Tesla/lithium: metal guru
Tesla’s practice of selling its emission credits to the highest bidder has plumped gross margins by a quarterly average of 400 basis points since last September
The case for re-electing Donald Trump
The highest number of checks on Mr Trump’s “promises kept” sheet are on foreign policy
Big Tech’s professional opponents strike at Google
To rein in Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, the tech opponents have employed a wide set of tactics
Gadgets were on the way out. Then 2020 happened
For now, at least, it appears the gadget apocalypse has been averted, due in part to threats of actual apocalypse
Muralitharan’s biopic exposes the festering wounds of Eelam in Tamil Nadu
What the controversy has brought to the front is that a large section in Tamil Nadu is against the Sri Lankan government, and the erstwhile LTTE is still viewed in favourable light
SEBI cracks a joke by imposing a Rs 6 crore fine on NSE
The least the market regulator can do is impose the ‘Disgorgement of unlawful profit’ order on such offenders, which would mean collecting the unlawful profits
Jio-Qualcomm 5G tech deal is bad news for China
The agreement marks a significant step forward in India’s advance towards becoming the pivot around which global developments on 5G take place
Random portfolio rejigging of RBI deputy governors needs to stop
The responsibilities of RBI’s four deputy governors need to be defined and given proper titles and job roles. This will ensure that specialists are chosen for these roles, and will signal to the government that appointments need to be made in time as departments cannot be transferred that easily
What has Nitish Kumar’s economic track record been in the last five years?
It’s very likely that the economic disruption resulting from the pandemic, the lockdowns and the return of migrant labour would overshadow any earlier good work done on the economic front
The politics of combating COVID-19 infection
The Calcutta High Court has imposed restrictions on the Durga Puja celebrations
The good, bad and ugly of soaring tech stocks
There are two ways to look at the market’s rise
Investors opt for the ‘do nothing’ trade ahead of US election
Polls point to a clear win for the Democratic party on November 3, potentially on a scale large enough to take the presidency and both houses of Congress
Coal India’s volume recovery needs sustained support from thermal power
Coal India continues to see healthy growth in coal offtake, helped by improvement in thermal power generation
Google up against laws that thwarted Microsoft (and others since 1890)
According to the Justice Department, the laws are more than enough to successfully challenge Google’s monopoly behaviour
It’s Google’s world. We just live in it
It has become the tech brand that dominates my life — and probably yours, too
The lesson for FMCG investors from HUL’s results lies in the margin
The underlying theme — whether in urban or rural — is one of price sensitivity of the consumer having gone up. Consumers are going to compare brands and promotions and buy those products where they see the most value
Can BJP break from JD(U)’s shackles in Bihar?
The BJP has somewhat succeeded in emerging as an opposition within the NDA in Bihar. While the people are angry with Nitish Kumar for underperformance in his third term, the BJP has emerged largely unscathed
SEBI is catching up with front-runners
SEBI’s recent move to nab alleged front-runners is commendable, considering the scant regulatory base of just one clumsily drafted clause against front-running. The gaps against front-running are partly filled by a Supreme Court decision and a SEBI circular
Chart of the Day: RBI study shows small firms were massacred in the June 2020 quarter
Even in the first quarter of 2019-20, long before the pandemic struck or lockdowns were thought of, smaller firms saw sharp contraction in sales
Interview | If you are positive on India, you have to be positive on the markets, says Sunil Singhania of Abakkus
Month-on-month economic data has been positive and most companies have seen an uptick in sales. The economy is keeping pace with the stock market and Nifty earnings will see a growth this quarter, says Sunil Singhania, founder, Abakkus Asset Manager
Why the government is justified in giving PSUs a choice between buyback or capex
Till date, the government has raised less than three percent of its Rs 2.1 lakh crore divestment target for the current fiscal
The threat of long economic Covid looms
The second waves of the disease now crashing on to many economies will make this worse
What will Xi’s China do next?
Here are three books that allow the reader — and the next US administration — to prepare for what China may do next
A tortuous journey for electric vehicles
Policy must be geared towards affordability so that sufficient demand is generated
