China's stock markets closed up after appointing a new securities watchdog head and taking measures to stabilize the market. The CSI300 index jumped 5.8% and the Shanghai index advanced 5%, their biggest weekly gains since November 2022. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 1.3% due to a decline in Alibaba. The new appointment signals more attention to the capital market from top leaders.

Microsoft plans to equip 2 million people with AI skills by 2025 through partnerships with governments, nonprofits, and corporations. This initiative comes as Indian leaders recognize the need for new skills to prepare for the growth of AI, and many workers feel they lack the necessary capabilities. The focus will be on training individuals in smaller cities and rural areas.

On February 7, there was a lot of stock trading in Indiabulls Housing Finance with LIC selling Rs 75.20 crore worth of shares and other investors also buying and selling shares in the company. A range of other companies, such as Dhanalaxmi Bank and Navin Flourine, also saw significant trading activity on this day, with various buyers and sellers taking part.

Cummins India's stock rose 10% and reached a new high of Rs. 2,648.80 after reporting strong Q3 results with record profits and revenue. This was a 26% increase in profits and 16.18% growth in revenue compared to the same period last year. The stock has surged 76% in the past year and is expected to continue growing due to robust domestic demand.

In order to improve the solvency ratio of three public sector insurance companies – United India Insurance, National Insurance, and Oriental Insurance – the finance ministry plans to infuse capital after analyzing their performance in Q3 and Q4 of FY24. The government has already invested Rs 17,500 crore in these companies, which have shown promising Q2 profits despite losses last year.

In summary, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das stated that they have been engaged with Paytm Payments Bank for some time and the restrictions imposed on them were a supervisory action due to non-compliance. He also emphasized that such actions are proportionate to the gravity of the situation and in the best interest of systemic stability.

SEBI has proposed a framework for dealing with securities of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) whose registration has expired. The proposed changes include late payment charges for regularising registration, prescribed time limit for liquidating holdings and guidelines for disposing securities. Non-compliant FPIs with blocked securities will have a one-time opportunity to sell their securities.

Tokenisation, the process of replacing a card's 16-digit number with a unique token for safer online transactions, is gaining momentum in India. The RBI has directed payment aggregators and merchants not to store sensitive card information, resulting in increased security and success rates. Tokenisation also allows for convenience and faster completion times.

ITC stock fell 4% due to its largest shareholder, British American Tobacco (BAT), announcing plans to pare its stake in the conglomerate. BAT holds a 29.03% stake, worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore, and is working on completing regulatory process to monetize some shares. This decision could lead to offloading shares worth Rs 20,760 crore.

Global equities reached a two-year high as strong earnings countered worries about US regional banks and Chinese markets. Federal Reserve comments suggested rate cuts may be delayed, boosting the MSCI world equity index. In the US, all major indexes rose, while European equities faltered. Corporate earnings have been mostly positive.

The iconic Kinetic Luna moped from the 1970s and 80s has returned, this time in an electric version. The e-Luna has a range of 110 km per charge and is priced at Rs 69,990 for the X1 trim and Rs 74,990 for the X2 trim. With over 50,000 bookings from B2B customers and 30,000 enquiries from B2C customers, it seems to be a hit.

Overall, the RBI Monetary Policy has maintained a status quo on rates and stance, with some expectations of a change in policy stance to comfort the market. The MPC is confident in the inflation trajectory and sees the desired impact of monetary policy on the economy. While headline CPI inflation is still high due to food inflation, it is expected to moderate in the coming quarters.

Nagpur Municipal Corporation's amnesty scheme offers 80% waiver on penalty for property tax defaulters. So far, 25,879 property owners have availed the scheme, resulting in a collection of ₹18.63 crore. The scheme applies to outstanding property tax, water charges and shop rents and is open till March 31. Deputy Commissioner Milind Meshram encourages citizens to take advantage.

Mumbai-based Suvita Real Estates, part of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, is planning to raise ₹105 crore through non-convertible debentures to repay its existing debt. The bonds offer high returns and have step-up pricing. The company will pay investors 17.25% for 12 months and 20.25% between 13 and 15 months, with the option to redeem at 12 months.

The life insurance industry in Mumbai saw a significant increase of 27% in new policies sold in January, with a total premium collection of ₹33,559 crore. State-owned LIC and private insurers both reported strong growth, with SBI Life recording a 100% increase in new business income. ICICI Prudential and Max Life Insurance also saw increases, while HDFC Life had a marginal growth of 2%.