💰 India’s Trade Deficit Soars and More News (Feb 18)

☀️ Good Morning, Masala Chai Fam! ☕

We had so many spicy headlines today, we almost needed an extra kettle of chai to decide which ones made the cut!

From India’s trade game with the US to AI startups hitting unicorn status and defense stocks booming in Europe, this edition is overflowing with action. Buckle up—it's a wild ride! 🚀

📰 Chai Shots

• 📈 Sensex, Nifty Crawl Back Up – Stock markets snapped their eight-day losing streak as Sensex gained 57 points and Nifty rose 30 points on value buying in HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries. Market sentiment, however, remains cautious. 💹

• 🔴 Bengaluru Airport’s Floral Frenzy – A record 44 million roses were shipped this Valentine’s season, marking a 50% YoY surge in floral exports! 🚢🌹 The biggest demand? Middle Eastern markets and even New Zealand!

• 🏠 Delhi NCR Home Sizes Shrink – In a bid to maintain affordability, developers in Delhi NCR are reducing apartment sizes to keep prices in the ₹2-4 crore range. Home sizes had ballooned, making mid-segment ownership tough. 📉

• 🛩️ Piyush Goyal Meets Lockheed Martin – The Commerce Minister discussed aircraft manufacturing in India with Lockheed Martin’s leadership, signaling a potential boost for 'Make in India' in aerospace. 🚀

• ✈️ GMR Airports Sees Passenger Traffic Surge 11.4% – Delhi Airport hit a new record with 69 lakh passengers, up 9.7% YoY. Goa's Mopa Airport saw international traffic nearly triple, while Hyderabad Airport recorded a 21.2% increase in domestic passengers. 🛫

📊 Market Masala

• 📈 Sensex Rebounds – After an eight-day losing streak, Sensex rose 58 points to 75,997, and Nifty climbed to 22,960. Financial stocks led the rally, but M&M and Bharti Airtel saw continued selling pressure.

• 🚗 CarDekho Cuts Losses by 39% – The auto marketplace reduced its FY24 loss to ₹340 crore, thanks to shutting down its retail used-car business. Revenue dipped slightly, but operational efficiency improved. 📉

• 💰 Gold Retreats from Record High – After hitting ₹89,400 per 10 gm, gold prices dropped ₹1,200 to ₹88,200. Silver also slipped below ₹1 lakh per kg, as profit booking and global economic cues weighed in. 📉

• 🚀 India Completes First Pomegranate Shipment to Australia via Sea – This cost-effective shipping method marks a big step in expanding Indian fruit exports, ensuring fresh pomegranates land in Australia’s markets just in time! 🍎🌊

• 🍽️ Zomato Unveils AI-Powered Customer Support Tool – Zomato has launched Nugget, an AI-native, no-code customer support platform. It handles over 15 million support interactions per month across Zomato, Blinkit, and Hyperpure. This marks Zomato's first move into the SaaS space, with more business tools coming soon. 🤖

🌍 Global Masala

• 🌍 European Markets Get a Defense Boost – European defense stocks hit record highs as countries plan higher military spending. BAE Systems and Rheinmetall surged. Could Europe finally be ready to compete in the global arms race? 💣

• 🇫🇷 France’s “Demanding” Budget – Finance Minister Eric Lombard warns that the 2026 budget will be tough, aiming to bring the deficit below 5%.

• ⛽ Oil Markets Stay Volatile – OPEC+ is considering delaying April output hikes, keeping Brent crude near $75 per barrel. Meanwhile, drone attacks on Kazakhstan’s oil pipeline added supply concerns. 🚛💥

• 📉 UK Job Market Woes – 30% of UK employers plan job cuts in 2025 due to higher National Insurance Contributions and Minimum Wage hikes.

• 🤖 South Korea Suspends AI Chatbot DeepSeek Over Privacy Concerns – The Chinese AI startup agreed to suspend downloads while it revamps its data protection measures. Meanwhile, countries like Australia and Taiwan have outright banned it! 🚨

☕ The Big Brew 🇮🇳 India’s Trade Deficit & The US Trade Tango

💰 India’s Trade Deficit Grows – January’s trade deficit widened to $22.99 billion, as imports surged 10.3% YoY, outpacing exports, which slipped 2.4%. A weaker rupee (down 1.4% this year) is making imports, especially oil and electronics, pricier. 📦📉

🇺🇸 Mission 500: India & US Trade Gameplan – India has pledged to buy more US goods like oil, gas, and defense equipment as part of its goal to hit $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. Both countries are also negotiating tariff adjustments. ⚖️🚢

🚨 Trump’s Tariff Threats – Former US President Donald Trump wants to impose equal tariffs on all trade partners, including India, which could hurt Indian exports in IT, textiles, and manufacturing. India currently levies 12% tariffs on US goods, while the US charges just 3.83% on Indian exports. 😬💸

📊 What Does This Mean? – If trade deals progress smoothly, Indian exporters in pharmaceuticals, IT, and industrial goods could see gains. But if tariffs escalate, expect costlier imports and potential disruptions in trade. Keep an eye on this brewing trade storm! 🌪️🇮🇳

🚀 Startup Scoop

• 🦄 Dream Raises $100M, Joins Unicorn Club – The AI-based security startup secured $100M at a $1.1B valuation, proving that AI investment is still hot despite a sluggish VC market.

• 👓 Lenskart Eyes $10B IPO – The eyewear giant is set to file IPO papers by May, doubling its valuation from last year. With rapid profitability and expansion, this could be one of India's biggest public listings of the year! 💵

• ✈️ ePlane Signs $1B Air Ambulance Deal – The Chennai-based eVTOL startup will supply 788 electric air ambulances to ICATT, targeting nationwide deployment by 2026. 🚁💨

• 📦 Udaan Raises $75M, Plans for IPO – The B2B commerce giant is preparing for public listing, securing fresh funding to expand market reach and strengthen supply chains. 📊

• 🏍️ BYTES Secures Funding for AI-Based Two-Wheeler Safety Tech – Backed by Nikhil Kamath’s WTFund, the startup is developing AI-powered Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for motorcycles. Given India’s two-wheeler accident rates, this could be a game-changer. 🚦

🧐 Chai Break Trivia

Did you know that India has a "Magnetic Hill" where cars move uphill on their own? 🚗⛰️ Located in Ladakh, this mysterious hill creates the illusion that vehicles roll uphill in defiance of gravity.

Scientists believe it’s an optical illusion, but locals have their own supernatural theories. Spooky or science? You decide! 👻🧐

🔮 What’s Brewing Next?

⏳ February 20: Bombay High Court continues its hearing on Skoda Auto Volkswagen’s $1.4 billion tax dispute. A major ruling could impact the automobile import policy in India. 🚘⚖️

Phew! We packed in a lot today, but hey, that's what happens when the news cycle is on fire! 🔥 Stay ahead of the game and keep sipping on that hot masala chai of knowledge! See you tomorrow! ☕🚀