TMS Ep85: Tata IPL branding, power plants, Voda Idea & TTML, vaccine

Tata Group has now made its debut into the Indian Premier League, as a sponsor starting this year. The move comes at a time when the India’s largest conglomerate is increasing its digital footprint. Its much-awaited super app may also hit the market by March this year. So, is the over 100-year-old company’s googly meant to startle the young crowd? To keep the IPL match’s floodlights running, tons of coal is burnt in power plants somewhere. But, the country has not commissioned a new coal-fired power plant for some time now. While the old ones are being phased out, there has been no announcement on a new plant in the last 1.5 years too amid an accelerating transition to renewables. At the same time, India’s coal demand will still see modest growth in the short term.

What is this paradox? After the power plants, let us move on to markets. Equity dilution and discounted price of debt conversion has worried investors of Vodafone Idea and Tata Teleservices. On the bourses, the shares of Vodafone Idea plunged 21% on Tuesday, but bounced back 8.5% on Wednesday. The shares of Tata Tele, too, were locked at the 5% lower circuit yesterday. But are these concerns even warranted? How can the companies survive post the debt to equity conversion? Rising cases of Covid-19 didn’t upset the Street as the indices continued the upward march yesterday. But they are definitely unsettling the government, which recently approved two new vaccines making the country’s arsenal against Covid-19 richer. But, ever wondered what is the basic difference between these vaccines. What platforms are used to develop them? All answers in this episode of the podcast.

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