Business
Budget 2026: Shankar Sharma cheers derivatives STT hike, calls F&O a ‘poison’ for investors
Likening derivatives trading (futures & options) to a ‘poison’ laced with ‘cocaine’, Sharma warned that the destructive impact of F&O trading would be felt across generations.
“I love this Budget for ONE major reason: hiking of STT on derivatives. Derivatives are a poison x cocaine, eating away at the roots of our youth. Its destructive effect will be felt by generations. It’s a pure wealth transfer from the traders to F&O specialist brokers, who have been massive winners of this drug + gun trade. ( Not their fault),” the GQuant FinXray founder said in a tweet.
In his view, the F&O segment in India adds no value to the country but cannot be stopped.
“F&O adds zero value to India. It deducts inestimable value. It can’t be stopped but it can be taxed the hell out of. Kudos to the Finance Minister,” Sharma said.
The government’s decision to raise the securities transaction tax (STT) on derivatives triggered a sharp sell-off in brokerage and exchange stocks during the special live weekend trading session. Shares of BSE, Groww (Billionbrains Garage Ventures), and Angel One plunged as much as 13.5%.
“I propose to raise the STT on Futures to 0.05 percent from the present 0.02 percent. STT on options premium and exercise of options are both proposed to be raised to 0.15 percent from the present rate of 0.1 percent and 0.125 percent, respectively,” FM Sitharaman said in her Budget speech.”The increase in STT on derivatives may impact trading but it should be looked at as an encouragement to gradually shift towards cash market and long-term investing,” said, A Balasubramanian, Managing Director & CEO, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC, echoing a somewhat similar sentiment.
Vishal Kampani – Vice Chairman and Managing Director, JM Financial said that the measured increase in STT on futures and options reflects a clear intent to curb excessive speculation, fostering a more stable market and encouraging sustainable participation from long-term retail and institutional investors.
Other side of spectrum
Sandeep Nayak, MD & CEO at Centrum Finverse called STT hike the only notable disappointment from today’s budget, especially in the absence of any corresponding relief in capital gains taxation.
Bhupinder Singh, Founder, InCred Group said that the sharp increase in STT on futures and options has “understandably unsettled markets” and could weigh on trading volumes at a delicate moment. “Predictability and active participation are vital for deep capital markets, so ongoing engagement between government and market stakeholders will be key,” he opined.
Estimated impact
Decoding the impact, Ashish Singhal, Co-founder, Lemonn, said that the current STT framework does not differentiate between various categories of users or the purpose of derivative usage, genuine hedging activity is subject to the same higher costs as speculative trading. In his view, this uniform treatment could discourage some investors from employing prudent hedging strategies, effectively increasing their exposure to market risk and making portfolio protection more expensive.
Doing the math, this analyst said that for every Rs 1 lakh worth of futures sold, traders will now pay Rs 20 in STT instead of the previous Rs 12.50. For a Rs 10,000 option contract sale, STT increased to Rs 10 from Rs 6.25, he added.
(Disclaimer: The recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)
Business
What Active REIT Managers Bought And Sold In Q4 2025
Jussi Askola is the President of Leonberg Capital, a value-oriented investment boutique that consults hedge funds, family offices, and private equity firms on REIT investing. He has authored award-winning academic papers on REIT investing, has passed all three CFA exams, and has built relationships with many top REIT executives.
He is the leader of the investing group High Yield Landlord, where he shares his real-money REIT portfolio and transactions in real-time. Features of the group include: three portfolios (core, retirement, international), buy/sell alerts, and a chat room with direct access to Jussi and his team of analysts to ask questions. Learn more.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of CPT; CCI; INVH; REXR; FR; KIM; MAC; VICI; KRG; RYN; KRG; ARE either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Business
InvestingPro’s Fair Value warned AeroVironment was overvalued at $380

InvestingPro’s Fair Value warned AeroVironment was overvalued at $380
Business
Vincorion Shares Gain on Market Debut as Investors Eye Rising Defense Demand
Vincorion shares jumped on the group’s first day of trading as investors eye a business boost for Europe’s defense suppliers.
Shares in the German company, which supplies aviation and vehicle systems for the defense industry, traded at 19.59 euros in morning trading, up 15% from a listing price of 17 euros a share. The company had said it aimed to raise 345 million euros ($399.8 million) through the initial public offering at the listing price.
