IEEPA authority invalidated - certain IEEPA based tariffs now refundable to importers who directly paid them.
IEEPA based tariffs were deemed impermissible, allowing refunds only to US importers of record or consignees who directly paid tariffs. Eligible tariffs include IEEPA imposed levies commonly termed fentanyl, trafficking, reciprocal or baseline tariffs, including certain tariffs on goods from Brazil and India. Refunds exclude duties imposed under other statutory authorities such as anti dumping, countervailing, trade remedy or national security provisions. The administrative procedure and timing for claims remain uncertain pending further court and executive guidance.

Presidential emergency powers limited: IEEPA cannot be used to impose broad import tariffs, leaving refund questions open.
The Supreme Court concluded that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose broad import tariffs, stressing that authority to levy taxes and tariffs rests with Congress and that longstanding practice shows such power has not been exercised under IEEPA. The opinion invalidates tariffs enacted under emergency proclamations while leaving untouched tariffs based on other statutory grounds, and it leaves unresolved whether and how refunds should be returned to importers who paid the challenged levies.

Presidential emergency tariff power invalidated, forcing alternative legal routes and prolonging trade and political uncertainty.
The Court held the president lacked authority to declare an economic emergency and impose sweeping import tariffs, removing an executive legal basis for those tariffs and forcing the administration to pursue alternative statutory mechanisms, which will prolong legal and political debate over trade policy.

IEEPA authority curtailed: major emergency based tariffs invalidated, leaving sectoral trade measures and exemptions intact.
The President exceeded statutory authority by invoking IEEPA to impose broad import tariffs, nullifying core emergency based levies. Affected measures include the wide ranging "Liberation Day" tariffs, trafficking justified duties on Canada, Mexico and China, Brazil linked duties, and India related levies tied to Russian oil purchases. The decision removes the IEEPA route for economy wide tariffs but leaves intact sectoral and statute specific tools that continue to impose tariffs on selected industries and products.

IEEPA authority struck down; partners unlikely to abandon recent tariff deals, administration to rely on other statutes.
The Supreme Court invalidated reliance on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad tariffs, finding IEEPA does not authorize such duties. Observers anticipate the Administration will instead invoke clear congressional tariff statutes and that trading partners who made recent deals are unlikely to withdraw them, having expected alternative statutory mechanisms to keep tariffs in place.

Emergency-powers tariff invalidation restores trade predictability for exporters, but sectoral steel and aluminium duties remain in force.
The US Supreme Court invalidated country-specific reciprocal tariffs imposed under emergency powers, restoring predictability for exporters and enabling importers to seek refunds for duties paid under the invalidated regime, while separate sector-specific duties on steel, aluminium and certain auto components remain in force.

Tariff authority options: multiple statutory pathways remain for imposing import duties despite limits on emergency powers.
After the court rejected the administration's emergency-based authority for sweeping reciprocal tariffs, the president can still impose import duties using alternative statutes: the Trade Act unfair-practices authority permitting unlimited tariffs after investigation and hearings; the Trade Act provision for addressing unbalanced trade that allows time-limited tariffs without prior investigation but is untested; the national-security tariff authority under the Trade Expansion Act which requires Commerce investigations; and a rarely used Tariff Act depression-era authorisation that allows very high, indefinite tariffs without investigation.

IEEPA authority questioned as tariffs ruled unauthorized; dissent stresses tariffs' foreign affairs leverage, including India example.
The decision holds that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the imposition of import duties, rejecting the use of IEEPA as a statutory basis for tariffs; a dissent argued such tariffs fall within foreign affairs practice, serve as leverage in international negotiations, and cautioned against applying a major questions constraint to executive statutory authority in national security and diplomatic contexts.

Trade deals improve market access and spur investor confidence, supporting growth and fiscal consolidation momentum.
Trade agreements with the EU and an interim US deal are expected to improve market access, boost export competitiveness, and reverse investor sentiment with renewed foreign portfolio investment into equity and debt. Fiscal consolidation alongside stepped up capital expenditure aims to crowd in private investment and support state infrastructure. Concurrently, the Reserve Bank recorded consecutive spot market dollar sales amid rupee volatility and capital flow intermittency, while inflation is expected to remain near target, sustaining a favourable near term growth-inflation balance.

Emergency powers limits curb broad presidential tariffs, invalidating sweeping reciprocal trade measures and reshaping trade policy authority.
The Supreme Court found that tariffs enacted under asserted emergency statutory powers-including widely applied reciprocal tariffs-exceeded the President's lawful authority, clarifying statutory limits on unilateral tariff measures and signaling judicial constraints on executive use of emergency powers for sweeping trade regulation.

