🤖 GPT‐5 to launch in August

Good morning and happy Friyay. You know the drill - have a relaxing weekend when it arrives 🧁 🌊 

Ruchirr Sharma & Shatakshi Sharmaa  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 🤖 OpenAI gears up for GPT‑5 launch in August

• 🌍 Trump sets new global tariff range: 15% to 50%

• Bite-sized summaries

  •  India–UK FTA backs open internet and digital protections

  •  India prepares for GLP‑1 generics boom

• 🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

MARKETS

🇮🇳 India

• Indian stocks ended sharply lower. Most sectors, including IT, realty, and FMCG, declined—IT leading the losses. Only PSU banks and pharma posted gains. Broader indices also fell, with midcap and smallcap indices both closing in the red. Investor sentiment remained cautious amid earnings releases and continued foreign fund outflows

🌍️ International

• US stocks closed mixed. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq inched to new record highs, as strong Alphabet earnings lifted tech. The Dow Jones fell 0.7% following steep losses in IBM and Tesla. Despite gains in big tech, most stocks declined, and investor focus remained on quarterly earnings and global trade negotiations

AI

🤖 OpenAI gears up for GPT‑5 launch in August

What’s happening? OpenAI is preparing to launch GPT‑5 in early August 2025, according to The Verge. The new model was initially expected earlier this year, but development took longer than anticipated, prompting the shift.

Why it matters: GPT‑5 represents a major step in OpenAI’s long-term plan to unify its model offerings. Rather than just upgrading GPT‑4, GPT‑5 will function as a federated system, combining multiple smaller models including the high-reasoning o3 model under one intelligent umbrella. This aims to streamline performance and eliminate the current need for users to switch between model families.

OpenAI plans to ship GPT‑5 in three versions: the full model, a scaled-down “mini”, and an even smaller “nano” model that will be available via API only. This gives developers flexibility in how they implement and scale applications, from power users to lightweight mobile integrations.

Keep your expectations in check: CEO Sam Altman has already said GPT‑5 is a leap forward, but not AGI. The model is still experimental, and it won’t be cracking high-level math olympiad problems just yet. That said, it’s a key building block toward something bigger.

The bigger picture: This launch is part of OpenAI’s push to consolidate its offerings under a “unified intelligence” framework - fewer product names, more capability in one place. Whether the August timeline sticks will depend on final testing and competitive pressure.

Read more: Economic Times

TARIFFS

🌍 Trump sets new global tariff range: 15% to 50%

What’s happening? At an AI summit in late July, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the new tariff structure: “a straight, simple tariff of anywhere between 15% and 50%” for over 150 countries.

How it rolls out:

• A 15% minimum rate will apply to most nations.

• Countries with tense U.S. relations like Brazil could face tariffs up to 50%.

• Smaller nations in Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean may receive a baseline 10% rate, per Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Deadline for deals:
Trump has set an August 1, 2025 deadline for nations to strike bilateral trade agreements. Countries such as Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines have already reached deals, locking in the lower 15% rate.

Why it matters:
This policy replaces the previously proposed flat 10% global tariff with a tiered system based on strategic alignment and negotiations. It introduces industry-specific surcharges (on sectors like semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals) that could add up to 50% more on top of the country-level tariff.

Investor response:
Despite the looming trade shift, global markets have remained steady. Analysts suggest traders see the tariffs more as a bargaining chip than a certainty - at least for now.

Bottom line:
Trump’s tariff play raises the stakes for global trade. Countries that ink deals by 1st of August stay on safer ground. Everyone else? Prepare for impact.

Read more: Economic Times

GENERAL OVERVIEW

🗞️ Bite-sized summaries

🤝 India–UK FTA backs open internet and digital protections - India and the UK have finalized digital trade provisions in their upcoming Free Trade Agreement (FTA), focusing on open internet access and cross-border consumer protection. The deal ensures users in both countries can access and share apps and online services freely, connect compatible devices, and receive clear information on internet provider policies. It also promotes digital trust through rules on spam control, fraud prevention, and mandatory opt-outs for unsolicited messages. The FTA supports innovation by enabling public data sharing, research collaboration, and regulatory sandboxes, while establishing a framework for legally recognized online contracts. Both governments have agreed to limit access to proprietary source code, except in cases involving serious public concerns.

🇮🇳 India prepares for GLP‑1 generics boom - India is rapidly becoming a global hotspot for weight-loss drugs, as soaring obesity and diabetes rates collide with the upcoming expiry of semaglutide patents in March 2026. The launch of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) in March and Wegovy (semaglutide) in June has triggered massive demand—Mounjaro clocked over ₹50 crore in Indian sales in June alone, while Wegovy saw strong early uptake despite its steep price tag. With generics on the horizon, major Indian pharma players like Dr. Reddy’s, Cipla, Biocon, and Sun Pharma are preparing to enter the GLP‑1 race. Dr. Reddy’s, in particular, plans to launch generic versions across 87 countries starting in 2026. As patents expire in markets like Canada and Brazil as well, India is poised to become a key supplier of low-cost GLP‑1 drugs globally. The expected generics boom could dramatically widen access to obesity treatments and reshape the global weight-loss drug market.

HEADLINES

🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

What’s happening in India (and around the world 🌍️)

• Paramount-Skydance merger approved by FCC, clearing way for $8 Billion deal close.

• India vs England Test Series: Ben Stokes takes five wickets to restrict India to 358 before Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley help England to a promising 225 for two at the close on day two.