Balancing Brics
The seventeenth Brics summit was held in Brazil amid tariff threats and geopolitical conflicts, with the bloc searching for to strengthen the place of the global south. The absence of China’s Xi Jinping and the digital participation of Russia’s Vladimir Putin owing to authorized constraints underscored inside challenges.Â
Brics+, now expanded to 11 members, represents 48% of the worldwide inhabitants and is steadily closing the GDP hole with the G7, in accordance with a Mint analysis. Nonetheless, the bloc has extra variations than similarities, with just a few international locations, together with India and South Africa, having robust democratic values.
Electrical energy demand dips
India’s electrical energy demand fell 1.5% year-on-year within the June quarter to 445.8 billion kilowatt hours, in accordance with the info from the Central Electrical energy Authority. This marks the primary drop because the 2020 pandemic-hit first quarter of 2020.Â
The decline in April-June 2025 was doubtless as a consequence of a cooler summer season and an early monsoon, which decreased power wants. The newest knowledge from the India Meteorological Division confirmed that Could noticed a most temperature of 35.08 levels Celsius, as in opposition to the traditional pattern of 36.60 levels Celsius. The very best provide in a day (peak energy demand met) in June additionally fell to about 242 GW final month from about 244 GW in June 2024.
Nvidia is in a league of its personal
$4 trillion: That is the market cap Nvidia briefly hit on 9 July after its shares surged to an all-time excessive of $164.42, extending its lead over Apple and Microsoft because the world’s most respected publicly traded firm. Nvidia’s inventory has seen robust demand prior to now 5 years, pushed by rising investor confidence in its essential position in powering AI applied sciences. The chipmaker’s shares have gained round 21% since final yr, Mint reported. The corporate, based in 1993, first surpassed $2-trillion in market cap in February 2024 and $3 trillion in June 2024.
Renewed US tariffs
With the 9 July deadline for commerce deal negotiations ending, the US has despatched formal letters to 14 international locations, outlining revised tariffs. Amongst these, Laos and Myanmar have been hit with 40% reciprocal tariffs, the very best within the present listing. 5 of those, together with Japan and South Korea, have been hit with a 25% tariff. The brand new reciprocal tariffs for the listed international locations are set to take impact from 1 August. India, which is attempting to strike a commerce cope with the US, is unlikely to obtain such a proper notification, Mint reported.
Accenture indicators IT hunch
A 6% drop in Accenture’s new bookings in Q3FY25 led to a pointy decline in its inventory final month. This was mirrored by Indian IT shares, highlighting the corporate’s affect on the sector.Â
As a serious participant with overlapping markets, particularly in North America, Accenture is seen as a bellwether for Indian IT companies. All listed Indian IT corporations earn over 50% of their income from the Americas, making them delicate to demand shifts there.Â
Nonetheless, an analysis by howindialives.com reveals that the Dublin-headquartered tech and consulting main differs from Indian IT companies in a number of methods, warranting a better look past its quarterly numbers.
Balrampur Chini’s bio guess
₹2,850 crore: That’s the funding Balrampur Chini Mills is making on bioplastics amid value controls and local weather dangers, Mint reported. The corporate is establishing a polylactic acid plant, India’s first by a sugar agency, subsequent to its Kumbhi mill in Uttar Pradesh, aiming for ₹2,000 crore in income by 2027. PLA, a biodegradable plastic created from sugar, will initially goal single-use plastic substitutes. Whereas analysts see it as an ESG-friendly development engine, issues persist over enter dangers, because the plant will nonetheless depend on sugarcane, which is a water-guzzling crop weak to climate shocks.
RCB’s energy play
The Indian Premier League’s (IPL) valuation rose 12.9% year-on-year to $18.5 billion in 2025, cementing its standing among the many world’s high sporting leagues, in accordance with a examine by Houlihan Lokey. Royal Challengers Bangalore grew to become probably the most priceless workforce after their maiden title win in 2025, changing Chennai Tremendous Kings. Mumbai Indians ranked second and Chennai Tremendous Kings settled for third. Promoting revenues crossed $600 million, and viewership peaked at 678 million throughout the last on 3 June. With rising investor curiosity and cross-league enlargement, IPL is evolving into a world media-sport model, with longer seasons anticipated in future, the report stated.
Chart of the week: How city Indians use their time
Urban Indians love to look at TV and provides a decrease precedence to reflection, leisure and relaxation, a Mint analysis of the Time Use Survey 2024 confirmed. Watching TV is the highest leisure exercise, particularly for city girls, whereas rural girls, who work the toughest, desire speaking over display screen time to unwind.
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