Google’s AI Struggles: Gemini isn’t too woke. It’s too rushed
We know about Gemini’s diversity bug because of all the tweets on X, but the AI model may have other problems we don’t know about — issues that may not trigger Elon Musk but are no less insidious. The female popes and Black founding fathers are products of a deeper, years-long problem of putting growth and market dominance before safety
Three seasons in 24 hours stump US climate change deniers
Hundreds of records fell across the US this week in a bizarre winter heat wave in Texas and St Louis and sparked a handful of wildfires. In Chicago, there was uncharacteristic spring weather, torrential summer-like rainfall and tornadoes, and then a steep drop to freezing temperatures, all in 24
US Politics: Mitch McConnell knows he has no place in Trump's party
McConnell is not blameless for the Trump takeover. His ruthless approach to the Obama presidency set the stage for Trump. While he fought to crush the proto-MAGA tea party, he also let their outlandish birtherism claims fester, never offering a strong rebuke to the otherization of America’s first Black president. In denying Obama an opportunity to make a Supreme Court pick, McConnell treated Obama as if he was a different kind of president, one without the full privileges of the office
India and Taliban: The strategic sense in doing business with the government in Afghanistan
A team of technical experts that New Delhi recently flew into Herat to inspect the Salma dam that Indian painstakingly built is suggestive of India’s intent to constructively engage with Afghanistan to protect national interests
Chart of the Day: Share of PSBs profits in total banking sector vaults
PSBs are expected to report robust profit growth in spite of the drop in market share in loan portfolio
Start-up Street: Can India be at the forefront of AI technology?
As AI makes rapid progress in being integrated across industries, India has a supportive ecosystem to be able to lead with pathbreaking innovations in the field
Company boards to see major churn in 2024 as independent directors may vacate office
The Companies Act 2013 says independent directors can have two terms of five years each, a deadline which may end in 2024
The billion-dollar drug market that is powering pharma stocks
The quarterly US sales run rate of 13 listed pharma companies increased to $2.4 billion in FY24 from $2.1 billion in FY23
What to look for in the Q3 GDP numbers
The most important thing to look for is whether there has been an improvement in private consumption
Ukraine War: Macron's 'Whatever It Takes' is more than PR
Macron isn’t going to send soldiers to the killing fields of Donbas, but he was signaling a new urgency in Europe’s approach to the war. Now he needs to deliver it. After Kyiv’s forces suffered battlefield losses in large part for lack of critical ammunition from the US and Europe, Macron's real point was to show the Kremlin that whatever happens in the US, Europe won’t give up on Ukraine
OPEC+ can trade short-term oil pain for long-term gain
Strategically, pumping more oil will put a lid on oil prices. With Brent trading comfortably above $80 a barrel, the cartel risks stoking growth of its arch-rivals in Texas and New Mexico. Better to accept some short-term pain now, in the form of somewhat lower prices, to win a larger market share later
Why the excitement among marketers for OpenAI’s Sora is understandable
With Sora on their fingertips, marketing teams can pump out more video content, each piece tailored to specific audience segments, all while slashing budgets. Typing in a few sentences describing a desired scene, product demo, or historical re-enactment, and watching a hyper-realistic video unfold before one’s eyes is not science fiction any longer. Adieu to expensive sets and actors
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | A bull case for Bitcoin
In this edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: IT sector undeterred by layoffs, case for investing in REITs, farmers reluctance to accept crops diversification explained, Congress crisis intensifies with Himachal as latest calamity, and more
Rajya Sabha Elections: Congress shoots itself in Himachal Pradesh, BJP dents SP in UP
Poor strategies have led to the undoing of Congress in Himachal Pradesh and SP in UP. Congress’s failure to see the revolt from the Virbhadra family reflects poorly on the leadership. Now it is not just a Rajya Sabha seat, but its government in the hill state that is at risk. Similarly, Akhilesh’s clout has been dented by the SP cross-voting. He must mull over the consequences of the reverse consolidation against his P-D-A (Pichda, Dalit, Alpasankyak) approach
Traders amass big bet on falling grain prices after bumper harvests
Biggest short bet in 20 years in corn, wheat and soy futures suggests market slump could continue
India's EV revolution is spreading from autorickshaws to motorbikes
Unlike the US where luxury cars are electrifying first, India is moving in the opposite direction. Electrification of conventional cars and SUVs is still moving at a snail’s pace, winning just a 2% share of four-wheeler sales last year. E-rickshaws aren’t just cleaner and quieter — they’re more profitable, too, and sales are exploding. By 2030, batter-powered two-wheelers could account for 60% of sales. When the EV revolution arrives in India, it will come from the bottom up
Why IT stocks are rallying despite layoffs
Companies have realised that they are sitting on excess staff with skills that are no longer growth drivers
Can Citigroup’s new banking chief Viswas Raghavan reverse the revenue crumble?
Citigroup performed worse than its peers in terms of revenue it earned for the amount of capital it put to work. In the past three years, its revenue per dollar of average assets has tumbled in the banking and markets divisions combined – the kind of structure that most US rivals have. It slipped from third-best, behind JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley in 2021, to last out of five in 2023
Warren Buffett’s annual letter to shareholders is required reading on managing investors
For decades now investors have pored over Warren Buffett’s annual letter to shareholders, hoping to soak up whatever wisdom they can from the business icon. Every year Buffett uses the letter to muse on economic cycles, as well as the perennial investing principles that have powered Berkshire Hathaway Inc. into an enterprise valued at almost $1 trillion
Sovereign Wealth Funds and Pension Funds: One step away from tax exemption on new investments?
Clarity is required for tax exemption claims by sovereign wealth funds and pension funds under section 10(23)(FE) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, especially for investments made between April 1,2024, and March 31, 2025
Are farmers reluctant to diversify beyond paddy and wheat?
The reason for the agitation by Punjab’s farmers is a desire to reduce area under paddy but still earn similar income from other crops Siraj Hussain and Kriti Khurana
Chart of the Day: Valuation of Small Cap stocks indicates correction
The small-cap index is trading at 31.52 per cent above the long-term average, indicating the need for extreme caution
China’s trade tentacles run deep, making decoupling a pipe dream
Not only is there a dependency on China across key sectors that are fundamental to the growth of the Indian economy, but there’s also an underlying dependency across component supply chains
The compelling case for investing in REITs
A lower pace of supply in the office market along with improving occupancy levels and lease rentals augurs well for REIT unit holders
Energy transition will hit a roadblock unless power sector’s inefficient status quo is dismantled
The Indian power system is in a bind. The overcharged section of consumers have reason to switch to solar to cut costs. But state monopoly in distribution tries to prevent their exodus, to preserve revenues. The Suryodaya Yojana promoting rooftop solar is coming amid this delicate scenario. Subsidy on the final consumer cannot be eliminated but the subsidy regime should be made transparent