Copyright ©2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Business
Analysis-Three weeks in, Iran war escalates beyond Trump’s control

Analysis-Three weeks in, Iran war escalates beyond Trump’s control
Business
High Templar Tech Stock: AI Pivot With A Hefty Cash Balance (NYSE:HTT)
Welcome to my author’s site. As an avid follower of SeekingAlpha, I take great interest in articles posted as the subject matter is often something that appeals to me. However, I will sometimes encounter an article that I might not agree with. My purpose is to present an alternative view to readers that they may want to take into account. I hope you find my articles interesting and informative.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of HTT either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Business
Abu Dhabi Investment Portfolio: 6 stocks surge up to 110% in FY26, 3 fresh Q3 picks
The equity portfolio of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), managed through its global funds, has recorded a 7% gain so far in FY26, rising from Rs 3,774 crore in March to Rs 3,910 crore as of March 20, 2026. As of the December 2025 quarter, the portfolio includes holdings in 26 publicly listed Indian companies.Despite this modest overall growth, performance has been uneven: six stocks have delivered strong gains in the 30–110% range, while the majority have posted negative returns. The top four laggards have declined between 30% and 47% during FY26 to date. Additionally, three new stocks were added in the December 2025 quarter: Strides Pharma, Indigo Paints, and Tenneco Clean Air. (Data Source: ACE Equity, Trendlyne)
Business
Alibaba: Shockingly Bad Q3, Yet Astoundingly Good Buy (Rating Upgrade)
Alibaba: Shockingly Bad Q3, Yet Astoundingly Good Buy (Rating Upgrade)
Business
Rupee on shaky ground, touches fresh low of 93.73
The pace of decline was rather quick, seemingly compensating for the Thursday trading holiday in Mumbai, with traders saying that market estimates of the central bank’s short dollar positions and sustained sales of Indian equity assets by overseas investors further pressured the rupee, which has lost more than 2.5% since the start of the Iran war.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sold dollars at multiple levels on Friday, but traders said its interventions were aimed only at moderating the pace of depreciation, not reversing the pronounced downward trend.
“If the current trends continue, the rupee could weaken toward 94/$ to 95/$ levels, but the outlook remains highly fluid,” said Lakshmi Iyer, Group President, Investments, Bajaj Finserv. “Up until now, we have already seen reasonable intervention from the central bank, but beyond a point, the currency has to reflect the market equilibrium.”
The rupee had closed at 92.63/$ on Wednesday, LSEG data showed.
“With sustained FPI outflows and geopolitical uncertainty, the market is still searching for stability, and calling a firm range right now would be like throwing darts in the dark,” Iyer said.
One-Way Ticket
The rupee opened at 92.89/$ on Friday and consistently declined, crossing the 93/$ mark in the first hour of the day.
Traders said the RBI sold dollars at all key levels, 92.90/$, 93/$ and 93.50/$.
“There has been no positive news for the rupee since the war started, and though such a large fall wasn’t expected, it is understandable,” said Anil Bhansali, Head of Treasury at Finrex Treasury Advisors. “Importers are buying dollars to hedge their positions at almost all levels because they expect the currency to decline further, and at the same time, exporters have largely stopped hedging.”
Bhansali expects the rupee to trade in the range of 93.25/$ to 94.25/$ on Monday, as crude oil prices continue to stay above $100 a barrel.
Crude Oil India Basket stood at $156 per barrel on March 19, Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) data showed, implying that India is paying a premium of $46 per barrel.
Brent crude prices are trading at $110 per barrel.
Reuters reported that Tehran attacked an oil refinery in Kuwait on Friday even as Tel Aviv vowed to avoid further attacks on Iran’s South Pars gasfield, a day after an Iranian retaliatory strike on Qatar caused damage that could cripple natural gas supplies for multiple years.
“Geopolitical tensions and their impact on crude prices will influence rupee levels. At the onset of the West Asia crisis, the rupee was expected to be between 93/$ to 94/$,” said Sameer Karyatt, MD and Head of Trading at DBS Bank. “But continuation in the conflict and upward pressure on crude oil prices are likely to guide the rupee towards the 94.50/$ to 95/$ range,” he said.
Rising crude oil prices fuel inflationary pressures and widen India’s current account deficit by increasing the import bill. They also weigh on economic growth by raising input costs for businesses and reducing consumption demand.
Business
Potential Red Sea Route Disruption Could Push Oil Even Higher Amid Houthi Threat
As the Middle East conflict continues to disrupt energy flows via the Strait of Hormuz, RBC Capital Markets strategists are watching for any signs that the Houthis may enter the fray, imperiling the alternative Red Sea export route.
For now, the Houthis have stayed on the sidelines, unlike in 2019 when they targeted the East-West pipeline and joined the Iranian strike on Abqaiq following the termination of exemptions for importers of Iranian oil by the U.S., the commodity strategy team said.
“If the Yemeni group does become an active participant, we think it would materially alter risk perceptions about the Red Sea exports,” they wrote.
Business
Mutual fund NFOs: Six funds open for subscription, all passive in nature. Check details
Six new funds are open for subscription now and all are passive in nature. Here is a detailed breakup (Source: ACE MF)
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