skills like querying, data analysis and data storytelling are becoming essential across engineering, IT and even non-tech functions like business development and education.
Cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure jobs are growing as companies scale digital systems. Threat detection, real-time monitoring and IT automation are emerging as critical capabilities.
At the same time, people skills are becoming a major differentiator. Collaboration, stakeholder management and project leadership are now as valuable as technical expertise.
Top emerging jobs linked to these trends include AI Specialist, Data Analyst, Cybersecurity Analyst, Cloud Consultant, Growth Strategist and AI-enabled Project Manager.
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February 24, 2026, 17:55 IST
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