Financial Summary: Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Indian banks reported a 2.5% profit growth in H1 FY26, despite high funding costs and an 11.3% increase in credit.

India's trade deficit hit a record $41.7 billion in October, largely due to increased gold imports for festive demand.

Foreign institutional investors are pulling back from Indian defense stocks, while mutual funds are ramping up their investments.

Major Indian companies like Reliance Jio and Flipkart are preparing for IPOs that could raise up to $20 billion in 2026.

The UN Security Council has approved a US-backed resolution to address the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

Japan has issued a warning that a Chinese attempt to seize Taiwan would threaten its survival, heightening regional tensions.

The UK government has warned China about espionage activities targeting Members of Parliament.

Ukrainian Railways has signed a contract with Alstom for the delivery of 55 electric locomotives to modernize its rail system.

Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Dell and HPE, leading to a decline in their stock prices.

Bharti Airtel received an upgrade from S&P Global Ratings, reflecting strong earnings and improved cash flow.

Hero MotoCorp's stock reached a 52-week high after reporting strong Q2 results driven by export growth and electric vehicle sales.

Jefferies initiated coverage of WeWork India with a buy rating, predicting a 30% increase in shares.

AstraZeneca Pharma India's shares rose over 3% following a new drug deal with Sun Pharma.

Intuit partnered with Rehmann to enhance its ERP service offerings for businesses.

Accenture made a strategic investment in Alembic, expanding its capabilities in the tech sector.

Mphasis shares fell 2% as Blackstone plans to sell a 9.5% stake in a major block deal.

PhysicsWallah shares surged 13% in their market debut, attracting significant investor interest.

First Brands will appoint an examiner to investigate financial irregularities in its bankruptcy case.

Eternal solidified its leadership in India's e-commerce sector, dominating quick commerce and food delivery markets.

BYD announced plans to expand its retail presence in Europe as part of its localization strategy.

Glencore reduced its stake in Century Aluminum to 33% following a surge in aluminum prices.

Xpeng reported a significant reduction in quarterly losses, attributing it to increased deliveries and revenue growth.

Emirates Airlines emphasized its commitment to Boeing, demanding timely delivery on a $38 billion aircraft deal.

Gina Rinehart became the largest shareholder in MP Materials, signaling a strategic investment in rare earth materials.

UBS partnered with Ant International to develop a blockchain-based payment settlement system.

Hindustan Unilever set December 5, 2025, as the record date for the demerger of its ice-cream business.

Infosys is set to open its Rs 18,000 crore share buyback window on November 20.

Home Depot cut its earnings outlook due to a slowdown in home improvement demand.

Panera Bread is implementing a turnaround strategy to regain customers after losing traffic.

Klarna reported strong third-quarter revenue growth, exceeding estimates.

Accenture has invested in Alembic and partnered on Causal AI to enhance marketing insights.

Intuit signs a deal worth over $100 million with OpenAI to integrate AI into its financial products like TurboTax.

Ocado's shares drop significantly after Kroger announces a reduction in their partnership, impacting Ocado's tech licensing credibility.

FanDuel and DraftKings leave the AGA trade group amid growing tensions over the future of sports prediction markets.

Home Depot remains a strong investment choice despite a challenging quarter, as analysts predict benefits from lower interest rates.

Tesla faces challenges in selling EVs as superior speed and performance no longer guarantee market growth.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell below their 50-day moving average for the first time in 138 trading days, contributing to a 400-point drop in the Dow.

Japan's Nikkei index experienced its largest decline in over seven months, dropping 3% amid a tech stock sell-off.

European shares fell to a one-week low, with the STOXX 600 down 1.8% due to concerns over tech valuations and reduced expectations for a U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut.

The cryptocurrency market faced a downturn, with Bitcoin dropping 28% over six weeks, raising concerns about its impact on stocks.

Indian stocks pulled back with the Sensex dropping 278 points, ending a six-day winning streak as investors awaited crucial US jobs data.

Analysts downgraded Amazon while upgrading Alphabet, reflecting shifting sentiments in the tech sector amidst market volatility.

US tech stocks, including major players like Nvidia and Microsoft, experienced significant declines as traders expressed concerns over inflated AI valuations.

Senate Republicans propose a plan to exchange enhanced ACA tax credits for health savings accounts amid ongoing government funding negotiations.

Larry Summers distances himself from past commitments after emails link him to Jeffrey Epstein.

The House is set to vote on a bipartisan bill to release Jeffrey Epstein files following former President Trump's withdrawal of opposition.

A new Social Security scam is targeting Americans with high-pressure tactics regarding alleged criminal activities linked to their Social Security numbers.

Experts outline seven effective strategies for building wealth, even for those starting from scratch.

A little-known tax strategy can help Americans manage Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), yet 90% are unaware of it.

Arm partners with Nvidia to enhance its custom chip offerings, improving its licensing model.

Nvidia's earnings report raises concerns about the sustainability of the AI boom, sparking market discussions.

Rezolve AI PLC secures $200 million in funding to enhance AI commerce capabilities in Europe and the US.

Cloudflare resolves an outage that affected major platforms, including ChatGPT and X, due to a traffic spike.

Google's new AI model, Gemini 3, is set to compete directly with OpenAI, marking a significant development in the AI landscape.

Anthropic's valuation has soared to $350 billion following a strategic investment deal with Microsoft and Nvidia, emphasizing the growing AI market.

a16z leads a $21 million Series A investment in Sphere, a startup focused on AI-native tax compliance software.