🌿 ITC’s Organic Power Move + Netflix’s Big Numbers

🌤️ Good Friday morning, friends!

No market hustle today — the exchanges are on a Good Friday break. But that doesn’t mean your daily dose of masala is taking a holiday. From gold glittering brighter than your cousin’s wedding lehenga to startups making big moves and courts cracking down on cheeky ads, today’s brew is rich, spicy, and brimming with insight.

So take a pause, pour yourself a cup, and let’s simmer through the headlines. ☕

☕ Chai Shots

• 🏛️ Shemaroo’s ₹400 Cr GST Mess Put on Pause: Bombay HC gave top brass at Shemaroo a breather, staying a massive GST penalty while questioning its retroactive application. Next hearing: June 10.

• 🥗 ITC Scoops Up 24 Mantra Organic: ITC is buying Sresta Natural Bioproducts—the company behind 24 Mantra Organic—for ₹472.5 Cr. With over 100 organic products and a network of 27,500 farmers, this move amps up ITC’s play in the ₹10,000 Cr organic market. More in the Big Brew below. 🌿

• 🛬 Adani Ports Expands Global Grip: Adani Ports just bagged Australia’s North Queensland Export Terminal, a 50-MTPA behemoth, through a share swap. The goal? Speed-run to 1 billion tonnes by 2030.

• ☀️ Lakmé vs. Derma Co Drama Ends in Sunscreen Ceasefire: HUL and Honasa (Mamaearth’s parent) agreed to tone down their shade-throwing SPF ads. Lakmé agreed to tweak its “SPF Lie Detector” campaign—removing phrases like “online bestseller” and changing the packaging shown—while Honasa will delete its spicy social posts. The Delhi High Court facilitated the peace, noting both sides pushed the envelope in their marketing.

• 📉 Infosys Cuts Forecast, Shares Dip: IT major Infosys revised its revenue growth outlook to 0–3% for FY26 and missed Q4 revenue estimates, citing global headwinds. Shares slipped post-earnings.

📈 Market Masala

• 💹 Indices Pop Like Diwali Crackers: Sensex jumped 1.96% to close at 78,553, while Nifty rose 1.77% to finish at 23,851. Both logged their fourth straight day of gains, riding optimism around U.S.-Japan tariff talks and strong FPI inflows.

• 🏦 Banks Flex Muscle: ICICI Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank, and Axis all gained between 1–3%. Nifty Bank showed bullish strength with key support near 52,300.

• 🖥️ IT Gets Icy: Wipro dropped ~5% after a bleak outlook. Infosys and HCL Tech weren’t far behind as cautious guidance and tariff uncertainty spooked investors.

• 💰 Foreign Flows Return: FPIs turned net buyers again, infusing over ₹3,900 Cr. DIIs, meanwhile, pulled out ₹2,500 Cr.

• 📆 Heads Up: Markets will remain closed today (Friday) for Good Friday. Happy long weekend! 🧘‍♀️

🌍 Global Masala

• 🇺🇸 Powell’s Growth Alarm: Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned of slowing U.S. growth and tariff-induced inflation. With Trump’s trade policy in flux, uncertainty’s the only certainty right now.

• 🇬🇧 Tata Powers Up UK Battery Bet: Tata’s Agratas signed a £750M loan to build what may become Britain’s biggest battery plant. It’s among the top 3 foreign currency loans by Indian firms in 2025.

• 🏦 Fitch Slashes Global Growth Outlook: Global GDP is now expected to grow <2%, the lowest since 2009 (excluding pandemic years). U.S. and China saw sharp downgrades. Blame it on trade wars and weak industrial output.

• 📺 Netflix Delivers a Blockbuster Quarter: The streamer beat estimates with ₹87.9K crore in Q1 revenue, a 13% jump. Subscriber data is now MIA, but rising ad dollars and price hikes are keeping the platform hot.

🫖 The Big Brew: ITC’s Organic Power Play with 24 Mantra 🍃

ITC just took a big bite of India’s organic food pie. It’s shelling out ₹472.5 Cr to acquire 100% of Sresta Natural Bioproducts—the folks behind the popular 24 Mantra Organic brand.

• 🌱 24 Mantra Organic sells over 100 natural products—think spices, staples, oils, and drinks—with a strong reputation for quality and clean eating.

• 👩‍🌾 Its supply chain is a farm-to-fork dream, built with over 34,000 farmers and 1.9 lakh acres of certified organic land across 10 states.

• 🌎 It’s not just big in India—half of 24 Mantra’s revenue comes from overseas, especially the US.

• 💸 ITC will pay ₹400 Cr upfront and up to ₹72.5 Cr more based on performance in the next 2 years. Founder Raj Seelam will stay on to help transition.

• 📦 The acquisition fits neatly into ITC’s wellness-first ‘Next’ strategy as it eyes the booming ₹10,000 Cr organic food segment.

What does this mean?

This move gives ITC an instant edge in the growing natural foods market. With sourcing strength, brand recall, and wellness trends on its side, ITC’s pantry just got a lot greener—and a lot more global.

🚀 Startup Scoop

• 💪 Good Monk Gets ₹16.7 Cr Boost: Nutrition brand Good Monk raised $2M to ramp up R&D and create stealth-health products for kids and adults. Their trick? Nutrient blends that disappear into your dal without changing the taste.

• 🔋 Pocket FM Hits ₹1,768 Cr in FY25: The audio series app turned heads with 68% YoY growth. Their secret? Microtransactions and AI-created content — over 50,000 shows and counting. Latin America is their next stop.

• ☕ Nothing Before Coffee Bags $2.3M: Jaipur-born QSR chain NBC raised fresh funds to expand beyond Tier 1 cities. With Gen Z-ready pricing and vibes, they’re betting India’s next Starbucks isn’t in a mall—it’s on your street.

• 🏢 Fittr Gets Fitter: Fitness app Fittr finally turned a profit after three years, clocking ₹128 Cr revenue and ₹11 Cr in pre-tax profit. With 50K daily users and healthcare expansion plans, it’s bulking up smart.

🧠 Chai Break Trivia

Did you know 🤯 India’s forex reserves now hold over 11% in gold?

💰 The RBI has been buying up bullion like it’s going out of style—making it the world’s second-largest gold buyer in 2024. Now that’s what we call “gold standard” investing.

🔮 What’s Brewing Next?

• 📅 No Markets Today: Reminder that Indian stock exchanges are shut for Good Friday. Enjoy the long weekend and don’t check your portfolio.

• 📣 IPO Watch: OfBusiness has raised ₹100 Cr ahead of its IPO, expected later this year.

• 📉 Gensol Fallout Continues: After SEBI’s crackdown, Gensol Engineering stock is spiraling. A forensic audit is now incoming.

That’s your Friday masala, served with a dash of drama and a sprinkle of insight. Markets might be taking a day off, but we never stop spilling the tea. Sip slow, scroll smart — and we’ll see you back for more spicy scoops. ☕