11:11 | Oil nears $97; AfD makes history in Germany; fresh hopes for Russia-Ukraine talks

Good morning!

Global markets are waking up to another tense start to the week. Brent crude is climbing towards $97 a barrel as US-Iran tensions remain elevated, while fresh hopes for Ukraine-Russia talks offer a potential diplomatic opening after US envoys met leaders in both capitals. Germany, meanwhile, has seen a historic breakthrough for the far-right AfD, which emerged as the largest party in a state election for the first time since World War Two.

The pressure points are spilling into markets.

Gold and silver are trading lower as investors weigh US jobs data and the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate path, while the rupee has opened higher at 94.39 against the dollar despite elevated crude prices. Investors are also looking beyond the Nifty, with Arvind Sanger seeing opportunities across sectors even as AI spending remains a key risk to watch.

Corporate India has its own set of triggers this morning. HUL is betting on premiumisation and deeper distribution to drive its next leg of growth, while Anupam Rasayan has gained after securing a six-year chemical supply contract with a global industrial major. Motilal Oswal, meanwhile, sees significant upside in V2 Retail.

Beyond markets, India’s auto landscape is shifting, with CNG, hybrids and EVs collectively overtaking petrol in passenger-vehicle sales for the first time. The government is also pushing medical-device makers to move beyond assembly towards more indigenous manufacturing. Get all the updates below.

Brent Crude climbs towards $97 a barrel as West Asia tensions remain elevated

Brent crude prices surged towards $97 a barrel in early Asia trading on Monday, September 7, as tensions between the US and Iran remained heightened in West Asia. Both countries traded tit-for-tat attacks over the weekend on each others' assets. Brent Crude gained as much as 1% to as high as $96.9 a barrel, while the West Texas Intermediate also crossed the mark of $90 to trade near the $92 a barrel mark.

More Here

US envoys hope for new Ukraine-Russia talks soon after visits to both capitals

US peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff heralded new momentum in peace talks after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday as the Trump administration renewed its push to end Russia’s four-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.

More Here

Far-right AfD wins historic victory in German state election

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, putting a far-right party within reach of power at the state level for the first time since World War Two.

The AfD is already Germany’s most popular party at the national level and is seeking to secure a foothold for advancing its agenda, which includes heavy restrictions on immigration, restoring ties with Russia, cutting support to Ukraine and quitting the euro.

More Here

Fed hike won’t derail markets; Arvind Sanger sees broader opportunities beyond Nifty

Arvind Sanger, Managing Partner of Geosphere Capital Management, expects the US Federal Reserve to likely raise rates by 25 basis points, but believes a single rate hike is unlikely to derail markets if earnings growth remains strong. He sees the artificial intelligence (AI) boom and related capex continuing to drive growth, although a slowdown in AI spending could become a major market risk in 2027.

More Here

Gold, silver prices: US inflation, interest rates and West Asia tensions in focus

Gold and silver prices remained under pressure in early Asian trade on Monday, September 7, as investors weighed stronger-than-expected US jobs data against expectations around the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate path.

COMEX gold was trading at around $4,456.50 an ounce, down 0.45%, while silver was at $66.685 an ounce.

More Here

Stocks To Buy: Motilal Oswal 'bull case' projects 100% upside for shares of this retail chain

Motilal Oswal said it believes V2's merchandise discipline, robust store economics and deep cluster-led penetration across underpenetrated markets provide a durable competitive moat. The brokerage has initiated coverage on V2 Retail with a "buy" rating with a target price of ₹275 per share, indicating an upside of 27% from its previous closing price.

More Here

HUL bets on premiumisation, deeper distribution for growth, but analysts remain cautious

Shares of Hindustan Unilever Ltd. is in focus on Monday, September 7, after the company outlined its growth strategy and financial priorities at its Investor Day.

HUL said premiumisation, category creation and deeper distribution will drive the next leg of growth, with management remaining constructive on FY27 growth.

More Here

Anupam Rasayan shares gain after it secures a six-year chemical supply contract from US firm

Shares of Anupam Rasayan India Ltd. gained on Monday, September 7, after the company over the weekend reported that it secured a chemical supply contract with a global industrial major, which has paved the way for a long-term six-year partnership.

More Here

Rupee opens higher at 94.39 against dollar: RBI support, oil and Fed outlook explained

The Indian rupee opened 10 paise higher against the US dollar on Monday (September 7), even as rising crude oil prices and expectations of a possible US Federal Reserve rate hike continue to pose challenges for the currency.

The rupee opened at 94.39 per dollar, compared with Friday’s (September 4's) close of 94.49.

More Here

Petrol just lost its top spot in Indian cars to CNG, hybrids and EVs for the first time

India's passenger-vehicle market crossed a historic threshold in August 2026. Alternative fuels — CNG, hybrid and electric combined — overtook petrol/ethanol for the first time ever, taking a 41.95% share against petrol's 40.85%, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). A year earlier, petrol led this contest by nearly 11 percentage points.

More Here

Piyush Goyal: Need to move from assemblies to more indigenous products in medical devices

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has appealed to Indian manufacturers of medical devices to move from assemblies to more indigenous products as he cited scope across many areas in the sector, including medical value travel.

More Here