Overview

• India’s benchmarks slipped at the week’s start with tech majors leading losses after the White House set a $100,000 charge on new H‑1B work visas.
• The U.S. clarified the fee applies to new applications starting with the next lottery cycle and excludes renewals and returning visa holders, offering limited relief to IT exporters.
• Gold surged to fresh all-time highs near $3,750 an ounce as traders priced in additional Federal Reserve easing following last week’s 25-basis-point cut.
• U.S. equities hovered around record levels, with Monday’s session ending higher, while investors awaited Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks and Friday’s PCE inflation reading for the next policy cue.
• Indian flows were mixed, with provisional data showing foreign investors selling on Monday and domestic institutions providing support, as GST rate cuts underpinned consumption and financials even as IT lagged.