TMS Ep179: India at IPEF, service charge, ICICI Pru's S Naren, monkeypox

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday put the stamp on India’s entry into the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. India has joined the bloc along with 12 other nations -- including the US -- to create a geostrategic counter to China’s growing clout in the region by ramping up economic cooperation. While these are early days and the final contours of India’s participation are yet to emerge, there could be some areas of friction too.Why India should tread with caution?

From the negotiation tables in Tokyo, let us turn our focus to a storm brewing on the dining tables of restaurants back home. It is obviously over the bills. On Monday, the government said that eateries were illegally charging service tax from consumers. The eateries association, on its part, has denied it, saying that it was a matter of individual restaurant policy. So are eateries taking service charges illegally. We take a dive into this debate and find out more.
 
After the debate over services tax at eateries, let us turn our focus to markets. Soaring inflation, global central bank policies and the Russia-Ukraine war have dampened sentiment across global financial markets. So how does one navigate this uncertain phase? Will investors have to endure more pain ahead as their returns get pruned? What does S Naren, executive director and chief investment officer at ICICI Prudential AMC think of the developments. Business Standard’s Puneet Wadhwa caught up with him to understand his investment mantra.

Pandemic and subsequent war in Ukraine has indeed wreaked havoc on markets, with no relief in sight. Meanwhile, the threat of another virus is looming large over Europe. Over 170 cases of monkeypox have been reported in Europe and in four other countries outside the union. India too is on the guard. Let us find out more in next episode of the podcast. 

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