Why we are failing to eliminate judicial pendency
A two-pronged, bottom-up approach that involves recruiting more judicial officers in the district judiciary and ramping up the supporting structural components they need like more courtrooms, court staff, basic amenities and technology cannot wait any longer. There are more than 4 crore cases pending in the lower judiciary
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | Autos await festive cheer after damp July
In today’s edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: INDIA needs to strengthen its bond ahead of 2024 LS polls, the buzz surrounding LK 99 explained, India concerned as Pakistan cozies up to US, Personal Data Bill should ensure no snooping, and more
Why investors were lukewarm to SBI’s July AT-1 bond issuance
The underwhelming performance of SBI’s AT1 bond issue is perhaps indicative of the new normal for subordinated bonds issued by banks and financial institutions. Banks may have to significantly increase the premium offered on these bonds, given the uncertainties associated with the loss absorption hierarchies
Lex | CEO height: the long and the short of it
In 2015, US investigators found that salaries were 9-15 per cent larger in the 75th height percentile than the 25th
Private equity firms offer sweeteners to lure reluctant investors
Pension plans and wealth funds given fee discounts as deal drought makes fundraising tougher
Support to BJP in Parliament leaves ruling BJD and Naveen Patnaik sitting pretty in Odisha
From generous central funds to weakening the oppositional politics of the Odisha BJP unit and keeping central agencies at bay, the astute CM has used his Rajya Sabha numbers to good effect. For BJP there is a price to pay for Patnaik’s support: Its state unit could lose ground as polls approach
Echoes of Australia’s gas ban will ring across four continents
Once touted as a “transition fuel” between denser hydrocarbons and renewables, gas is proving to be a habit as hard to kick as coal and oil. Economies have a choice of whether to build their energy infrastructure around a fickle, finite geological resource or the limitless bounty provided by renewable technologies
Is Bidenomics working? Ask your waiter
With the US labour market finally firing on all cylinders, good old-fashioned market economics really can work. Tight labour markets are not only pushing employers to raise pay and switch to more productive business models, it is also pushing employees like restaurant waiters to switch into other sectors where they are needed
Personal Data Bill — No snooping around, please!
Rules must be defined in such a way that they protect the sanctity of personal data and ensure that the Act is not misused by fiduciaries for any ulterior motive
Pakistan's Imran Khan can be knocked out only by voters, not courts
Khan’s party PTI still has a good chance of returning to power. Perhaps he will miss one election; but that need not end his career. Khan’s sentencing will only, paradoxically, increase his political power. It requires civilian politicians — who love neither Khan nor the military — to learn how to win back voters’ trust on their own
Governance & Startups: Incorporate values for better valuation
Risk and governance are two sides of the same coin. Yet both have remained confined to boardrooms and regulations rather than being absorbed as a part of corporate culture
INDIA must find that ideological bond to stand a chance against NDA in 2024 polls
Assembly elections in five states, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chattisgarh and Mizoram will precede the 18th national election in 2024. These are critical for both the coalitions
In The Money: Play the ‘Bullish with Limits’ view using Bull Call Spread
You can increase your ROI by going for a Bull Call Spread – buy a call option at a lower strike and sell another call option at a higher strike
Reintroducing import licensing for laptops is a step backward
India cannot be a high-cost island but needs to be part of the global supply chain with low tariff barriers and minimum border controls by way of licences and phytosanitary restrictions
The Eastern Window: Pakistan wooing the US—Should India be worried?
Pakistan is trying to enter into a security pact with the US and shed its image as a camp follower of China. India has reasons to worry if the US agrees to sign an agreement and supply more military hardware to Pakistan. For the US, it is an opportunity to counter Chinese influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan
The superconductivity gold rush: the buzz about LK 99
The search for a material that can be a superconductor at normal temperature and pressure has long been the Holy Grail for physicists and chemists
To restrict PC imports is to restrict India's economic future
The manufacturing value-add in computers would be a tiny fraction of the value added in services compromised by restricted IT imports. For a few million dollars’ worth of forced manufacture, should India make life difficult for a trillion-dollar technology and technology enabled services industry?
Net Zero: Not everyone in the UK wants to pay for it
Some of the most visible parts of the UK’s net zero strategy are placing obvious — and high — upfront bills directly in front of consumers. Hot water boilers require a significantly more expensive heat pump. A drive to a city centre, demands an upgrade to a low- or no-emission car — or pay a huge fine every time you get in the other kind. And few are willing to pay the price
Stock Forecasts: Reading between the lines of Morgan Stanley’s mea culpa
Morgan Stanley's star analyst Michael Wilson says the 2023 rally that proved his team wrong was driven almost exclusively by valuation. In plain words, he got the poor economic fundamentals right, but foolish investors pushed up stock prices anyway. He still thinks stocks will fall when investors come to their senses and realize he was really right all along
Foreign Workers: Japan quietly prepares for more immigration
The Japan government, treading a thin line between businesses complaining of labour shortages and a public that is broadly cautious over large-scale immigration, is letting the rise in foreign workers take its course. A post-COVID dearth of workers and swelling number of retirees has made the labour crunch tighter
The Reading List: August 4, 2023
A selection of articles and social media gems from the world of economy, business and finance, curated by our research and opinion teams
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | America’s problems shouldn’t be the world’s headache
In today’s edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: M&M’s move to buy stake in RBL Bank, Power Grid and NTPC's over ambitious capex plans, the DPDP Bill is a little too opaque, should you take the FII bait, and more
Four reasons why Ashoka University researcher’s claims about electoral manipulation in 2019 polls are misleading
The research paper’s claims don’t factor in the emphatic nature of BJP’s 2019 win that broke many normal rules of politics, can’t explain BJP performance in non-BJP ruled states, doesn’t factor in the BJP’s superior campaign, nor does it offer any evidence from the grassroots on systemic fraud
Indian Pharma Industry: Chasing a mirage called Good Manufacturing Practices
Pharma companies getting a 12-month window to implement WHO’s GMPs forgets that these norms have been mandatory since 2005. It isn’t an easy task for industry – 80% of pharma companies are MSMEs – to implement GMPs. But political will must trump over lobbies and prioritise the wellbeing of Indians and countries we export to
AI frenzy tests Big Tech’s newfound cost discipline
Investment in the burgeoning technology is increasing, but there is uncertainty as to when it will start to pay off
