TMS Ep210: Govt vs Big Tech, SEZs in India, crude oil prices, IPO allotment

India is seeing yet another showdown between Twitter and regulators. And the recent one is being played out in the corridors of Karnataka High Court. The microblogging site has challenged some of the government’s directives asking it to take down certain posts. Twitter is not ready to budge, and so is the government. We find out why there is a growing unease between the government and the Big Tech in India.

After the government’s brush with Big Tech, let us move on to its policies governing special economic zones, or SEZs, which have delivered mixed results. It is now coming up with a new law to address some of the problems plaguing the SEZ ecosystem. We look at India’s experience with SEZs over the years and the challenges ahead in making the new legislation, if brought in, a success.

The revamped law indeed offers hope to 268 operational SEZs of the country. Let us now move on to a commodity, which has been threatening to derail economies. West Texas Intermediate, or WTI crude futures slipped below $100 a barrel mark for the first time since May 11 on Tuesday. Is the era of high oil prices getting over, or was that a temporary blip? From Citi to JP Morgan and Jefferies, analysts have a varied forecast of how they see oil prices playing out. 

Companies go to the primary markets to raise money through IPO. Some of the IPOs are well-received while others are not. A Bloomberg report says that the IPO of Indian startup OfBusiness is one of the keenly awaited issues in Asia. So, how do we apply for an IPO? Find out in this episode of the podcast.