RSS concerned about India's changing religious demography
RSSFACTS: Mohan Bhagwat's call for more Hindu children reignites concerns about India's changing religious demographics. Muslim population growth has outpaced others, raising alarms about future societal impacts, as historical trends show potential risks of religious conflict
How the MPC just dodged a curve ball on a sticky wicket
A 50 bps CRR cut, and rates on hold is a safe play for the MPC, caught in a growth-inflation conundrum, at this point.
Europe’s string of setbacks could result in a knock-on effect on Indian equities
Europe contributes to around a fifth of India’s exports and political crises in countries such as France and Germany threaten to upend its economy in the near to medium term
A deep dive to generate maritime momentum
Coastal Shipping Bill and two other proposed legislations to help India harness sea power to enhance commercial activities
If not Indian equities, then where?
Active allocation shifts require investors to jump in at the right time to grab returns, a hard ask
What next for MapmyIndia after consumer business fiasco?
Transfer of B2C business for a minority stake has upset investors.
Chart of the Day: Is India’s swap market under-pricing potential RBI rate cuts?
Swap rates have had a measured decline despite strong expectations of a series of policy rate cuts.
Near-term risks to investing in Indian equities remain
Any market that assumes that the liquidity will take care of investment mistakes, valuation errors and capital allocation risks will always learn old lessons in new ways.
MapmyIndia’s process to spin-off its B2C operations raise a host governance issues
Promoters have misunderstood that Rs 35 crore investment to support the B2C business is not the concern for minority shareholders. On the contrary, it is the 90 percent promoter ownership of a business that was incubated and will derive all resources from the listed company that is the concern
Target headline or core inflation? Depends on where you sit
A familiar debate is playing out between representatives of fiscal authority in Delhi and monetary authority in Mumbai on whether the policy interest rate is too high. Linked to it is the question of whether the legal mandate RBI has to follow has picked the right measure. An economist provides food for thought on inflation measures.
Maharashtra developments show BJP will not share Hindutva space
The last five years have decisively brought one major change. Shiv Sena as a whole -Uddhav and Shinde factions together - has lost its pivotal role in right-wing politics. Arrogating the entire saffron space to itself is what the BJP always wanted. Reducing Sena to a non-entity was central to that project. Can Eknath Shinde now use his political skills to carve out a niche or be a mere shooting star?
The basics of Places of Worship Act and challenges it faces
It’s through the tussle between ensuring ‘communal harmony’ and correcting ‘historical wrongs’ that the Act has been scrutinised in the last three decades
Peak US-phoria? Not yet
And Trump’s cheap energy dream
Economic realities could nullify Trump’s threat to BRICS on dollar substitution
The key to the future is events in geopolitics and pace of the rise of a China-led trade bloc. Will this lead to increased usage of the RMB in cross-border trade?
Empowering women’s access to credit for inclusive economic growth
Despite improvements, women still face significant barriers in accessing credit. Initiatives such as alternative underwriting, customized loan offerings, increased awareness, and risk capital funds are essential to bridging the gender gap and fostering inclusive economic growth
Chart of the Day| Toll revenues to moderate in FY2025
Traffic volumes are linked to activity in mining, manufacturing and construction, which were not encouraging in the first six months of FY2025
Start-up Street | Are returns from angel investing worth the pain and risk?
Investors experience mixed results due to the power law distribution in start-up success rates—where a few companies deliver outsized returns while most do not perform as expected
A wages shadow on consumption recovery
The real wages growth trend do not give confidence about a quick consumption recovery.
SBI Cards must leap over stressful quarters for a runway of recovery
Asset quality pressures are expected to stay elevated in credit cards for FY25.
India’s GST model is set to get more lopsided
Creating a new a GST slab of 35 percent for some so-called sin goods will only complicate the rate structure. The GST Council however has left itself with no option as it lowered the average GST rate even when governments were under fiscal pressure because of economic shocks. Today, we are left with a system that levies a marginal tax on most of the GST base and compensates with almost punitive rates on a small proportion of the base.
European Economy: How the ECB can safely store its crisis toolkit
Central banker Christine Lagarde needs to point to a steady unwinding of restrictive interest rates
A turning point for the dollar is coming
The short- and long-term prospects of the currency are at odds
Food prices and inflation expectations: Should the RBI cut rates?
RBI’s model is undergirded by two key assumptions. It accurately measures inflation expectations which, in turn, influence wage adjustments. The central bank’s measure of inflation expectations is out of sync with reality, undermining the accuracy of its approach. Keeping rates high anticipating that expectations will rise seems too harsh on growth and employment
Premiumisation theme in consumption faces a few key risks
Even as consumption growth has slowed down, well-off consumers continue to shop till they drop. Companies and investors have noticed this trend but the possibility of higher tax rates on such goods is a risk to be watched out for
Quick Take | PMI data for November signals to the MPC that growth is fine, but core inflation is rising
The PMI data for November, which track month-on-month changes, are very upbeat and in marked contrast to the Q2 GDP numbers
