Shilpa Shetty’s investment mantra; The world less travelled

Hello,

Global funds are running with India’s bulls once again.

At $8.5 billion, net foreign purchases this quarter are poised to be the highest since the middle of 2023, Bloomberg reports. 

This is a good sign in more than one way: not only does this look like election-related uncertainty has abated in the US markets, but also a sign of investors’ growing comfort with India’s equity appeal.

Is India finally in the big league?

Of course, entering a high stakes game comes with high risks, as Boeing’s space and defence head Ted Colbert just found out the hard way.

Boeing said on Friday,  Colbert would be leaving the company immediately, in the first management change under new CEO Kelly Ortberg. 

This follows several significant setbacks suffered by Boeing's space business, notably NASA's recent decision to send Boeing's Starliner capsule home without astronauts, adding to the planemaker’s woes amid a strike by more than 32,000 of its workers.

With this, Boeing joins the ranks of major companies shaking up executive leadership to revitalise operations, after Nike recently brought back former senior executive Elliott Hill to make the brand cool again. 

In with the new, out with the old. But what if the old could help transform the new?

We may be witnessing the answer to that question in the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, which is likely to restart the reactor under a 20-year agreement where Microsoft will buy the carbon-free energy to power its data centres.

The plan to restart the plant comes amid a renaissance for nuclear power, as policymakers are increasingly looking towards it to meet growing power demand and reduce emissions at the same time.

A small step for technology, a big leap for a net zero future.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Shilpa Shetty’s investment mantra
• The world less travelled
• Nigel Ng’s journey through India 

Here’s your trivia for today: From which plant is denim made?

Interview

Shilpa Shetty’s investment mantra

Celebrities investing in startups is not a new phenomenon. One such prominent name in the list of celebrities who has been frequently associated with startups is actor Shilpa Shetty. 

The Mumbai-based actor has been associated with a number of startups, first backing D2C unicorn MamaEarth (Honasa Consumers) in 2018, and again in 2022. Her recent engagements include an undisclosed investment in health supplement brand, Nutrispray, and D2C health food brand, Alpino. What powers her investment decisions?

Investing in health:

• On how she decides where to invest, Shetty explains, “I only invest in products or brands that I believe in. And also brands that sometimes need that little bit of push, in terms of awareness.”
• Shetty’s chance encounter with Nutrispray came at a time when her father-in-law, Bal Krishna Kundra, was dealing with health issues with his iron levels dropping. It was after they saw the efficacy of the product that they approached Co-founder Arpit Save, Shetty says. 
• With formulations developed to target challenges like iron deficiency and Vit C deficiency and provide immunity boosting and skin-enhancing benefits, Nutrispray delivers essential nutrients through easy-to-use oral sprays. 

Travel and Leisure

The world less travelled

Post pandemic, cheap flights, the rising popularity of cruises, a growing global middle class, and the rise of social media have fuelled people’s appetite for travel leading to overtourism. 

Countries are levying taxes on visitors under different heads citing various reasons, including the need to curb the number of visitors, maintain tourism facilities, and protect natural resources. However, a select few are still welcoming visitors with open arms. 

Scouting tourists:

• With the world continuing to get hotter, tourists are looking for colder destinations like Sweden, which is home to inland lakes, coastal islands, boreal forests, and glaciated mountains. The bustling cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö and the progressive culture make for an ideal holiday. 
• One could also look to the east towards the Land of the Rising Sun. The Yen’s historic collapse has resulted in a flood of tourists to Japan, which has always been a huge draw due to its rich history, heritage, and culture. 
• Another country attempting to draw visitors is Sri Lanka, with its misty mountains, endless beaches, and timeless ruins. With tourism on the isle taking a severe hit after its economic crisis, Sri Lanka is now focusing on its signature tea—known for its freshness, flavour, and fragrance—to bring back the travellers. 

Entertainment

Nigel Ng’s journey through India 

Nigel Ng became a viral sensation after his reaction to a BBC Food tutorial on making egg fried rice in 2020, at the height of Covid-19, where he unabashedly trashed the dish, pointing out all that was wrong with it in a comedic style.

In the last few years, the Los Angeles-based comedian has come to be known for his strong Cantonese accent and unapologetic take on Asian culture. Ahead of The Haiyaa World Tour set to come to Delhi, YS Life sits down with the popular comedian to know all about his journey, his favourite fried rice, and what’s cooking in his new restaurant.

Culture and cuisine:

• Ng came up with his iconic Uncle Roger character during the Covid-19 lockdown, after he lost all his work due to the pandemic. “Out of the blue, a friend of mine sent me the BBC video. I was like “it would be cool to have this character react to this video” and show his disgust and surprise.”
• He is particular about his fried rice in real life too. His ideal fried rice leans towards the Southeast Asian style, with sambal, chilli, and maybe some fish sauce for a punchy flavour.
• Speaking about his world tour, he says, “It’s a stand-up comedy show where the first half is dedicated to Uncle Roger. He will do some jokes and roast some people–it’s a bit of crowd work. The second half is me as myself, doing stand-up for an hour.”

News & updates

• Deal talks: Qualcomm Inc. has approached Intel Corp. to discuss a potential acquisition of the struggling chipmaker, people with knowledge of the matter said, raising the prospect of one of the biggest-ever M&A deals.
• Bankruptcy: A Johnson & Johnson subsidiary filed for bankruptcy for a third time on Friday as the healthcare giant seeks to advance an approximately $10 billion proposed settlement that would end tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that the company's baby powder and other talc products caused cancer.
• Deadline: The Brazilian Supreme Court gave Elon Musk-owned social platform X five days to present documents validating its new legal representative in the country, a court decision showed on Saturday.

From which plant is denim made?

Answer: Cotton. Denim is made with blue warp and white filling cotton threads.

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