Trikwong Venture, a crude oil tanker sits anchored in Muscat, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman.
| Photo Credit:
BENOIT TESSIER
The Trump administration is weighing
further easing sanctions on Russian oil to help cool a surge in
global energy prices, according to three sources familiar with
the planning, a move that could complicate U.S. efforts to
deprive Moscow of revenue for its war in Ukraine.
Published on March 10, 2026
The rupee is expected to weaken unless the RBI intervenes
The rupee and Government Securities (G-Secs) markets on Monday felt the impact of rising crude oil prices amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, which entered the tenthday. The rupee closed at a record low and G-Sec yields rose, but pulled back half the losses.
The Indian currency ended the day at an all-time low of 92.33 per US dollar, down 59 paise against previous close of 91.74. The central bank is understood to have intervened in the market, selling dollars through state-owned banks to smoothen the volatility in the domestic currency.
K Arvind, Executive Vice-President (Head – Treasury), noted that the geopolitical and geoeconomic impact of the war in West Asia and its impact on energy prices are still unfolding and highly uncertain. The rupee is expected to weaken unless the RBI intervenes.
He said the RBI is believed to have intervened at every level — 92.20, 92.30 — to break the rupee’s fall, ensuring that the domestic currency moves in an orderly manner against the dollar.
Arvind observed that the rupee is under pressure as exporter payments are not materialising, dollar outflows on account of FPI selling in domestic equity markets continuing and the dollar strengthening against all major currencies.
Yields of G-Secs rose as market players factored in the inflationary effect of high crude oil prices and a depreciating rupee. However, yields softened due to the RBI accepting aggressive cut-offs at the OMO purchase auction of G-Secs (for infusing ₹50,000 crore liquidity into the banking system).
The yield of the benchmark 10-year G-Sec (6.48 per cent GS 2035), which touched an intraday high of 6.76 per cent, closed at 6.72 per cent, up 3 basis points over the previous close of 6.69 per cent.
Venkatakrishnan Srinivasan, Founder & Managing Partner, Rockfort Fincap LLP, observed that the benchmark 10-year G-sec came under pressure in the morning session, with the yield going up to around 6.76 per cent, largely reacting to global risk cues.
“Brent crude had spiked sharply to about $114 per barrel in the morning hours, which triggered concerns around imported inflation and the currency coming under pressure. The rupee has weakened further, leading to some early selling in government bonds,” he said.
However, yields pulled back later in the day and the benchmark G-Sec closed around 6.72 per cent, supported by the outcome of the RBI’s OMO purchase auction.
Venkatakrishnan said the RBI bought a sizeable amount of 6.33 per cent GS 2035 at a cut-off yield of 6.5533 per cent, which was significantly below prevailing market levels, signalling the central bank’s intent to keep long-end yields under check.
“This has also strengthened market expectations that the current benchmark 10-year G-Sec could be included in the next OMO purchase, which helped cap the rise in yields,” he said.
At the same time, Brent crude oil prices eased from their intraday peak, providing additional support to the bond market towards the close.
Published on March 9, 2026
India’s largest bank State Bank of India completely waived off penal charges for not maintaining minimum balance in saving accounts since March 2020
Private sector banks collected around ₹11,000 crore in three years (fiscal year 2022-23 to fiscal year 2024-25) as compared to ₹8,000 crore by public sector banks on account of non-maintenance minimum monthly average balance (MAB), data provided by the Finance Ministry in the Lok Sabha on Monday showed.
According to data in the written response by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, HDFC Bank emerged as the top earner with over ₹3,800 crore in 3 years, followed by Axis Bank and ICICI Bank with over ₹2,700 crore and ₹1,200 crore respectively. Among the public sector banks, PNB was on top in terms of total during three years with over ₹1,500 crore followed by Bank of Baroda (over ₹1,200 crore) and Indian bank (over 1,100 crore).
India’s largest bank State Bank of India completely waived off penal charges for not maintaining minimum balance in saving accounts since March 2020. Following that many of other public sector bank such as Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank also removed such charges last year. However, they do have changes for current account. At the same time, private sector banks are still charging for not maintaining minimum balance.
For example, HDFC Bank stipulates average monthly balance for metro and urban branches at ₹10,000 or FD of ₹1 lakh for minimum 1 year 1 day period; in case of semi Urban, it is ₹5,000 or FD of ₹50,000 for minimum 1 year 1 day period and in rural area, it is Rs ₹2,500 or FD of ₹25,000 for minimum 1 year 1 day period. Non-maintenance charge would be 6 per cent of the shortfall from the average balance requirement or ₹600, whichever is lower.
