Namaste! Aaj ka news roundup, Newswala style!

MARKETS

Markets: The Indian stock market was closed on May 1, 2025, for Maharashtra Day.

TOP STORIES

Is it the End of Zomato?

What Happened

So Zomato just shared their money report for the January-March quarter, and guess what? Their profit crashed 78% to just ₹39 crore compared to last year's ₹175 crore. 

But here's the interesting part - their sales shot up 64% to ₹5,833 crore. For the whole year, they made ₹527 crore in profit (50% more than last year) on sales of ₹20,243 crore. 

• Their food delivery business barely grew from the previous quarter, with sales staying flat at around ₹2,400 crore. 

• Blinkit is growing like crazy but losing money faster - their losses jumped to ₹178 crore this quarter.

Why It Matters

Remember when food delivery was the hot new thing? Well, times are changing.

Zomato's CEO actually blamed quick commerce for eating into their food delivery business! People are ordering packaged food through quick grocery apps instead of restaurant meals. 

Blinkit's sales grew 122% to ₹1,709 crore, but they're spending mountains of cash to get there. They now have 1,301 stores (up from 526 last year), but 40% of them are new and not being used enough yet.

Zoom Out

Zomato is at a crossroads - their original business is slowing down while their new venture is both promising and expensive. It's like they're learning to ride a new bike while the old one's getting rusty. 

Their yearly results look good, but this quarterly stumble raises questions. Will the Blinkit bet pay off? Can food delivery bounce back? Or is Zomato just trading profitable meals for costly groceries?  

TOP STORIES

Mumbai Homes Hit the Roof 

What Happened

Mumbai’s housing market is on fire. In just the first four months of 2025, the city clocked 52,896 property deals, up 8% from last year. 

• April alone saw 13,080 registrations—the best April in 7 years! 

• The Maharashtra government made a cool ₹4,633 crore in revenue, 21% higher than last year. 

• The average home now costs ₹1.57 crore (bank account crying in the corner)

Why It Matters

Isn't it surprising? While everyone's talking about economic uncertainty, Mumbai residents are buying homes like never before. Luxury properties priced over ₹2 crore now make up 25% of all sales, up from 22% last year.  

The really interesting part is that March saw an incredible 15,501 registrations. Why? People rushed to buy before the government's 3.9% increase in ready reckoner rates.

Smart move, considering overall sales in the Mumbai metropolitan region actually dropped 28% in the first quarter!

Zoom Out

Look at how much Mumbai has changed - property values have gone up 54% since 2021! Places like Versova, Borivali, and Ghatkopar are seeing tons of new development.

Will rising interest rates slow things down? Will new regulations change the game? We don't know. But for now, Mumbai's housing market seems unstoppable,

TOP STORIES

India's Next Boom Needs Government Backup

What Happened

India's live entertainment sector is on the rise. Currently worth a hefty ₹12,000 crore, the industry is aiming to hit ₹20,200 crore by 2027.

Industry bigwigs are knocking on government doors asking for simpler rules, lower taxes, and better partnerships. 

With 550 million middle-class Indians (soon to be 1 billion) ready to spend, and 65% of the population under 35, global stars like Coldplay and Ed Sheeran are flocking to perform. 

FYI: Coldplay in Ahmedabad’s single event pumped ₹641 crore into Gujarat's economy!

Why It Matters

Let's face it – trying to organize concerts in India is like navigating a maze blindfolded. Approvals take forever, taxes can reach a whopping 28%, and finding proper venues is a headache. 

But fix these problems, and we're talking about ₹500-₹1,000 crore economic impact per major event! Cities hosting big shows see their airports, hotels, and restaurants packed.  

Zoom Out

So what's the holdup? While PM Modi and some states are showing interest, the industry desperately needs an official playbook. We have stadiums gathering dust and young Indians hungry for experiences. 

Having a national policy for easy approvals, reasonable taxes, and better venue usage, India could transform from just another tour stop to a global entertainment powerhouse. 

GROWTH GULLY

🎯 Prompt Smarter — These 10 ChatGPT tricks take you from basic to brilliant
🚀 Ditch the Resume — Anupam Mittal shares what really fuels entrepreneurial success
🧵 Threads to Crores — How this D2C menswear brand stitched its way to ₹140 Cr profit

🕗 Rise Like the 1% — These habits before 8AM can change your entire life

📚 What NOT-These college majors don’t return the investment

PAISON KA KHEL

$100 Million, 90 ANDAs, and a Dream 💊

BDR Pharmaceuticals is betting big on the US with a $100 million plan to buy manufacturing units. The company, with a revenue of $200 million, aims to produce locally, especially for defense contracts. 

Chairman Dharmesh Shah is eyeing 200 drug applications , including treatments for heart, pain, and HIV, with 80–90 of them ready to hit the shelves soon.

With the move, BDR hopes to skip tariff troubles, speed up FDA approvals, and become the neighborhood pharmacy of the US. 

Carlyle Packs Its Bags ( a $308 Million Goodbye) 👋

Carlyle’s done playing landlord. The US private equity giant is selling its entire 10.4% stake in PNB Housing Finance, hoping to pocket up to $308 million.

The shares are going for ₹960 each—about 5% off the ₹1,010.20 closing price on April 30. (Clearance sale, anyone?) The move comes as PNB Housing posted a 25% jump in quarterly profit—₹550 crore vs ₹439 crore last year.

GLOBAL NAZARA

Tesla May Be Rebooting the Boss 😮

Elon Musk might be parking his CEO seat soon—yes, the man who builds rockets, tweets memes, and moonlights as a government efficiency car is allegedly in Tesla’s exit lane. 

Reports say the EV giant has quietly tapped headhunters to find a successor, as sales hit a 3-year low and stock plunged 45% from its $1.5 trillion high. Musk, who’s been moonlighting in DOGE vows to cut back his role there to just 1-2 days a week.  

IKEA’s Racing Through Asia Now  🛣️

No more waiting weeks for that bookshelf you’ll “totally” assemble someday. IKEA is accelerating its next-day delivery expansion across Asia, with Japan and South Korea next in line.

India is leading this charge, where an impressive 90–95% of orders are fulfilled within a day.

Despite reporting a ₹1,299 crore loss on ₹1,809 crore in revenue last year, IKEA’s e-commerce business is thriving—online sales now contribute 30% of total revenue.

MIRCH MASALA

🩸 After the Bloodshed —Amit Shah’s chilling words echo across India
🛺 Tech Talk — Watch ChatGPT haggle with an auto driver in Kannada
🎬 Bollywood Royalty — SRK, Rajinikanth, Aamir, and more dazzle at WAVES 2025 

⚖️ Love Triangle? — Husband’s bond with cat leads wife to take legal action
🍩 The Sweet Truth: Was Jalebi really invented in India or is it a delicious global mystery?

And that’s a wrap. Have an amazing weekend.

We’ll see you again on Monday! 😄