Melody Toffee Sparks Stock Market Frenzy: Wrong ‘Parle’ Share Hits Upper Circuit After Modi-Meloni Viral Moment
PM Narendra Modi’s gift of Melody toffees to Italian PM Giorgia Meloni sparked a viral “Melodi” trend and a sudden rally in Parle Industries stock. But investors may have chased the wrong company, as Melody is made by privately held Parle Products, not the listed Parle Industries.
A packet of Melody toffees gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has unexpectedly triggered a stock market rally but investors may have chased the wrong company.
Shares of Parle Industries surged sharply on Tuesday after a video of Modi gifting Melody candies to Meloni during his Italy visit exploded across social media. The clip revived the viral “Melodi” trend, a nickname internet users coined for the two leaders.
The sudden online buzz pushed Parle Industries stock up nearly 5% intraday to Rs 5.25, while the penny stock also gained around 7% over the past week. But there’s one major twist: Parle Industries has absolutely no connection to Melody toffees.
The Company Behind Melody Isn’t Listed
The famous Melody candy is actually manufactured by Parle Products, the FMCG giant known for household brands like Parle-G, Monaco, KrackJack, Mango Bite and Poppins.
Unlike Parle Industries, Parle Products is a privately owned company and is not listed on the stock exchange.
Market watchers say many retail traders likely saw the “Parle” name trending online alongside the viral Melody moment and rushed into buying the listed stock without checking whether the company was actually linked to the candy brand.
How One Viral Video Moved a Stock
The rally began after a light-hearted exchange between Modi and Meloni started circulating online. In the now-viral clip, Modi can be seen handing over a packet of Melody toffees to Meloni, prompting laughter from both leaders.
Meloni later posted the moment on social media with the caption: “Thank you for the gift.”
In the video, she is also heard joking, “He gifted… a very, very good toffee,” further fuelling the internet’s obsession with the “Melodi” meme culture.
Within hours, traders piled into Parle Industries shares, turning the viral candy moment into a full-fledged Dalal Street frenzy.
Social Media Is Becoming a Market Mover
The incident once again highlights how viral trends and meme culture are increasingly influencing stock trading activity, especially in low-priced shares.
In recent years, several small-cap and penny stocks have witnessed sudden rallies simply because investors linked them to trending news, celebrity mentions, political events or social media hashtags even when there was little or no real business connection.
Despite Tuesday’s jump, Parle Industries stock remains deeply under pressure in the longer run. The share is still down around 41% in three months, 46% in six months and more than 68% over the past year.
Still, for one trading session at least, a tiny toffee managed to create a massive buzz on both social media and the stock market.
Published By : Priya Pathak
Published On: 20 May 2026 at 14:11 IST