TMS Ep332: Indian economy, Delhi Metro, IPO outlook, carbon-neutral IEX

When 2022 began, it looked as if India had successfully navigated the immediate challenges posed by Covid-19. But, its economy, which had appeared poised to start the healing process, was hit by another shock -- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. It resulted in soaring commodity prices. However, India weathered that storm too. And as the year comes to a close, the country has emerged as a bright spot in an otherwise dark horizon. But, does that mean that all was well on the economic front in 2022? Were there any challenges that emerged that are yet to be resolved? And, how is the economy likely to perform in 2023? 

A well-oiled public transport system is key to any country’s economic growth.  And, no doubt, the Delhi Metro has contributed a lot to the national capital’s economy, and by extension to that of the whole country. In the last two decades, it changed the transport landscape of the country’s most populous city. Last week, Delhi metro celebrated 20th anniversary. 
 

Moving on to the financial markets, global headwinds forced India’s primary market activity to take a backseat with new listings falling by around 50% from 2021. However, on average, IPO returns in 2022 outperformed those of the Sensex index. Against this backdrop, will retail IPO investors remain energetic in 2023?

Meanwhile, energy trading platform Indian Energy Exchange, or IEX, recently announced that it was the first carbon-neutral power exchange in the country. To cut down on carbon footprints, IEX used market-based tradable instruments. What does that mean? How does a company become carbon neutral? Let’s find the answers and look at how carbon trade works in this episode of the podcast.