Meanwhile, in her written reply, Sitharaman said banks offer zero-balance savings accounts facility, better known as basic savings bank deposit accounts (BSBDAs) including the accounts opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). These accounts do not require maintenance of any minimum balance. Accordingly, “approximately 72 crore BSBDAs, including, PMJDY accounts are not subject to any penal charges for non-maintenance of minimum balance,” she said.
However, for accounts other than BSBDAs including PMJDY accounts, banks may levy charges for non-maintenance of minimum monthly average balance (MAB) in accordance with their board-approved policies and the extant instructions of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), she said.
Further she added that an amount of over ₹8,000 crore collected over the last three financial years constitutes approximately 0.23 per cent of the total income of public sector banks during the same period, “indicating that such charges form only a very small proportion of banks’ income and are primarily aligned with the cost of providing banking services rather than revenue generation through penalties.”
She also mentioned that in cases of non-maintenance of the agreed minimum balance in bank accounts, banks have been advised by RBI to notify customers through SMS, email, letter or other appropriate means. Customers are generally provided time to restore the required minimum balance before penal charges are applied as per extant regulatory guidelines.
Published on March 9, 2026
While IndiGo’s Sunday flights operated normally, a confusion over overflight permission disrupted travel plans of travellers on Monday
A Manchester-bound IndiGo flight returned to Delhi after over seven hours in air and another aircraft diverted to after being denied overflight permission by air traffic control in Eritrea.
IndiGo restarted its widebody flights to Amsterdam, Manchester and London on Sunday after a seven-day gap. These flights are operated by Boeing 787 planes leased from Norwegian airline Norse Atlantic. These avoid Gulf airspace in line with European Aviation Safety Agency recommendations.
While IndiGo’s Sunday flights operated normally, a confusion over overflight permission disrupted travel plans of travellers on Monday. The aircraft operating Delhi-Manchester flight returned after flying Ethiopia, while a London-Delhi route diverted to Cairo.
IndiGo said the Manchester-bound aircraft returned to Delhi due to last-minute airspace restrictions. “We are working with relevant authorities to explore the possibilities of resuming the journey,” IndiGo said.
Around 90,000 passengers have returned to India following partial resumption of air services. While Jeddah, Muscat and the UAE airports have been functioning, the first scheduled flight from Doha arrived in Delhi on Monday. On Tuesday, Qatar Airways plans to operate flights to Kochi, Delhi and Mumbai.
Meanwhile, responding to a question in Lok Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Monday that DGCA has engaged with all airlines and that multiple meetings have been held to ensure safe operations. All possible steps are being for the repatriation of stranded passengers, he added.
Published on March 9, 2026
Gold prices in the US were down 1.2 per cent to $5,098 an ounce after shedding 2 per cent in the earlier session as dollar strengthened against major currencies
The sharp depreciation of the rupee against dollar has cushioned domestic bullion prices from the impact of global slide in gold prices.
The rupee depreciated to an all-time closing low of 92.35 against the US dollar, losing 53 paise on Monday, as the conflict in West Asia worsened with Iran putting pressure on neighbouring countries to tame US aggression.
Gold prices in the US were down 1.2 per cent to $5,098 an ounce after shedding 2 per cent in the earlier session as dollar strengthened against major currencies. In the futures market, gold April contract dropped to $5,112 an ounce. Silver was down 2 per cent at $82 per ounce. Despite the growing crisis, gold prices fell as investors preferred to book-profit after prolonged rally.
However, in India, spot gold prices were down marginally by ₹77 at ₹158,674 per 10 grams against ₹158,751, according to the Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association. Silver slipped by ₹667 to ₹260,056 per kg against ₹260,723 on Friday.
Prithviraj Kothari, President, India Bullion and Jewellers Association, said domestic domestic bullion prices are derived from international spot prices, but are adjusted for the USD/INR exchange rate, import duty and GST. With the rupee weakening to around ₹92 per dollar, largely due to rising crude oil prices and capital outflows, the currency effect is offsetting the decline in international prices, he said.
Manav Modi, Commodities Analyst, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, said the disparity in domestic and international prices was largely due to rupee depreciation against dollar, which made gold prices costlier than international market and somewhat covered the dip in global prices.
This apart, he said the volatility in rupee-dollar prices also led to variations in bullion prices. The rupee traded at 90.50 against dollar a couple of weeks ago and moved down sharply to about 92.5 now, he added.
Gaurav Garg, Research Analyst, Lemonn Markets Desk, said gold and silver prices experienced notable declines, driven by a stronger US dollar and escalating crude oil prices that heightened inflation fears.
