Robust sales of motorcycles and three-wheelers in the domestic as well as export markets drove up Bajaj Auto’s net profit by 34.67 per cent in the March quarter over the year-ago period, the company said in a filing with the stock exchanges. The earnings are not comparable to the previous year’s because these are disclosed net of the goods and services tax (GST), introduced in July last year, it said.

With an aim to deepen the commodity derivatives market, regulator Sebi on Friday proposed allowing trading in this segment by foreign entities with exposure to the Indian physical commodity market.

To begin with, foreign entities may be allowed to hedge their exposures with derivatives trading in only those commodities where India has a large production, consumption or export share globally, barring the sensitive commodities.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has received approval from the US derivatives regulator, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), to sell its products to US-based investors.

The US equity and commodity derivatives are regulated by CFTC and institutional investors based in the US are allowed to invest only in those derivatives that are CFTC-approved.

The benchmark indices fell for a fourth straight day on Friday, on concerns over high oil prices and weakness in the rupee. The Sensex declined 0.86 per cent, or 301 points to 34,848.3, while the Nifty declined 86.3 points, or 0.81 per cent to 10,596.4. Both the indices ended the week with a decline of nearly two per cent — the most in two months. The weakness in the market comes amid Brent crude oil prices climbing to $80 a barrel and the rupee declining to 68 against the dollar.

Indian lenders will have access to Rs 70 billion deposited by ArcelorMittal in an escrow account, but only after the L N Mittal-owned company gets approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take over Essar Steel and all pending litigation against the stressed steel asset are resolved before the acquisition.

Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha on Friday said there is no proposal to merge state-run telecomcompanies Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and Ma hanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL). “There is no proposal to merge BSNL and MTNL. We had appointed a consultant to revive MTNL, who has given some recommendations.

Commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland has posted a growth of 40 per cent in net profit at Rs 6.67 billion during the quarter ended March 31, 2018, beating the analyst estimates of around 38 per cent growth.

The net profit for the same period last year was Rs 4.76 billion, on a standalone basis. The total income grew by 23.79 per cent during the quarter, to Rs 88.30 billion as compared to Rs 71.33 billion a year ago.

NTPC Ltd, the largest power producer, is looking to minimise its stranded asset risk while accelerating the integration of renewable energy generation capacity. The strategy is a win-win situation for NTPC shareholders, the government, electricity consumers, distribution companies (discoms), and the environment, says a report by US-based Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

Two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto on Friday said its consolidated net profit increased 36.32 per cent to Rs 11.75 billion for March quarter, driven by robust sales across segments.

The company had reported a net profit of Rs 8.62 billion during January-March, 2016-17.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), a maharatna PSU, aims to commission the LPG bottling unit at Balangir, its second in Odisha, by March 2020.

The new bottling unit is being built at a cost of Rs 1.03 billion. The facility is to be spread over 23 acres at Barkhani village, around 12 km from the Bolangir railway station.

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