**Financial News**
Source: Leading newspapers
 *Compiled by RUDRA SHARES* 
Vande Mataram
Thursday, 19 February 2026

*Logistics & Infrastructure*
* FedEx plans a ₹2,500 crore investment to set up an automated air cargo hub at Navi Mumbai International Airport.
* Railway Board has ordered a crackdown on alleged tender cartels.
* NCC shares remain in focus after NHAI imposed a two-year tender ban.

*Energy & Commodities*
* Ethanol production capacity has surged, though the 20% blending cap is limiting incremental demand.
* India is looking to diversify crude oil and coking coal sourcing, with interest in high-quality US supplies, according to Piyush Goyal.
* Bharat Petroleum and HPCL Mittal have purchased Venezuelan crude amid sourcing realignment.
* Higher new well gas output is seen as a positive trigger for ONGC despite a weak Q3 performance.
* SAIL has moved court after CCI flagged suspected cartelisation in the steel industry.

*FMCG & Consumer*
* Urban sales growth in the FMCG sector outpaced rural markets in 2025, while overall sector growth slowed to 4.1%.
* Absolut Vodka maker Pernod Ricard is considering listing its India business, as per reports.
* ITC and Godfrey Phillips shares surged amid reports of cigarette price hikes.
* Rising temperatures are expected to drive 30% growth in Mother Dairy’s summer sales.
* HUL plans to invest ₹2,000 crore to scale up manufacturing in premium categories.

*Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare*
* Zydus Lifesciences shares are in focus following final USFDA approval for Bosentan tablets.
* Dr Reddy’s is also preparing to launch a semaglutide pill in FY27 as India’s GLP-1 market opens up.

*Politics & Government*
* Priyanka Gandhi visited Assam, with the party accusing BJP of harbouring “corrupt old Congress leaders.”
* PM Modi will visit Tamil Nadu on March 7 and participate in an NDA public meeting.
* NDA is eyeing gains as 37 Rajya Sabha seats go to polls in March.
* Ajit Pawar plane crash case sees NCP-SP alleging a TDP link to the fatal accident.
* ED and West Bengal counsels engaged in a heated exchange over I-PAC raids.
* India is projected to become the third-largest economy by 2027-28 and target a $35 trillion economy by 2047, said Piyush Goyal at GEC.
* PM Modi is set to address the India AI Impact Summit opening ceremony today.

*Banking & Financial Services*
* M&A funding norms are expected to unlock a $15 billion opportunity for banks.
* Venkatakrishnan of Barclays said AI will drive modernisation in banking.
* Instant redemption facilities are helping attract investors to liquid funds.
* BNP Paribas acquired shares worth over ₹54 crore in Capri Global Capital from Morgan Stanley.
* FIIs/FPIs were net buyers of ₹1,154 crore in Indian equities, while DIIs bought ₹440 crore on February 18.
* FIIs sold ₹10,956 crore worth of IT stocks in the first half of February, with notional losses exceeding ₹85,000 crore.

*Capital Markets & IPO*
* Steel companies are lining up IPOs to raise around ₹7,000 crore.
* Ola Electric shares jumped after the Bombay High Court stayed an arrest warrant against CEO Bhavish Aggarwal.
* Clean Max stated that while tariffs may fall, investor returns are expected to remain intact ahead of its IPO.
* Fractal Industries IPO was subscribed 5.13 times on the final day, with listing likely next week.
* Kiaasa Retail IPO will open on February 23 to fund store expansion.

*Technology & AI*
* The US plans to launch an online portal aimed at bypassing global content bans.
* MakeMyTrip has partnered with OpenAI to enhance AI-led travel bookings.
* L&T and Nvidia will set up gigawatt-scale AI data centre infrastructure in India.
* BharatGen unveiled Param2 17B multilingual MoE model under India’s sovereign AI initiative.

*Automobile & Industry*
* Nissan is targeting 100,000 exports in FY27 under its renewed India growth strategy.
* Case filed against Blinkit for allegedly selling knives beyond the legal blade size.

Jai Hind
Rudra Hai to Mudra Hai
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