Handpicked updates about India’s business and the business of India
Ok, so this is clearly becoming a trend that we just did not see coming. After yesterday's news about how French tech-dude-person had put ads on his wedding tuxedo to pay for the event, it seems wedding outfits are fast turning into cash cows. In most recent news, an Indian bride’s father stuck a PayTM QR code on his shirt pocket to get ‘digital shaguns’. Uncle, GST?
Now, let’s get into the Dispatch! 🚀
Today’s reading time is 6 mins.
Markets 🔔🐂🐻
As of the Indian market closed on Oct 31st
The Indian stock market fell for a second straight day on Friday, driven by profit booking, mixed corporate earnings, and cautious global sentiment. Despite the decline, the Sensex and Nifty still recorded their best monthly gains in seven months.
Business & Economy
REIT Boom: From ₹2 Lakh Cr To 20 Lakh Cr By 2030
Image credits: Business Standard
The Big Number: India’s Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) market is set to explode from around ₹10.4 lakh crore in 2025 to a whopping ₹19.7 lakh crore by 2030, according to Knight Frank India. The surge marks a near-doubling in value within just five years, driven by strong office demand, policy tailwinds, and investors’ growing appetite for income-yielding real-estate assets.
What’s A REIT Bro? A REIT is a company that pools in capital from many investors to purchase a large portfolio of residential / commercial properties. In turn investors receive a portion of the income generated by the properties, usually through dividends.
What’s Driving The Boom: A decade ago, REITs were barely a blip on India’s investment radar. Today, they’re mainstream. Institutional and private-equity participation has soared, bringing transparency and liquidity to commercial real estate. Urbanisation, the rise of tech-driven companies, and evolving work habits have created a steady demand for Grade A office spaces, retail centres, and logistics hubs.
The Current Landscape: India now has five listed REITs, collectively managing about 177 million sq ft of space worth over ₹2.3 lakh crore, with nearly 3 lakh retail investors holding units. These trusts deliver stable annual dividend yields of around 5.5 %, making them an attractive alternative to volatile equities and low-yield fixed deposits. India’s office stock already exceeds one billion sq ft, the fourth largest in the world and growing.
The Road Ahead: By 2030, India’s REIT market is expected to diversify beyond offices and malls into data centres, industrial parks, hospitality, and warehousing. For investors, that means a broader, more accessible real-estate play without the hassle of physical ownership. For developers, it unlocks cheaper, long-term capital and global exposure.
Economy & Employment
The Next Hiring Wave: No Degree? No Problem
Image credits: Hindustan Times
From Degrees To Deliverables: The Indian job market is quietly but decisively shifting. A new report highlights how employers are now placing greater weight on demonstrable job-readiness rather than academic qualifications. It’s not about what college you went to, but whether you can hit the ground running on Day 1. With technology redefining every industry, from finance to logistics, recruiters are looking for candidates who bring real-world skills not just theoretical knowledge. And while degrees still matter for credibility, they’re no longer the deciding factor.
What Employers Want: The traits topping every hiring manager’s wish list today are communication, critical thinking, creativity, and leadership. Problem-solvers and quick learners are the new gold standard. Companies are partnering directly with institutions to bridge this readiness gap. Think IIT Delhi’s INAE-Infosys Foundation Centre for Engineering Education, or IIT Hyderabad’s tie-up with Renesas Electronics for semiconductor training. Apprenticeships, bootcamps, and finishing-school programs are turning into credible gateways to full-time employment.
Job-Readiness Becomes A Metric: From internships to data-driven assessments, recruiters are increasingly relying on proof of work to evaluate potential hires. Platforms that track skill validation through project portfolios or coding challenges are shaping a new merit system. Government-backed schemes like the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) have also given this model institutional backing, helping employers identify candidates with hands-on experience rather than mere paper degrees.
