Tariff Truce = ₹16.2 Lakh Cr Day 💸

☕️ Good Morning, Chai Lovers!

Happy Tuesday, May 13! Markets are buzzing, tech stocks are soaring, and India's startup scene is stirring up a storm.

Whether you're dodging Delhi's power bills or watching your Paytm shares like a hawk, we’ve got your daily blend of business, tech, and startup drama. So grab that cup and dive into today’s most masaledar headlines.

☕️ Chai Shots

• 📈 Sensex Smashes Records: Investors toasted the India-Pakistan ceasefire and the U.S.-China truce with a champagne rally. The Sensex soared nearly 3,000 points, Nifty followed with a 917-point leap, and market cap grew by a cool ₹16.2 lakh crore in a single trading day.

• 🚀 Tech Tariffs Get a Timeout: In a major market-moving move, the U.S. and China agreed to hit pause on their escalating trade war, dialing down tariffs on each other's goods for 90 days. This triggered a massive global stock surge, especially in tech. More in the Big Brew ☕

• 📉 Alibaba Trims Paytm Bet: Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba, is offloading a 4% stake in Paytm through a Rs 2,065 crore block deal. The stake sale, priced at a 6.5% discount, continues a broader pattern of Chinese exits from Indian fintech.

• 💰 Zepto Closes In On 50% Local Ownership: Zepto is closing a $350 million secondary sale to ramp up Indian investor shareholding. With Motilal Oswal and Raamdeo Agrawal coming on board, the company wants to be India-owned before its IPO filing.

📈 Market Masala

• 🎉 Markets’ Blockbuster Monday: The Sensex gained 2,975 points, Nifty jumped 917, and India's market cap briefly crossed $5 trillion. Midcap and smallcap indices rose over 4%, with bullish sentiment across real estate, IT, and metals.

• 🥇 Gold & Silver Slip: As investors ran towards equities, safe havens took a hit. Domestic gold prices dropped by over ₹3,500 per 10 grams, while silver lost ₹1,500 per kg.

• 💳 Power Bills Surge in Delhi: DERC has approved a 7–10% hike in Delhi's electricity bills for May-June, citing increased fuel costs. RWAs are calling the hike unfair and have accused the regulator of rushing through the process.

• 🚗 Uber Launches Courier XL: Uber has introduced 'Courier XL' in Delhi NCR and Mumbai for large item deliveries up to 750 kg, targeting small businesses and households. Using three- and four-wheelers, this expansion takes aim at logistics players like Porter and Borzo.

• 🌿 Danone Wants More Epigamia: French food giant Danone is in talks to buy out Verlinvest's 30% stake in Epigamia, potentially raising its share to 60%. The move could spark bidding interest from other FMCG majors, especially given the yogurt brand's growing urban appeal and recent Rs 1,250 crore valuation.

🌐 Global Masala

• 🇺🇸 Tech Titans Roar: The tariff pause sent Big Tech stocks flying. Amazon rose 8.1%, Meta 7.9%, and Tesla 6.8% — reclaiming the $1 trillion club. Nvidia crossed $3T in value, making it the world’s second-most valuable tech company.

• 🇨🇳 Beijing Celebrates Tariff Win: Chinese officials and influencers declared the U.S.-China deal a victory for China's hardline negotiation tactics. Online, the hashtag about suspended tariffs racked up 420M views.

• 🌟 Apple May Get Pricier: Apple is planning a price hike for its next iPhone lineup, likely citing design upgrades and new features instead of tariffs. That said, it expects a $900M tariff hit this quarter, despite shifting some production to India.

☕️ The Big Brew: Truce That Moved Trillions

What do you get when two global giants decide to chill on tariffs? A worldwide stock party and a giant sigh of relief for tech investors.

🔧 Here’s why the U.S.-China deal matters:

• 🥇 The U.S. will lower tariffs on Chinese imports from 145% to 30%; China cuts its duties on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%.

• 📈 Global markets erupted. Nasdaq surged 3.5%, and the Dow and S&P rose over 2%.

• 🌐 The Magnificent 7 (Apple, Meta, Nvidia, Amazon, etc.) gained $837 billion in combined market cap — their best day since April.

• 🇨🇳 Chinese media and netizens framed this as a diplomatic win, with millions engaging online.

• 🇮🇳 For India, easing global tensions means smoother supply chains, a bullish FII outlook, and rising export hopes.

📊 What's next: Keep an eye on today's U.S. inflation numbers. If they're too hot, this rally could cool fast.

🚀 Startup Scoop

• 🏢 Curefoods Sets Sights on IPO: Cloud kitchen unicorn Curefoods has converted to a public company and plans a December IPO to raise up to ₹1,500 crore. It’s also raising ₹25 crore in debt to fuel expansion.

• 🍬 Farmley Bags $40M: The snack brand known for its healthy treats like makhana and date bites is planning to expand exports and double down on offline retail with help from lead investor L Catterton.

• 🧱 JustDeliveries Grows Cold Chain: The startup raised ₹5.5 crore to expand its tech-driven refrigerated logistics platform into new cities like Chennai and Lucknow.

• 💉 Avammune Gets a $12M Boost: The biotech startup is accelerating its cancer drug pipeline with fresh funds from Kotak Lifesciences Fund, IvyCap Ventures, and others. Its lead compound targets solid tumors and autoimmune diseases.

🧠 Chai Break Trivia

🧠 Did you know? The Vivek Express holds the record for India’s longest train journey, covering a whopping 4,200+ km.

🚂 It travels from Dibrugarh in Assam to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, taking around 75 hours and stopping at over 55 stations across the country. That’s a journey worthy of an entire podcast season!

🚀 What’s Brewing Next?

• 📊 All eyes on U.S. inflation data dropping today — brace for market reactions.

• 💼 Farewell to a Skyline Icon: Jet Airways' former headquarters at BKC, once the nerve center of India’s premier private airline, is now up for auction with a reserve price of ₹335 crore. As the brand's storied legacy fades into history, this sale marks a bittersweet full stop to a golden era in Indian aviation.

Until next time, may your power bills stay low, your stock gains stay high, and your chai stay piping hot.

Masala Chai out ☕️