TMS Ep92: Microsoft acquisition, Thibault Cuny, Budget 2022, subsidies

Last Tuesday, Microsoft announced the takeover of US gaming giant Activision Blizzard -- the makers of the famous Call of Duty series and Candy Crush Saga. The deal was struck at a massive $69 billion. Microsoft claimed that the pact has made it the third-largest gaming company by revenue, following Tencent and Sony. In its official statement, the company also said that the move will provide “building blocks for the metaverse”. But with metaverse still a distant dream, what is behind Microsoft’s ambitious plunge into the world of gaming?

Not just online gaming, India is one of the fastest growing markets for booze too. Several international brands are testing the waters here. One of them, French distiller Pernod Ricard, also has big expansion plans for the country. In an interaction with Business Standard’s Surajeet Das Gupta, Pernod Ricard’s South Asia chief Thibault Cuny talks about his India-strategy after Covid-restrictions and how he aims to drive in the consumption experience of ‘quality over quantity’. 
 
After Pernod Ricard, let us see what is brewing on Dalal Street. Following a sprint above 18,300, Indian bourses caught their breath last week, rattled by rising bond yields and oil prices. This week, market moves will be guided by Q3 results, F&O expiry, global cues, and budget expectations. Market participants expect the government to retain its emphasis on capex investment, with a major focus on growth-supportive expenditures in both the public and private sectors. What else do markets expect from the Union Budget of 2022, and what are the demands of investors? 
 
Markets may well begin the upward movement soon. Let us move on to one of the most debated topics of our times. Subsidies. Some loath it while others love it. Last week, several top US Lawmakers urged their government to approach WTO against India which they said was subsidizing over half of the value of production for rice and wheat, against the WTO limit of 10%. Find out about subsidies, why countries need it and more in this episode of the podcast. 
 

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