The Larger Picture: This shift has deep implications. For job-seekers, the comfort of a degree as a safety net is fading what counts now is demonstrable capability. For employers, it’s a win: shorter training periods, better alignment, and reduced churn. For academia though, it’s a wake-up call to sync syllabi with what the market actually demands.
Business India: Dhanda Hai Yeh!
Image Credits: ET
IPO Alert: India’s IPO market is gearing up for a blockbuster November with more than ₹76,000 crore worth of issues lined up across tech, renewables, healthcare and consumer sectors. Retail investors and domestic liquidity are driving the momentum, while companies are racing the calendar to list before year-end.
Russian Crude Pause: Top Indian refiners, historically major buyers of Russian crude, have paused new purchases amid tighter US/EU sanctions on Russian producers. The shift means higher cost crude from non-Russian sources looms, potentially pressuring margins and fuel prices.
India’s Deficit Hits ₹5.73 Lakh Crore: The fiscal deficit for April–September has ballooned to ₹5.73 lakh crore - about 36.5 % of the full-year target - up sharply from the same period last year. On the surface, it’s just numbers; beneath it, it signals that higher spending is outpacing revenue growth. The budget discipline alarm bells are ringing louder.
India’s Reserves Drop Nearly $7 Billion: India’s foreign exchange reserves fell by $6.92 billion to $695.36 billion for the week ending Oct 24, according to the Reserve Bank of India. The dip signals possible intervention to stabilise the rupee or rising external outflows. While still high in absolute terms, the slide raises questions about how long India can lean on this buffer before pressures start biting.
Tuticorin Port Nails ₹1.27 Lakh Crore Of MoUs: V. O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (Tuticorin Port) inked 28 agreements, totalling more than ₹1.27 lakh crore, focussed on green ammonia, hydrogen and energy storage. The push shows Tamil Nadu’s ambition to become a clean-energy and logistics hub.
China Clears Rare Earth Imports For 4 Indian Firms: After a six-month export freeze, China has granted licences to four Indian companies to import heavy rare earth magnets, a key input for EVs and renewables. The deal comes with strings “no re-exports to the U.S., no military use”. For India’s manufacturing ambitions, this is relief but with a hefty caveat about dependence and conditions.
Air India Hits Up Owners For $1.14 Billion Lifeline: After a tragic June crash and mounting operational woes, Air India is reportedly seeking ₹10,000 crore (≈$1.14 billion) in support from its owners Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines. The funds are earmarked for upgrading systems, engineering/maintenance capabilities and restoring credibility. With Tata holding 74.9% and SIA the rest, the ask remains whether this will be equity, an interest-free loan or both.
Ford Bets ₹3,250 Crore On Tamil Nadu Plant: Ford is plunging about ₹3,250 crore (≈$370 million) into its Maraimalai Nagar site in Tamil Nadu to build high-end engines for export even as the US pushes firms to keep manufacturing domestic. The plant is set to churn out over 200,000 units annually and signals renewed faith in India as a global manufacturing hub. Notably, the engines are not destined for the US market.
World 🌏
What’s Missing From Your Chocolate Bar?
Image credits: ET
The Chocolate Bar Story: It’s the kind of twist you’d expect in a Black Mirror episode, not your snack aisle - the chocolate in your chocolate bar may no longer actually be chocolate. That’s the most number of times we’ve said chocolate in a DD edition. With global cocoa prices soaring and supply chains melting under climate pressure, food giants are quietly rewriting their recipes, slipping in cheaper ingredients while keeping the packaging just as tempting.
Recipe Rewrites Everywhere: Many popular brands, from Mr. Goodbar to Rolo and Almond Joy, have swapped out real milk chocolate coatings for compound coatings made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter. The move keeps costs low but subtly changes flavor and texture. The telltale sign - that sneaky word “chocolatey” instead of “chocolate.” It’s legal, clever, and designed to make you not notice the difference until your taste buds revolt.
