On Friday 22nd of May, Laura Pomfret joined Morning Live to talk about the rise of County Court Judgments (CCJs) across the UK, known as decrees in Scotland, which are issued to individuals who fail to repay money they owe.

Laura explains why the number of CCJs has increased, what your options are if you receive one, and advice on how to avoid an unpaid debt becoming a court case.

To find the steps and court forms involved in asking a court to vary the terms of a CCJ or decree, such as requesting to pay in instalments, or even how to get a judgment cancelled, you can click on the links below.

For England, Wales and Northern Ireland you can click here., external

For Scotland you can click here., external

Laura also mentioned temporary protection from your creditors while you get debt advice and make a plan.

In England and Wales this is called Breathing Space, and you can find information on that by clicking here., external

In Scotland this is called a moratorium, and you can find more information on that here., external

Federal Reserve officials all but retired the question that had dominated their debates for the past two years—whether to cut interest rates—and began more seriously at their meeting last month to weigh the opposite: whether to raise them.

“A majority of participants highlighted…that some policy firming would likely become appropriate if inflation were to continue to run persistently above 2%,” according to the minutes of the April policy meeting, released Wednesday.

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While William Shakespeare in his poetic verse wrote “What’s in a name”, markets seem to prove that “Everything is in the name”. The shares of infrastructure and real estate company Parle Industries jumped another 5% on Friday, hitting the upper circuit for the third consecutive session after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted his Italian peer Giorgia Meloni a bag of ‘Melody’ toffees, made by the unlisted FMCG company Parle Products.

During his visit to Italy, PM Modi gifted a bag of candies to his Italian counterpart. The Italian PM shared a video of their interaction on social media, which has now gone viral. In the video, she described it as a “very, very good toffee.” While social media went into a frenzy over PM Modi gifting PM Meloni a bag of ‘Melody’, investors sweetened the wrong ‘Parle’ stock.

Mumbai-based Parle Industries is associated with developing infrastructure and real estate projects, along with managing paper waste recycling operations. The company has no connection with its namesake Parle Products, which makes the popular Parle-G biscuits and other products, including the melody toffee.Parle Products is one of India’s oldest consumer goods companies. The viral moment also spilt into corporate branding campaigns, with Air India posting on X, “Some places don’t need introductions, just the right melody,” underscoring how the Modi-Meloni Melody exchange quickly evolved from a diplomatic gesture into a marketing moment for Indian brands.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Parle Products Vice President Mayank Shah said that Melody is already exported and available in 100 countries. He added that PM Modi’s gesture was a nice way of pushing Indian products and giving a global stage.
The Melody moment also came at a time when there were speculations that Parle Products was in early-stage talks for a potential initial public offering. Modi’s Meloni gift could have been a great global roadshow before aiming for D-Street entry. However, Parle Products management told CNBC-TV18 that it is not considering listing on exchanges right now.

Parle Industries share price

Parle Industries shares jumped 5% to Rs 5.78 apiece on BSE on Friday to hit the upper circuit for the third consecutive session. The microcap company has seen its share price rally 16% in just three sessions after the viral ‘Melody’ moment.

The company currently has a market capitalisation of more than Rs 28 crore.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Consumption trends in India’s equity markets continue to show a mixed but gradually improving picture, with investors increasingly becoming selective across consumer-facing sectors. While quick service restaurants (QSR) continue to face pressure, premium retail and select FMCG-linked businesses are showing stronger resilience and visibility.

Speaking to ET Now, market expert Rahul Shah from MOFSL said that Page Industries stands out as one of the strongest recovery stories within the consumer space. He highlighted improving growth momentum and positive management commentary, pointing out that “strong performance, upbeat on the sales part, 11% quarter-on-quarter growth, and we believe that after a long time we have seen this kind of growth coming back in Page.” He also noted that earnings estimates have been revised upward and that the company’s product expansion through digital platforms and retail channels is supporting visibility. According to him, Page Industries offers rare double-digit growth visibility in a volatile market and remains reasonably valued given its long-term growth outlook.

On other consumer names such as Nykaa and Honasa, Shah adopted a more cautious stance. He said Nykaa was largely in line with expectations and while the numbers were stable, “I feel that there is limited upside on the stock,” indicating that major re-rating potential may be capped in the near term. Honasa too was seen as largely aligned with expectations without strong immediate triggers for upside.

On broader consumption strategy, Shah suggested a balanced portfolio approach combining select FMCG names with premium consumption plays. He emphasized Marico as a consistent performer in the FMCG space, stating that it continues to stand out due to market share strength, product launches, and earnings sustainability. Along with Page Industries, he sees FMCG leaders like Marico as key anchors for playing the consumption theme in the current market environment.

In the insurance space, Shah reiterated the importance of maintaining sector allocation in portfolios. While acknowledging strong numbers from LIC, including growth in value of new business margins and annual premium equivalent, he expressed a preference for Max Financial Services within the space. He highlighted strong margins, robust growth, and expanding distribution channels beyond banks, noting that “Max remains our preferred bet and we see 20% upside in it.” At the same time, he indicated that LIC could act as a rerating candidate given improving sentiment and market positioning.

On the pharma sector, Shah observed that the space continues to outperform broader markets, supported by global uncertainty and defensive positioning. He noted that the Nifty Pharma index is at a 52-week high and highlighted strong performance from Sun Pharma and Aurobindo Pharma. While acknowledging that Cipla and Dr Reddy’s delivered weaker results, he maintained a constructive outlook on large-cap pharma, suggesting that Sun Pharma remains a key stock to watch, especially after its earnings, while Aurobindo Pharma also looks attractive after meeting street expectations.
Overall, the market narrative continues to shift towards selective consumption recovery, steady pharma strength, and insurance-driven defensive growth. With earnings visibility diverging across companies, investors are increasingly focusing on stock-specific opportunities rather than broad sector bets.

1506 ET – Oil futures post back-to-back losses as President Trump says the U.S. is in the final stages of negotiations with Iran, raising hopes of a deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Still, Trump adds that failure to reach a deal meant a resumption of military action. “Typical Trump style, but the market is buying into the possibilities,” says Mizuho’s Robert Yawger in a note. Hopes for an agreement led the market to overlook a bullish EIA inventory report showing U.S. commercial crude stocks down by 7.9 million barrels last week, although distillate stocks rose for a second straight week. WTI settles down 5.7% at $98.26 a barrel and Brent falls 5.6% to $105.02.(anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

Oil Futures Extend Losses on Hopes for U.S.-Iran Deal

1235 ET – Oil futures extend losses as the market focuses on hopes for a deal to end the U.S.-Iran conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The fact prices could fall further following a bullish U.S. crude stock drawdown for last week “tells me it’s more likely than not some kind of negotiation is happening,” says BOK Financial’s BOKF -0.17%decrease; red down pointing triangle Dennis Kissler. “The market is anticipating some sort of agreement.” The EIA reported a 7.9 million barrel decline in commercial crude stocks, along with a 9.9 million barrel release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. WTI is off 5.2% at $98.75 a barrel and Brent falls 5.5% to $105.16 a barrel. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)