UK inflation could have ticked higher last month, as Christmas getaways helped fuel price rises at the end of the year, economists have said.

Some economists are expecting the rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation to have risen in December after falling sharply the previous month.

Rob Wood and Elliott Jordan-Doak, economists for Pantheon Macroeconomics, said they were forecasting CPI to rise to 3.3% in December, from 3.2% in November.

A hike to tobacco duties, which was announced at the autumn budget in November, is set to have pushed up overall inflation during the month.

The price of plane tickets and hotels are also expected to have soared amid stronger demand for Christmas travel.

Analysts forecast that airfares could have jumped by about 30% between November and December.

But economists stressed that the choice of date for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to collect the latest inflation data would be crucial, as prices would have differed throughout the month.

If it was collected later in the month, travel prices could have been much higher in line with the school holidays, pushing up the overall rate of inflation.

Andrew Goodwin, chief UK economist for Oxford Economics, said he thought the slowdown in the rising cost of living was “temporarily halted” in December.

He said: “Some of November’s downward pressure came from volatile categories, including clothing, airfares, and accommodation services, and this is likely to have unwound in December, although the choice of date for collecting the data will likely have a crucial bearing on the outturn for airfares.”

He is predicting a much sharper increase of CPI inflation to 3.6% in December.

On the other hand, analysts for Barclays said they thought inflation would remain unchanged at 3.2% in December.

They forecast energy price inflation to have slowed, while food and drink price rises to have steadied at the end of the year.

But experts said they thought inflation was still heading downwards this year.

Victoria Scholar, head of investment for Interactive Investor, said that “longer term, the trajectory for inflation is still on the downside, heading back towards the 2% target later this year”.

“November’s budget from the Chancellor was largely viewed as disinflationary owing to its contractionary fiscal measures, including tax increases and spending cuts,” she said.

“Plus, there are growing signs of slack in the labour market, also easing inflationary pressures in the UK economy.”

Spent a fortune on a coffee machine and those exotic beans to replicate that cappuccino you loved overseas? You are not alone. For many rich Indians, the coffee machine on the kitchen counter is no longer just for making a drink, rather it has become a lifestyle statement, as more people are trying to bring the cafe experience they enjoyed overseas, right in their homes.A growing number of young, affluent consumers are spending several lakh rupees on high-end coffee machines, specialty beans and cafe-style equipment to mirror the ambience of European coffee houses. These machines, which offer far more than basic espresso or latte functions, have become objects of prestige. Brands such as Versuni, SMEG and DeLonghi are increasingly being displayed as centrepieces in kitchens and lounges, erasing the line between appliance and art.

India’s coffee craze

From only a few hunderds six years ago, now, almost 20,000 premium coffee machines are estimated to be sold locally, every year, a figure that includes direct imports by companies, ET reported. This does not includes the large number of machines that individuals bring into the country themselves while travelling abroad or order through international e-commerce platforms. With limited availability of high-end brands and models in India, parallel imports continue to rise. Ravi Saxena, founder and chief executive of Wonderchef Home Appliances, links this trend to the rapid spread of neighbourhood cafes across Indian cities. He says this has created strong interest in recreating cafe-quality coffee at home. A trained barista, Saxena sells about 1.4 lakh coffee machines a year, including premium automatic models priced between Rs 60,000 and Rs 90,000. The appetite for premium machines is also visible among frequent international travellers. Gurgaon-based hotelier Rajat Gera placed an order for an SMEG machine in December for Rs 1.3 lakh and is still waiting for it to arrive at Indian ports. “It’s a piece of art that deserves to be placed as a centrepiece in the kitchen or lounge,” he says. The overall coffee machine market in India is valued at Rs 250–300 crore and is growing at more than 15% a year. Total sales across price categories reached about 4.2–4.5 lakh units in the last calendar year, compared with roughly 1.8 lakh units in 2019. While machines priced up to Rs 15,000 continue to dominate volumes, premium models are steadily expanding their share.

Struggling for the right taste

For some buyers, the shift is rooted in dissatisfaction with cafe offerings at home. Satyendra Shukla, who runs a boutique investment firm, bought a La Carimali machine for Rs 1.5 lakh two years ago. “I had to struggle for every cup of coffee in India. No cafe could give me coffee I liked. The right texture, temperature or taste seldom came together. Now, my well travelled friends say I make the best coffee. I look after the machine and spend a lot of time sourcing the best beans.” Others are prepared to absorb heavy import costs. Kolkata-based independent professional A Banerjee purchased a Philips machine priced at Rs 57,000 from Amazon UK for Rs 95,000 after accounting for shipping, customs duties and currency conversion. Gulbahar Taurani, chief executive of Versuni India, attributes rising demand to young consumers exploring different beans, flavours, aromas and brewing styles, including coffee mocktails mixed with tonic water. He said the company’s pilot launch of premium models priced up to Rs 80,000 in India has been highly successful. Versuni plans to combine its global technology with adaptations for Indian preferences. While its entire range is currently imported, Taurani has not ruled out domestic manufacturing as volumes grow. Retailers are also reporting strong traction. Coffee machines are among the fastest-moving categories in stores. Vijay Sales sells 400–500 units every month. “Coffee machines have become a lifestyle product. While most of the demand is still in the entry- to mid-segment, premium models are also selling fast. This could become a big category in the next three to four years,” said Nilesh Gupta, director, Vijay Sales. What was once a simple kitchen tool is rapidly turning into a lifestyle statement, as coffee drinkers in the country are investing not just in caffeine, but in culture and cachet at home.

