11:11 | Rupee strengthens, oil dips; Musk says space costs will crash; Census 2027 & more

Rupee rises 17 paise to 91.41 against US dollar in early trade

The rupee gained 17 paise to trade at 91.41 against the US dollar in early deals on Friday, as investor sentiments improved after US President Donald Trump stepped back from tariff threats against Europe linked to Greenland, easing immediate trade-war fears.

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Oil slides 2% as Trump tones down threats toward Greenland and Iran

Oil prices slid about 2% to a one-week low on Thursday after US President Donald Trump softened threats toward

Greenland and Iran, and on some positive movement that could lead to a solution to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Brent futures fell $1.18, or 1.8%, to settle at $64.06 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $1.26, or 2.1%, to settle at a one-week low of $59.36 a barrel.

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APL Apollo Tubes shares are having their best start to a year since 2018 — Here's what the street likes

Shares of APL Apollo Tubes Ltd. are trading with gains of over 3%, extending their streak for the second day running. The stock had surged over 5% on Thursday, after its quarterly results were reported, snapping a three-day losing streak in the process. With this, the stock is up 7% so far in January.

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Amazon to lay off thousands in second wave of job cuts within three months

In second wave of layoffs within three months, the tech giant plans to lay off thousands more owing to a culture reset. A Reddit group for Amazon employees say the layoffs could be announced on January 27 or 28. Discussion on January layoff at the company show two employees from Poland were already axed this week.

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Elon Musk: The cost of putting satellites in space will crash soon

SpaceX is trying to make its Falcon 9 rockets fully reusable and that can bring down the cost of sending satellites to space by a factor of 100, Elon Musk said. The price of heavy launches to low-Earth orbit (LEO) has fallen from $65,000 per kilogram to $1,500 per kilogram by 2021, according to an estimated cited by McKinsey, a consulting firm.

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Blue Origin sends 6 passengers to space on first 2026 New Shepard flight: Crew details and ticket cost

Blue Origin has sent its latest group of passengers to the edge of space aboard its New Shepard rocket. The aerospace company, founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, successfully completed the 38th flight of the New Shepard programme and the first spaceflight of 2026.

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Census 2027: Citizens to answer these 33 questions in first phase starting April 1

The government has notified 33 questions that citizens will have to answer during the first phase of the Census, houselisting and housing enumeration, starting April 1. Phase 1 will take place during a 30-day period specified by each state and Union Territory between April 1 and September 30 this year.

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Budget 2026: Experts call for gold bonds revival, digital incentives and GST relief for jewellery

As the Union Budget 2026–27 approaches, experts across the gold, jewellery, gems and mining sectors are calling for policy continuity, tax rationalisation and measures that unlock household savings, strengthen exports and improve project viability. Market participants say the Budget will be closely scrutinised for its stance on gold as both a household savings instrument and a portfolio asset.

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Japan’s right-wing PM Sanae Takaichi calls for snap elections after just 3 months in power

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Friday, paving the way for a Feb. 8 snap election. The move is an attempt to capitalise on her popularity to help the governing party regain ground after major losses in recent years, but it will delay a vote on a budget that aims at boosting a struggling economy and addressing soaring prices. Takaichi was elected in October as Japan's first female leader.

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Bank of America CEO says AI spending will drive returns in 2026, bullish on India growth

Bank of America expects investments in investment in artificial intelligence (AI) to drive returns in 2026, CEO Brian Moynihan said, expressing optimism about growth in both the US and India. He said the bank is still in "early days" as far as agentic AI is concerned.

Moynihan outlined BofA’s $14 billion technology budget, including roughly $4.5 billion allocated for AI initiatives.

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Trump withdraws invite to Canada PM Carney for Gaza Board of Peace

United States President Donald Trump withdrew the invitation to Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney to join the Gaza Board of Peace on Friday, January 23. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote an open letter to Carney mentioning the decision to withdraw the invition.

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