The corporate tax cuts are the Modi 2.0 government’s first structural reform
The tax cuts were essential -- if they provide a cyclical boost too, that is an added bonus.
Macro Matters | Lessons the Trump tax cuts have for India
Balance sheet data for listed firms showed that the bulk of the cash was used for share buybacks, dividend payouts and for strengthening the balance sheet.
Corporate tax cut changes the market mood from fear to greed
How companies plan to spend the tax bonanza will set the market mood for the medium-term
Howdy Modi | India-US ties beyond the optics at Houston
For the US, Trump’s participation in the Houston event is strategic and goes beyond personal camaraderie. For India, beyond immediate considerations, fixing trade relations with US is a priority.
Game changer | Impact of the tax cuts on investors, sectors and the economy
The tax changes are a fundamental reset in India’s corporate history
IRCTC IPO: What should investors do
With a monopolistic business model and a strong balance sheet, the company is strongly placed for future growth
Howdy Modi | In Houston, Trump hopes to ride piggyback on Modi’s shoulders
US President Donald Trump would be hoping that by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a Prime Minister who is very popular among Trump’s constituents of Indian descent, he can make himself appealing to them.
Politics | From vibrant diversity to crippling uniformity?
While it is possible to concede that diversity is a given in India, as a democratic republic it is imperative to work towards pluralism. Our goal has to be to proceed towards sincere pluralism.
Shamiana Banking | At what cost, loan growth?
Setting a target of five new customers for every old one is the perfect formula to undermine credit underwriting practices and mess up the balance sheets of banks again just when they are in the final phase of a painful clean-up.
Policy | Sixty years on, India still trying to get its agricultural credit act right
Perhaps the most important recommendation of the committee to take forward reforms, which will ease the flow of institutional agricultural credit, is to take the states on board
Macro Matters | The OECD adds to the doom and gloom
The OECD Interim Economic Outlook has slashed growth estimates for India below 6 percent for the current fiscal year
Legal Matters | Will Justice Gogoi make history in the Ayodhya case?
There’s a clear sense of urgency shown by the Chief Justice of India in resolving a 70-year-old case. However, can a verdict be arrived at over the next 30 days?
Politics | Supreme Court orders and a Janus-faced Kerala government
The Left government’s readiness to demolish and rebuild a new flyover and its reluctance to demolish an apartment complex violating environmental norms does not show it in good light.
Connect the dots, RCEP is heavily loaded against India
The signs on the ground at least do not point to any major economic benefit for the nation
Plastic Ban | A good move at the wrong time?
If and when the ban is implemented, it could affect close to 10,000 plastic manufacturing units. There is a high possibility that about 400,000 people working in these units could find themselves jobless.
Policy | Govt, RBI are hard at work to lift growth. What lies ahead?
Growth impact of recent government initiatives at best remains hazy.
Disinvestment policy should look beyond current revenue collection
It should not be viewed as selling the family silver but for changing the structure of PSUs and improving their efficiency.
Space Science | Vikram and the road ahead for ISRO after Chandrayaan 2
Space engineers learn from their failures and are getting better at orbital mechanics, even landing probes successfully on fast moving asteroids, like Japan’s Hayabusa 2. ISRO’s next Moon-shot will be a collaborative effort with Japan’s JAXA scheduled for 2024.
Corporate corridor | The policy risk for cigarette stocks just went up a notch
Investors in cigarette stocks are celebrating the ban on e-cigarettes but they may be jumping the gun
Carpooling | Regulations alone may not make car owners share their ride
In India, carpooling will find mass acceptance only with the help of sufficient incentives
Politics | Is it status quo in Israel?
If the second election in five months to the Knesset does not deliver a decisive mandate, Israel faces the prospect of a long period of political haggling once again.
RCEP: Can India head off China threat? The devil is in the detail
Under ‘rules of origin’ clause, ‘region’ will get access to Indian markets regardless of which RCEP country exports to India
Politics | How the NRC debate is shaping up in Meghalaya
The demand for NRC, for an inner-line permit and the protest against rail lines are all interrelated issues that need to be understood comprehensively, and boil down to the fear of outsiders changing the culture and customs of the state.
Policy | Dissecting the economic slowdown in India
The Indian economy’s slowdown started within three years of 2008 Great Financial Crisis. Ever since 2012, India’s earnings growth started decelerating arguably because the era of crony capitalism ended in 2010 with the unveiling of the 2G spectrum scam.
