Newsletter
Autos on a roll, Avocados are the main characters, and More dramas going micro.
🗓️ Morning, folks! ☀️
In today’s episode of stuff we absolutely don’t need, Dyson has come up with a toothbrush worth ₹50,000.
Dyson has launched a smart electric toothbrush with a built-in camera and AI.
The camera scans between your teeth as you brush, spots gaps and shoots a tiny burst of mouthwash into them to help remove plaque. It took six years and 661 engineers to develop, with the AI trained on 470,000 dental images.
Basically, Dyson has turned brushing your teeth into a mini tech gadget, complete with Wi-Fi and an app.
It even comes with its own toothpaste and mouthwash.
But with dentists saying you can still get the job done by simply brushing twice a day, the question is: are we looking at the future of dental care, or just a very expensive toothbrush waiting to become a punchline.
Moving on, Dalal Street had a rough Wednesday, with the Nifty and Sensex slipping nearly 0.5% each.
What dragged markets: weak global cues weighed on equities, while crude oil extended gains after the US and Iran exchanged strikes overnight, raising fears of supply disruptions.
Brent crude rose 0.8% to $95.40 a barrel in early trade. IT stocks also weighed on the market.
💡 Spotlight: Auto sales revved up in August 🛻
India’s auto sector hit the accelerator in August, with sales rising across most major automakers.
Maruti Suzuki, India’s biggest carmaker, sold 2.19 lakh vehicles, up 21.3% from a year ago.
Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Hyundai also posted strong growth, with sales rising 42%, 56% and 8.8%, respectively.
Two-wheelers and commercial vehicles joined the party too. Bajaj Auto’s sales jumped 28%, helped by a 51% surge in exports, while Royal Enfield grew 11%. Ashok Leyland and SML Mahindra saw sales rise 38% and 40%. Tata’s EV sales nearly doubled, adding another boost to the numbers.
Strong consumer demand, rising exports and growing EV sales are keeping the sector in top gear. This comes even as fuel prices remain high and automakers have raised vehicle prices to offset higher costs.
But the road ahead may be a little less smooth. Auto sales are expected to slow in the second half of the financial year, mainly because last year’s weaker numbers make the current growth look stronger.
Analysts say this would be more about a tougher comparison than consumers suddenly losing interest in buying cars.
Let’s hit it! 💪🏻
1 Big Thing: New kid to debut on D-street 💰
Mahanadi Coalfields, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coal India, is getting ready to hit Dalal Street. The company has filed its DRHP with market regulator SEBI for an initial public offering.
But why are Coal India shares rallying?
Coal India shares rallied close to 4% intraday on heavy volumes, even as the broader market remained weak. The gains came after reports of plans to sell a 10% stake in Mahanadi Coalfields through the IPO.
Breaking it down: the IPO is entirely an offer for sale, which means Mahanadi Coalfields will not receive any proceeds from the issue. The proceeds will instead go to its parent, Coal India.
According to a CRISIL report, Mahanadi Coalfields was India’s largest coal producer by production in FY26, producing 218.3 million tonnes (MT) of coal and accounting for approximately 22.4% of India’s non-coking coal production.
The company operates primarily in Odisha and accounted for around 21% of India’s domestic coal production and 28.4% of Coal India’s total production in FY26.
Big picture: coal remains the backbone of India’s energy mix, contributing more than 55% of the country’s primary commercial energy needs.
And coal demand isn’t disappearing anytime soon. It is expected to reach around 1.5 billion tonnes by 2030, as the fuel continues to provide reliable baseload power and support industries such as steel and cement.
2. GoPro is on its redemption arc 📷
Camera company GoPro is being acquired for $285 million after years of financial trouble.
Starman Optical has agreed to merge with GoPro and pay shareholders $1.14 per share. Existing GoPro shareholders will retain about 10% of the combined company, while Starman will own the remaining 90%.
The biggest relief? The deal will also wipe out GoPro’s $92 million debt, giving the struggling company some much-needed breathing room.
Starman makes specialised hardware that helps AI data centres move huge amounts of data quickly between servers, making it easier to run powerful AI systems.
Why this matters: Starman will put fresh money into GoPro and help it move beyond action cameras, while GoPro will remain listed on Nasdaq and continue its existing consumer business.
The two companies plan to combine Starman’s optical technology and US manufacturing with GoPro’s imaging expertise to build products for AI infrastructure, defence, aerospace and robotics.
If the deal goes through, GoPro could go from being a consumer camera brand to a US-based technology company supplying hardware for AI and national security.
3. Avocados are having a moment in India 🥑
PM Modi spoke about India’s avocado boom on Mann Ki Baat this Sunday.
India imported just 234 tonnes of avocados in FY21. By FY25, that had jumped to nearly 12,000 tonnes, as demand from cafés, restaurants and urban consumers kept growing.
Now farmers across India are planting avocado orchards and spending lakhs to get in early.
But avocado trees take 4-5 years to start paying off. By the time those orchards mature, India could have far more local supply, cheaper fruit and even more competition from imports.
4. The business of running Indian airports ✈️
India’s airport business is a mixed bag.
AAI leads with ₹20,648 crore in revenue and ₹7,233 crore in net profit. Adani Airports and GMR Aero also generate sizeable revenues, but GMR posted an ₹817 crore loss. Fairfax, despite operating just one airport, earned ₹584 crore.
The takeaway: running airports can be a lucrative business, but profitability varies sharply depending on scale, costs and the airports being operated.
5. Stocks that kept us interested 🚀
What went up ⬆️
😎 Adani Ports gained over 1% after its August cargo volumes rose 19% YoY to 50 MT. The company aims to handle 1 billion metric tonnes of annual cargo by FY31.
🙇🏼♀️ Vodafone Idea rose over 3% after it named Shah Rukh Khan campaign face and unveiled a redesigned three-dimensional logo.
🥳 BEML climbed 3% after securing a ₹180 crore order from Integral Coach Factory for additional Vande Bharat sleeper trainsets.
🏎️ Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles ended in the green after Jaguar Land Rover unveiled its first fully electric Range Rover.
🔥 IFCI surged over 12% ahead of NSE’s potential IPO, with its subsidiary holding a 4.4% stake in NSE.
What went down ⬇️
📉 India Glycols which makes chemicals and bio-based products, crashed 80% after its demerger into three businesses, but the fall reflects a corporate action adjustment, not an equivalent market-value loss.
🔻 Welspun Corp and Perma-Pipe signed a deal to build pipe manufacturing and advanced coating facilities for Jordan’s National Water Carrier Project. However, stock fell over 1%.
❌ Polycab, KEI Industries and RR Kabel fell up to 8% after JM Financial downgraded ratings on all three cable stocks.
What else are we snackin’ 🍿
🎬 Micro dramas: Flipkart launched micro dramas on its app, adding a new Play tab with short-form shows across drama, action and comedy.
🗺️ Maps rename: Apple renamed Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ on Apple Maps in the U.S., following Google Maps and Trump’s executive order.
🌍 Global expansion: JioHotstar launched in the UK, Canada and Singapore, expanding its international footprint with new quarterly subscription plans.
That’s a wrap! Don’t let the weekday blues get to you.
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Disclaimer: This newsletter is for informational and research purposes only. Nothing here should be considered financial, investment, legal, or professional advice.
