Schools need to ban cell phones
The sooner kids are separated from their devices, the better off they’ll be
Oil megadeals are back. The premiums are not.
Chevron agreed to buy Hess for $53 billion not long after Exxon paid $59.5 billion for Pioneer. Both deals are paradigmatic of a larger trend
Don't complicate regulation of digital finance apps
It is imperative for regulatory authorities to refrain from broad categorisation of all digital lenders as predatory entities, solely on account of the actions of a few ill-intentioned actors or the worrisome inability to curtail their behaviour
Telangana Elections 2023: Former Naxals make a beeline for electoral politics
From Congress’s Seethakka to BJP’s Etela Rajender, a host of former Naxals have found a happy hunting ground in Telangana’s electoral politics. It’s not really a surprise, given the state’s long tryst with left wing extremism and the dominance that the People’s War Group once enjoyed over vast swathes of North Telangana
Manufacturing can’t give growth the desired thrust
Policymakers have been wanting to raise the share of manufacturing from 16 percent to about 30 percent over five years. Given the current levels of value addition, this would imply an increase in output by almost 90 percent, which works out to a 14 percent annual growth
Why Russia is talking peace in West Asia while fighting in Ukraine
Russia doesn’t see much benefit coming from escalation of the Israel-Hamas war into a wider regional conflict. It doesn’t see US preoccupation with Israel helping Russia in the war with Ukraine, is wary of allies like Syria getting drawn in, and recognises that markets will eventually stabilise oil prices
Why shippers hate recessions, but love crises
A spike in rates provides a short-term boost to the maritime industry, but there are bigger geopolitical factors at play
The tide is turning in the global tax evasion fight
But better targeting of the $12 trillion in wealth held offshore is essential to reconciling globalization with political legitimacy
Sorry, European banks. Investors just aren’t into you
The lenders are priced for danger, but there could be some positive third-quarter surprises in store
RBI should allow large and profitable fintechs to become small finance banks
There is potential for high synergy between SFBs and fintechs, since they operate in the space of financial inclusion. The SFBs by virtue of a licence to run a bank have access to retail deposits which usually are a cheaper source of funds
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | Finding the right blend
In this edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: Gaza war prompts power games in the region, trade war looms over environmental issues, MSP important part in India’s food security, India at centre of global steel demand, and more
MSP continues to be important for India’s food security
As wheat and rice are distributed to 81.35 crore people under the National Food Security Act 2013, the government needs to procure sufficient quantities of the two food grains. The decision to give a handsome increase in MSP of Rabi crops of 2023-24 should be seen in this light
Many power games around Gaza war
Arab countries are angry about the continued bombing of Gaza. But they are unlikely to intervene directly because each country in the Middle East has some domestic reasons compelling it to stay out of the war. The only exception is Iran which is close to Hamas and resolutely opposed to the US
Congress has an edge in Chhattisgarh elections
The BJP will have to work hard to break the patron-client relationship between the party and the electorate that the Congress has assiduously built up
Chart of the Day | India takes centre stage in global steel demand
Its steel demand growth in 2023 and 2024 is forecast to be the highest in the top 5 steel consuming countries of the world
Bangladesh: With polls nearing, Sheikh Hasina walks the extra mile to please New Delhi and Kolkata
Sheikh Hasina’s razor-sharp focus on keeping India’s BJP government happy, goading West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee to change her stance on Teesta river water sharing, and bagging all the minority votes available for the taking in Bangladesh is evident as she reaches out with tactful signalling to each of them for an unprecedented fourth term in office
Pakistan does not need another Nawaz Sharif comeback
The country's voters have grown weary of the failings of dynastic politics and are struggling with the prolonged cost-of-living crisis. The revolving door of political leadership where the baton passes with the approval of the Pakistan army and in spite of election outcomes has never served the country well
In The Money: Use the Calendar Spread, when volatility is expected to increase
Even if the underlying does make a large move, the maximum loss you can incur is the net premium outgo at deployment. In other words, losses are capped
IMF data show China will remain the biggest contributor to world growth
After 2025, the US contribution to global growth is expected to be slightly lower than that of China. India’s contribution is forecast to be in third place, but it will be far lower than that of the US and China. The two biggest economies—the US and China—are expected to contribute more than 40 percent of world growth between 2026 and 2028
Israel needs a new narrative for plan to unseat Hamas finding takers in Arab world
Middle East states that once saw a clear interest in normalising relations with Tel Aviv have bought the Hamas claims on the hospital tragedy. To regain control of the narrative, Israel needs a broader change of strategy for ordinary Palestinians, giving them reason to hope for something better once Hamas is gone
Is higher household borrowing a sign of consumer confidence or consumer distress?
The MPC minutes imply that while lenders should be cautious, an increase in household borrowing is not a sign of distress, but instead a signal of increasing confidence that will support consumption and also increase capex, which in turn could power the economy
A foreign banker chief shows Kotak’s growth ambitions
New chief Ashok Vaswani would have to grow Kotak Mahindra Bank's balance sheet fast but continue to maintain the bank’s conservative approach towards risks.
Spectre of trade war looms over environmental issues
India’s position is that the focus should not be on the carbon imprint of trade but on how best countries can go forward with the agenda set out in their respective nationally determined contributions (NDC) which are at the heart of the Paris agreement
Ten years of China’s Belt and Road: what has $1tn achieved?
The massive infrastructure initiative has granted Beijing additional influence, but critics question whether the cost has been worth it
Moneycontrol Pro Weekender: Push Me Pull You Markets
Why does the global policy regime resemble the Pushmi-Pullyu of the Doctor Doolittle series? Read on to know
