Why Dr Lal PathLabs’ fat profit margins are bringing no cheer
Business volumes lagged expectations as patient footfalls are largely unchanged in Q1 FY24 from year ago period
Ease of doing business is fine, but is drug safety at risk?
What has been glaringly missing in the wake of the deaths of children in Africa is a major announcement by the government of India spelling out how it is going to overhaul the entire drug regulatory mechanism
In The Money: Single-legged option strategies
Single-legged strategies, especially naked shorts, do not have any implicit risk-control mechanism. So, risk management by way of strict position-sizing and stop-losses is paramount
Climate action — Wait for breakthrough lengthens
Ministerial meetings fail to resolve thorny issues queering the pitch for the G20 New Delhi summit to step up the climate fight
The Eastern Window: The implications of the disappearance of China’s foreign minister
The disappearance of China’s foreign minister for one month before he was removed from office has affected President Xi Jinping’s image as a strong leader in full control of the situation. Diplomats are assessing if this episode would affect China’s foreign policy
Why financial conditions remain loose despite rate hikes
Loose financial conditions have cushioned the US economy, so much so that its GDP rose at an annual rate of 2.4 percent in the June 2023 quarter, compared to 2 percent in the March quarter. Whatever happened to the recession?
The Reading List: July 28, 2023
A selection of articles and social media gems from the world of economy, business and finance, curated by our research and opinion teams
BOJ yields some control, but also throws a curve
In trying to keep several plates spinning, Governor Kazuo Ueda steps on his message
My eyeball met with Sam Altman’s crypto AI scanner
Worldcoin says it wants to ID humanity, but it needs more regulatory scrutiny first
China’s foreign affairs is in turmoil. And, there’re some bizarre developments
It is a cause for worry at a time when China and the United States of America are attempting to reset their troubled relations, and when China’s increased activism over the situation in Ukraine in recent weeks can impact the world
Moneycontrol Pro Panorama | Here is another Ken for our bank Barbies
In today’s edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: Could AI change the face of Indian agriculture, fall in bank CASA deposits concerning, states must fill gaps to boost exports, Fed’s hawkish stance poses risk for market, and more
Climate change impact on jobs and livelihoods in India needs careful study
An exhaustive data-backed analysis can help the country come up with a comprehensive roadmap on how to create more new and better jobs than the ones that are likely to be lost or put at high risk owing to climate change
Emerging market bonds: Peers show Powell better turn of speed
Investors have started taking note of the best-performing fixed income investments so far this year
More reforms are needed to attract serious investment in oil & gas
Measures taken by the government recently will remove some impediments holding back investment in exploration and production. Pricing and marketing of produce also need to be unshackled
Europe has a plan to avert a sovereign-debt crisis
If only the union’s member states and parliament would approve it
What happened to all those Chinese tourists?
India could help save Southeast Asia's tourism industry as the steady stream of vacationers from the world's second-largest economy turns into a trickle
The mantra to boost exports – globalise to localise
State governments and the private sector should work together to create a competitive domestic ecosystem by removing unnecessary regulations, helping with technology transfer and supporting services, training workers, sharing information, investing in R&D and offering fiscal incentives
Secretive chatbot developers are making a big mistake
Before we can ponder existential threats of the new technology, Silicon Valley must be forced to disclose more about how their tools are created
ITC's Hotels Demerger: Has the air cleared after the analyst call?
The why of the decision to retain a 40 percent share in the hotels business is clearer now, but that alone may not change how investors feel about it
Chart of the Day: CASA deposits to make banks sweat
Small banks showed a steep fall in CASA ratio while large lenders such as HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank showed a modest reduction
Is Indian agriculture ready for robotics and AI?
The parliamentary standing committee on agriculture wants to drive the use of robotics and AI in agriculture and has recommended the setting up of a Centrally-funded national research institute for the purpose
The rebranding of Vistara and Twitter defies understanding
The Tatas’ move to subsume Vistara which stands for high quality into Air India that evokes shoddy customer service is a move that defies common sense, if not logic. The morphing of Twitter into an ambivalent X by Musk is equally perplexing
The Fed’s stance poses risks for an overheated stock market
Narrowing interest rate differential between US and India markets raises the risk of foreign fund outflows, especially if future data points to more rate hikes. Investors should prepare for volatility
Predictability in monthly tax devolution could benefit state finances
Clarity on devolution will help the states to better plan their capex spending and also better assess their borrowing needs for the last two quarters of this fiscal
Digital India Act: Here’s how it should fix India’s cybersecurity weaknesses
Amid regular reports of government and large private sector systems falling prey to serious cyberattacks and data breaches, the DIA must be accompanied by a strong triad of laws safeguarding privacy, data protection and cybersecurity. The last must lead to data sharing frameworks between institutions, voluntary reporting of vulnerabilities, bigger budgets, and a large cadre of cybersecurity professionals
