The missing middle in India’s startup ecosystem
India's startup ecosystem is evolving, with capital-efficient, early-exit businesses forming a sustainable ‘missing middle’ beyond unicorn-focused narratives. This article talks about how early exits can be a gamechanger for micro-VCs
Copper: A strategic material for modern warfare
Copper is crucial to India’s defence manufacturing, enabling advanced systems in vehicles like the CCIV, supporting communication, radar, and weapon technologies for modern combat effectiveness
Why Israel-Iran hostilities are least of your worries
If the situation worsens, it may become a concern but the more immediate problem stems from how retail traders are positioned on the leverage front
Why the Fed’s meeting this week is more about guidance than action
The Federal Reserve meets this week with a widely expected pause on interest rates. But for markets, the bigger story is the Fed’s forward guidance and how it navigates inflation, tariffs, and geopolitical risk
Israel-Iran Tensions: How oil, trade, and US strategy fuel the conflict
The Israel-Iran conflict isn’t just about ideology—it’s a fierce struggle over oil routes, trade corridors, and regional dominance. Beneath the headlines lies a complex web of U.S. strategy, Gulf alliances, and competing global powers
G7 faces a test of relevance at Kananaskis
A traditional advantage of the summit of some of the world’s most influential countries is that shared values have aided forging a consensus and a plan of action, something global multilateral bodies are unable to do. This time, with the US veering towards isolationism the credibility of G7 is at stake. For India, however, a silver lining is that it is necessarily central to any response the G7 wants to craft to counter China
Chart of the Day: How Sun Pharma outperformed Indian market under the incoming MD
Kirti Ganorkar will succeed founder Dilip Shanghvi as managing director (MD) of the company
Growth in deposits outpaces loans; can banks relax their pursuit of depositors?
The retail depositor is more than willing to settle for lower deposit rates towards safety amid uncertain markets.
Why Nilambur bypoll result will tell us if Congress is losing its hold in Kerala
Nilambur, which is a part of the Muslim-majority Malappuram district, is a constituency where Muslim population is just short of the halfway mark. It represents an assembly which the Congress dominated for decades by attracting support across religious identities. In a crucial way, it encapsulates the party’s underlying political base in Kerala. It’s the stability of that base which is being tested this week
Karnataka’s bike ban is a step backward, cities need innovation, not idea bans
The ban has come into effect from June 16 due to the absence of a formal regulatory framework allowing use of privately registered two-wheelers for commercial purposes. The ban seems counterproductive as most urban cities have become quite dependent on these bike taxi services
Chart of the Day: Why gold is fast becoming the asset of choice for central bankers
Gold has officially dethroned the Euro as the world's second-largest reserve asset, reaching 20 percent of global foreign reserves compared to the Euro's 16 percent, according to the European Central Bank's latest assessment. This historic shift, driven by unprecedented central bank, signals a fundamental restructuring of the global monetary system amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Monsoon uncertainty raises agricultural and policy concerns
Fear of erratic monsoon may have persuaded the Government to allow cheap import of yellow pea and crude edible oils. Government policies aim to stabilise food supply, protect farmers' interests, and manage inflation through imports
Ruchir Sharma: The myth of the suppressed Chinese consumer
In reality, the country has the fastest household spending growth rate of the 21st century
India’s Misinformation Crisis: Deepfakes, bots, and broken trust
India faces a growing threat from digital misinformation, driven by deepfakes, bot factories, and poor media literacy. Urgent action is needed through regulation, education, tech innovation, and global cooperation
Israel-Iran conflict is spiraling out of control, putting energy supply chains at risk
Iran’s response to Israel’s attacks shows that it will not back down. The escalation over the last two days’ risks drawing other countries, and not just ones in the region, into the conflict. For India, the immediate risk is a disruption in flow of crude and LNG supplies through the Strait of Hormuz on account of Iran’s retaliatory measures
Siemens’ Sunil Mathur is confident of a private capex pick-up
Factories are running at 75-80 percent of their capacity in several sectors, levels at which capex plans take shape. But a string of geopolitical conflicts and the resulting uncertainty has made them cautious, says the company's MD & CEO
India a bright spot for solar module manufacturers amid global uncertainty
The demand for locally made solar modules is expected to rise significantly in India
India's interests at risk as Israel-Iran conflict threatens key trade routes
India has several economic interests in West Asia, including the Chabahar and Haifa ports. It will also suffer from increased oil prices. India’s plans to enhance trade and connectivity to Europe has also come under a threat
The curious case of the US dollar in the time of the Israel-Iran conflict
The US dollar, long seen as the ultimate safe haven, is behaving oddly in the face of geopolitical and economic stress. Despite high bond yields and global uncertainty, the greenback is weakening — and that’s raising deeper questions about its future
Data Story: FY25 corporate data shows strong financials, but capex growth signals caution
India Inc delivered its strongest financial performance in over a decade during FY25, with Return on Capital Employed hitting multi-year highs while maintaining healthy balance sheets. However, sluggish capital expenditure and cooling credit growth signal potential headwinds for the economy ahead
Ranthambore’s faith versus forest is a false dichotomy. Political sagacity can restore balance
An increasing incidence of conflict between tigers and humans in Ranthambore is on account of the presence of over 350 shrines within its habitat zone. A surge of pilgrims, especially on auspicious occasions, makes it hard to avoid conflict. Politicians are wary of finding a balanced solution out of the fear of hurting religious sentiments. However, there is no other way but to sensibly regulate the flow of human traffic to ensure that the iconic tiger reserve remains a haven for wildlife without preventing pilgrimage
The Reading List: June 13, 2025
Our research and opinion teams have curated a selection of articles and social media gems from the world of economy, business and finance for your weekend read
Vault Matters | Is it miscommunication, misunderstanding or the fear of missing targets that’s the root cause of mis-selling?
Mis-selling of financial products is at least a two-decade old problem and a solution is nowhere in sight. Maybe finding a solution is still many years away, but it would be worth trying to find the root cause of the problem
Israel’s airstrikes on Iran may fuel global geopolitical instability
The fallout on energy markets and the brittle West Asian security situation will depend on the scale and nature of Iran’s response. This conflict is being played out in the backdrop of a breakdown in the longstanding nuclear consensus among major powers, enhancing geopolitical risks. Middle powers such as India, Germany and Japan have a stake in sustaining the current equilibrium and therefore need to step up
BlackRock and alternative investments
The main thing retail investors need, if they are to benefit from alternatives, is much lower fees
