opinion

Budget Snapshot: Will Budget 2025 prioritise stress resolution in banking?

An analysis by CareEdge Ratings highlights worsening delays in the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP). By September 2024, over 71% of ongoing CIRPs exceeded the 270-day completion timeframe, up from 63% in September 2022 and 67% in September 2023.

Estimated GDP growth pickup in second half to help fiscal policy stay the course

The central government can accelerate capital spending in line with budget estimates and continue to aid state level capex. Overall revenue growth is also supportive for maintaining capex at around 3% of GDP for another year

Urban India's economic drive powers rural consumption growth

Rural-urban consumption gap has been narrowing over time, which is a good development. With at least two of three agricultural households working marginal land holdings, there are limited economic prospects for them in the rural economy. It’s the income, over 50 percent, sourced from areas beyond their farm which is holding up consumption

Google's most serious rival isn't Microsoft but startup Perplexity

Through strategic diplomacy, Perplexity AI's founder has become a formidable challenger in search

European Economy: A weaker Euro won't solve the EU's problems this time

There’s no silver bullet in the currency markets

US Federal Reserve messaging falls short in three areas

The better the quality of the central bank’s messaging the more accurately market participants can assess how policy is likely to change with economic circumstances

India’s Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules: Key highlights

The draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, clarify consent management, security safeguards, and breach notifications. They provide businesses with flexibility while ensuring data privacy. The rules balance individual privacy rights and business innovation, marking a significant policy step

US corporate bankruptcies hit 14-year high as interest rates take toll

Consumer companies such as Party City hit by persistent inflation and weak spending

India's PLI Scheme: Challenges and the path forward

The PLI scheme aims to boost manufacturing, but its impact has been mixed. This analysis highlights sector selection issues, mismatched interventions, and the need for a more nuanced approach focusing on innovation, technology, and global value chain integration

Will geopolitics derail natural gas markets in 2025?

Ukraine’s refusal to allow transit of Russian gas is a signal of how geopolitics could upend economics in 2025 and beyond. The US, Iran, the Middle East and China all figure in the risk equations

Budget Snapshot: Tight DAP market unlikely to upset government’s fertiliser subsidy calculations

Global DAP market is expected to remain in tight equilibrium in near term amid export curbs by China and production outages

Will a pre-Budget rally take off this year?

While the Santa rally flattered to deceive, a pre-Budget rally may still take place even if a weak one. Here are seven reasons why traders should switch to capital preservation

Are wars good for the stock market?

The MSCI equity indices of both Israel and Ukraine were up handsomely in 2024

Banks’ Q3 business updates: Why is credit growth slowing sharply?

Business updates of banks suggest slowdown in credit growth and rise in stress across certain categories. Do these signal suggest a deeper demand slowdown?

Ruchir Sharma: top 10 trends for 2025

Projections about the coming year assume market shifts will be dictated by Donald Trump. But the global economy is unlikely to revolve around the US

COP29 hyped nuclear energy but it won’t last

The hype surrounding nuclear energy in the aftermath of the COP29 would only translate into growth of the nuclear industry if the theoretical solution to highly-radioactive nuclear waste — deep geological repositories — translates into reality. A safe answer which has been adequately tested is not yet available

Succession planning: Building a legacy for generations

Leadership succession sustains a business’s strategic vision and operational stability. It involves grooming future leaders from family members, non-family employees, or external professionals.

Why India needs a broader and more informed debate on cross-border data transfer

Sanghnomics: The draft rules for India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act focus on cross-border data transfer regulations, aligning with global frameworks like GDPR, PIPL, and emerging trends in cloud computing, AI, and data ethics, aiming to safeguard privacy and economic growth

Green Channel Route via CCI: Challenges in streamlining M&A approvals

The Green Channel route introduced to expedite M&A approvals has become less effective due to stricter interpretations and complex new rules. The CCI should reconsider changes to foster a more business-friendly and efficient regulatory environment for non-problematic transactions

Opinion | Sridhar Sivaram on why gold's shine may not fade away for the next few years

In the last 20 years, gold as an asset class has had only four negative years, with no double-digit negative return years. Compare this to Sensex, which has had two 25% plus negative years in the last two decades.

Budget Snapshot | Dividends Over Divestments: The government's new playbook

The prevailing sentiment appears to favour maximizing returns through dividends rather than divestment

The Eastern Window: What message is Xi Jinping sending through the dam project in Tibet?

Why is Xi Jinping building the world's largest dam on the Brahmaputra in Tibet, a move that will be harmful to India, while at the same time making a show of mending fences with us? 

Does the latest GST print indicate a continuing slowdown in the economy?

Sluggish growth in GST collections in recent times triggers concern of a delay in the much-expected economic turnaround

Dhanuka makes a calculated bet to expand international business, execution key

Acquisition of Bayer’s products gives Dhanuka foothold in important overseas markets