https://whyithappenslab.pages.devThe science and story behind everyday things and the news that shapes them.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-the-fed-raised-interest-rates-september-2026/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-the-fed-raised-interest-rates-september-2026/On September 16, 2026 the US Fed raised its policy rate by a quarter point to 3.75%-4%, its first hike since July 2023, and signalled another may follow. Oil-driven inflation, a stable job market and fear of repeating the "transitory" mistake explain the move. Here is what it means beyond the US.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/fpi-vs-dii-who-moves-the-indian-stock-market/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/fpi-vs-dii-who-moves-the-indian-stock-market/News about the market often says "FIIs sold, DIIs bought". Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs, formerly called FIIs) and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) invest differently and affect prices in different ways. Here is the difference, with the numbers from September 2026.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-does-ice-float-on-water/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-does-ice-float-on-water/Ice floats because it is about 10 percent less dense than liquid water. When water freezes, its molecules lock into an open lattice that spreads them apart. This oddity keeps lakes from freezing solid and is one reason life survives winter.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/india-private-satellites-transporter-18-launch-explained/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/india-private-satellites-transporter-18-launch-explained/On October 2, 2026, three Indian companies had payloads deployed from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare flight called Transporter-18. One senses heat from space, one runs AI on the satellite itself, and one hosts other companies' experiments.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/how-a-repo-rate-hike-changes-your-home-loan-emi/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/how-a-repo-rate-hike-changes-your-home-loan-emi/If the RBI raises the repo rate on October 7, not every borrower is hit the same way. Your EMI depends on whether your loan is linked to the repo rate or to your bank's MCLR, and on how often it resets. Here is how each works, with a worked example.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-indian-stock-market-longest-losing-streak-25-years/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-indian-stock-market-longest-losing-streak-25-years/The Nifty 50 has now closed lower for eight weeks in a row, the longest such run since 2001. Expensive oil, record-level US bond yields, heavy foreign selling, a weak rupee and the Middle East conflict explain most of it. Here is how each factor works.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-did-gold-fall-8-percent-in-september-2026/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-did-gold-fall-8-percent-in-september-2026/Gold dropped 8.5% in September because a stronger dollar and sharply higher real interest rates made it costlier to hold a metal that pays no interest. Yet gold ETF holdings stayed near record levels, because buyers are worried about government debt. A weak US jobs report on October 2 gave prices a brief lift.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/india-retail-inflation-august-2026-explained/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/india-retail-inflation-august-2026-explained/India's consumer price inflation was 4.82% in August 2026, up from 4.45% in July and above the RBI's 4% target. Food inflation was 5.95%. Here is how the CPI is built, what rose and fell, and when the next reading arrives.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-do-earthquakes-happen-tectonic-plates-explained/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-do-earthquakes-happen-tectonic-plates-explained/Earthquakes happen when stress builds up in Earth's crust and the rock suddenly slips along a fault. Here is how Earth's layers and moving tectonic plates cause this, what an epicentre is, how seismometers measure the shaking, and why other worlds have quakes too.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/nasa-crew-13-space-station-what-they-will-study/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/nasa-crew-13-space-station-what-they-will-study/Four astronauts from Crew-13 entered the International Space Station on October 1, 2026. NASA says they will grow human tissues from stem cells, study blood flow in space, test a health diagnostic device and trial an autonomous plant growth facility.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/india-oil-basket-116-dollars-september-2026-explained/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/india-oil-basket-116-dollars-september-2026-explained/India's crude basket averaged $116.04 a barrel in September 2026, up 28.66% from August. The Finance Ministry's monthly review says this raises the import bill and price pressures, even though growth is strong. Here is how oil prices reach the rest of the economy.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/what-causes-the-seasons-earth-tilt-explained/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/what-causes-the-seasons-earth-tilt-explained/Many people think summer happens when Earth is closer to the Sun. That is wrong. Seasons come from the tilt of Earth's axis, which changes how directly sunlight hits each hemisphere through the year.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-oil-prices-stay-near-100-despite-hormuz-recovery/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-oil-prices-stay-near-100-despite-hormuz-recovery/More oil is moving out of the Persian Gulf than at any point since the war with Iran began on February 28, 2026, yet Brent crude is still around USD 98 to 100. Low stockpiles, a risk premium, shipping costs, damaged refineries and stronger Chinese buying explain the gap.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-the-moon-changes-shape-phases-explained/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-the-moon-changes-shape-phases-explained/The Moon does not change shape. What changes is how much of its sunlit half we can see from Earth as it orbits us. Here are the eight phases in order, why a full cycle takes about 29.5 days, and what the "waxing" and "waning" words mean.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-is-the-sky-blue-and-sunsets-red/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-is-the-sky-blue-and-sunsets-red/Sunlight looks white but contains every colour. The air scatters short blue waves far more than long red ones, so we see a blue sky by day and reds at sunset. Here is the full explanation, including why the sky fades to white near the horizon and what Mars looks like.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/upi-mdr-october-15-explained/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/upi-mdr-october-15-explained/A proposed merchant fee (MDR) on UPI is due from October 15, 2026. Person-to-person payments and merchant payments up to Rs 2,000 stay free. Above that, the standard fee is proposed at 0.4%, capped at Rs 300. Here is who pays what, as reported by Mint.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-is-the-rupee-falling-2026/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/why-is-the-rupee-falling-2026/The rupee closed at 96.31 per US dollar on October 1, 2026, its weakest level in more than two months. Expensive oil, higher US interest rates, a stronger dollar and heavy foreign selling are all pulling in the same direction. Here is how each one works and what the RBI is doing about it.https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/rbi-october-2026-rate-decision-explained/https://whyithappenslab.pages.dev/rbi-october-2026-rate-decision-explained/The Reserve Bank of India announces its policy decision on October 7, 2026. Most economists expect a 25 basis point hike to 5.50%, which would be the first increase since February 2023. Here is what the repo rate is, why a hike is on the table, and what it would mean for loans and markets.