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Manas Chakravarty

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Data Story: India’s Golden ATM

BUSINESS

Data Story: India’s Golden ATM

A massive Rs 1 lakh crore expansion in gold loans in the last six months is unlocking the vast, dormant wealth of India's unproductive family gold hoards

Lopsided IIP Growth: Five sectors drive gains, half of manufacturing languishes

BUSINESS

Lopsided IIP Growth: Five sectors drive gains, half of manufacturing languishes

September's industrial production data reveals a troubling paradox: while consumer durables and automobiles surge on festive demand, the broader manufacturing base is shrinking, with staples contracting and robust growth concentrated in just five of 23 sectors

Aatmanirbharta with Chinese characteristics: How China's five-year Plan counters America

BUSINESS

Aatmanirbharta with Chinese characteristics: How China's five-year Plan counters America

China's 15th Five-Year Plan is a blueprint for economic fortification, pivoting towards technological self-reliance and domestic consumption to counter US rivalry

Data Story: September 2025 core sector data signal caution, but policy tailwinds could stabilise outlook

BUSINESS

Data Story: September 2025 core sector data signal caution, but policy tailwinds could stabilise outlook

India's core industries contracted sharply in September, highlighting a significant slowdown, though newly implemented GST cuts and anticipated RBI rate moves are expected to stimulate a recovery

Decoding India's Trade Deficit -- Strong domestic demand, not tariffs, is the real story

BUSINESS

Decoding India's Trade Deficit -- Strong domestic demand, not tariffs, is the real story

Recent trade data reveals that while Trump's tariffs impacted specific US-bound exports, India's overall trade story is dominated by resilient export diversification and a domestic demand-driven import surge, particularly in gold

Data Story: Trump’s Tariffs and Indian Jobs: What the latest PLFS data reveal

BUSINESS

Data Story: Trump’s Tariffs and Indian Jobs: What the latest PLFS data reveal

The sharp 50% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Indian exports have raised alarms about job losses, but September’s unemployment data reveal that the impact, while real, remains concentrated and nuanced rather than a broad spike

IMF flags fragile foundations beneath market optimism

MARKETS

IMF flags fragile foundations beneath market optimism

The IMF’s latest reports reveal a global economy holding firm on the surface, but hiding deeper financial vulnerabilities that investors shouldn't ignore

The message from this year’s Economics Nobel: Ideas drive development

BUSINESS

The message from this year’s Economics Nobel: Ideas drive development

The pioneering work of Nobel laureates Mokyr, Aghion, and Howitt reveals that economic growth is fundamentally powered by the institutions that fuel innovation and the market processes of creative destruction

As tariffs, rare earths roil markets, will Trump settle for a deal?

BUSINESS

As tariffs, rare earths roil markets, will Trump settle for a deal?

As new tariffs and rare earth controls trigger market panic and supply chain fears, the central question becomes whether economic pressure will once again force a tactical pause in the US-China trade war

World Bank wants South Asia to cut tariffs despite global protectionist wave

BUSINESS

World Bank wants South Asia to cut tariffs despite global protectionist wave

As the world builds tariff walls, the World Bank wants South Asia to tear them down. With 16 million people entering the job market annually but only 10 million finding work, the region faces a stark choice: embrace trade liberalisation that could unlock manufacturing growth or maintain protectionist barriers that may be trapping workers in low-productivity sectors

Moneycontrol Pro Weekender | Festive fumes

BUSINESS

Moneycontrol Pro Weekender | Festive fumes

Festive spending surges with GST cuts and supportive RBI policies, but growth continues to be below aspirations

GST cuts to fuel demand — But is consumption already at full throttle?

BUSINESS

GST cuts to fuel demand — But is consumption already at full throttle?

The latest GST rate reductions aim to boost consumption, but data show India is already operating near peak demand levels

Policymakers missed what Project 25 spelled out for India

BUSINESS

Policymakers missed what Project 25 spelled out for India

The Trump administration's recent moves against India—from H-1B visa restrictions to tariff threats—weren't sudden policy shifts but predictable outcomes clearly outlined in the Heritage Foundation's Project 25 blueprint

Will the Fed ignore BIS’s bubble concerns as markets bet on rate cuts?

BUSINESS

Will the Fed ignore BIS’s bubble concerns as markets bet on rate cuts?

As the FOMC meets on September 16-17, 2025, the BIS’s stark warnings about fiscal risks and market exuberance cast a shadow over expectations for dovish rate cuts

Global macro shifts and their impact on Indian markets

MARKETS

Global macro shifts and their impact on Indian markets

Global markets are grappling with the clash between cyclical economic slowdowns and persistent structural pressures, driving unprecedented volatility and reshaping the financial landscape

Jobless Growth: Decline in employment in India’s small enterprises despite Q1 GDP surge

BUSINESS

Jobless Growth: Decline in employment in India’s small enterprises despite Q1 GDP surge

India’s strong 7.8 percent GDP growth in April-June 2025 masks a worrying decline in jobs within unincorporated non-agricultural enterprises, raising questions about the inclusiveness of economic progress

Inflation risks loom as PMI data show strongest growth in 17 years

BUSINESS

Inflation risks loom as PMI data show strongest growth in 17 years

Robust demand and pricing power point to a heating economy and core inflation pressures, even as policymakers approve additional stimulus through GST rate cuts

RBI’s crystal ball badly needs polishing

BUSINESS

RBI’s crystal ball badly needs polishing

A string of large GDP forecast errors raises questions about the RBI’s economic models and their policy implications

Data Story: The ‘Financial Services, Real Estate and Professional Services’ sector is powering India’s uneven growth

BUSINESS

Data Story: The ‘Financial Services, Real Estate and Professional Services’ sector is powering India’s uneven growth

The GVA data reveals a services-driven growth model in India that is leaving behind key job-creating sectors

A look at the Q1 FY26 unemployment numbers, on the eve of the GDP estimates

ECONOMY

A look at the Q1 FY26 unemployment numbers, on the eve of the GDP estimates

India’s unemployment rate stands at just 5.4 percent, but that number hides a troubling reality of underemployment and unpaid work

From Trade to Coercion: What Trump’s India tariffs reveal about the new world order

BUSINESS

From Trade to Coercion: What Trump’s India tariffs reveal about the new world order

Trump's punishing tariffs on India are not an isolated trade dispute but a stark sign of a deeper shift: the collapse of the US-led liberal order and the return of coercive, bloc-based imperialism

India GDP Q1 FY26: What to watch for in the Friday numbers

BUSINESS

India GDP Q1 FY26: What to watch for in the Friday numbers

India's Q1 FY26 GDP data, releasing Friday, will test whether the economy can sustain growth above RBI's 6.5 percent forecast despite mixed industrial signals and evolving consumption patterns

Fed chair's dovish turn sparks rally, but reveals deeper economic worries

BUSINESS

Fed chair's dovish turn sparks rally, but reveals deeper economic worries

Jerome Powell's dovish Jackson Hole speech triggered a market rally despite CME probabilities showing September rate cut odds actually fell from 85 percent to 75 percent, revealing the underlying economic concerns that create a precarious balancing act for investors

What Jerome Powell should say at Jackson Hole, but won’t

BUSINESS

What Jerome Powell should say at Jackson Hole, but won’t

In this imaginary farewell address at Jackson Hole, Jerome Powell drops the euphemisms and delivers the blunt, uncomfortable truths the Fed—and the US—have long avoided

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