TMS Ep535: Cricket & Indian brands, caste politics, markets, govt shutdown

Running short of hotel rooms, Ahmedabad is readying community halls to accommodate fans pouring in from all corners of the world to watch cricket world cup matches. And for big-ticket events like India-Pakistan, even hospitals are refurbishing private rooms. Cricket is indeed a religion in India. And for the first time, India will play the solo host for the marquee cricketing event. Just like fans, Indian brands too are raring to make most of this opportunity. So will this global celebration of cricket help brands reach the global audience? 

They say nothing captures the Indian imagination like cricket and politics. Well, you know what’s hot in cricket today, let us bring you the latest in politics. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released a caste survey recently, rekindling the memories of Mandal days. The ball, experts say, is now in ruling BJP’s court. So what next? Will this caste politics take centre stage in the upcoming 2024 elections? 

The equity markets, meanwhile, are currently in the doldrums. Surging US bond yields are sending global markets into a downturn. All eyes are now on Friday’s RBI monetary policy decision. So, can the RBI outcome turn out to be a non-event or can it deepen the pain for equities? 

Financial markets across the world had some nervous moments recently amid buzz of the US government shutdown. On September 4, Kevin McCarthy became the first US speaker to be removed from his job. This came just days after he announced the signing of a bill by US President Joe Biden to avert a shutdown of his government. The US, and economies across the globe, were worried that the government may shutdown on October 1 but it has been temporarily averted now. But what is a government shutdown? Listen to this episode of the podcast for answers.