🗞️ Daily Business Brief – AUG 17, 2025
- India-US Trade Talks scheduled for Aug 25 postponed; 25% additional tariff on India likely to take effect on Aug 27. Alert🚩: No change in US decision to implement penalty tariffs.
- EU Leaders with Zelensky to join Trump meeting Monday; Macron, Meloni, Merz, Starmer expected to attend.
- GST Reform Proposal sent to GoM; two-slab structure (5% & 18%) under consideration; relief for food, medicines, insurance, education; white goods shifted to 18%; sin items stay at 40%.
- GST Rate Timeline – Govt proposes Diwali as deadline for new structure; 0.25% on diamonds, 3% on gold/silver to continue.
- Bihar CM Nitish Kumar announces special economic package to boost youth employment.
- Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw urges bold reforms to speed up lab-to-market journey.
- Defence Push – Sudarshan Chakra plan & jet engine focus could lift defence stocks.
- Mahindra & Mahindra unveils four SUV concepts: Vision.S, Vision.T, Vision.SXT, Vision.X.
- GST Council Meetings – Two meetings likely in September to finalize next phase of reforms.
- Samir Modi Case – Sessions Court issues summons in defamation suit by Godfrey Philips independent directors. Alert🚩: Must appear unless challenged.
- US Tariffs – Even if 50% imposed, growth drag limited if India switches crude imports from Russia.
- S&P Rating Upgrade – India raised to BBB from BBB-; outlook stable; deficit target achievable; corporate & financial sector balance sheets stronger.
- July Trade Data – Exports $37.24 bn (▲ 7% YoY); Imports $64.59 bn (▲ 8.6% YoY); Trade deficit $27.35 bn vs $24.77 bn.
- FinMin Meeting with PSU Bank CEOs on Aug 20 to review Q1 performance.
- Samsung starts laptop manufacturing in India.
- China-India Talks – FM Wang Yi to visit Aug 18–20 for boundary talks in Delhi.
- Energy – India imports 2M bpd of Russian oil in August.
- Tilaknagar Industries to complete Imperial Blue acquisition by Dec 2025, pending CCI approval.
- Electronics Mart opens new Bajaj Electronics multi-brand store (5,000 sq ft) at Palasa, Andhra Pradesh.
- Dixon Technologies signs JV with HKC Overseas to manufacture LCD, TFT modules & assemble electronics in India.
- Electronics Exports jump 47% YoY in Q1 FY26; production up from $31B to $133B in 10 years, now 300+ mobile units operational: Piyush Goyal.
- KPIT Technologies completes first phase of Caresoft acquisition with $51M payment out of revised $157M deal.
- Ola Electric launches S1 Pro Sport e-motorcycle; unveils ‘India Inside’ vision; integrates 4680 Bharat cell; priced ₹1,49,999; deliveries from Jan 2026.
- Alembic Pharma gets USFDA final nod for Tretinoin cream 0.025% (market size $94M).
- Edelweiss Financial CEO Venkat Ramaswamy steps down; Rashesh Shah to take executive chair role; IPO targeted April 2026.
- PVR INOX opens 8-screen multiplex at Bengaluru’s Mahindra Millennium Mall with India’s first dine-in auditorium; 1222 seats.
- MedPlus Health – Telangana store drug license suspended for 4 days; revenue impact ~₹0.80 lakh.
- Jindal Poly Films approves demerger of ₹671 cr nonwoven fabrics biz into Global Nonwovens; separate NSE/BSE listings planned.
🔔 Stay tuned — informed choices create winning opportunities.
