The daily edition

What changed. Why it matters.

Finance & Markets · 2 stories · About 1 minutePublished 7:00 am IST

Today in 60 seconds

Finance & Markets, at a glance.

Tap any headline to jump straight to the full explanation.

  1. 01Finance & MarketsUS 10-year Treasury yield reaches 5% amid surging crude oil prices
  2. 04Finance & MarketsET Government reports: NPCI to levy 0.4% fee on select merchant UPI transactions over ₹2,000

US 10-year Treasury yield reaches 5% amid surging crude oil prices

The U.S. Treasury building in Washington, D.C. with the Washington Monument in the background.
Photo: MeanieHyaena / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 4.0

What happened

The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield touched 5% and reached 5.04% before easing back, its highest level since 2007. Surging crude oil prices and persistent inflation expectations ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting triggered a global sell-off in government bonds.

Why it matters

As the global benchmark for interest rates, higher 10-year yields raise borrowing costs for sovereign, corporate, and consumer debt. Sustained energy price spikes threaten to keep inflation sticky, limiting central banks' flexibility to ease monetary policy.

Bigger picture

Reaching 5% for the first time since late 2023 highlights a structural shift in debt markets, as investors adapt to expectations that borrowing costs will remain elevated longer than previously anticipated.

Watch next

Watch for official interest rate guidance at the upcoming Federal Reserve policy meeting and track crude oil price trends for continued pressure on yields.

Back to today in 60 seconds

ET Government reports: NPCI to levy 0.4% fee on select merchant UPI transactions over ₹2,000

A shopkeeper working at a stall in the Chickpet Bazaar in Bengaluru.
Photo: RioRiyoRio / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 4.0

What happened

NPCI will introduce a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate on select person-to-merchant UPI transactions exceeding ₹2,000 starting October 15, subject to a cap. Meanwhile, the central government has protected payments up to ₹2,000 from charges, maintaining zero-fee processing for smaller transfers.

Why it matters

The fee introduces a direct operating cost for merchants processing higher-value digital sales. Keeping smaller transactions fee-free insulates routine consumer spending and micro-merchants from payment processing expenses.

Bigger picture

The policy establishes a monetization model for payment service providers handling larger commercial transfers. It aims to make digital payment infrastructure financially sustainable while preserving free access for everyday transactions.

Watch next

Official NPCI guidelines detailing specific fee caps and eligible P2M transaction categories ahead of the October 15 implementation.

Back to today in 60 seconds

Daily brief + free guide

Understand today. Keep the guide.

Get the day’s most important developments explained every morning. Subscribe and we’ll also send you The World, Explained—an India-first guide to economics, markets, business and geopolitics.

Make 7AM a habitPut the brief one tap from your morning.No app-store download. Opens like an app from your home screen.

Never miss the editionGet one quiet alert when the brief is ready.No breaking-news noise and no repeated notifications.

One alert after each edition is successfully published.

Worth forwarding?

Help one more person start informed.

If today’s brief saved you time, share it with someone who would value the same clarity.

Browse all editions