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Petrol, CNG and EV cars at an Indian dealership with Petrol/Ethanol at 41.27% and alternative fuels at 41.00% of September 2026 retail

Alternative Fuels Overtook Petrol in August. In September, They Gave the Lead Back

When FADA’s August data showed CNG, hybrid, and electric cars edging past petrol for the first time, we flagged that a single month wasn’t a trend and that September and October would be t...

RBI repo rate hike to 5.50% in October 2026 and its impact on festive season consumer demand | Maction Consulting

The RBI Just Raised Rates for the First Time Since 2023. Festive Shoppers Won’t Feel It Yet — and That’s the Research Problem

On October 7, the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to raise the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50% — the first increase since February 2023 — and shifted its stance from neut...

Gold at Rs 81,000 per 10g before Dhanteras 2026 — investment vs jewellery buying split and festive consumer research implications | Maction Consulting

For the First Time Since 2000, Indians Are Buying More Gold as Investment Than as Jewellery

Dhanteras falls on November 6 this year, exactly a month away, and the World Gold Council’s own data points to something that would have sounded implausible a few years ago: in the first quarter...

UPI MDR trader protest October 2026 — CAIT merchant pushback and festive season payment mix impact | Maction Consulting

Traders Just Split Over the UPI MDR Protest — Which Is More Useful Data Than the Protest Itself

The planned “No UPI Day” protest for October 2 — which we flagged two weeks ago as the kind of merchant-behaviour question standard trackers don’t capture — just played out in a genu...

Crude at $107 and rupee past 96 — festive season cost pressure beyond fuel for Indian brands | Maction Consulting

Crude at $107, Rupee Past 96: This Isn’t Just a Fuel Story Anymore

Brent crude crossed $107 a barrel this weekend, and the rupee slipped past 96 to the dollar on September 28 for the first time — two numbers moving together, twelve days before Navratri begins. The pr...

India onion buffer stock 2026 — Rs 25/kg subsidised price vs Rs 75/kg market price gap and festive demand impact | Maction Consulting

The Government Is Selling Onions at Rs 25/kg. The Market Is Still Charging Rs 75. That Gap Is the Research Question

The Centre’s onion buffer-stock intervention, flagged as a plan back in July, is now visibly running: roughly 4,000 tonnes sold across 17 cities in the intervention’s first ten days, moved...

FADA August 2026 India car market — alternative fuels 41.95% vs petrol 40.85%, CNG driving the shift not EVs | Maction Consulting

Alternative Fuels Just Overtook Petrol in India’s Car Market — And Almost Nobody Framed It That Way

FADA’s August retail numbers, released September 7, led with a genuinely strong headline: 24.23 lakh vehicle registrations, up 17.51% year-on-year, the biggest August on record. That’s the...

UPI MDR October 2026 — 0.4% merchant discount rate launching mid-festive season, Rs 2000 threshold impact on merchant behaviour | Maction Consulting

UPI Stops Being Free for Merchants on October 15 — And It Lands Mid-Festive Season

NPCI issued a circular on September 15 that ends six years of zero-cost UPI for merchants. From October 15, a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate applies to person-to-merchant transactions above Rs 2,000, cap...

India bank liquidity surplus ₹11 lakh crore 2026 — what it means for festive season EMI demand and consumer durables research | Maction Consulting

India’s Banks Are Sitting on a Record ₹11 Lakh Crore Surplus — Right Before Festive Season

India’s banking system is sitting on the largest cash surplus in its recorded history — roughly ₹11 lakh crore, or $115 billion, in excess rupee liquidity — and the RBI began actively draining i...