Gold prices soar, Indians swap old jewellery for new as advance purchase schemes lose shine

With gold prices soaring, consumers have increasingly turned to exchanging old jewellery, resulting in a notable decrease in advance purchase scheme deposits across the market. Notably, Titan’s Tanishq chain experienced a staggering thirty-nine percent dip year-on-year in deposits. Similar trends were observed at Reliance Retail and Jos Alukkas, which both reported significant declines in the previous fiscal. Experts anticipate this pattern will persist until gold prices stabilize.

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Bangladesh, US review trade & investment conditions

US envoy Brent T Christensen told Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir that US companies are keen to operate in Bangladesh.
The talks covered investment, bilateral trade, energy co-operation, import policy changes and transparency in large infrastructure projects.
For sourcing teams, the discussion points to continued focus on market access, energy supply and business-process reform.

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US’ Lands’ End returns to profit as Q2 revenue rises to $302 mn

Lands’ End returned to Q2 FY26 profit, with net income of $3.5 million as revenue rose 2.7 per cent to $302.0 million.
US e-commerce led growth, rising 9.0 per cent to $182.4 million; Outfitters gained, while third-party sales dropped 20.4 per cent.
Lands’ End reaffirmed FY26 guidance, with inventory up 13 per cent for seasonal build as operations normalised before the holiday season.

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US apparel imports are weak; so why did bookings jump 79%?

US HS61–62 apparel imports fell 7.77 per cent to $36.90 billion in H1 2026, but the contraction narrowed from 11.82 per cent in Q1 to 3.28 per cent in Q2.
Clothing and accessories-store sales rose 5.9 per cent to $151.09 billion; June’s inventory-to-sales ratio fell to 2.14.
US-bound HS61–62 ocean bookings reached 21,434 TEU in June, up 79 per cent, led by Vietnam and Cambodia.

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PM Modi’s call to cut gold purchases and 15 per cent tax change India’s import numbers

Modi’s renewed call to curb gold purchases comes as the government seeks to reduce India’s gold import bill and put some of the estimated 31,000 tonnes of household-held gold into circulation. Gold imports fell each month after a similar appeal in May — by nearly 4% in May, 20% in June, 23.7% in July and nearly 30% in August.

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PM Modi’s call to cut gold purchases & 15 per cent tax change India’s import numbers

Modi’s renewed call to curb gold purchases comes as the government seeks to reduce India’s gold import bill and put some of the estimated 31,000 tonnes of household-held gold into circulation. Gold imports fell each month after a similar appeal in May — by nearly 4% in May, 20% in June, 23.7% in July and nearly 30% in August.

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Gold lending industry to witness nearly 28 per cent CAGR over FY26-28E: Report

India’s gold lending industry is projected to witness approximately 28 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over FY26-28E, driven by the formalisation of credit and low monetization of household holdings, according to a report by Motilal Oswal. The segment has now overtaken personal loans to rank as the second-largest consumer lending category for banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), standing behind home loans.

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Bangladesh’s RMG sector bets on technology for a productivity edge

Bangladesh apparel exporters are adopting digital monitoring, data-driven production and AI tools to raise productivity, reduce downtime and improve quality.
Some factories report gains of up to 25 per cent versus manual monitoring, though results vary by technology, conditions and measurement.
The shift also raises concerns over worker pressure, privacy and fair sharing of productivity gains.

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