_Markets open — regular Thursday session_
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📊 *ECONOMY & POLICY*
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🏦 *Retail inflation breaches RBI target again, hits 4.45%*
July CPI rose to 4.45% from 4.38% in June — the second straight month above RBI’s 4% median target, driven by food inflation (CFPI at 5.52%) on sharp ginger, garlic and onion price spikes.
Economists rule out an immediate MPC hike, but ICRA’s Aditi Nayar flags December as the likely window if pressures generalise — worth watching for rate-sensitive names.
📎 _Read: Business Standard_
💡 *SEBI: no manipulation found in new closing auction*
Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said the regulator has seen no signs of gaming in the recently-introduced Closing Auction Session, calling it a major microstructure reform aligning India with Japan, Hong Kong, the US and Europe.
SEBI is still gathering stakeholder feedback and remains open to tweaks — a reassurance for investors who’d flagged concerns since rollout.
📎 _Read: Business Standard_
📈 *India’s pharma exports rise 6.8% to $8.1 bn in Q1 FY27*
Vaccine shipments surged 35.68% and bulk drugs grew 13.84%, per Pharmexcil data; drug formulations remained the largest category at $5.98 bn (73.85% of the total).
Signals sustained global demand for Indian generics — a positive read-through for pharma exporters ahead of Q1 earnings season.
📎 _Read: The Tribune (ANI)_
🤝 *China imports surge 38% across engineering, textiles, toys*
A Lok Sabha reply shows imports across these categories rose $23.9 bn between FY24 and FY26, with engineering goods (+41%) driving 92% of the increase.
Underlines India’s widening dependence on Chinese industrial inputs even as trade tensions simmer elsewhere — a structural story for import-substitution and PLI-linked plays.
📎 _Read: The Policy Edge_
https://www.policyedge.in/p/chinese-imports-across-key-manufacturing-sectors-rise-38-in-two-years
🏦 *Govt clears 1 billion polymer ₹10, ₹20 banknotes*
Field trials approved for polymer currency; RBI says procurement is at an initial stage and existing paper notes remain legal tender throughout the transition.
📎 _Read: Business Standard_
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🏢 *COMPANIES*
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💰 *N Chandrasekaran steps down as Tata Sons Chairman*
He’ll complete his term to February 2027 without seeking reappointment, amid a board standoff with Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata that’s simmered since a February resolution failed to get unanimous support.
Tata Group stocks (TCS, Tata Motors, Tata Consumer) led Wednesday’s index declines; succession clarity ahead of the Aug 18 AGM is now the key overhang for Tata-linked portfolios.
📎 _Read: Business Standard_
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_Compiled by InvestoScope · 13 Aug 2026_