Chart of the Day: Tea drinkers may rejoice, but growers and marketers may balk at price slide
A fall in tea prices has the industry worried, as it not only hurts realisations for plantations but also poses a conundrum for branded tea companies
OPINION | Vault matters: Who's to be blamed for steep healthcare cost inflation?
Healthcare costs have inflated in double digits post-pandemic, showing no sign of easing. Meanwhile, private equity and venture capital investments in India’s hospital landscape have touched around $15 billion since FY20. Is the changing capital structure of the healthcare business resulting in higher costs?
Credit cockroaches
JPMorgan Chase took a $170mn charge-off stemming from the bankruptcy of the subprime auto lender Tricolor in the second quarter
OPINION | The struggles of India's media & entertainment industry
India's media and entertainment sector faces a crisis with shrinking satellite markets, OTT budget cuts, soaring star costs, and regulatory changes, threatening the diversity and quality of content and the survival of independent producers
Potential Emirates NBD-RBL deal reveals foreign banks' new India playbook
Foreign banks are pivoting from branch expansion to strategic equity stakes in Indian lenders to unlock retail growth opportunities they can't access alone
Navigating New Waters: The impact of port fees on global trade politics
The US-China trade war just went maritime: new port fees are reshaping global shipping routes and driving up costs worldwide
The new NPS rules add flexibility, but may also leave investors confused
Flexibility and autonomy are great things to have while investing. But investors already have that in plenty with several other investment products. Did the NPS need so much flexibility is the question
Nuclear Power — From margins to mainstream in India’s energy mix
The government will have to take a judicious approach in implementing the proposals for achieving 100 GW nuclear power by 2047
Decoding India's Trade Deficit -- Strong domestic demand, not tariffs, is the real story
Recent trade data reveals that while Trump's tariffs impacted specific US-bound exports, India's overall trade story is dominated by resilient export diversification and a domestic demand-driven import surge, particularly in gold
OPINION | Does the rise of non-bank funding represent financial disintermediation or liquidity shuffling?
On paper, non-bank sources have offset the fall in bank funding to commercial sector. But trace the source of funds and we go back in many cases to banks, who continue to play an outsized role. India still lacks enough diversity in sources of funding
OPINION | The Hidden Compliance Cost of Good PR: A cautionary tale for regulated industries
Public statements by healthcare startups carry legal, regulatory, and reputational risks. Careless disclosures on partnerships, valuations, or roles can damage trust, hinder deals, and trigger costly litigation—discipline in communication is essential
The silver bullet fallacy
The idea that a lot of problems are difficult to fully solve doesn’t mean we should stop trying
OPINION | From Fantasy Cricket to Forecast GDP: A better game for India
India can channel its appetite for instant outcomes into regulated, event-based markets. Linking small, transparent bets to official economic data strengthens policy, enables practical hedging, protects households, and improves market integrity
Startup Street: Can India’s home-grown technology alternatives enter the big league?
India has chosen openness and competition, which benefits users but unfortunately, raises the bar for homegrown challengers
How Cochin Shipyard is leveraging global collaboration to expand ship repair, shipbuilding business
Successful collaborations with global companies can improve Cochin Shipyard's growth rates
Chart of the Day | Can the world break China’s dominance over rare earths?
Countries including the US and Europe are committing billions of dollars to rare earth mining/refining
MPC minutes show a policy pause that sounds like a whispered rate cut
Inflation is at eight-year lows, growth is solid, and two members are keen to ease — yet the RBI still sits on its hands
Data Story: Trump’s Tariffs and Indian Jobs: What the latest PLFS data reveal
The sharp 50% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Indian exports have raised alarms about job losses, but September’s unemployment data reveal that the impact, while real, remains concentrated and nuanced rather than a broad spike
IMF flags fragile foundations beneath market optimism
The IMF’s latest reports reveal a global economy holding firm on the surface, but hiding deeper financial vulnerabilities that investors shouldn't ignore
Google puts India on its AI map
Google is investing $15 billion over five years to establish India's first major AI hub in Visakhapatnam, featuring a gigawatt-scale data centre, new subsea cables, and expanded fibre optic networks in what marks the tech giant's largest investment in the country
OPINION | Gold loans haven’t had it better, but lenders shouldn’t throw caution to the wind
The surge in gold price provides a platform for a big push in gold loans. However, the risk of gold’s adverse price movement should engender caution
OPINION | 'Making My Janmabhoomi My Karmabhoomi': Why this techie came home to Hyderabad from US
Rising nativism in the West has taken the sheen off building a life there. An Indian techie who decided to come back writes that there’s never been a better time to get the best of both worlds: the joy of being home while being plugged into the world of cutting-edge technology
OPINION | Manual Scavenging: When the Supreme Court saw its own order being violated at its own gate
Laws, judgments, and penalties can only go so far unless accompanied by a strong administrative will to eradicate this inhuman practice once and for all. The sight of a worker entering a sewer outside the Supreme Court is not just a failure of governance; it is a collective failure of conscience
OPINION | Navigating the challenges of India’s DIGIPIN implementation
DIGIPIN, part of India's Digital India Mission, aims to improve address precision. However, challenges like governance, data privacy, digital literacy, and technical complexities must be addressed for successful adoption and implementation
How Trump’s tariffs are affecting global steel demand
World Steel Association’s latest demand forecast points to limited long-term impact from the tariff war unleashed by the US on demand for the commodity
