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✨ Platinum beats gold, FMCG prices drop, IPOs heat up

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Masala Chai
September 19, 2025

🌞 Friday Energy, Festive Buzz

Friday Minions GIF

Happy Friday! Markets are climbing, FMCG bills are shrinking, and India’s IPO pipeline looks busier than a Durga Puja bazaar. Meanwhile, Nvidia is cozying up with Intel, Nestlé is in crisis mode, and platinum is shining brighter than gold. Let’s dive in.

☕ Chai Shots

  • 🪙 Platinum Outshines Gold: Platinum has surged 50% this year, beating both gold and silver, as supply squeezes and jewellery demand create the metal’s biggest rally in decades. More in today’s Big Brew 👇

  • 💸 GST Overhaul to Inject ₹2 Lakh Cr: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said sweeping tax cuts—effective Sept 22—will pump nearly ₹2 lakh crore into the economy, lowering rates on essentials like soaps, toothpaste, and medicines.

  • 🛍️ Consumers to Save Big: FMCG giants HUL, P&G, and Emami have rolled out sharp price cuts across shampoos, coffee, diapers, soaps, and health drinks to pass on the GST benefit. Pantene shampoo, Pampers, Horlicks, and Dove are all cheaper starting this weekend.

  • 💰 IPO Frenzy Builds: India’s primary market is heating up with 80 SEBI-cleared IPOs worth ₹1.29 lakh croreon deck, including Pine Labs and LG India. Another 85 firms—from Tata Capital to Lenskart—await approval, targeting ₹1.49 lakh crore.

📊 Market Masala

  • 📈 Markets Break New Ground: Sensex closed above 83,000 and Nifty topped 25,400, lifted by IT majors and financials after the Fed’s rate cut. Analysts say the trend remains bullish, with resistance near 25,650.

  • ⚖️ Adani Cleared in SEBI Ruling: The regulator found no evidence of fraud or manipulation in the Hindenburg case. Adani Group stocks rallied as SEBI’s clean chit reinforced faith in Indian regulatory institutions.

  • 🛍️ MRP Deadline Extended: To ease GST 2.0 transition, firms can keep using old packaging till March 31, 2026without costly newspaper ads—just retailer circulars. Relief for companies holding crores in unsold stock.

  • 📈 Direct Tax Revenues Jump: Net collections hit ₹10.82 lakh crore as of Sept 17, up 9% YoY, with corporate taxes rising 6%. Refunds dropped 24%, boosting inflows.

  • 🏗️ Pension Funds May Back Infra Bonds: India’s pension regulator said it could facilitate more investment in infrastructure projects under Nabfid’s new credit enhancement scheme, which guarantees up to 20% of infra bond issues.

  • 🏦 BharatPe Stake Sale: Gujarat-based family offices acquired 2.6% for ₹179 Cr, marking the fintech unicorn’s first secondary deal in four years. BharatPe is eyeing IPO in 18 months.

🌍 Global Masala

  • 📊 Wall Street Rally: U.S. indices closed higher on Fed rate cuts and the Nvidia-Intel deal. Nasdaq gained 1.1%, S&P 500 rose 0.6%, and Dow climbed 0.3%. Bitcoin topped $117,000 as crypto ETFs got fast-track approval.

  • 🤝 Nvidia Bets $5B on Intel: Nvidia took a 4% stake in Intel and will co-design chips for PCs and data centers, giving Intel much-needed credibility and access to GPU tech. Intel’s stock soared 25%.

  • 💻 Atlassian’s $1B Deal: The Australian software firm is buying DX, a developer productivity startup used by GitHub and ADP, to integrate AI-driven insights into Jira and Bitbucket.

🍵 The Big Brew ✨ Platinum’s Sparkling Run ✨💍🚀

Forget gold’s glitter and silver’s shine—2025 has been the year of platinum, and it’s quietly rewriting the precious metals playbook.

  • 📈 Stunning rally: Prices have soared 58% year-to-date, including nearly 7% just in the past month. This is platinum’s strongest run in decades.

  • ⛏️ Supply squeeze: Global production is shrinking—South Africa, the top producer, is at its weakest in 25 years. The World Platinum Investment Council projects a shortage of 8.5 lakh ounces this year, the third consecutive deficit.

  • 💎 Consumer-friendly shine: Despite the surge, platinum remains almost 40% cheaper than gold, making it a modern, affordable alternative. For Indian shoppers, 950 platinum jewellery is priced attractively compared to 18-carat gold.

  • 🛍️ Rising Indian demand: Sales in India jumped 15% in April–June, with PGI noting strong traction not just in metros but also in smaller towns. Young buyers see platinum as stylish, meaningful, and value-driven.

  • 🌏 Global surge: Demand is firm in China, Japan, the US, and the Middle East, where gold’s rising prices are nudging both jewellers and consumers toward platinum.

👉 What does this mean?
Platinum isn’t just about jewellery—it’s becoming a strategic metal. For Indians, it offers affordable luxury during festive and wedding seasons. For investors, it’s a contrarian bet with upside, driven by deficits and industrial use in hydrogen fuel cells and clean tech. While gold steals headlines, platinum may well be the hidden gem of 2025.

🚀 Startup Scoop

🎲 Chai Break Trivia

Did you know 💰 India now boasts 8.7 lakh millionaire households worth over ₹8.5 crore—up 90% since 2021. Mumbai leads with 1.42 lakh, followed by Delhi and Bengaluru. But only 0.01% of them turned into billionaires, showing that while wealth is spreading, the climb to the very top remains rare.

🔮 What’s Brewing Next

  • 🎮 Oct 1: Online Gaming Act comes into force, outlawing all real-money games.

  • 📊 IPO Rush: Pine Labs, LG India, and Hero FinCorp eye October debuts.

  • 🛍️ Sept 22: GST rate cuts kick in, making festive shopping lighter on the wallet.

🎉 That’s a Wrap!

Happy Sunday Friday GIF by Rahul Basak

From FMCG discounts to platinum’s record rally, today’s brew had both sparkle and spice. As you step into the weekend, remember—even if billionaires are rare, platinum bling or cheaper soap is within everyone’s reach. Catch you Monday for another hot cup of Masala Chai! ☕✨

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