BUSINESS
Central government spending lost momentum in July
The fiscal deficit during the first four months of the current fiscal year is 50 percent more than in the same period last year
BUSINESS
India’s economic contraction in June 2020 quarter worst among major economies
Indian GDP numbers for June 2020 quarter immeasurably worse than during the Global Financial Crisis
BUSINESS
Zombies and the missing inflation puzzle
A paper by Viral Acharya and colleagues finds that low interest rates support the proliferation of zombie firms, which add to supply, keeping prices low
BUSINESS
Will lower growth be the new normal?
The GDP numbers for the June 2020 quarter will be released on August 31. What should we look for? What are the long-term trends?
BUSINESS
McKinsey Global Institute: Making the peacock dance
The report is actually a warning -- unless India is able to considerably raise its growth rate, it risks massive unemployment
BUSINESS
Bull market, but ‘far from excess bullish’
The Bank of America survey of global fund managers finds net overweight on emerging markets almost back to pre-COVID levels
BUSINESS
Why did consumer price inflation spike in July?
India now has one of the highest inflation rates in the world
BUSINESS
Now, Atmanirbhar China: Exports take a back seat
There are many similarities between the Indian government’s stress on self-reliance and the Chinese Communist Party’s new strategy of ‘internal circulation’ for economic growth
BUSINESS
IIP data show the depth of the downturn
The Index of Industrial Production in June 2020 was lower than in June 2014
BUSINESS
RBI survey finds people don’t expect to increase discretionary spending in the next one year
Oscar Wilde: ‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.’
BUSINESS
Big industry had the lion’s share of the increase in loans outstanding in June
But how much of the increase is on account firms not repaying their dues on account of the moratorium?
BUSINESS
The trouble with consumption
India has for long had just one engine of growth and even that is faltering
BUSINESS
Third quarter starts on upbeat note for developed economies
A rebound was expected as lockdowns eased, but the question is how much of it is due to pent-up demand
BUSINESS
Inflationary fires or deflationary ice?
After the pandemic, the short run will probably see a deflationary bust. Will it be followed by rampant inflation?
BUSINESS
Taxes, gold, fuel, supply disruptions keep inflation high in June
While the MPC members will probably cut interest rates again to support growth, the question is whether lowering interest rates further can do much to induce borrowers to borrow and lenders to lend
BUSINESS
10-percent capitalism will not give India the inclusive growth it needs
The world as well as India need a new approach to economic growth
BUSINESS
The BIS says the recovery will be a U or a W, not a V
The conservative bankers’ bank says that the future economic landscape could look like the one that materialised after the Second World War
BUSINESS
Indian corporates have one of the largest funding gaps, finds BIS study of 19 countries
If the government doesn’t plug the funding gap, it could lead to a wave of bankruptcies, affecting banks and NBFCs
BUSINESS
Forget fiscal boost -- Government expenditure fell in May
Revenue receipts of central government in April-May less than a third of the same period last year
BUSINESS
India cannot afford more lockdowns
The half-hearted lockdowns of today are worse than useless
BUSINESS
A warning about high asset prices from the IMF
IMF: A number of triggers could result in a repricing of risk assets, a development that could add financial stress on top of an already unprecedented economic recession
BUSINESS
The link between low growth, high stock prices, increasing debt and trade wars
Economists have said the ‘savings glut of the rich’ lowers aggregate demand and limits the size of the market
BUSINESS
Flash PMIs show major developed economies continued to shrink in June
Output and demand are still falling, but no longer collapsing
BUSINESS
A full economic recovery will have to wait for a vaccine
A recent research paper finds ‘the primary barrier to economic activity is depressed consumer spending due to the threat of COVID-19 itself as opposed to government restrictions on economic activity, inadequate income among consumers, or a lack of liquidity for firms’.
