Amazon deserves to be called out for swindling users
Amazon US announced that Prime Video would no longer be commercial free unless subscribers — even existing ones who had paid for a yearly plan — paid an extra $2.99 a month. The move was part of a mad dash to boost streaming income after years of rampant investment and spiraling blockbuster budgets. You can’t just go stripping away features and expect customers to not speak up just because you need to better balance your books
How India can move towards dynamic fuel pricing: A global perspective
India's journey towards integrating its fuel prices with global market dynamics involves navigating economic, infrastructural, and socio-political landscapes. While the managed pricing regime has its merits, evolving towards a market-driven model could enhance efficiency and global economic alignment. Integrating with GST framework is key
Defence stocks still have enough firepower in them
The Defence Acquisition Council has been promoting the use of Indian-made weapons and supplies, which has led to a significant increase in orders for Indian defence companies
How RSS got its name and started its first ‘shakha’
RSSFACTS: The traditions that are today part of the daily RSS shakha meeting like the commands, prayers, the hoisting of a saffron flag, and the exercises – all with the only agenda to train young men to make them physically, mentally and intellectually strong to serve the country – took shape in the initial years of the RSS itself
Retail traders face major challenge in markets in 2025 – Are you ready?
A tech revolution is sweeping the world and markets are getting affected too, throwing up unusual aftereffects. Retail traders need to skill up to survive
For PTC India, inferior sales mix can undermine market coupling benefits
The short term electricity trade business is less profitable than medium term and long term contracts
Chart of the Day: Capgemini, EPAM results point to weak H1 2024 for IT services
While EPAM expects revenue to decline in January-March, Capgemini projected a slower revenue growth in 2024 vis-a-vis 2023
What is behind banks’ weakening core income growth?
Analysts believe that the pressure to raise deposits would continue and that would mean banks have to cough up more interest to get depositors. Also, much of the repricing of the loan book in terms of interest rate hikes is over. The upshot is that drag on NII growth would continue.
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | When lowly earnings get a seat at the high table
In today's edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: PM Modi reaches out to the Muslim world, Russian economy braves Western sanctions, markets ready for a high but investors must be cautious, US and China vie for Bangladesh's attention putting India on backfoot, and more
German Protests: The country needs a new growth agenda and its people need hope
The end of cheap Russian energy and the rise of Chinese competition have slammed a manufacturing sector that used to drive growth. The country’s storied infrastructure is faltering. A new growth agenda that reduces overreliance on manufacturing demands deregulation of professional services, faster adoption of digital technologies, and a more flexible capital market to direct investment to new and productive uses
Surging Cocoa Prices: A meltdown in chocolate is coming
The world needs higher cocoa prices to encourage re-planting millions of old trees. If every farmer applied a little more fertilizer, and had pesticides at hand, production could recover. That, or projected chocolate demand growth needs to slow, if not fall. Market forces will eventually rebalance the market, but everyone must brace for a few years of higher prices
Google, Microsoft, Nvidia will dominate AI as computing costs surge
Sam Altman’s goal of raising about $7 trillion to make AI chips tells a story beyond his borderline-insane ambitions. First, the infrastructure needed to build AI has become exorbitantly expensive. Second, most of that value is still held by a handful of large technology companies and the oligopoly is only going to get worse
GIFT City tax regime for aircraft leasing needs a second look
The overall success of GIFT City hinges on the competitiveness of its tax regime. There is a high expectation that the beneficial tax regime for aircraft lessors will continue to move in the right direction
The new realism in venture capital is healthy
Rising stockpile of ‘dry powder’ is a sign of private capital’s growing attraction as an asset class
How China’s economic pain will help US Fed rate cuts
Asia’s largest economy, not long ago considered a contender to supplant the US, is having a rough patch. Growth has struggled after the pandemic, foreign investment is waning, and real estate companies are failing. But the most pernicious development has been deflation. It will help drive inflation down around the world
India’s farmers need a better deal
One option is that when the harvest is sold to private parties below the MSP, the state would have a legal duty to pay the farmer the difference as cash, directly into their bank accounts. In case traders band together to underpay farmers who would bargain less because New Delhi would pick up a part of the tab, farm producers’ organisations acting as buyers of last resort could check the collusion problem
Bangladesh: New US and China plays pose fresh headache for India
India has more than enough clout in present-day Bangladesh to go it alone. So the US attempt to rebuild bridges with Sheikh Hasina could reduce her dependence on India. The US is evidently concerned about the strides that China is making in Bangladesh. Now is the time for India to play the aces up its sleeve and show both countries that is the resident power in the region
The Eastern Window | PM’s unique outreach to the Muslim world: Is the tide turning?
Strapline: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to UAE and Qatar was a game-changing development because they took extraordinary steps to prove their friendship towards India. The inauguration of a temple in Abu Dhabi and the release of Navy veterans in Qatar are significant moves. India is now rivalling China for influence in the Middle East at a time when the region is undergoing major changes
Much ado about Sora
The text-to-video generator by OpenAI is just a distraction from the really important issues that need attention, such as the thousands of cases that are now being fought in the US and the EU over the fact that GenerativeAI companies had trained all their wonderful models on content created by media organisations and independent artists and writers without taking any permission or paying them
Why Western sanctions on Russia proved ineffective
Sanctions typically result in trade diversion to third parties, who are not directly involved in the conflict. This occurs as both the sanctioned and sanctioning countries actively seek alternative markets amidst disrupted trade channels
Chart of the Day | Inflation-adjusted corporate sales growth in good health
Overall inflation-adjusted sales growth for the non-financial listed corporate sector during the December 2023 quarter has been higher than in the year ago quarter
Will the farmers' protests affect the BJP's prospects in the Hindi heartland?
The three specific reasons why the BJP is more confident this time are: the Ram mandir effect; Jat leader Jayant Chaudhary-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) joining hands with the saffron party; and the conferring of Bharat Ratna to Charan Singh, the late Jat patriarch of Western Uttar Pradesh
Farmers’ protests: What do the economic data say?
There is no alternative to moving people out of farming into more productive occupations
Talks in harmony can resolve farm issues, violent protests are for electoral gains
Sanghnomics: Bharatiya Kisan Sangh believes that organisations fighting in the interest of farmers should find solutions to the problems of the farmers with harmony. The farmer has the right to get remunerative price on the basis of cost and he must get it. But BKS is worried that the so-called farm leaders with political intentions who produce chaotic consequences are arousing negative feelings against farmers
Karnataka budget's puzzling question: Why has the govt cut capex by nearly 28 percent?
Big jump in non-scheme-based expenditure. Set to grow to 61 percent of the state’s total revenue receipts in 2024-25, up from 56 percent in 2023-24 and further higher than 48 percent in 2022-23. This is a red flag that would prompt fiscal purists to stand up and take notice
