Gold at ₹90K, Ola Electric Crashes, & Jio’s Big IPL Play 🏆⚡📡 (Mar 18)

Good morning! You made it past Monday—congrats! 🎉 

But before you start feeling too accomplished, remember that Tuesday is basically Monday with extra steps. Don’t worry though, we’ve got your news fix served hot, with extra masala. Let’s dive in! 🚀

☕ Chai Shots

• ⚡ Ola Electric shares nosedive to all-time low 🚨 – Stock fell 7% to ₹46.94, marking a 23% drop in a month as insolvency proceedings loom over its subsidiary, Ola Electric Technologies.

• 🏪 Swiggy Instamart expands to 100 cities 🚀 – Now serving 30,000+ products in Tier 2 & 3 cities with megapods to boost stock variety and speed.

• ✈️ SpiceJet’s ₹294 Cr booster shot for survival – Ajay Singh, Chairman of SpiceJet, is pumping ₹294 Cr into the airline via Spice Healthcare Pvt Ltd, raising his stake from 29.11% to over 33%. The airline is still battling insolvency claims from Irish lessors, but the stock soared 6.86% after the funding news.

• 🔥 Jio rolls out 'Unlimited Offer' with free Hotstar & 5G data 📡 – Reliance Jio has launched a new 'Unlimited Offer', bundling in 5G data, Jio Hotstar, and WiFi trial. The offer, is strategically timed ahead of IPL 2025, with Jio positioning itself as the go-to platform for streaming in 4K.

• 🏦 Religare seeks ₹2,000 Cr from Burmans – The Burman family, now controlling Religare, is being approached for emergency funding. A corporate governance audit is also underway.

📈 Market Masala

• 📊 Sensex & Nifty end higher 📈 – Sensex (+341 pts) & Nifty (+111 pts) gained on strong global cues. Positive momentum was fueled by banking and financial stocks, with Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, and ICICI Bank among the top gainers. Meanwhile, ITC, SBI, and Reliance saw declines. Investors remain cautious ahead of the Fed, BoJ, and BoE policy meetings this week.

• 🏦 IndusInd Bank stabilizes as RBI steps in 🛑 – Stock saw 5.3% intra-day gains after RBI’s assurance. The bank must fix its ₹2,100 Cr accounting discrepancy by March.

• 💰 Gold & silver hit all-time highs amidst global chaos 🏆 – Gold soared ₹1,300 to ₹90,750 per 10g, while silver hit ₹1,02,500/kg. The rally was fueled by US trade tensions, geopolitical uncertainties, and Fed rate cut expectations.

• ⚖️ Zomato faces insolvency plea over ₹1.64 Cr dues – Supplier Nona Lifestyle alleges Zomato failed to pay for ICC World Cup 2023 uniforms. Hearing set for April 3.

• 👟 Skechers opens ₹220 Cr factory in India to boost ‘Make in India’ push – Global footwear brand Skechers has launched its first India-based manufacturing unit in Hyderabad with a ₹220 Cr investment. The factory will help reduce import dependency, speed up deliveries, and cater to the growing demand for sports and lifestyle footwear in India.

🌍 Global Masala

• 📊 US stock futures stable ahead of Fed rate decision 🏛️ – The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq futures are flat, with markets awaiting Wednesday’s Fed rate announcement. With 99% certainty that rates won’t change, investors are watching for signals of future rate cuts.

• 🛡️ Alphabet revives $30B Wiz deal to dominate cybersecurity 🔒 – Google-parent Alphabet is in advanced talks to buy Israeli cloud security startup Wiz for $30B, marking its biggest acquisition ever. Wiz, last valued at $12B, had earlier rejected a $23B offer over antitrust concerns.

• 🏢 Rippling vs. Deel: Corporate espionage drama unfolds 🤯 – HR-tech rival Rippling sued Deel, alleging a secret spy operation where a Rippling employee accessed sensitive sales data 450+ times via Slack logs before defecting to Deel. Deel denies all allegations.

• 🚢 Flexport sues Freightmate AI for stealing trade secrets 💻 – Logistics giant Flexport is suing two former employees, accusing them of stealing 70,000 confidential files and GitHub source code to launch a competitor, Freightmate AI. Freightmate admits to possessing the files but claims they were "inadvertently retained."

☕ The Big Brew – Why is Gold Breaking Records?

🏅 Gold just hit an all-time high—₹90,750 per 10g in India and $3,000/oz globally! But what’s fueling this surge?

• What’s Driving the Gold Rush?

  • 🌍 Global Uncertainty – US-China trade wars, Middle East conflicts, and economic slowdowns have investors running to gold as a safe haven.

  • 🏦 Central Banks Stockpiling – Countries like China and India are hoarding gold, reducing reliance on the US dollar.

  • 📉 Weaker Dollar Effect – A falling US dollar makes gold cheaper for global buyers, driving up demand.

  • 💸 Interest Rate Speculation – With expected rate cuts, gold becomes more attractive than bonds or cash.

• What’s Next? 📊 Prices may fluctuate short-term, but if uncertainty and central bank buying continue, gold could stay strong. If global stability returns, demand might cool off.

  For now, gold is the hottest asset around—will the rally continue or take a breather? 🏆✨

🚀 Startup Scoop

• 💸 Keeper raises ₹5 Cr to cash out paid leaves 💰 – Fintech startup Keeper, backed by Antler & Samved VC, lets employees convert unused paid leaves into cash, a game-changer as India’s labor laws now mandate leave encashment.

• 🍎 Otipy secures ₹200 Cr to scale up fresh produce delivery 🚛 – Agritech startup Otipy, known for farm-to-table fresh produce, has raised ₹200 Cr ($24M) in Series C funding, led by Z3 Partners.

• ☕ Chai Kings bags ₹24 Cr to scale India’s chai obsession – Chennai-based tea chain Chai Kings raised ₹24 Cr in Series A funding from A.V. Thomas & Co. The funds will fuel new stores, supply chain improvements, and a stronger brand presence in Tier 2 & 3 cities.

📅 What’s Brewing Next?

• 📅 March 18-19 – US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting – Interest rate decision coming Wednesday. This will have global implications!

🤔 Chai Break Trivia

Did you know white chocolate isn’t actually chocolate? 🤯 Unlike milk or dark chocolate, it contains no cocoa solids, just cocoa butter, sugar, and milk.

That means technically, your favorite white chocolate bar is just sweet, creamy candy in disguise! 🍬🍫

Phewwwww. That’s a ton for today’s Masala Chai! If you enjoyed this, share it with your chai-loving friends—because great news (and chai) is best enjoyed together. ☕🔥

Catch you tomorrow! 🚀