MCX Profit More Than Doubles to 455 Crore Rupees in Second Quarter Due to Increased Trading Volumes

The state-owned gas distributor GAIL in India reported more than a twofold increase in quarterly profit, which reached 4,650 crore rupees, driven by significant growth in its natural gas marketing business.

GAIL, the largest natural gas distributor in India by market share, stated that its net profit after tax for the quarter ending September 30 was 4,650 crore rupees (US$489.3 million), compared to 2,217 crore rupees the previous year.

Prior to the earnings announcement, analysts at Jefferies noted that gas consumption in India had recovered to pre-Middle East conflict levels by September.

GAIL Chairman Dipak Gupta mentioned in September that India was initially forced to restrict gas consumption but subsequently resumed supplies at nearly 90%–95%, increasing its capacity to procure LNG from other sources.

The company also announced preliminary approval for listing its subsidiary, GAIL Gas, via an IPO, which could potentially involve selling up to 25% of shares, subject to final board approval.

The gas marketing segment, which is GAIL's primary revenue source through wholesale trading and distribution of natural gas, showed growth of over 31%, reaching 41,226 crore rupees. Furthermore, the petrochemical segment's revenue increased by almost 26%, and the natural gas transportation segment grew by 21%.

GAIL's total operating revenue exceeded 30%, amounting to 45,924 crore rupees, while expenses rose by more than 23%.

Leading cinema exhibitor PVR INOX announced on Wednesday that its consolidated net profit doubled to 263.1 crore rupees for the September quarter, resulting from impressive box office performance.

According to regulatory filings, the company's net profit for the July-September quarter was 105.5 crore rupees in the previous year. For the September quarter of fiscal year '27, PVR INOX increased operating revenue by 16.97%, reaching a record 2,105.1 crore rupees. In the corresponding period last fiscal year, the company generated revenue of 1,799.6 crore rupees.

Total expenses in the September quarter amounted to 1,788.2 crore rupees, an increase of 5.86%. The company recorded its highest ever box office collection, with attendance growing by 4% to reach 4.63 crore people. The occupancy rate improved to 30.4% compared to 28.7% the previous year, which is also a record for PVR Inox.

Furthermore, the average ticket price (ATP) and spend per head (SPH) increased by 14%, reaching 298 and 153 rupees, respectively. Revenue from ticket sales and Food & Beverage (F&B) increased by 18% each. During the quarter, PVR INOX's revenue from 'Movie Showings' grew by 16.6% to 2,104.1 crore rupees in the September quarter, while revenue from 'Film Production and Distribution' increased by 8.52% to 59.8 crore rupees.

PVR Inox's total income, including other receipts, reached 2,139.3 crore rupees, representing a growth of 16.6%. As of September 30, 2026, PVR INOX operates 1,797 screens in 114 cities across India and Sri Lanka. In the first half of fiscal year '27, the company added 24 new screens while closing 25 screens.

PVR Inox representatives noted that the closed screens were mainly unprofitable. Of the 90–100 new screens planned for FY '27, most are expected in the second half under low capital expenditure models. In September, collections for 'English language films' rose by 87%, reaching 1,024 crore rupees, surpassing the 1,000 crore rupee mark for the first time in a single quarter.

Among Hollywood releases, Spider-Man: Brand New Day became the highest-grossing English-language film in India, collecting 608 crore rupees, while Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey brought in 233 crore rupees, reflecting demand for premium IMAX formats. The re-release of Avengers: Endgame Encore collected 45 crore rupees over four weeks, demonstrating consumer interest in the premium cinematic experience.

In the Hindi industry, the film Hanuman Ansh collected 351 crore rupees, and Mirzapur: The Movie, based on the popular streaming series, earned 267 crore rupees, showing how streaming platforms can help expand theatrical audiences. Awarapan 2 and Dhamaal 4 also performed well. Regional cinema showed growth, supported by the Tamil film Jana Nayagan, which collected 199 crore rupees, and the Kannada film Toxic, which earned 296 crore rupees. Telugu film Irumudi and Malayalam film Bethlehem Kudumba Unit also contributed to the collections, indicating the strength of diverse regional content.

In the first half (H1) of FY '27, PVR Inox's total consolidated revenue grew by 14.21% to 3,787.6 crore rupees. Regarding future prospects, the company stated that a strong portfolio of releases in various languages should support positive forecasts for the theatrical sector. Upcoming Hindi film releases include Ramayana: Part One in November, the film King starring Shah Rukh Khan in December, as well as Love & War and Golmaal 5 in the fourth quarter. Regional and Pan-India releases, including Kaaka by Chiranjeevi and Spirit starring Prabhas, are expected to attract audiences to cinemas.

The Hollywood slate includes The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, Avengers: Doomsday, Dune: Part Three, and Jumanji: Open World, offering a diverse mix of franchise-based and large-budget films. PVR INOX shares closed on BSE on Wednesday, declining by 1.15% to 1,444.60 rupees.

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), based in Chennai, reported a 56% increase in net profit during the second quarter of the fiscal year 27, reaching 1963 crore rupees. This growth compared to 1259 crore rupees in the quarter from July to September of fiscal year 26, and is attributed to increased interest income and improved asset quality.

The bank's total income for the reporting period increased by 13%, amounting to 10,428 crore rupees. IOB's interest income in Q2 FY27 rose by 17% to 9,201 crore rupees, compared to 7,851 crore rupees in the same period last year.

Ajay Kumar Srivastava, Managing Director and CEO of IOB, noted that net interest income grew by 26% during the quarter. He also highlighted the good asset quality and low write-off levels in the system.

Net Interest Income (NII) for the quarter increased by 26.4% to 3,867 crore rupees, compared to 3,059.3 crore rupees a year earlier. Srivastava added that write-offs remained under control at 240 crore rupees, and the provisioning ratio was only 0.07%, which is one of the lowest in the banking system, and the bank consistently maintains this figure.

The Non-Performing Asset (NPA) ratio decreased by 64 basis points (bps) year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to 1.19%, while the Net NPA ratio fell by 12 bps year-on-year to 0.16%. Credit costs also decreased by 1 bp year-on-year to 0.17%. During the quarter, 647 crore rupees were recovered against NPAs, which is 2.95 times higher than quarterly write-offs. The Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) increased by 66 bps year-on-year to 18.60%. Return on Assets (RoA) improved to 1.53% from 1.20% last year, which is 33 bps higher. Return on Equity (RoE) grew to 24.58% from 19.95% last year, an increase of 463 bps.

The bank's total deposits increased by 20.16% to 4.07 trillion rupees from 3.39 trillion rupees. Current Account Savings Account (CASA) deposits also grew by 20.73% year-on-year to 1.65 trillion rupees, and the internal CASA ratio improved by 13 bps year-on-year to 41.14%. The volume of loans disbursed in Q2 FY27 reached 3.45 trillion rupees, showing a growth of 24.35% compared to 2.77 trillion rupees last year.

Srivastava stated that, according to preliminary estimates, IOB will require additional provisioning of about 2,600–2,800 crore rupees under Expected Credit Losses (ECL). He clarified that the bank has already created ECL provisions of about 2,700 crore rupees, meaning that 100% of the required amount is already secured in the balance sheet as projected ECL reserves.

Furthermore, he mentioned the successful performance of the gold loan portfolio and the development of several programs to meet the needs of various segments of society with competitive interest rates. Srivastava added that the jewelry loan portfolio is very sound, with outstanding loans amounting to nearly 1.36 trillion rupees, and shows no signs of stress. The bank maintains a Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio of about 60–62%, which adequately accounts for price fluctuations.