Last Updated:January 18, 2026, 09:33 IST

Bharat Coking Coal IPO, a Coal India subsidiary, lists on BSE and NSE January 19, 2026, with a strong GMP.

Bharat Coking Coal IPO: Listing Price Prediction. Shares to be listed tomorrow, January 19, 2026.

Bharat Coking Coal IPO Listing Price Prediction, GMP: The allotment of the Bharat Coking Coal IPO was concluded on January 14, 2026. Now, investors are eyeing the listing of the shares on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE), which is likely to take place on Monday, January 19, 2026.

The investors who have been allotted the unlisted shares of the Bharat Coking Coal IPO might be checking the grey market premium regularly.

The IPO was open for public subscription between January 9 and January 13. It received a massive overall subscription of 143.85 times subscription. Its retail category received 49.37x subscription, its non-institutional investor (NII) category received 240.49 times subscription, and its qualified institutional buyer (QIB) portion got 310.81 times bidding.

Bharat Coking Coal IPO Listing Date

The shares of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL), will be listed on both the BSE and the NSE on January 19, Monday.

Bharat Coking Coal IPO Listing Price Prediction, GMP Today

According to market observers, unlisted shares of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd are currently trading at Rs 35.4 apiece in the grey market, which is a 53.91 per cent premium over the IPO price of Rs 23. It indicates a strong listing gains for investors. Its listing will take place on Monday, January 19.

The GMP is based on market sentiments and keeps changing. ‘Grey market premium’ indicates investors’ readiness to pay more than the issue price.

Bharat Coking Coal IPO Allotment Status

The Bharat Coking Coal IPO allotment has already been finalised.

The allotment status can be checked online by following these steps:

Via Official Registrar

1) Visit registrar Kfin Technologies’ portal – https://ipostatus.kfintech.com/.

2) Under ‘Select Company’, select ‘Bharat Coking Coal Limited’ from the drop-box.

3) Enter your application number, demat account, or permanent account number (PAN).

5) Then, click on the ‘Submit’ button.

Your share application status will appear on your screen.

Via the BSE

1) Go to the official BSE website via the URL — https://www.bseindia.com/investors/appli_check.aspx.

2) Under ‘Issue Type’, select ‘Equity’.

3) Under ‘Issue Name’, select ‘Bharat Coking Coal Limited’ in the drop box.

4) Enter your application number, or the Permanent Account Number (PAN). Those who want to check their allotment status via PAN can select the ‘Permanent Account Number’ option.

5) Then, click on the ‘I am not a robot’ to verify yourself and hit the ‘Search’ option.

Your share application status will appear on your screen.

Via NSE’s Website

The allotment status can also be checked on the NSE’s website at https://www.nseindia.com/invest/check-trades-bids-verify-ipo-bids.

Bharat Coking Coal IPO: More Details

According to the red herring prospectus (RHP), the maiden public issue is entirely an offer for sale (OFS) of 46.57 crore equity shares by Coal India.

The listing of BCCL is part of the government’s broader divestment push in the coal sector, aimed at unlocking value in Coal India’s subsidiaries and enhancing transparency through market discipline.

In its prospectus, the company stated that the IPO will help achieve the benefits of listing.

BCCL will make its stock market debut on January 16. The company said that half of the issue size has been reserved for qualified institutional buyers, 35 per cent for retail investors and the remaining 15 per cent for non-institutional investors.

Last year, Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Ltd (CMPDIL), another wholly-owned arm of Coal India, had also filed its draft papers with Sebi for an IPO via the OFS route.

While BCCL is a coal-producing entity, CMPDIL serves as Coal India’s technical and planning arm.

Bharat Coking Coal was the largest coking coal producer in India in fiscal 2025, according to a Crisil report. It produces various grades of coking coal, non-coking coal and washed coals for applications primarily in the steel and power industries.

The company was incorporated in 1972 to mine and supply coking coal concentrated in mines located at Jharia, Jharkhand and Raniganj, West Bengal coalfields.

The public sector firm has expanded operations significantly over the years, with coal production increasing from 30.51 million tonnes in fiscal 2022 to 40.50 million tonnes in fiscal 2025, which is an increase of 33 per cent. Its coal production stood at 15.75 million tonnes in the six months ended September 30, 2025, as compared to 19.09 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

The company operates a network of 34 operational mines, including 4 underground mines, 26 opencast mines, and 4 mixed mines as of September 30, 2025.

On the financial front, Bharat Coking Coal’s revenues from operations stood at Rs 13,802 crore and profit of Rs 1,204 crore in FY25.

BCCL’s issue comes against the backdrop of a blockbuster year for the primary market.

In 2025, companies raised a record nearly Rs 1.76 lakh crore through IPOs, buoyed by strong domestic liquidity, resilient investor sentiment and a supportive macroeconomic environment. This surpassed the Rs 1.6 lakh crore mobilised by 90 firms in 2024 and the Rs 49,436 crore raised by 57 companies in 2023.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

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