The Cost Crunch: Behind the switch lies a steep rise in cocoa prices, driven by poor harvests in West Africa and erratic weather. As climate change tightens its grip, companies are turning to big suppliers like Cargill, who are investing millions in “cocoa butter equivalents.” These substitutes mimic the real thing almost perfectly, helping brands protect margins even as cocoa becomes a luxury commodity.
So the next time someone says “Melody itni chocolatey kyun hai” - stop them right there. It’s no longer great to be chocolatey … it’s got to be chocolate.
DuniyaDIARY 🌏📒
Image credits: Reuters
China’s Xi Steps Up On Supply Chains As Trump Snubs APEC: Xi Jinping used his stage at APEC Summit in South Korea to urge Asian nations to “join hands, not break chains” and safeguard global supply networks amid turbulent times. Meanwhile Donald Trump skipped the summit, leaving the narrative seat open to China in the trade diplomacy lane.
Chip War Alert: Dutch chipmaker Nexperia has suspended wafer shipments to its assembly plant in Dongguan, China, citing contractual non-compliance, a move that could further squeeze global semiconductor supply chains. With auto-makers already trembling at chip deficits, this disruption raises the stakes in the tech trade tug-of-war between West and East.
Terror Attack Averted In The US: The FBI announced it foiled a potential terrorist attack planned over Halloween weekend in Michigan, arresting multiple suspects in the Dearborn/Inkster area. Details on the nature of the plot remain scarce, but the operation shows continued vigilance in U.S. homeland-security efforts.
Apple Inc. Posts $102.5 B in Q4 Revenue: Apple beat analysts’ expectations by reporting $102.5 billion in revenue and $27.5 billion in profit for the quarter ending September 27, 2025. The strong performance was driven by demand for the iPhone 17 lineup and a record services business, although sales in China dipped.
Nvidia To Supply 260,000 AI Chips To South Korea: Nvidia is gearing up to ship a whopping 260,000 of its advanced AI chips to South Korea, marking a key win for Seoul’s ambition to become an AI powerhouse under Lee Jae‑Myung. The deal signals a strategic pivot away from China and deep into Korea’s high-tech ecosystem.
Aur Batao 📰
India Gives Kabul Kunar River Dam Green-Light: Pakistan Faces a Double Water Squeeze”. With its backing of the Kunar River dam in Afghanistan, India is playing a long game in South Asia’s water diplomacy. The dam project threatens to deepen Pakistan’s water woes, already reeling from India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. Irrigation, drinking supply and hydro-power in Pakistan’s north-west may soon bear the impact of this double squeeze.
$500 Million Scam? An Indian-origin CEO, is allegedly linked to a nearly $500 million scheme currently under scrutiny by BlackRock. Details remain murky but the size and profile of the case make it a major story in corporate trust and diaspora leadership.
Air Pollution Still India’s Top Health Risk: A recent report shows that polluted air remains the single largest health risk in India, with almost two million deaths in 2023 tied to air-pollution-linked illnesses. Most fatalities stem from non-communicable diseases such as heart issues, lung cancer and diabetes and the burden is growing.
India-US Lock Arms: India and United States have inked a long-term defence framework agreement - 10 years of deeper cooperation on tech, intelligence and regional deterrence, just as trade tensions and tariffs threatened their ties.
Stunning fight to the ICC World Cup final: India women’s cricket team beat Australia in a stunning win to reach the world cup final, hunting down a record 338 in a nail-biting finish, winning by five wickets with five balls to spare. At the heart of the chase Jemimah Rodrigues, who scored an unbeaten 127 from 134 balls. Videos from the after-match ceremony show a teary Rodrigues talking about overcoming anxiety and mental struggles to reach this milestone. You go legend, we’re behind you! The team now faces South Africa on Sunday for the final.
Australia Edge India In T20 Opener: Josh Hazlewood bowled a tight spell to help Australia clinch a 4-wicket win over India and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20 series. India’s batting wobble and fielding lapse showed cracks in a side chasing consistency; Australia’s composed chase showed their edge under pressure.