Top 10 business headlines: Mindtree board meet, US Fed rate hike, and more

From L&T's bid to takeover Mindtree to US Fed rate pause, Business Standard brings you top 10 business stories that made news on Thursday

1) Mindtree to step up fight against L&T's open offer; board to meet on March 26

Mindtree plans to recommend to its investors not to subscribe to the open offer, citing low offer price, among key reasons. Read more

2) US Federal Reserve's rate pause augurs well for inflow of foreign funds

The US central bank’s decision indicates it is not in a hurry to raise rates in the near-to-mid-term, which translates into a higher spread on earnings yield for foreign investors buying Indian equities. Click here for full report

3) RBI's bond buys in current fiscal year can be inflationary, say economists

Not only do the bonds increase the balance sheet size of the central bank by infusing permanent liquidity into the system, the central bank runs the risk of stoking inflation in the medium to long term. More details

4) Qatar Airways denies talks with Jet's Chairman Naresh Goyal, son Nivaan

The report said Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal and his son Nivaan gave a presentation to the Qatar Airways management this week following a collapse of negotiations with its strategic partner Etihad Airways. Read more

5) GST Council's plan for real estate sector may not find many takers

Many claim that by giving this option, the government has side-stepped from its responsibility and the move would make the whole tax process cumbersome and chaotic. More details here

6) Tata Steel likely to offer packaging assets in Thyssenkrupp JV talks

Offering some packaging steel assets would address one of the areas that have been singled out by the European Commission in its review. Both firms would own about half of the European packaging steel market, industry sources have said. Read more

7) IndiGo continues to recruit expat and 'out-of-job' pilots in India

IndiGo is facing acute shortage of commanders amid aggressive expansion of its fleet. The carrier has more than 210 planes in its fleet. Full report

8) How PNB fraud exposed chinks in India's banking industry

These include failure by state-run banks in management and monitoring of risk as well as its audits, the central bank informed a parliamentary panel led by Congress leader Veerappa Moily that tabled its report in Parliament in August 2018, reports Livemint

9) Election fever? Jan Dhan accounts show steep, steady increase in balance

Up to August-September 2018, the balance in the accounts were increasing at the rate of ₹600 crore to ₹800 crore a month, reports Hindu Businessline

10) Some ways to understand the RBI's dollar-rupee swap move 

While the very nature of the mechanism means that it has a direct impact on both the money and forex markets, RBI has not been clear about what it wants to achieve by trying a new tack. RBI wants to infuse durable liquidity into the banking system, according to Economic Times