Layoffs: Is AI coming for white-collar jobs? Coders and analysts should worry
Studies are finding AI tools improving productivity significantly for coders, analysists and customer support agents. IMF last month warned that jobs in advanced economies were especially exposed to AI and the risk of reduced labour demand, lower wages and reduced hiring. Some jobs might simply disappear
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | Why did monetary policy disappoint the Street?
In today's edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: BJP looking to expand its support base down south, headwinds for commercial vehicles sale a small blip, PM Modi's clarion call may save energy investment, Pakistan goes to polls amid severe crisis, and more
RBI policy bullish on growth, cautious on new inflation risks
Overall, the MPC’s bullish expectations around the growth outlook and its forecast of CPI inflation to ease, albeit remaining above the 4 percent target, reinforces our view of a likely shallow rate cut cycle. We foresee cumulative rate cuts of 50-75 bps, commencing in the August 2024 meeting, and a stance change in the preceding review, after there is some visibility on the monsoon turnout
RBI’s Goldilocks forecast for FY25 depends on liquid courage it refuses to give
The RBI needs to soften its liquidity stance if it wants the forecasts for the next fiscal year to come true. After all, GDP growth is driven by investments more than consumption at this point
Can BJP expand its support base south of the Vindhyas in 2024?
While Karnataka reaped a good bounty for BJP in 2019, BJP is this time going the extra mile to do better in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana
We are too obsessed with monetary policy
Inflation would indeed be higher today had central banks not raised rates. But this latest inflationary episode was driven by supply shocks, which interest rates cannot directly and rapidly remedy
Is Marxist volte-face to welcome private universities a decade too late for Kerala?
While the rest of South India saw the ravenous appetite for higher education opportunities among youngsters and opened the field to private capital, CPI(M) and its youth and student wings militantly opposed the move. Now faced with the prospect of a geriatric society where students are going abroad, the Marxists welcome foreign and private universities
India’s true manufacturing rival is Vietnam, not China
Though India is getting a lot of overseas investment, Foxconn Technology Group’s announcement last month that it will spend $100 million on a new plant in Vietnam is a reminder that it doesn’t hold a monopoly over business migration away from China. India stands out among peers in implementing higher import duties, which motivate companies to set up in the country to supply local consumers but makes them less competitive in the export market
Is India scorning the energy bounty that transformed China?
If renewable energy falls short, coal is going to make up the difference, either with — or more likely without — Carbon Capture and Storage. Rather than depending on an unrealistic and unproven new technology to lock away pollution, India must give renewable energy developers certainty and policy backing. The best way to decarbonise the coal sector isn’t to bury its emissions — it’s to bury the industry as a whole
Chart of the Day: Are CVs facing a mere blip or a downturn in sales?
While there may be some softness in demand due to elections in the near term, underlying demand appears to be intact
Will Modi’s passionate call charge up energy investment?
A conducive environment is imperative for investors, both local and global, to take note of India’s energy potential
Small businesses in e-commerce ecosystem can benefit from temp IDs
The innovation allows businesses to escape the burden of full GST registration but avail of its benefits and improves compliance
Investing for tax planning? Avoid the last-minute rush
If you leave very little time before the tax deadline, investment decisions often prove to be less than optimal. Here’s how to avoid that
Finding UP, Mumbai, Delhi, Jalandhar and Gandhi in a Pakistan election
Among Pakistani politicians, it is not just the MQM’s Altaf Hussain with his votebase among migrants from India, who traces his past to India. The Sharifs, Bhuttos, Imran and even the Jamiat have age-old Indian connections
A vote amid hopelessness as everything, including the Army, weakens in Pakistan
Pakistanis needed hope that their country will not forever be living off handouts from the IMF. The formidable economic and climatic challenges were hardly discussed at any great length during a campaign that was lacklustre because voters could see that the current elections are neither free, fair or outcome oriented
A soft landing for the US economy could slip away
Rather than drawing out the timing of the first rate cut, creating anxiety among businesses and consumers needing to borrow or refinance debt, it would be better to start sooner and cut slowly, communicating that there’s no guarantee the easing cycle will be long and deep if the economy shows signs of a meaningful reacceleration
'Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League' is just about better than Marvel’s Avengers
On its part, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League enjoys well-made cutscenes and solid gameplay mechanics.
MC Pro Quick Take | Nestle India’s results highlight premium divide in FMCG results
Its sales grew on the back of price and mix, said the company management, implying volumes did not contribute much. That may have put it in the category of underperforming companies but its profitability tells a different story
Whoever wins in Pakistan elections, it will be India setting the terms of engagement
One of the key outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy is making Pakistan irrelevant to the Indian diplomatic scheme of things. And it has been working well so far
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | Extended trading hours a welcome move
In this edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: Investors drop equity hedge funds, elections in Pakistan may not abate future crises, protests in Ladakh a Pandora’s Box, India's Gen Z a force to reckon with, and more
UK universities grapple with who to prioritise: International or domestic students?
Recruiting overseas students to supplement a shortfall in revenue is reasonable. When this income stream becomes so important that institutions are willing to prioritise international applicants over better-qualified local students, though, it’s a sign that the system’s incentives have become skewed
Pakistan Elections: Foreboding of a fraught future
The trouble is that not just the politicians but even the military thinks they can keep doing business as usual with a few tweaks here and there. It is almost as if the entire country is in denial over the reality of the magnitude of the crises confronting it
Investors desert equity hedge funds after years of poor returns
Clients pull nearly $150bn in assets from a strategy once known for its star stockpickers
Pakistan needs to get past 'Lock Him Up' politics
Pakistan cannot afford to let political jostling hold up essential economic reforms. The winners and losers should at least find tacit agreement on a minimum reform program which could be launched, perhaps, by an apolitical finance minister
China’s clean technology is made of dirty metals
Decarbonisation is fueling consumption of metals, chemicals and glass, which are in turn causing a lot of greenhouse pollution as they’re manufactured. Clean-energy products are much more efficient than the alternative once they’re being used — but producing them is causing a spike in carbon emissions