Gold fell to $5,098 an ounce, translating to about ₹151,203 per 10 grams, while silver decreased by 0.54 per cent to $83.44 per ounce, equivalent to around ₹2,47,494 per kg, he added.
Published on March 9, 2026
Petrol Diesel Price Impact India: मिडिट ईस्ट में इजरायल और ईरान के बीच जारी संघर्ष को अब करीब दस दिन हो चुके हैं. साथ ही इसका असर वैश्विक ऊर्जा बाजार पर साफ दिखाई देने लगा है. अंतरराष्ट्रीय बाजार में कच्चे तेल की कीमतें तेजी से बढ़ते हुए साल 2022 के बाद पहली बार 100 डॉलर प्रति बैरल के पार पहुंच गई हैं. युद्ध के चलते होर्मुज स्ट्रेट से सप्लाई को लेकर बनी अनिश्चितता ने तेल बाजार में हलचल को बढ़ाने का काम किया है.
कच्चे तेल की कीमतों में आई इस तेजी के बाद अब सबसे बड़ा सवाल यह है कि क्या इसका असर आम लोगों की जेब पर भी पड़ेगा? खासकर पेट्रोल और डीजल की कीमतों को लेकर चिंता बढ़ गई है.
भारत के साथ-साथ पड़ोसी मुल्क पाकिस्तान और बांग्लादेश जैसे देशों में हालात कैसे हैं? क्योंकि ये सभी देश भारत की तरह ही बड़े पैमाने पर कच्चे तेल के आयात पर निर्भर हैं. आइए जानते हैं, इस विषय में विस्तार से….
भारत में स्थित है कीमत
भारत अपनी ऊर्जा जरूरतों के लिए काफी हद तक आयात पर निर्भर है. होर्मुज स्ट्रेट के बंद होने से पूरी वैश्विक सप्लाई में 20 प्रतिशत की गिरावट आई है. क्योंकि इसी मार्ग से 20 प्रतिशत हिस्सा अलग-अलग देशों तक पहुंचता हैं. भारत में अभी पेट्रोल-डीजल की कीमतों में कोई बदलाव देखने को नहीं मिला है. हालांकि, पिछले सप्ताह एलपीजी के दाम जरूर बढ़े थे.
विषय की समझ रखने वाले जानकारों का कहना है कि, ऐसी स्थिति में भारत दूसरे वैकल्पिक रास्ते तलाश रहा हैं. साथ ही रिफाइनरिंग कंपनियों को देश में सप्लाई बढ़ाने की बात भी कही गई है. जिससे निकट भविष्य में तेल की दिक्कत ना हो. फिर भी अगर युद्ध लंबा खींचता है तो पेट्रोल-डीजल की कीमतों में बढ़ोतरी को नकारा नहीं जा सकता.
पाकिस्तान में हाल बेहाल
पाकिस्तान में कच्चे तेल की वैश्विक कीमतों में आई तेजी का असर अब सीधे पेट्रोल और डीजल के दामों पर दिखाई दे रहा है. हालात का अंदाजा इसी से लगाया जा सकता है कि वहां पेट्रोल की कीमत बढ़कर करीब 336 पाकिस्तानी रुपये प्रति लीटर तक पहुंच गई है.
जबकि हाई स्पीड डीजल का दाम लगभग 321 पाकिस्तानी रुपये प्रति लीटर हो गया है. बढ़ती लागत और आयात पर निर्भरता के कारण आने वाले समय में पाकिस्तान में ईंधन की कमी होने के संकेत मिल रहे हैं.
पाकिस्तान के कई हिस्सों में पेट्रोल और डीजल की भारी कमी की खबरें सामने आ रही हैं. हालात ऐसे हो गए हैं कि जैसे ही कहीं पेट्रोल पंप खुलने की खबर मिलती है, आधी रात से ही गाड़ियों की लंबी कतारें लग जाती हैं. कई पेट्रोल पंप तेल की कमी के कारण बंद पड़े हैं. जबकि जो खुले हैं वहां तेल भरवाने के लिए घंटों इंतजार करना पड़ रहा है.
बांग्लादेश में क्या है हाल?
वैश्विक स्तर पर बढ़ते तनाव और कच्चे तेल की कीमतों में उछाल का असर बांग्लादेश पर भी दिखाई देने लगा है. हालात को संभालने के लिए बांग्लादेशी सरकार ने पेट्रोल और डीजल की बिक्री पर राशनिंग सिस्टम लागू कर दिया है. यानी अब लोगों को तय सीमा के अनुसार ही ईंधन दिया जा रहा है, ताकि सप्लाई और मांग के बीच संतुलन बनाया जा सके.
