It’s Friday, and the markets decided to go out with a bang, except, it’s the kind that makes investors cry.
But hey, Bitcoin is out here living its best life!
Grab your coffee (or something stronger), because today’s edition has all the highs, lows, and surprises you didn’t see coming.
Let’s get into it!
📌 Top Headlines of the Day
PSU bank stocks sink as nine banks hit 52 week lows
Public sector bank (PSU) stocks faced heavy selling pressure on Monday, with nine stocks, including SBI, Bank of Baroda, and PNB, touching their 52-week lows.
The Nifty PSU Bank index declined 2.15%, with Punjab & Sind Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, UCO Bank, and Central Bank of India leading the losses, each down around 5%.
SBI shares dropped 1.24% to ₹679.65, Bank of Baroda fell 2.3% to ₹197.70, and PNB hit ₹85.51. Indian Overseas Bank and Bank of Maharashtra plunged over 5%. The decline follows broader market weakness, as Sensex and Nifty 50 fell over 0.5%.
The Nifty PSU Bank index has dropped 15% YTD and 22% in a year, despite a 40% gain over two years.
In comparison, Nifty 50 is down 6.8% YTD but has risen 25% over two years.
Tata Motors shares hit fresh 52-week low
Tata Motors Ltd shares fell for the sixth straight session, dropping 2.31% to a one-year low of ₹606.20 before recovering slightly to ₹617.75.
The stock has plummeted 43.09% over the past six months.
Key concerns include a 9% YoY drop in domestic sales (46,435 units) and a 23% decline in EV sales (5,343 units) in February.
Experts cite competition from Hyundai and Mahindra, China's slowdown affecting Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) sales, and Tata's ICE-based EV platform discouraging rental companies as key challenges.
Ola's shares crashes amid job cuts
Ola Electric's stock dropped 5% to a 52-week low amid reports of over 1,000 layoffs as the company struggles to cut costs.
The job cuts, spanning multiple departments, affect over a quarter of its workforce, including contract workers. This is the second round of layoffs in five months.
The EV maker missed its 50,000-unit monthly sales target for February, selling just over 25,000 units despite holding a 28% market share.
Its stock has fallen 29% below its IPO price and 66% from its all-time high.
📌 Startup News
21 Indian startups secured over $105 million in funding this week
Three startups secured growth-stage funding, while 16 early-stage startups attracted investments.
Growth-Stage Funding:
Geniemode (B2B cross-border e-commerce) led with $50 million in Series C (Multiples Alternate Asset Management).
MOC Cancer Care & Research Centre raised $18 million in Series B (Elevation Capital).
A fintech unicorn secured $12 million in debt from AK Capital Finance.
Early-Stage Funding ($25.87 million in total):
Quick Clean (linen management) raised $5.7 million in Series A.
Other funded startups: FanTV, Vidyut, Lorien Finance, HiWiPay, KiranaPro, 1312 Interactive (some undisclosed amounts).
Funding Trends:
Bengaluru led with 9 deals, followed by Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and others.
Fintech dominated with 4 deals, followed by e-commerce, healthtech, spacetech, and gaming (2 deals each).
Mergers & Acquisitions:
Veranda Learning acquired BB Virtuals & Navkar Digital (commerce education).
Flipkart’s UPI app Super.money acquired BharatX (fintech expansion).
Blinkit will now deliver Apple MacBooks, iPads and watches
CEO Albinder Dhindsa announced the expansion on X, with service available in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, and Kolkata.
Blinkit has been delivering iPhones since 2022 and expanded to other electronics earlier this year.
It previously partnered with Apple reseller Unicorn for iPhone 15 deliveries and has also worked with Xiaomi and Nokia.
📌 Global News
The world's biggest climate fund want India
The UN-backed Green Climate Fund (GCF) is urging India and China to take on leadership roles in climate finance after U.S. President Donald Trump rescinded $4 billion in pledged funding.
Trump's decision, along with his withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and WHO, has disrupted global climate and development efforts.
GCF head Mafalda Duarte emphasized the need for a “coalition of the ambitious” to fill the gap left by the U.S., which plays a crucial role in global climate leadership.
The fund, established in 2010, has $17 billion in investments and aims to reach $50 billion by 2030, but future funding may depend on levies on high-emission sectors like aviation and carbon taxes.
Bitcoin jumps above $91,000
This happened after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a crypto strategic reserve, initially including XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA), later adding BTC and ether (ETH).
XRP spiked 31% to $2.80, ADA crossed $1, and SOL rose above $160, each gaining over 20%. BTC climbed 6%, ETH nearly 10%, and the CoinDesk 20 Index jumped 17%. Crypto-linked stocks like MSTR, COIN, and MARA are expected to benefit.
The rally began after the White House announced Trump’s upcoming crypto summit on March 7 with industry leaders.
📌 Now, Bolly News
Which movie to watch next?
Ashwath Marimuthu's coming-of-age comedy Dragon, starring Pradeep Ranganathan, has crossed the ₹100 crore gross mark worldwide within 10 days of release.
Despite receiving mixed reviews, the film has performed strongly at the box office since its release on February 21.
Dragon follows the story of D Ragavan Dhanapal, aka Dragon, a young man leading an aimless life after dropping out of college.
However, a heartbreak pushes him to turn his life around.
Just as he begins to rebuild himself, his past resurfaces, threatening his newfound stability.
Chhava box office collection day 17
Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava remains a box office force, grossing ₹459.50 crore in India by its 17th day.
The film opened strong with ₹31 crore on Day 1 and ₹219.5 crore in its first week. Its second-week earnings stood at ₹180.25 crore, with the third weekend adding another ₹60 crore.
With an impressive 37.04% occupancy on Sunday, ‘Chhaava’ is now eyeing the ₹500 crore mark and aiming for ‘Baahubali 2’s’ lifetime record.
So, that’s it for today. If you enjoyed this edition, subscribe to hear from us every day!
See ya 👋
Markets crashing, banks struggling, but Bitcoin is on fire. Startups still managed to raise $105M the hustle is real. Do you think crypto will keep winning or is another crash coming?