opinion

The power of democracy and the challenge from big tech

The big tech anti-trust hearings reflected the power of democracy, of smaller businesses and consumers having their voices and concerns heard through their representatives, despite the technological and financial dominance of the companies

Chart of the Day: Global food prices move up further in July

The FAO Food Price Index rose for the second successive month and domestic food inflation remains elevated.

Ajay Tyagi’s report card has more hits than misses, except for some recent decisions

Keeping the markets functioning smoothly during the lockdown period will go down as one of his biggest achievements

National education policy makes the right noises

The big question is: what is the level of resources that a government or a society is willing to contribute towards education

Chart of the Day | RBI survey shows rise in inflation expectations

Perhaps one of the factors that held back the RBI from cutting rates is the rise in inflation expectations

RBI survey finds people don’t expect to increase discretionary spending in the next one year

Oscar Wilde: ‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.’

MPC | A cautious pause, focus on financial stability

It is important to note that revival in economic activities in the coming quarters will remain critically dependent on fiscal policy support. Steps by the RBI as the debt manager of the government can potentially play a critical role in managing bond market sentiment

A one-time restructuring plan is welcome

RBI seems to have learnt from the lessons of the past, sets tighter boundaries for recast scheme

India-Pakistan ties and the space for sports diplomacy

If ‘no talks with terror’ can be tweaked in search of reconciliation, the same would hold for “no sport with terror”. A policy shift could be an option, even if it has only a slim chance of success

Info Edge – Making the most of a crisis

In order to keep its businesses adequately funded, Info Edge has planned a Rs 1,875 crore ($250 million) qualified institutional placement offering (QIP)

Crack in cement prices amid shaky demand poses risks to profitability

Was it only pent-up demand and supply disruptions that sustained high cement prices in the past two months?

Curb on TV import — What’s the big picture?

The restrictive move conjures up the possibility of the return of the licensing regime

Inside China | Will Beidaihe conclave see tables turning on Xi Jinping?

An informal setting such as the Beidaihe conclave gives the party leaders an opportunity to discuss and deliberate and, thereby, turn the tables on Xi Jinping through criticisms of policies and factional management

GST compensation uncertainties pose key risk to fiscal health of states

For many of the states to remain within their fiscal deficit/borrowing threshold for FY21, capital expenditure would have to be cut or deferred

Chart of the Day | Indian private sector shrank even further in July

The RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee will announce its decision on interest rates tomorrow and the continuing deterioration in private sector business conditions will weigh on it

Can Microsoft make TikTok dance to its tunes?

In an unusual move, Microsoft is throwing its hat in the consumer social media ring with its TikTok acquisition bid

Why are investors opting for ETFs?

Part of the reason for the underperformance of actively managed funds is that very few stocks have participated in the rally in the market.

Chart of the Day | India’s real yields on 10-year government bonds are among the lowest in the world

The case for a further reduction in the policy rate seems weak at present

The changing dynamics of protests around the world

With the gradual lifting of lockdown measures and in the absence of tangible solutions, the frequency, scope and size of protests will likely surge, with more targeted and focused demonstrations expected in coming months

IPL 2020 | Why BCCI must abandon Chinese sponsorship

Popular sentiment is in favour of boycotting Chinese goods, and the government itself has banned Chinese apps and placed greater scrutiny on investments from the middle kingdom. Asking BCCI to reconsider is just a logical step since cricket is more than a game in India

The new risk in boardrooms is a five-letter word -- China

China is going to be the biggest disruptor of corporate-government relations. Company boards that were functioning in predictable B2B or B2C environment are confronting a new G2B (government to business) setting. This is particularly so for vendor choices and their management

A tough call for MPC in its last meeting

Can the MPC afford to see through this spike in inflation because demand is poor and inflation will eventually trend down?

Time to wear your seat belts, many red signals flashing in market

The conventional narrative is that liquidity from central banks is fuelling the market rally. But is that true?

Unearthing black gold has been notoriously difficult

As the prospects of securing a proper return on financial or real estate investment -- two main stores of value -- have become highly uncertain, people seem to have gone back to gold. Prices in India are at a record high and analysts expect them to go up further