UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — AMIDST CONTINUOUS SHIFTS IN TRADE POLICIES AND GLOBAL UNCERTAINTIES, INDIA’S EQUITY MARKETS EXHIBITED MEASURED YET RESILIENT PERFORMANCE: ECONOMIC SURVEY 2025-26

Q1. With reference to Indian equity market performance as reported in the Economic Survey 2025-26, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Nifty 50 delivered a return of about +11.1% during April–December 2025.
  2. The BSE Sensex delivered a return of about +10.1% during April–December 2025.
  3. Individual investors' share in equity ownership rose to 18.8% by September 2025.
  4. Household equity wealth increased by about ₹30 lakh crore between April 2020 and September 2025.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. The Economic Survey 2025-26, which assessed the resilience of India's equity markets amid global trade-policy shifts, is prepared and published by which one of the following?

  • A. Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
  • B. Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance
  • C. Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance
  • D. Ministry of Corporate Affairs

Q3. With reference to the retailisation of Indian equity markets as reported in the Economic Survey 2025-26, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Unique demat investors crossed 12 crore in September 2025.
  2. About one-fourth of unique demat investors are women.
  3. About 235 lakh demat accounts were added in FY26 (till December 2025).
  4. The SIP unique investor base fell from about 11 crore in FY20 to about 3.1 crore in FY25.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 4

Q4. With reference to investor participation figures reported in the Economic Survey 2025-26, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Total demat accounts crossed 30 crore.
  2. The share of equity and mutual funds in annual household financial savings rose from about 2% (FY12) to over 15% (FY25).
  3. Mutual fund unique investors numbered 5.9 crore as of December 2025.
  4. Of the mutual fund unique investors, about 3.5 crore are from beyond Tier-1/Tier-2 (B-30) cities.
  • A. 2, 3 and 4
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q5. Under the Securities Markets Code, 2025, the Board of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is proposed to be expanded to how many members?

  • A. 9
  • B. 11
  • C. 15
  • D. 21

Q6. SEBI operates through a Head Office and a set of Regional Offices. With reference to the cities listed below as SEBI Regional Offices, consider the following: Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as a SEBI Regional Office?

  1. Ahmedabad
  2. Chennai
  3. Kolkata
  4. Bengaluru
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q7. In the context of SEBI's powers under the SEBI Act, 1992, the term 'quasi-judicial function' most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Its power to adjudicate disputes and impose penalties on market participants
  • B. Its power to frame regulations and rules for the securities market
  • C. Its power to conduct investigations and search-and-seizure operations
  • D. Its power to register and regulate market intermediaries

Q8. With reference to the primary market and SME listings as reported in the Economic Survey 2025-26 (FY26 till December 2025 compared with FY25), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. SME listings rose from 190 in FY25 (till December 2024) to 217 in FY26 (till December 2025).
  2. The amount mobilised through SME listings fell from ₹9,635 crore to ₹7,453 crore between these two periods.
  3. India led the world in IPO issuances in FY26 (till December 2025).
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. Depositories such as NSDL and CDSL are registered with and regulated by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. Reserve Bank of India
  • B. Securities and Exchange Board of India
  • C. Ministry of Corporate Affairs
  • D. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India

Q10. With reference to financial resource flows and foreign investment reported in the Economic Survey 2025-26, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. FDI inflows grew about 67% year-on-year.
  2. Financial resource flows to the commercial sector rose 44.7% year-on-year to ₹30.8 lakh crore in April–December 2025.
  3. The rise in resource flows was financed entirely by bank sources, with no contribution from non-bank sources.
  4. Financial resource flows to the commercial sector grew at about a 20.9% CAGR over FY20–FY25.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q11. With reference to the corporate bond market as reported in the Economic Survey 2025-26 and related data, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The corporate bond market grew at about 12% CAGR between FY15 and FY25.
  2. Outstanding corporate bond issuances rose to nearly ₹59 trillion in FY26 from about ₹18 trillion in FY15.
  3. A record of about ₹9.9 trillion of fresh corporate bond issuances took place during FY25.
  4. The corporate bond market is expected to shrink to below ₹18 trillion by FY2030.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4