The Green Pivot | Wall Street gets cold feet on ESG as politics plays spoilsport
The principal argument employed by those against ESG investing is that it diverges from the fiduciary duty of asset managers to ensure the best possible returns for investors
Indian fintech is fast, furious — and problematic
Three fundamental sources of infirmity need fixing. First, the KYC process using Aadhaar must be made credible and secure. Second, since most UPI transactions are free, traditional lenders have little incentive to shorten their technology-upgrade cycle. Third, the monopoly of the National Payments Corporation of India, which runs the UPI, must end. As long as the country’s preferred system for moving money online is devoid of fair charges — and free from competition, there are great risks
Greek Prime Minister’s Visit: Connectivity prospects reboot an ancient dialogue with India
Today, the main pillars of bilateral ties are defence, trade and connectivity. Greece can become an integral part of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) and to be India’s gateway to the European Union
Chart of the Day | Cocoa price graph turns vertical as bad weather, hedge funds join forces
While poor weather has led to supply issues, the likelihood of a third successive year of deficit supplies has seen financial bets increase, driving up prices sharply
How sustainable are current trends in earnings?
From a time when earnings disappointed but markets looked past them, now the earnings outlook has brightened but the question is if it’s already priced in
Equity AUM of mutual funds grows 45% in Jan, Tatas lead overall growth matrix
Heightened investor awareness and the growing SIP culture are acting as big pulls for participation in the equity market through MF investing
Don’t tax the gig economy before it becomes robust
Governments must strive to enable new businesses to grow so that there is economic growth resulting in a growing tax base. The cardinal rule is to not start taxing an emerging sector before it has found its feet
Startup Street | From FOMO to IPO: How markets make venture funds dance
The unicorn minting rush of 2021 was on the back of easy-money-fuelled foreign funds like Tiger Global and Softbank. But 2024 is seeing investors, old and new, embrace the siren song of IPOs
Fali Sam Nariman: Till memory fades you will remain in our hearts
It is impossible for words to measure the man who was a constitutionalist, a humanist, an Indian to the core, and the patriot forever ready to protect the fundamental values which made this nation
Byju’s-Paytm Aftermath: Time for National Startup Advisory Council to prove its worth
As controversy grips two of the biggest poster boys of India’s startup arena, there can be no better moment than now for the body constituted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade to demonstrate its usefulness in ensuring that the country’s startup space does not lose its lustre
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | The premiumisation of the Indian stock market
In today's edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: NBFC regulation needs more work, decoding India’s core inflation fall, RBI pauses rate cuts till inflation stabilises, time to reimagine social security contributions, and more
What will happen to the Madhya Pradesh Congress if Kamal Nath defects?
Many in the MP Congress blame Kamal Nath for the party’s spectacular failure in the 2023 assembly polls. Though his exit would mean the loss of the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat and a handful of MLAs, the general mood among party workers suggest they are not likely to lament the veteran’s defection
Navalny Death: The poisoner’s recipe for making history
Throughout history, key actors from Augustus Caesar to Napoleon Bonaparte to Alexey Navalny have abruptly vanished from the scene. Many poisoners do get found out but, in its many variations, poison can provide ample room for alibi and denial for those wily enough to use it to manage politics and power
Are energy efficient appliances worth it?
The biggest gains will be made by adding insulation and switching to low-carbon heating, as these investments will have the largest impact on fossil-fuel demand (74% of UK homes are heated with gas). But energy efficiency is a no-brainer climate solution. Improving it not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also energy bills. Residential electricity consumption fell by 12% between 2008 and 2018, even as the UK population grew, thanks to improvements in lighting and appliances
There is magic in the discovery of a new type of magnetism
Altermagnets could help make computing more energy efficient
Meet the Delhi School of Economics alumna who's the only one making sense in BoE's MPC
Swati Dhingra, an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, is in a unique position as the only major central bank policymaker to publicly call for an interest rate cut in at least two years. Dhingra’s caution is proving increasingly prescient after the UK economy slipped into recession in the second half of 2023
Why the Novelis IPO news did little to lift investor sentiment for Hindalco
There are several questions about the public offer to which answers are not forthcoming as of now
Nickel and Copper: A tale of two metals will determine the future of energy
Slumping prices for nickel and lithium mean that electric vehicles have far better prospects than the current gloom in the market would suggest, as materials costs fall and encourage wider adoption. Copper has the opposite problem. Current prices are great for miners — but they make every product that will drive the decarbonization of our economy a little more expensive
Political Deepfakes will hijack your brain — if you let them
The way to fight so-called deepfakes isn’t to develop some rumour-busting form of AI or to train the public to spot fake images. A better tactic would be to encourage a few well-known critical thinking methods — refocusing our attention, reconsidering our sources, and questioning ourselves. Slow thinking instead of jumping to conclusions could help
Multi-Contributor Social Security: Time to reimagine social security contributions
Inadequate coverage and financing dogs our social security system. Imagine a person’s bank account designated as a multi-contributor social security (MCSS) account where multiple entities – Central and State governments, employers, employees, philanthropists, charities, companies invoking CSR, and other individuals can contribute directly. These contributions, in turn, could get tax benefits. Imagine you being able to tip your Swiggy delivery person directly into his MCSS account, towards his retirement corpus
Marketing Musings: What is the secret sauce of international brands in F&B and hospitality businesses?
Every consumer touch point is thought through from the point of view of experience. All this is reduced to standard operating processes - with almost military precision. All this is executed through rigorous training that ensures consistent delivery time after time
Chart of the Day | Mid and Small Cap funds: A crowded market
Given the increasing SIPs and monthly inflows into mutual funds, AUMs will rise, and more capital will flow towards smaller stocks, likely resulting in outperformance relative to broader indices despite receiving a slightly higher allocation of funds.
The curious case of India’s core inflation fall
An inflation targeting monetary policy and fall in global commodity prices explain the deceleration in core inflation in recent times. This fall in core inflation does not indicate a weakening of demand
The regulatory landscape for NBFCs is still a work-in-progress
The RBI has overhauled NBFC regulations by segregating them based on size and interconnectedness. The final guardrail of self-regulating organisations still remains to be implemented
Rate cuts unlikely until RBI sees inflation stable at 4 percent
Report by RBI researchers exhorts the corporate sector to get its act together to relieve the government of heavy lifting on capex and take advantage of lower borrowing costs to increase capital expenditure
