The steel industry has formed a cartel: fact or fiction?
Nitin Gadkari believes the steel industry has formed a cartel that is hiking prices in a concerted manner. His call for regulatory action is worrying investors
Twitter vs Trump: Has Big Tech gone too far?
The moves have added fuel to the debate on a tech company’s right to censor users who breach their content policies and an individual’s right to freedom of expression
Budget Chart Point | Effective tax rate was declining even before corporate tax cut
Don’t expect any changes in corporate tax rate this Budget
Creative destruction in India’s stock markets will yield better results
One of the basic lessons of economics is that increase in competition leads to better market outcomes. Incumbents initially complain, but those who adopt the changes and fight new competition eventually grow as a firm. SEBI is trying to do the same in the MII sector
BFSI powers TCS’ stellar comeback
BFSI, which generates about 30 per cent of TCS revenue, grew 2.4 per cent in the previous quarter. Order inflows from the segment stood at a strong at $2.6 billion
SEBI’s plan for new bourses overlooks ground realities
The advantage of bringing in a foreign player in the exchange business is more than allowing a domestic player to start an exchange
Aurangabad or Sambhajinagar: AMC polls will test the strength of Maha Vikas Aghadi
Managing the political developments before the Aurangabad Municipal Corporations elections is not going to be an easy task for any party. How well the Maha Vikas Aghadi manages the contradiction will determine the future of its partnership
WhatsApp’s new privacy rules are no surprise, but reveal opportunism
With a stark threat to users, the Facebook-owned app has stolen a march over global regulators and sets the stage for likely rapid commercialisation of the platform
Assam microfinance crisis revalidates first principles
Microfinance institutions serve as a key instrument in removing income poverty and laying low cost foundations for improving human development indicators
The very real fear of artificial intelligence
By 2030, thousands of jobs in India, including those of call centre executives, translators, bank tellers and secretaries, could be lost to intelligent agents and robots.
How 2021 will reshape travel for the years to come
In 2021, we’ve realised that what we called the ‘new normal’, is now the ‘next normal’; perhaps the way of the world in the near future. Even with the constant reminder of the latest mutant virus making its way across countries, the spirit of travel seems unhampered
The Reading List: January 8, 2021
A selection of articles and social media gems from the world of economy, business and finance
Unemployment claims show continuing pressure on job market
Of the more than 22 million jobs that disappeared in the spring, 10 million remain lost
Paul Krugman writes: Appeasement got us where we are
Donald Trump is indeed an authoritarian willing to use violence to achieve his racial nationalist goals. So are many of his supporters. Giving in to fascists doesn’t pacify them, it just encourages them to go further
Capitol Hill Violence | US is a democracy manipulated by lobbies
Donald Trump sees his supporters who invaded Capitol Hill and attempted to stop the final certification of Joe Biden as the next US President merely as one of his lobbies. It is not a coincidence that a succession of Trump’s campaign managers in both elections have been lobbyists, not political strategists
Foreign Affairs | Two missteps in Joe Biden’s China agenda that require repair
The incoming Joe Biden administration’s use of the expression ‘Asia-Pacific’ instead of ‘Indo-Pacific’ signals a lack of commitment to the initiatives and concerns of allies, such as India and Japan, despite Biden’s talk of taking them along
Budget 2021 | Four points to reset India’s school education
We risk losing hard-won gains in school education and ending up with a lost generation of children if education financing is not prioritised in the upcoming Budget
Blue sweep of Congress will add pressure to weak dollar, analysts say
The US currency has been on a losing streak since the unprecedented actions taken by the Federal Reserve last year to limit the turmoil caused by the coronavirus crisis
Central Statistics Office estimates show government consumption to prop up GDP in second half
The sectors estimated to show the highest growth in the second half are ‘financing, insurance, real estate and business services’ and ‘electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services’, both forecast to grow by 7.1 percent year-on-year
Localisation drive adds strength to auto components recovery in 2021
Import substitution and customer wallet share gains will strengthen the auto component sector’s recovery. Ratings agency ICRA projects revenue growth in FY22 after two years of decline
India’s energy mix needs to be finely balanced
Policy initiatives should aim at firing up renewable power but, at the same time, take into account the necessity of fossil fuel for some more decades
The government’s vaccine cost dilemma
There are two potential suppliers – but only one has proven efficacy. And that is causing a problem in negotiating the cost of the vaccine
A revolutionary proposal to the Finance Minister for the Union Budget 2021
I would like to propose a deeper, more meaningful, far more fundamental reform, one that would leave an indelible mark on budget-making for all time to come
Fed officials fretted over virus surge at December meeting
Even if the economic rebound is remarkable, officials have been clear that they are likely to remain patient in taking support away from the economy
