Daily Current Affairs – May 12, 2026

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal urged industries to leverage India's newly finalised free trade agreements, noting a historical underutilization of such pacts. While FTAs have boosted trade volumes, exports have lagged behind imports, potentially due to strong domestic demand in India's rapidly growing economy. New agreements with developed nations are expected to attract investment by going beyond tariffs.

India is identifying 100 products for enhanced domestic manufacturing, including auto parts, to boost production for global markets. A 'Made in India Brand Scheme' is planned, following a successful pilot in the steel sector, to assure quality and value addition. Companies are urged to invest long-term, leveraging opportunities from new free trade agreements and the impact of AI on manufacturing.

The idea of making Mr. Thirumavalavan the CM was mooted after a bid for an AIADMK Government with DMK support hit hurdles, a senior VCK leader told The Hindu

Global hedge funds significantly increased their investments in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan last week, reaching a decade-high in stock buying. This surge, driven by AI beneficiaries and the region's dominance in the tech supply chain, saw net exposure to these markets hit its highest point since 2010.

Five NSE F&O stocks, Dalmia Bharat, Tata Consumer Products, Kaynes Technology India, Bharti Airtel and Biocon, recorded sharp futures open interest gains on May 11, signalling increased trader participation and fresh positioning activity.

Soft demand and uneven deal wins widen the gap among small IT firms, with Sasken crossing the $100 million mark on acquisition-led growth.

Despite strong MSME and retail lending momentum, escalating West Asia conflict and supply chain disruptions risk derailing India’s fragile credit recovery.

The suspension order was issued after the Boxing Federation of India failed to respond to Sports Authority of India’s “persistent queries on irregularities in the selection policy for boxers as well as coaches”