Marriott International has added 12 properties in India and over 60 in the Asia Pacific region (excluding China). This brings their total number of hotels and residences to over 560 in the region. Their development pipeline for the region now stands at over 320 hotels and they have signed deals for approximately 18,000 rooms.

The last budget's emphasis on capital expenditure boosted infrastructure stocks, and the government may continue this trend despite fiscal constraints. Private investment is also improving but still needs support. The recent Rs 10 lakh crore capex announcement was a game-changer, driving economic growth and the CNX Infrastructure Index up.

Budget Day holds significance in predicting the economic outlook and is reflected in equity markets. Indian market has seen a gain of 20% since last year's budget. As interim budget approaches, focus would be on major announcements from Finance Minister. MTNL, Petronet LNG, Shree Digvijay Cement Co, and Shriram Finance are expected to give 17-20% return in short-medium term.

On February 1, oil-marketing companies raised the price of 19-kg commercial LPG gas cylinders by Rs 14 to Rs 1,769.50 per cylinder. This comes on the day of the interim Budget presentation and is a monthly adjustment. Domestic LPG prices remain unchanged. LPG has various uses including as motor fuel, cooking gas, and for heating and refrigeration.

RBI has banned Paytm Payments Bank from offering all banking services, leading to concern and disappointment in the fintech industry. Some see it as a harsh decision and one that may ultimately destroy the bank. Issues with compliance, including KYC and data storage, were cited as the reasons for the ban.

Raamdeo Agrawal, Chairman and co-founder of Motilal Oswal Financial Services (MOFSL), discussed his positive outlook on the capex boom in an interview with Moneycontrol. He believes that the upcoming Budget will further boost this trend and sees opportunities in companies related to capex, power, and infrastructure. Agrawal also highlighted the stable leadership of the current government.

📍The Indian government is preparing to announce their pre-election budget, with hopes of boosting consumption amidst a slowdown in private final consumption expenditure and rural demand. 📍Previous interim budgets have taken measures to stimulate consumption, such as income support for small farmers and tax rebates. 📍Government finances are strong, providing room for incentives.

Paytm Payments Bank is facing regulatory action from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for persistent non-compliance and violations, including inadequate Know Your Customer checks and cybersecurity standards. Existing customers can withdraw their funds without any constraints, but this incident serves as a wake-up call for all financial entities to prioritize compliance.

Reported Standalone quarterly numbers for Kitex Garments are: Net Sales at Rs 164.13 crore in December 2023 up 140.6% from Rs. 68.22 crore in December 2022. Quarterly Net Profit at Rs. 21.00 crore in December 2023 up 415.77% from Rs. 6.65 crore in December 2022. EBITDA stands at Rs. 41.11 crore in December 2023 up 1612.92% from Rs. 2.40 crore in December 2022.

Shree Cement's stock jumped 6% and hit a 52-week high following strong Q3 earnings. Net profit rose 165% YoY, revenue increased 20% YoY, and EBITDA was up 74% YoY. The company is executing a performance improvement plan and aims to reach 80 million tonnes production capacity by 2028. Nuvama upgraded the stock rating and raised the target price.

AksharChem (India) reported strong standalone quarterly results for December 2023, with a 15.99% increase in net sales and a 122.98% rise in quarterly net profit compared to the same period in 2022. EBITDA also showed a significant increase of 158.42%. EPS has increased to Rs. 0.41 from Rs. 1.77 in December 2022.

Railway-related stocks surged on Thursday morning ahead of the interim Budget, with IRCON International and Texmaco Rail & Engineering leading the gains. Experts predict a rise in investment and introduction of new projects and Vande Bharat trains. The BSE Sensex and Nifty also saw positive movements. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget at 11 am.

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd on Thursday said its total vehicle sales grew 15 per cent year-on-year to 73,944 units in January. The utility vehicle sales stood at 43,068 units in the previous month as against 32,915 vehicles sold in January last year, growing 31 per cent year-on-year, M&M Ltd saidThe commercial vehicle domestic sales during the month under review stood at 23,481 units.

In the last year, only a handful of largecap and midcap stocks have performed well in the market. Adani Group stocks, still recovering from the Hindenburg report, top the list of losers. Banks like HDFC and PSU banks are facing challenges, while UPL is the biggest loser among midcaps. Smallcaps have even more underperformers, with 260 stocks bleeding investor wealth.

The Union Finance Minister highlighted an increase in women's participation in the workforce and enrollment in higher education, especially in STEM courses. She attributed this to government initiatives like making triple talaq illegal, reservation of seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies, and allocating a majority of houses under PM Awas Yojana to women.