Top 10@10: Tata Son’s succession puzzle, Jio Financial bags a Wall St. partner, Birla Group's royalty playbook

Crude stays hot, FIIs stay cold

Crude oil held on to most of a six-session rally, with the Strait of Hormuz standoff still unresolved and the IEA flagging a widening deficit. Foreign investors turned cautious too, extending their selling streak to a second day, even as DIIs stepped up buying. Earnings added to the mixed picture, Tata Motors felt the drag from a weaker JLR, while LG Electronics and Honasa Consumer posted strong quarters. On trade, exports rose 19% in July, but a sharper rise in imports widened the deficit.

Crude oil holds near six-session highs as Hormuz talks stay deadlocked, IEA flags deficit

Crude oil prices held on to most of a six-session rally on Wednesday, August 12, as traders anticipated signs that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen.

Read more

Also read: Rupee edges lower against dollar: What is keeping the currency in a tight range

FIIs sell Indian shares for second day, DIIs step up buying to ₹4,353 crore

Foreign institutional investors extended their selling streak in Indian equities today, offloading shares worth ₹510.69 crore on a provisional basis. Domestic institutional investors, meanwhile, stepped up buying activity, emerging as net buyers of ₹4,353.09 crore.

Read more

Earnings Central: Tata Motors feels the JLR drag, while LG Electronics and Honasa shine



Thursday's earnings brought a familiar mix of strong domestic demand, overseas pressure and a few businesses moving in very different directions. Tata Motors had to contend with a weaker JLR, while LG Electronics and Honasa Consumer delivered strong quarters. Elsewhere, IGL's margins slipped, Max Healthcare kept expanding and several management commentaries offered a closer look at what lies ahead.

Read more

India's July exports jump 19%, but trade deficit widens to $31.98 billion

India's merchandise trade deficit widened in July as imports grew faster than exports, even as outbound shipments posted a strong year-on-year increase. Merchandise exports rose 19% year on year to $44.24 billion in July from $37.02 billion a year earlier, while imports jumped 17.5% to $76.22 billion from $64.89 billion. That left the trade deficit at $31.98 billion, up from $27.87 billion a year ago and wider than the $30.43 billion recorded in June.

Read more

Also watch: Only 8-12% of Indian jobs at risk of substitution from Gen AI, says GS; sees productivity gains

From boardrooms to balance sheets

Friday's watchlist is dominated by earnings and dealmaking. Tata Motors PV, LG Electronics, Honasa Consumer and Max Financial Services stay in focus after Thursday's results. The bigger story, though, is Jio Financial Services, which signed a joint venture with Bank of America for a 49.9% stake in Jio Credit. Meanwhile, Aditya Birla Group unveiled a new brand royalty framework, with listed companies set to pay 0.25% of revenue, starting June 2026.

Stocks to Watch for August 14: Tata Motors PV, LG Electronics, Honasa Consumer, Max Fin Services and more



From Honasa Consumer reporting a 118.4% year-on-year rise in net profit to Birla Estates entering Navi Mumbai’s redevelopment market with a Vashi housing project, these are the stocks to track ahead of Friday’s trading session. Investors will also watch Borosil, Cochin Shipyard and CSM Technologies, which are scheduled to announce their June-quarter results tomorrow.

Read more

Also watch: Prefers largecap NBFCs over smaller players: Abakkus Asset Manager

Bank of America to acquire 50% stake in Jio Credit for ₹18,268 crore

Jio Financial Services Ltd (JFSL) and Bank of America Corporation (BofA) on Wednesday (August 12) entered into a joint venture agreement under which BofA will acquire up to a 49.9% stake in Jio Credit Ltd, for $1.9 billion or ₹18,268 crore.

Read more

These Aditya Birla Group companies will start paying royalties from June 2026

Today, Aditya Birla Group introduced a brand royalty framework for its listed subsidiaries. Under the new framework, group companies will pay the promoter group for the use of the Aditya Birla brand, with royalty applicable from June 1, 2026. The royalty will be charged at 0.25% of revenue, subject to an annual cap of ₹225 crore.

Read more

Also watch: Trump claims US has 'total control' of Strait Of Hormuz, calls blockade 'Wall Of Steel'

Leadership, under the lens

Governance was the thread running through today's non-market news. Tata Sons' upcoming leadership change has experts questioning whether the group needs a fundamentally different kind of chairman than N Chandrasekaran was when he took over. Air India, meanwhile, is tightening its own oversight, launching a full screening of pilots for prohibited substances. And in Parliament, the Monsoon Session wrapped up with 12 bills passed.

Chandra's exit revives questions over Tata's governance structure

Tata Sons is heading into a leadership change, and governance experts say the group's next chairman will need a very different skill set than the one that got N Chandrasekaran the job in the first place.

Read more

Also watch: ‘Respect decision’: Tata Trusts accepts N Chandrasekaran’s decision to not seek re-appointment

Air India to screen all pilots for prohibited substances; Air India Express urges self-declaration

Air India will undertake a full screening of all its pilots for substances and medications that are not permitted under prevailing regulations, according to a communication sent by the airline to its pilots. The screening exercise, beginning today, at the Air India Academy in Gurugram, people familiar with the matter told CNBC-TV18.

Read more

Also read: India bars Uber, Ola, Rapido from tip prompts before ride ends, driver gets full amount

Parliament’s chaotic Monsoon Session ends with 12 bills passed, productivity down to 19% in Lok Sabha



Parliament’s Monsoon Session ended on Thursday, August 13, after weeks of disruption, repeated adjournments and fierce opposition protests, with most of the 12 bills passed receiving little or no debate.

Read more

Also read: Parliament panel flags nearly 73% students drop out before finishing higher secondary