Business
DWP answers Labour MP on whether cost of living payments will be extended | Personal Finance | Finance

The DWP has confirmed that there are no plans to extend cost of living payments beyond the department’s current deadline in spring next year.
More than eight million people have already received their £300 payments for the autumn of this year automatically between October 31 and November 19.
A fresh payment of £299 will be paid to people claiming a variety of benefits, but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt did not mention the scheme in his Autumn Statement on November 22.
This led Labour MP Sir George Howarth to ask the DWP whether there were “plans to extend cost of living payments beyond the spring”.
DWP Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression Mims Davies MP has now signalled that the payments are set to end.
Ms Davies said: “There are currently no plans to extend the cost of living payments beyond the Spring.
“Cost of living payments enabled us to target further support during the rising cost of living pressures. Delivering lump sum payments got support faster to those who needed it, reflecting our commitment to providing direct and timely relief to those who need it most.”
The MP pointed out that inflation has now slowed and said that the DWP has uprated certain benefits to reflect increasing costs.
She said: “The Secretary of State (Mel Stride MP) has completed his annual statutory review of pensions and benefits and his decisions were announced to Parliament on 22 November. From April 2024, Universal Credit amounts will be up-rated by 6.7%”.
The third and final cost of living payment will be handed out to people on the following benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
To be eligible for the payments, you must have been entitled to a payment for a qualifying benefit between August 18 2023 and September 17 2023, or have been eligible for payment for an assessment period during that time.
Sir George also urged the department to extend cost of living payments to people claiming housing benefits and council tax reduction, but Ms Davies MP said there are no plans to do so.
Business
Sensex Opens 265 Points Higher, Nifty Climbs 89 Points In Early Trade

Mumbai:
The Indian equity benchmark indices opened higher on Friday amid positive global cues, as buying was seen in the IT, pharma and auto sectors in the early trade.
At around 9.27 am, Sensex was trading 265.3 points or 0.33 per cent up at 80,066.81 while the Nifty added 89.85 points or 0.37 per cent at 24,336.55.
Nifty Bank was down 222.85 points or 0.40 per cent at 54,978.55. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 54,980.80 after increasing 10.95 points or 0.02 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 16,903.30 after declining 60.20 points or 0.35 per cent.
According to market watchers, “after a positive opening, Nifty can find support at 24,200 followed by 24,100 and 24,000. On the higher side, 24,500 can be an immediate resistance, followed by 24,600 and 24,700.
“The charts of Bank Nifty indicate that it may get support at 55,000 followed by 54,700 and 54,500. If the index advances further, 55,500 would be the initial key resistance, followed by 55,800 and 56,200,” said Hardik Matalia, Derivative Analyst of Choice Broking.
Meanwhile, in the Sensex pack, TCS, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki, Eternal, ICICI Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank, Infosys, M&M and Tata Motors were the top gainers. Whereas, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, Nestle India and IndusInd Bank were the top losers.
In the last trading session, Dow Jones in the US added 1.23 per cent to close at 40,093.40. The S&P 500 climbed 2.03 per cent to 5,484.77 and the Nasdaq added 2.74 per cent to close at 17,166.04.
In the Asian markets, Jakarta, Bangkok, Seoul, Hong Kong, China and Japan were trading in green.
According to analysts, US markets extended their rally on Thursday as investors snapped up hard-hit technology stocks, helping boost the S&P 500 out of correction territory.
The foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 8,250.53 crore on April 24. However, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold equities of Rs 534.54 crore on the same day.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Business
Sensex Falls Over 1,000 Points Amid Tensions Over Pahalgam Terror Attack

Mumbai:
Indian equity markets are trading in the red as tensions soar between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir. Sensex, the 30-share BSE benchmark, has crashed over 1,000 points and is now trading below the 79,000-mark. Nifty, the NSE index of 50 shares, fell below 24,000 points.
The markets went up in early trade, driven by a global rally and fund inflows, but the momentum got lost thereafter, and it gave up the initial gains.
The markets are also upset by unimpressive March quarter earnings by Axis Bank, the third-largest private sector bank of the country. The bank’s shares have fallen 4.65% after reporting a decline in quarterly profit from Rs 7,130 crore in the year-ago period to Rs 7,117 crore.
Besides Axis Bank, major laggards include Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Motors, and Tech Mahindra. On the gaining side are TCS, Infosys, Reliance, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank.
At least 26 civilians were massacred by terrorists in a tourist hotspot known as ‘Mini Switzerland’, leading to both countries pulling out their diplomatic staff and suspending visas issued to the other nation’s citizens. (Follow live updates here)
The latest flare-up at the Line of Control was speculative firing by Pakistani troops, which is being seen as an attempt to provoke the Indian side. Indian troops retaliated effectively against the firing from multiple Pakistani posts.
As Indian equities braced for the impact, global equities, including the Asian markets, were charting in the positive territory. South Korea’s Kospi index, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, and Shanghai SSE Composite were all in green.
Similar trends were seen in US equities, too. Last evening, Nasdaq Composite closed 2.74 per cent higher. S&P 500 jumped over 2 per cent and Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.23 per cent.
Business
Sensex, Nifty Decline After 7-Day Rally Amid Profit-Taking

Mumbai:
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Thursday amid profit-taking after a seven-day rally and muted trend in Asian markets.
The 30-share BSE benchmark declined 242.01 points to 79,874.48 in early trade. The NSE Nifty went down by 72.3 points to 24,256.65.
In the past seven trading days, the BSE benchmark gauge zoomed 6,269.34 points or 8.48 per cent and the Nifty jumped 1,929.8 points or 8.61 per cent.
From the Sensex firms, Eternal, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Technologies, Reliance Industries, and HDFC Bank were among the laggards.
IndusInd Bank, Tech Mahindra, Nestle, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, and Tata Motors were among the gainers.
In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi index, Shanghai SSE Composite, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were trading lower while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 quoted in the positive territory.
US markets ended sharply higher on Wednesday. Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.50 per cent, S&P 500 surged 1.67 per cent and Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.07 per cent.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.12 per cent to USD 66.20 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 3,332.93 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
The BSE benchmark jumped 520.90 points or 0.65 per cent to settle at 80,116.49, the highest closing level since December 18, on Wednesday. The Nifty rallied 161.70 points or 0.67 per cent to 24,328.95.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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