US Tariff Turnabouts, Market Recovery To Apple's Unwanted Neighbour — The Week That Was
The week that passed saw Indian markets recover and surge to their best performance in 2025, and the US President making waves with various announcements that moved markets and policy alike.
From Donald Trump's clash at the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy to pausing his trade tariffs on Mexico and Canada to India's smashing victory against Australia to secure its spot in the Champions Trophy finals, here's everything of note from the week that was.
Here's a look at the key news stories of the week that went by:
Trump Backpedals On Mexico, Canada Tariffs
President Donald Trump has exempted Mexican and Canadian goods under the USMCA from his 25% tariffs, providing significant relief to the US's two largest trading partners. On Thursday, Trump signed orders to reduce the tariffs, which are linked to illegal immigration and fentanyl tracking, until April 2.
RBI To Conduct Rs 1 Lakh Crore Open Market Operation Purchases
The Reserve Bank of India announced plans to inject additional liquidity into the banking system. This will be achieved through open market operation purchase auctions and long-term dollar-rupee buy/sell swaps.
The RBI will conduct OMO purchases of government securities amounting to Rs 1 lakh crore, split into two tranches of Rs 50,000 crore each. The first auction is scheduled for March 12, with the second by March 18.
Nifty Posts Best Weekly Gains In Three Months
The benchmark equity indices closed flat on Friday, with the NSE Nifty 50 snapping its three-week rout and registering the best weekly gains in three months. The Nifty ended 7.8 points or 0.03% higher at 22,552.5, while the BSE Sensex closed 7.51 points or 0.01% down at 74,332.58.
"Over the past week, the Nifty 50 gained 2.1%, while the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 250 surged 2.9% and 5.8% respectively, reflecting strong momentum in the broader market despite macroeconomic uncertainties," said Krishna Appala, senior research analyst at Capitalmind Research.
Tata Capital's Potential $11 Billion Valuation
Tata Capital is reportedly aiming for a valuation of up to $11 billion for its IPO, with plans to raise as much as $2 billion, reported Bloomberg. If finalised, this could be India's largest public offering this year.
Last week, Tata Capital's board approved the listing of up to 230 million shares, along with an offer for sale of equity by existing shareholders. Additionally, the company announced a rights issue worth up to 15.04 billion rupees ($172 million).
Trump Nudges Iran To Negotiate On Nuclear Programme
President Donald Trump wrote a letter this week to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, urging Iran to enter negotiations and strike a deal to prevent the development of nuclear weapons. In an interview with Fox Business's Maria Bartiromo, Trump said, "I've written them a letter saying I hope you negotiate, because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing for them." He emphasised that while he was not ruling out military intervention, he would "rather negotiate a deal".
Trump Zelenskiy Clash Leads To Pause On US Military Aid
President Donald Trump ordered a pause to all military aid to Ukraine, turning up the heat on Volodymyr Zelenskiy just days after an Oval Office blowup with the Ukrainian president left the support of his country's most important ally in doubt.
The US is pausing all current military aid to Ukraine until Trump determines the country's leaders demonstrate a good-faith commitment to peace, according to a senior Defence Department official, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
Apple's Unwanted BKC Neighbour
Apple Inc. is about to get an unexpected neighbor in Tesla Inc. as the electric carmaker prepares to open its first India showroom in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex. According to documents from CRE Matrix, Apple's lease for its BKC store includes a clause preventing Tesla from setting up shop in Jio World Drive. However, Tesla has secured a 4,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of the nearby Maker Maxity building. The distance between Apple BKC and "Tesla BKC" is approximately 120-200 meters.
India Seals Spot In Champions Trophy 2025 Finals
India triumphed over Australia by four wickets to secure their spot in the finals of the Champions Trophy 2025. The final will be held in Dubai.
Virat Kohli's stellar 84-run performance was instrumental in guiding India to victory. Despite early setbacks with captain Rohit Sharma dismissed for 28 and Shubman Gill bowled out for 8 by Ben Dwarshuis, Kohli's innings anchored the chase.
Times are set to be exciting ahead.
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Opinion | India at 38: From Innovation Overperformer to Innovation Powerhouse
India now has 453 VC-backed deep science startups, 18 of them late-stage, after 117 percent growth since 2020. Laurus Labs, at USD 9.3 billion, is the most valuable deep science company in any middle-income economy outside China.
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Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
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Indians Are Travelling, But Not Every Journey Is A Holiday | The Week In Whys
Pilgrims, patients and working women are the real travellers, and the system hasn't quite caught up with them.
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Getting To Work Costs Women More | The Reason Why
It is not just about women paying more than men. It is about women paying much more in cities than in villages.
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AI Bias In Investing Cannot Be Eliminated, But It Can Be Governed
Framing is a particularly important example as identical financial information presented in terms of gains rather than losses can lead an LLM to reach a different assessment.
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Joining The Dots | Dark Skies, Steady Diya: Why Hope Holds This Diwali
With war, a weak rupee and foreign outflows weighing on sentiment, policymakers at the NDTV World Summit and market veterans at NDTV Profit Ignite: Diwali Edition offered the same advice: stay invested and filter out the noise.
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The Curious Case of Equitas Small Finance Bank And A CEO Who Quit For Stock
PN Vasudevan believes persistent investor concerns over a perceived conflict of interest had become a governance overhang on Equitas Small Finance Bank's stock, even as the lender improved profitability and asset quality.
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Talking Points This Week: AI Cash Burn, A Tiger Comeback And An India That Still Finds Its Own Path
India is not immune to higher oil or tighter global liquidity, yet its earnings base is broader, its domestic policy levers are still available.
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Foreign Investors Own Half Of HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank. An LTCG Cut Could Matter Most Here
Foreign portfolio investors have US$115 billion parked in HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank. If the government cuts long-term capital gains tax, Jefferies says returning foreign money could land here first.
