Amid war in the Middle East, 37 Indian-flagged ships carrying over 1,100 seafarers are stranded in the region around the Strait of Hormuz, which remains shut as Iran threatened to burn any ship crossing it. These ships are located in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, with some ships awaiting cargo and some already fully loaded.

Indian benchmark indices opened higher on Thursday, with the Sensex adding as much as 500 points, rebounding after three sessions of sharp losses. At 09:17 am, the Sensex was up 530 points or 0.6% at 79,646.4, while the Nifty rose 147.40 points to 24,627.90. Financial stocks led the early gains.

Amazon has confirmed it laid off staff across its robotics unit, with at least ​100 white-collar jobs affected, two people familiar with ‌the matter told Reuters. This comes after a January cut of about 16,000 jobs. Amazon has laid off around 30,000 corporate employees, starting with a round of some 14,000 white-collar employees in ​October.

PhonePe has introduced biometric authentication for UPI payments, allowing users to approve transactions using fingerprint or facial recognition instead of a PIN. The feature currently supports payments of up to ₹5,000 and aims to make transactions faster and more secure. It also reduces common issues such as forgotten PINs and incorrect entries during digital payments.

India now ranks second globally in childhood obesity, behind only China, according to the World Obesity Atlas 2026. Around 41 million children aged 5-19 in India were overweight or obese in 2025, surpassing numbers in the United States. Experts warn that without urgent action, 20 million Indian children could be living with obesity by 2040, increasing risks of chronic diseases.

Ford shares rose 2% after Bank of America initiated coverage with a 'Buy' rating and a $17 price target, implying 34% upside. Analysts believe Ford can capitalise on regulatory changes to focus on profitable trucks and SUVs. The move follows a 71% drop in EV sales and the announcement of $7 billion in special charges for its revised EV strategy.

AST SpaceMobile shares surged over 12% after UBS and Deutsche Bank raised their price targets, citing upcoming revenue growth. The surge follows a partnership with Telus to provide satellite connectivity in remote areas of Canada. The deal includes infrastructure investment and an equity stake. Analysts remain bullish as commercial services prepare to launch.

Crypto outflows from Iranian exchanges surged up to 873% above average shortly after US-Israeli airstrikes, with hourly transfers surpassing $2 million. Chainalysis reported $10.3 million in total outflows last week. Analysts believe the surge reflects capital flight and sanction evasion, as users move funds to self-custody or new wallets during the instability.

Goldman Sachs downplayed the risk of a deep bear market, citing strong earnings and economic growth as buffers against geopolitical tensions and AI-related fears. Peter Oppenheimer views current market risks as a buying opportunity and recommends diversifying investments to navigate the volatility.

Micron shares rose nearly 6% after Aletheia more than doubled its price target to $650, maintaining a 'Buy' rating. Analysts cited rapid growth in agentic AI workloads driving demand for high-bandwidth memory. The firm tripled its 2027 EPS estimates and doubled 2026 estimates. Micron is a leading producer of HBM modules essential for AI applications.