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China on Friday played down reports of a massive outbreak of flu in the country overwhelming hospitals, saying that cases of the respiratory diseases which occur during the winter were less severe this year compared to last year. The Foreign Ministry here said it is safe for foreigners to travel to China. "Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season in the northern hemisphere," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told the media here in response to a question on the spread of influenza A and other respiratory diseases in China. Videos circulating on social media show overcrowded hospitals. "The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year," she said. "I can assure you the Chinese government cares about the health of Chinese citizens and foreigners in China. It is safe to travel in China," she said. She also referred to guidelines issued by the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration of China regarding the prevention and control of respiratory diseases in the winter. For the past few days, reports of a massive flu outbreak in China have been circulating abroad, particularly in India and Indonesia. Health officials, however, maintain the outbreak is an annual occurrence during the winter. China is currently experiencing severe cold weather for the past few months.

Bank of Baroda's (BoB’s) Q3FY25 global business grew by 11.74% year-on-year to Rs 25.64 lakh crore versus Rs 22.94 lakh crore reported by the state lender in the year-ago period.In this, the global advances surged 11.65% YoY to Rs 11.72 lakh crore in the quarter ended December 31, 2024, up from Rs 10.49 lakh crore in Q3FY24, the company informed the exchanges after market hours. Meanwhile, global deposits of the bank grew by 11.82% YoY in the said quarter to Rs 13.92 lakh crore versus Rs 12.45 lakh crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.The domestic advances shot up 11.76% to Rs 9.63 lakh crore as against Rs 8.62 crore in the year-ago period. As for domestic advances, a 9.23% YoY growth was seen at Rs 11.65 lakh crore compared to Rs 10.67 lakh crore as of December 31, 2023.These are provisional numbers and part of the quarterly updates given by the bank and could change in the final earnings to be announced later.Shares of Bank of Baroda on Friday ended at Rs 241.73 on the NSE, up by Rs 0.61 or 0.25% over the Thursday closing price.The state-run bank had reported a 23.2% jump in its standalone net profit to Rs 5,238 crore for the quarter ended September 2024 as against a profit of Rs 4,253 crore in Q2FY24. The net interest income (NII) grew by 7.3% YoY to Rs 11,622 crore in Q2FY25. The significant growth in quarterly PAT was driven primarily by an increase in both NII and non-interest income.This growth in NII, coupled with a 24.2% YoY increase in non-interest income, fuelled the overall rise in the bank’s operating income, which stood at Rs 16,803 crore in Q2FY25, marking a 12% YoY increase.The non-interest income was boosted by significant trading gains and recovery from written-off accounts.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)

A long bear candle was formed on the Nifty daily chart that was placed beside the long bull candle of Thursday. Technically, this pattern indicates a profit booking in the market after a stellar rise on Thursday. Nifty is currently placed near the support of 23900 levels, which is halfway to a long bull candle of Thursday and also support as per change in polarity.On the weekly chart, a reasonable bull candle was formed with upper and lower shadows, which indicates a high wave type candle formation. The near-term uptrend remains intact for Nifty. A decisive move above Thursday's high (24,226) could open renewed buying participation towards 24,400-24,500 levels. Immediate support is around 23,930-23,840 levels, said Nagaraj Shetti of HDFC Securities.In the open interest (OI) data, the highest OI on the call side was observed at 24,200 and 24,100 strike prices, while on the put side, the highest OI was at 24,000 strike price followed by 23,900.What should traders do? Here’s what analysts said:Hrishikesh Yedve, Asit C. Mehta Investment InterrmediatesTechnically, on the daily chart, the Nifty formed a red candle, indicating profit booking, while on the weekly chart, it formed a green candle, indicating overall strength. The index continues to hold above the 200-Day Simple Moving Average (200-DSMA), which is currently placed near 23,900. Additionally, it remains above the breakout zone of the short-term consolidation range 2of 3,500–23,900. As long as the index maintains above 23,900, a buy-on-dips strategy is recommended for Nifty.Rupak De, LKP SecuritiesThe Nifty was unable to break above the 50 EMA on the daily timeframe, resulting in a market correction. However, sentiment remains positive as the index closed above 24,000. The RSI shows a bullish crossover. On the upside, the index may rise towards 24,200–24,220, with a break above 24,220 potentially pushing it to 24,500. Conversely, a decisive move below 24,000 could lead the index towards 23,700.Jatin Gedia, Mirae Asset SharekhanOn the daily charts, we can observe that the Nifty has faced resistance in the zone 24,180 – 24,200 zone which coincides with the 20 and 40-day moving averages. On account of the correction, the Nifty is now approaching the support zone of 23,940 – 23,900 which coincides with the key hourly moving averages and potential uptrend resumption zone. The daily momentum indicator has a positive crossover which is a buy signal and all intermediate corrections should be considered as buying opportunities. Dips towards support zone 23,940 – 23,900 should be considered as a buying opportunity for an immediate target of 24,415. Structure weakens below 23,800.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)