Finnovate Weekly Capsule (Oct 06–Oct 10, 2025)

Welcome to this week’s edition of Finnovate’s Weekly Capsule. From global macro cues to domestic IPO buzz, the past few days brought a flurry of developments that could impact your investments and financial planning. Let’s break down the top headlines and what they mean for you.

1. Fed minutes hint at a debate in the FOMC between 1 and 2 more cuts

Impact Analysis

• The question was not about whether there should be more rate cuts, but what should be the extent of the rate cuts?
• The FOMC was almost equally split between members who wanted 1 more rate cut in 2025 and those wanting 2 more.

2. Indian healthcare stocks rally after likely relief for generic drugs

Impact Analysis

• This was after hints that the US may exempt generic drugs from the ambit of penal tariffs, while formulations pay 100%.
• Unlike formulations, the US was cautious about extending the tariffs to generic drugs due to implications for healthcare costs.

3. Goldman Sachs pegs gold price at $4,900/oz by end of year 2026

Impact Analysis

• That would imply a rally of another 22% from the current spot gold price levels of $4,000/oz in just under three months.
• Gold has rallied over 52% since the start of 2026, on the back of macro uncertainty and consistent trend of de-dollarization.

4. FPI selling in Indian equities in month of September 2025 stood at $(2.70) billion

Impact Analysis

• Healthcare and IT bore the brunt of FPI selling, with healthcare seeing the highest FPI selling since mid-2019.
• However, select sectors like automobiles and metals with a strong India centric story, continued to attract FPI flows.

5. The 3 IPOs that raised over ₹30,000 crore this week had varied responses

Impact Analysis

• The response to the IPOs of WeWork India and Tata Capital was tepid with subscription of 1.15X and 1.95X respectively.
• However, the IPO of LG Electronics India bucked the trend with subscription level of 54.02X, despite its IPO size.

6. LG Electronics also had the distinction of the biggest investor interest ever

Impact Analysis

• With a 54.02X subscription, the total investor interest in the IPO of LG Electronics was to the tune of over ₹4,39,000 crore.
• This substantially eclipses the collections of around ₹3.20 trillion in the Bajaj Housing Finance IPO in the previous year.

7. Mutual funds saw net outflows of ₹43,146 crore in September 2025

Impact Analysis

• Inflows into equity funds were robust at ₹30,422 crore in the month, led by flexi-cap, mid-cap, and small cap funds.
• However, debt funds saw net outflows of ₹(1,01,977) crore, largely from liquid funds due to advance tax commitments.

8. Passive funds saw a sharp revival in flows in Sep-25 at ₹19,057 crore

Impact Analysis

• Not surprisingly; gold funds with inflows of ₹8,363 crore and silver fund at ₹5,342 crore led the way amid rising prices.
• The rising interest in passive funds is also a sign of investor saturation due to underperformance in active funds.

9. Gross SIP inflows in September 2025 touched all-time record ₹29,361 crore

Impact Analysis

• Despite the spike in gross SIP flows, the overall SIP stoppage ratio for September 2025 remained elevated at 76.27%.
• However, the good news was on the contributing SIP ratio bouncing back to the 95.11% levels in September 2025.

10. US shutdown continues for the tenth day, with no signs of resolutions

Impact Analysis

• The shutdown has brought most of the non-essential services of the US government to a halt, and workers on furlough.
• This has larger implications as regulators have to take key macro decisions based on inadequate or incomplete data.

11. Westlife Foods CEO, Akshay Jatia, will give McDonalds a healthy twist

Impact Analysis

• McDonalds has recently launched its protein plus range, which includes multi-millet buns for the health-conscious eaters.
• McDonalds has long attracted criticism globally, for introducing junk and fast-food eating across the world.

12. TCS recorded headcount reduction of 19,755 personnel in Q2FY26

Impact Analysis

• This includes the 12,000 planned layoffs during the quarter plus the regular attrition that happens in every quarter.
• For the September 2025 quarter, profits were below street expectations while revenues came in better than estimates.

13. India’s fintech funding in year 2025 is down by 17%, but early stage is safe

Impact Analysis

• The fintech hit was mainly in seed stage funding (-38%), and late-stage funding (-23%), where investor interest waned.
• In contrast, early-stage funding actually saw an increase of 8% yoy to $598 million, showing interest in new start-ups.

14. New business premium (NBP) for life grew 15% in Sep-25 to ₹40,207 crore

Impact Analysis

• Interestingly, LIC bucked the trend of contracting NBP in last few months, to record a strong 12% growth in NBP.
• However, the big growth for LIC came from group policies, even as the NBP of individual policies continued to contract.

15. Reliance Consumer (FMCG arm) has relaunched iconic Velvette Shampoo

Impact Analysis

• Velvette had pioneered the launch of Velvette shampoos in sachets in the 1980, and the concept had caught on rapidly.
• Shampoos in sachets were largely instrumental in making shampoos affordable, and accessible to rural populations.

16. L&T bags order worth ₹15,000 crore from oil & gas companies in West Asia

Impact Analysis

• L&T’s Hydrocarbon vertical will set up a natural gas liquids plant and allied facilities in West Asia.
• The project will be executed in consortium with Consolidated Contractors Group (CCG) of Greece, strengthening L&T’s global EPC portfolio.

17. It is not just gold, but even silver has rallied to $50/oz, its highest ever level

Impact Analysis

• Silver breached the $50/oz mark for the first time, reducing the Gold/Silver ratio from 100 to 82.
• The milestone reflects strong industrial demand and renewed investor interest in precious metals.

18. Capex by CPSEs in H1FY26 was up 14% at ₹3.85 trillion; led by railways and NHAI

Impact Analysis

• September 2025 alone saw ₹1.13 trillion in capex, highlighting continued infra push.
• At this pace, FY26 capex could surpass the ₹8.10 trillion spent in FY25.

19. SEBI reviews SLB mechanism to make stock lending more effective in India

Impact Analysis

• SEBI plans to revamp the Stock Lending & Borrowing Mechanism (SLBM) due to poor adoption in India.
• A key focus will be attracting institutional participation to boost liquidity and market depth.

20. Axis Bank to actively foray into Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) financing

Impact Analysis

• The move follows RBI’s broader framework proposal to facilitate M&A financing.
• Axis Bank’s entry could encourage other private banks to explore this high-reward, high-risk segment.

21. Senior Tata Group officials met with government officials over governance

Impact Analysis

• A rift is emerging within Tata Trusts over governance concerns linked to Noel Tata’s leadership style.
• Governance clarity will be crucial for succession planning and long-term group stability.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice or product recommendations. Please consult a registered advisor before making investment decisions.