TMS Ep538: Fiscal balance, Ceat's Arnab Banerjee, glacial lake outburst

As India gears up for a series of state and national elections, political parties are leaving no stone unturned to secure votes. Elections being the cornerstone of democracy, the intense competition often leads to a slew of promises and measures aimed at appeasing various interest groups. But, these measures often come at the cost of the country’s fiscal health. Or don’t they? 

Economists believe that the election-related reliefs are unlikely to impact the fiscal balance significantly, as governments usually plan for a buffer in their budget preceding the election year, to allow for welfare expenditures. Demonstrating India’s potential for excellence, tyre manufacturer CEAT recently bagged the Deming Grand Prize for its commitment to ‘total quality management’ or TQM. CEAT is now the first of its kind in the world to receive the award. In an interview with Business Standard’s Sohini Das, Chief Executive of CEAT, Arnab Banerjee shares his perspective on the importance of TQM for a tyre maker and more.

Meanwhile, the geopolitical developments with Israel and Hamas have yet again cast a shadow on global equity and commodity markets. Indian markets, on their part, have to also deal with a busy assembly election calendar over the next few weeks. So, what should your market strategy be amid these developments? Is it time to buy or sell stocks? 

Investors should expect sharp swings in equities this week if the Israel-Hamas conflict escalates and the US gets involved. Back home, the glacial lake outburst of Lhonak Lake on the upper reaches of Sikkim washed away a hydel power project in Chungthang on October 4, by sheer force. It caused extensive damage downstream impacting over 25,000 people and army personnel. Listen to this episode of the podcast to know what are glacial lake outburst floods and more.