Negotiating down tariffs with the US is a must as the door to haggle is still open.
RSSFACTS: India rejects Western definitions of indigeneity, asserting all Indians as original inhabitants. Unlike colonial genocides abroad, India’s civilisational ethos promotes inclusivity, challenging global narratives on Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Trump’s punitive tariff could cloud India’s ambition of becoming a viable alternative to China unless trade negotiations succeed. However, it could well turn out to be India’s 1991 moment, forcing the country to take long-pending economic reforms to leap into the next level
China has built a moat around its manufacturing that is hard to replicate, and a favourable tariff differential was a way to eat into that pie.
Cold War politics and commercial interests in the backdrop of a menacing China will help both countries get over this phase. Don’t expect an immediate rapprochement but never underestimate the binding power of mutual self-interest
US president’s latest ‘reciprocal’ levies hit many countries that had struck deals with Washington
A robust blocking statute must bar Indian persons and companies from complying with any extraterritorial sanctions that conflict with national law or policy unless they obtain an explicit waiver from a designated Indian authority
All eyes are on demand expansion and input costs mainly petcoke prices
India’s linguistic diversity demands culturally aware multilingual voicebots. Advances in NLP, government initiatives, and market demand are driving inclusive voice AI solutions across healthcare, retail, education, and financial services
Share of listed players falls to 24 percent now from about 61 percent in FY2016-18
China’s export curbs aim to stall India’s manufacturing rise, but they could drive India to diversify supply chains, enhance domestic capacity, and forge global partnerships, strengthening its high-tech ecosystem
During the April-June 2025 quarter alone, while Nifty delivered a respectable 10.15%, mid-cap indices surged 16.61%, and small-cap indices soared an impressive 19.35%
New Delhi and Washington must expedite trade talks to limit further damage to bilateral ties between the two countries
Rural consumers are willing to increase discretionary spending in the future even though a lesser number expect improvement in job prospects
RBI also alludes to core inflation having remained somewhat elevated – probably another reason why the RBI would not have wanted to further ease monetary policy.
With the central bank projecting inflation for Q4FY26 and Q1FY27 above 4 percent, and maintaining the growth forecast compared to the last policy, it seems that the bar for a future rate cut is high unless growth weakens.
In a world marked by uncertainty, anchoring expectations and a data-driven policy approach remain key to preserving macroeconomic stability
A calibrated approach while steering policies to bolster domestic growth and preparing to act if external shocks, especially tariffs, begin to weigh more heavily on recovery can be the most prudent way forward. RBI will thus remain data dependent, closely tracking the evolving developments, especially on external front
Despite a downward revision in the inflation numbers, the RBI preferred to take a forward-looking view, expecting inflation to edge back up next year.
With unchanged rates in this meeting, an extended pause is now underway. By the time the data starts showing a slowdown in quarterly GDP growth prints, inflation will likely have normalised to above 4%. This would surely constrain further monetary easing, going ahead
Based on the current inflation outlook, the space for further easing is limited to 25-50 bps over the second half of this fiscal year
Lower CPI inflation is no longer a sufficient criterion for easing; from the RBI Governor’s speech, it appears that Core inflation (which has been largely steady but seeing some uptick) will also become a monitorable going ahead.
And the public private assets paradox
Why did the RBI choose to worry about a higher 1-year ahead inflation when the increase would be mostly statistical?
Generative AI’s impact depends on how effectively organisations empower, train, and build trust with their people—creating a continuous learning cycle where human-AI collaboration drives innovation and growth