Newsletter
Brands splurge on influencers, Varun Beverages bets on alcohol, and Block deals galore.
🗓️ Morning, folks! ☀️
Do not put your influencer dreams on hold. Just yet.
Brands are set to spend a whopping ₹900 crore on creators this festive season, up 29% from last year, according to creator intelligence platform Qoruz.
And more brands are joining the party too, 7,200 are expected to run creator campaigns this year, up from 6,000 in 2025.
But here’s the fun part: you don’t need millions of followers to cash in.
Nano and micro creators made up 75% of festive campaigns, while creators from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities now account for 38%.
Electronics, fashion, e-commerce and FMCG are leading the spending spree, but Diwali no longer takes all the cake. Just 49% of creator campaigns are tied to Diwali, with the rest spread across festivals like Navratri, Dussehra and regional celebrations.
Let’s talk about the markets now. 👀
Dalal Street caught the weakness fever, with the Nifty and Sensex ending in the red. Some relief came from Brent crude slipping below the crucial $87-per-barrel mark.
Sector-wise action: metals emerged as the top performer, followed by banking and pharma, while IT and FMCG stocks remained under pressure.
Investors are keeping a close eye on the Middle East conflict, along with Nvidia’s results, US inflation data and the upcoming Jackson Hole symposium for cues on global market direction.
💡 Spotlight: Not-so-Empire state of mind for immigrants 🇺🇲
The Trump administration has decided to temporarily pause visa appointments at US embassies and consulates globally as the State Department conducts a new training programme for consular officers.
According to a Financial Times report, the pause also comes as the Trump administration steps up scrutiny of applicants who could potentially become dependent on government benefits.
The broader impact: applications from Indian students to US colleges have fallen 15%.
The estimated number of international students is projected to decline from around 11.69 lakh in 2025-26 to 10.57 lakh in 2026-27, according to the report cited by PTI.
For Indian applicants, tighter visa rules and uncertainty around post-study employment could make the US a less predictable option.
Let’s hit it! 💪🏻
1 Big Thing: Varun Beverages is thirsty for more, but investors aren’t 🍻
Varun Beverages is making a serious push into alcoholic beverages. Yet, its stock fell 3% intraday after the announcement.
What’s happening: the company plans to enter the ready-to-drink (RTD) alcohol market through a new wholly owned subsidiary, KIVA Spirits. It has also appointed former Diageo executive Prathmesh Mishra as CEO and MD.
Why now: Varun renewed its bottling and trademark agreement with PepsiCo until 2049, extending it from 2039.
More importantly, PepsiCo removed a clause that had restricted Varun from doing business beyond PepsiCo products. That gives Varun greater freedom to enter new categories, and alcohol looks like one of its biggest bets yet.
So, why did the stock still fall: the 3% drop doesn’t appear to signal analyst concern. CLSA remains bullish, while Morgan Stanley has maintained its ‘Overweight’ rating.
The bigger issue is uncertainty around how much Varun will invest, how it plans to enter the market and how quickly the business could start making money.
The bigger picture: India is the world’s sixth-largest alcoholic beverage market by revenue, with annual sales of around 1.1 billion cases. Varun is also setting up a joint venture in Tunisia to manufacture and distribute soft drinks, juices, water and dairy products.
2. Adani’s ₹4,700 crore Karnataka-to-Maharashtra power trip ⚡
Adani Energy Solutions bagged a ₹4,700 crore transmission project that will help move up to 4,500 MW of renewable and stored power from Karnataka towards Maharashtra.
Context: the project has the rather long official name “Network Expansion Scheme in Western Region to Cater to Pumped Storage Potential near Satara”.
4,500 MW is roughly equivalent to the output of four to five large conventional power-generation units running at full capacity.
What’s going on: Karnataka has large renewable-energy resources, particularly wind and solar. Maharashtra, meanwhile, has huge electricity-demand centres such as Mumbai and Pune, along with upcoming pumped-storage capacity around Satara.
The why: solar and wind generation can be plentiful at one time and scarce a few hours later. That’s where pumped storage comes in. Think of it as a giant water battery.
When there is plenty of cheap electricity available, water is pumped from a lower reservoir to a higher one. When electricity demand rises, that water is released downhill through turbines to generate power.
Zoom out: India is projected to need 7.45 GW of pumped-storage capacity in 2026-27. By 2031-32, that requirement jumps to 26.6 GW, capable of storing around 175 GWh of electricity. The estimated investment required for pumped storage alone is around ₹1.29 lakh crore.
3. Your protein is getting pricier 💰
Who would’ve thought that rising egg prices would have an ethanol connection?
Well, egg prices have surged 35-40% over the past year, reaching ₹8.50-9 in retail markets. One reason? India’s ethanol push is diverting maize from poultry feed, potentially pushing egg prices higher.
4. Stocks that kept us interested 🚀
What went up ⬆️
🎯 Cyient jumped 7% after its investor day, with JPMorgan seeing a ₹1,050 target on a double-digit growth outlook.
☀️ GK Energy bagged ₹455 crore rooftop solar order covering 1 lakh homes, stock up 6%.
🪙 Hindustan Zinc gained nearly 6% after the government eased concerns that it may sell more of its stake in the company.
⚡ Advait Energy gained more than 4% on a ₹135 crore turnkey order from MPPTCL.
🚀 MTar Tech surged more than 2% as the firm expects to beat its 80% revenue growth guidance.
👍 Vedanta Aluminium rose more than 3% as Motilal Oswal gave ‘buy’ rating.
What went down ⬇️
💸 Groww fell 3% as 2.1% equity changed hands in a ₹2,500 crore block deal.
📦 Welspun Corp ended nearly 2% lower as 2.4% equity changed hands in a ₹1,433 crore block deal.
🏦 Jana SFB slipped 4% amid reports of Federal Bank acquiring a controlling stake, while Citi flagged integration risks.
🛒 DMart shares fell 2% after a 1.06% equity stake was sold in a block deal.
What else are we snackin’ 🍿
🚁 Engine deal: HAL and Safran signed the final contract to develop the Aravalli helicopter engine, which will power India’s upcoming 13-ton multi-role helicopters.
💻 Chip acquisition: Germany’s Infineon is acquiring Bengaluru-based C2i Semiconductors to strengthen its power-management technology for AI data centres.
🤖 AI funding: Ringg AI raised $10 million led by Peak XV, taking its Series A total to $15.5 million to expand its voice, WhatsApp and browser AI agents.
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.