Repo rate decision maintains neutral monetary stance as growth outlook brightens while inflation risks remain monitored.
The Monetary Policy Committee held the repo rate steady and retained a neutral stance, finding the current policy rate appropriate amid buoyant growth and broadly benign inflation. Members cited healthy medium term macroeconomic fundamentals and improving external outlook driven by trade agreements and fiscal measures, while noting persistent global volatility and risks to inflation. The MPC emphasized ongoing transmission of prior easing, awaited new GDP and inflation data series, and reaffirmed readiness to reassess policy as fresh data emerge.

Money laundering allegations prompt former MD to surrender to custody after interim bail term expires in fraud-linked probe.
Allegations of money laundering and diversion of homebuyer funds form the basis of an ED investigation and FIRs alleging that two group companies misapplied project receipts, leaving residential projects incomplete and purchasers defrauded. The promoter was arrested, obtained interim bail, and later surrendered after a court denied regular bail, the court noting allegations of widespread cheating and criminal breach of trust. A related listed company filed a regulatory update confirming the director's surrender upon expiration of interim bail.

Policy rate maintained as appropriate: neutral monetary stance justified by buoyant growth and benign inflation.
The Monetary Policy Committee voted to maintain the existing policy repo rate and retain a neutral stance, finding the current policy rate appropriate given buoyant growth and benign inflation. The Governor noted healthy medium term macroeconomic fundamentals, while the Deputy Governor cited upward revisions to near term growth projections and incomplete transmission of earlier rate cuts as reasons to defer further easing until new GDP and inflation series data are available.

Free trade agreements improving market access and export competitiveness, prompting investor confidence and supporting growth policy.
Free trade agreements with the EU and an interim pact with the US are expected to improve market access, enhance export competitiveness, and deepen Indian firms' integration into global value chains; this expectation has altered investor sentiment, prompting a return of foreign portfolio investment, while the Union Budget stresses fiscal consolidation alongside stepped up capital expenditure, and headline inflation remains benign under the revised CPI series.

Market rebound driven by banking and metal stock buying as trade deal signals and supply chain shifts lift sentiment.
Equity markets rebounded with strong buying in large-cap banking and metal stocks restoring benchmark indices to positive territory after a sharp correction. Broad sector participation favored Power, PSU Banks, Utilities, Capital Goods and Metals, while IT lagged. Sentiment was supported by trade-agreement signals and India's participation in Pax Silica, enhancing supply chain security for AI and semiconductors, even as elevated volatility and recent institutional net selling influenced near-term flow-driven moves.

Foreign exchange reserves rise to record level after gains in foreign currency assets and gold, RBI data shows
India's foreign exchange reserves rose to USD 725.727 billion in the week ended February 13, driven by increases in foreign currency assets (up USD 3.55 billion to USD 573.603 billion) and gold reserves (up USD 4.99 billion to USD 128.466 billion); SDRs increased by USD 103 million to USD 18.924 billion and the IMF reserve position rose by USD 19 million to USD 4.734 billion, with dollar reporting reflecting valuation effects of non US currency movements.

Supply chain security for critical minerals and AI strengthened as partners commit to trusted, diversified industrial cooperation.
India joined Pax Silica to build a resilient, trusted supply chain for critical minerals and AI, addressing over concentration and risks of economic coercion. The declaration commits partners to coordinated cooperation across the value chain-from raw materials and mineral processing through semiconductors and AI infrastructure-emphasising diversification, trusted industrial bases, workforce development, and a pro innovation approach that treats economic security as national security.

Export Promotion Mission expands MSME trade support with export factoring, e commerce credit and compliance facilitation.
The Export Promotion Mission deploys coordinated financial and ecosystem measures-under Niryat Protsahan and Niryat Disha-to strengthen MSME export competitiveness by reducing cost of capital, diversifying trade finance through export factoring and structured e commerce credit with interest subvention and partial guarantees, and by enhancing compliance capabilities, overseas warehousing, logistics reimbursements and trade intelligence to facilitate market entry and integration.

Production Linked Incentive scheme links incentives to incremental domestic production, deepening localisation and strengthening manufacturing competitiveness.
The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme links financial incentives to incremental domestic production over a defined base year, incentivising scale, technology adoption and domestic value addition across 14 strategic sectors. Operative approvals and performance metrics channel payments to approved applicants to deepen localisation, expand manufacturing capacity and integrate with global value chains; reported outcomes as of 31 December 2025 include 836 approved applications, cumulative rises in investment, production, exports, employment and disbursed incentives.

Interim India-US trade agreement likely operationalised in April after legal-text finalisation meeting, with related FTAs scheduled for implementation.
An interim trade agreement between India and the United States is expected to be signed in March and made operational in April after officials finalise the legal text; FTAs with the United Kingdom and Oman are likely to be implemented in April and a pact with New Zealand in September.