TMS Ep490: Manipal help Byju's, August rains, markets, full-service airline

Finally, there is a piece of good news for troubled ed-tech startup Byju’s. Manipal Group chairman Ranjan Pai is in talks to invest in Byju’s-owned Aakash. Byju Raveendran -- who holds a 30% stake in Aakash -- is expected to partially offload his stake to Pai and use the money to repay a big loan. In today’s first segment, Debarghya Sanyal asks if Manipal’s entry will help Byju’s? 

Online education, pioneered by the likes of Byju’s, has opened a host of avenues for students. Learning doesn’t stop now, whether it’s a pandemic or heavy rains. Speaking of rains, India’s official weather forecaster has said that rains will “most probably be on the negative side of the normal, meaning in the range of 94-99% of the long-period average or LPA. It comes at a time when prices of vegetables are seeing a spike. Tomato has been selling for over 150 rupees a kg for a while now. So will below normal August rains hit food inflation? 

The fight against inflation is going on across the globe. The US Fed recently jacked up interest rates for an 11th time since March 2022. Back home, Indian equity markets are trading range-bound since the past few weeks. What are the next triggers for the market and how should investors trade during these times? 

Other Asian markets too crashed on Wednesday after Fitch downgraded US Sovereign rating from AAA to AA+. Meanwhile, on another front, Vistara airline is preparing to merge its staff into Air India. The Tata Group is looking to merge its two full-service carriers. It has also announced plans to merge low-cost carriers, Air India Express and Air Asia.  But ever wondered what is the difference between a low-cost carrier and a full-service carrier? Listen to this episode of the podcast for answers.