Indian Market ends in green on Thursday
Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on auto imports, aiming to boost domestic manufacturing but potentially straining automakers dependent on global supply chains.
More tariffs are expected next week, though Trump indicated they may be “lenient than reciprocal,” suggesting a softer stance.
Auto and pharma stocks in India declined, with Nifty Auto down 1.12% and Nifty Pharma dropping 0.34%, while PSU banks, media, oil & gas, realty, metal, IT, and FMCG stocks gained.
Analysts expect double-digit earnings growth in FY26, supported by easing inflation and lower interest rates, which could strengthen domestic market fundamentals.
The ongoing U.S.-India trade meeting is being closely watched for potential developments on the bilateral trade agreement.
Indian rupee end at 85.78/$ on Thursday vs Wednesday’s close of 85.71/$.
YouTube change how YouTube Shorts views are counted
YouTube Shorts will now count a view every time a short starts to play or replay, rather than requiring a few seconds of watch time.
This change will result in higher view counts for creators.
The update aligns YouTube Shorts with TikTok and Instagram Reels, which use a similar view-tracking method.
The goal is to help creators better understand their reach and showcase their content performance more accurately.
The original metric, now called “engaged views,” will still be available in Advanced Mode in YouTube Analytics.
Monetization and YouTube Partner Program eligibility will still be based on engaged views, not the new metric.
The change will take effect on March 31, 2025.
Helmets maker ‘Studds’ files for IPO
Studds Accessories has filed preliminary. papers with Sebi for IPO, marking its second attempt after a previous attempt in 2018.
The IPO will consist solely of an offer for sale (OFS) of approximately 77.9 lakh shares by existing shareholders and promoters.
The company will not receive any funds from the IPO, as proceeds will go directly to the selling shareholders.
Studds Accessories is a leading manufacturer of two-wheeler helmets and accessories, operating under the ‘Studds’ and ‘SMK’ brands, and exports to over 70 countries.
In the six months ending September 2024, the company reported revenue from operations of 285 crore and a net profit of ₹33 crore.
Indian Banks NPA at a multi-year low: FM
Rajya Sabha passed the Banking Regulation Bill on March 26, 2025, amending provisions in five banking-related Acts, affecting 19 sections.
FM stated the bill aims to improve governance, enhance audit quality in public sector banks, protect depositors, and increase the tenure of cooperative bank directors.
She highlighted a reduction in gross NPAs to 2.5% in September 2024 and record net profits of ₹1.41 lakh crore by public sector banks.
FM defended govt’s record, highlighting support for 68 lakh street vendors through PM Svanidhi & 50 cr loan under PM Mudra scheme.
She stated that 98% of India’s 6.01 lakh villages now have banking facilities and that 3.9 lakh posts in public sector banks were filled in the last decade.
Digital media surpass television for first time
Digital media overtook television for the first time in 2024, becoming the largest segment in India’s media and entertainment (M&E) sector with a 32% revenue share.
India’s M&E sector grew 3.3% to 2.5 trillion in 2024 and is projected to reach 2.68 trillion in 2025. Digital media clocked ₹80,200 crore in revenue, surpassing TV’s 67,900 crore.
Driven by e-commerce (50%) and search/social media (11%), digital advertising grew 17% to ₹70,000 crore, representing 55% of overall ad revenue.
Digital subscription revenue grew 15% to 10,200 cr, with paid video subscription reach 111 million across 47 million household.
Print advertising grew 1%, driven by premium ad formats and affluent, non-metro audiences.
TV remains a strong medium, but linear TV revenues declined for the second consecutive year, with a 6% drop in ad revenue.
3% fall in subscription revenue due to a reduction in six million Pay TV homes. Connected TV homes grew to 30 million.
The cinema sector struggled, with a 5% revenue decline to ₹18,700 crore.
Theatrical revenues dropped due to high ticket prices and weak content. Only 11 Hindi films crossed *100 crore, down from 17 in 2023.
The online gaming segment contracted by 2% due to the 28% GST on player deposits, though casual gaming grew by 16%.
Paid music subscriptions rose from 7 million to 10.5 million in 2024, while news subscriptions remained low at 3.1 million.
Meesho delivered 1.3B order in 9 months of FY25
Meesho released its first annual report, showcasing strong growth driven by technology and Al.
Became the first horizontal e-commerce platform in India to achieve profitability in FY24, generating ₹197 crore in free cash flow.
Losses dropped by 97% to ₹53 cr (excluding employee share-based compensation)
Reported 187 million annual transacting users as of December 2024, serving approximately 13% of India’s population.
Users placed 1.3 billion orders between April and December 2024, making Meesho the most downloaded shopping app for the fourth consecutive year.
The platform processes 67 trillion features daily and handles 500,000 user requests per second at peak load.
Logistics arm Valmo handled over 50% of daily orders, covering 15,000 pin codes and creating 85,000 jobs.
Supports 400,000 sellers with a 0% commission model, making online selling more accessible for SMES.
Launched Valmo as a full-fledged logistics marketplace in February last year, enabling micro-entrepreneurs to deliver orders in their local areas.
Plans to go public later this year, aiming to raise around $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation, with JP Morgan potentially joining the IPO syndicate.
Zepto starts running betting ads during IPL
Zepto displayed advertisements for Parimatch, an illegal offshore betting platform, during the IPL season.
This follows similar incidents where Uber cabs in Delhi and Mumbai displayed ads for 1xBet, another banned betting entity.
Pari match and 1xBet, both Cyprus-based, operate through mirror sites to maintain access despite regulatory bans.
Concerns arise over Zepto’s ad placements, especially since the Parimatch ad appeared with a 20-price tag, increasing brand recall.
Illegal betting platforms use mirror sites and UPI transactions to bypass enforcement, creating revenue leakage.