Markets and Macros Baatcheet with Ridham Desai

Markets & Macros Baatcheet hosted by Startup Policy Forum’s Centre for New Age Public Companies was a masterclass on India's economic landscape with Ridham Desai of Morgan Stanley.

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Ridham's read carries real weight. As one of the most closely followed voices on Indian equities, his calls on the market have long shaped how investors and founders alike think about the India story.

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We're also grateful to Ashish Chauhan, CEO of NSE India for making time to meet our group during an especially demanding week for him ahead of the historic National Stock Exchange IPO.

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Ridham patiently fielded every question from our members.

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Following opening remarks by Amit Jain of CarDekho Group and Harsh Binani of Smartworks, the conversation surfaced the questions founders are sitting with right now: where markets are headed, how are new-age businesses valued, and what India's broader growth prospects look like.

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The discussion ranged across a wide set of themes, including:

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➡️ India's growth phase and the outlook for earnings and productivity

➡️ Inflation and the RBI's policy stance

➡️ The structural resilience of the economy and its ability to absorb external shocks

➡️ The rupee's trajectory

➡️ The IPO window and how founders should think about timing and pricing

➡️ The opportunity for founders in segmentation, personalization, and shifting consumption patterns

➡️ India vs. China and the demographic picture

➡️ Gold consumption

➡️ The key risks ahead, from geopolitics to AI

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A rich, wide-ranging conversation that gave our members plenty to think about.

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