Iran war is squeezing the global economy—and exposing new ironies
Sat, 14 Mar 2026 13:52:32 ISTThe Iran war is disrupting global oil supplies and unsettling markets. But beyond the economic shock, the conflict is also exposing striking geopolitical ironies—from energy policy to trade tensions.
Smile, please. AI is watching
Sat, 14 Mar 2026 07:01:12 ISTAI has brought emotion coaching to the workplace. While this may have its uses, it risks robbing us of authenticity.
FC Kohli: The IT visionary India forgot to remember
Sat, 14 Mar 2026 07:00:12 ISTIn 1969, F.C. Kohli joined the newly established TCS even though there was no IT industry to speak of. What followed was one of the great acts of industrial creation in post-independence India.
Does Trump have a strategy for the Iran war? Probably not—and that’s deadly
Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:00:18 ISTDonald Trump goes by gutfeel. But in the Oval Office, flying without a plan is dangerous. His Iran war raises a stark question: What happens when power is exercised with goals in mind but no strategy to achieve them?
Adam Smith’s curiosity continues to enlighten us—or at least those who understand his views
Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:00:37 ISTTwo and a half centuries after ‘The Wealth of Nations’, the father of economics deserves a fair assessment. Read his ‘Theory of Moral Sentiments’ too. His nuanced exploration of human motives and commercial life remains strikingly relevant today.
War-struck rupee: If the oil shock persists, India will need to widen its crisis response toolkit
Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:00:13 ISTIndia requires a judicious mix of administrative and central bank action to deal with the Iran war’s fallout on its currency. We must explore all options—temporarily even those that go against the spirit of liberalization, such as tighter foreign exchange controls.
Mint Quick Edit | Will the IEA’s oil release of 400 million barrels relieve the world of its oil shock?
Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:00:32 ISTThe IEA’s biggest coordinated oil release ever is meant to calm war-hit energy markets. But the extra oil that flows out of these strategic reserves on a daily basis would only be a fraction of the volume that used to exit the Gulf before Iran’s Hormuz blockade.
Read Adam Smith’s ‘The Wealth of Nations’ but don’t misread his Invisible Hand
Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:01:00 ISTAdam Smith’s 1776 classic is widely misinterpreted to cast him as an apologist for selfishness and greed. But an actual reading of his famous book takes apart the myth of his ‘market fundamentalism.’ Here’s why.
India’s e-commerce boom has a dark side that’s proving hard to police: Digital deception at scale
Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:00:39 ISTIndia’s digital commerce boom has been welcome, but hidden tricks and dark patterns abound. Personal data is routinely abused, online tricks are deployed to fleece customers and choice manipulation is rampant. Regulators, sadly, have struggled to keep up.
From digital access to learning outcomes: India’s edtech emphasis needs to evolve
Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:00:18 ISTThe Bharat Survey for EdTech shows that digital access is now widespread in India, but technologies aren’t fully understood. The focus of edtech must shift from access to structured learning and improving outcomes to deliver the human capital gains we need for Viksit Bharat.
Nouriel Roubini: Kevin Warsh’s ideas may not survive contact with reality once he takes charge of the Fed
Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:30:37 ISTUS President Donald Trump may have nominated Kevin Warsh to head the US Federal Reserve for his views on easing credit, but his assumptions could be flawed. AI may not reduce inflation, America’s neutral rate could rise and a smaller balance sheet may not help. Warsh could be in for a reality check.
Climate action: India’s NDCs could show how to achieve both health and economic resilience
Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:36 ISTClimate risks are no longer just environmental—they threaten public health and economic stability. India’s climate policy must therefore be part of its broader economic strategy. The Nationally Determined Contributions offer a chance to place people’s well-being at the core of India’s climate agenda
Maximize FDI without worrying about the colour of money but act to minimize security threats too
Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:30:33 ISTEasing foreign direct investment from border-sharing countries could revive the interest of Chinese manufacturers in India, help us join global value chains and serve our export ambitions. Yet, safety is paramount. We must keep electronic components under close watch for security risks.
Mint Quick Edit | A Reliance-backed refinery in Texas? Good news for India-US economic relations
Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:00:12 ISTTrump’s announcement of a refinery to be set up in the US with Reliance backing may evoke wonder around a $300 billion deal he has hailed as America’s biggest ever. Whatever the actual details may be, it sounds like a win-win-win for Trump, Reliance and India.
Factories to the fore: India must reboot its growth model before the AI-pocalypse hits its IT sector
Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:00:46 ISTIndia’s IT services boom drive exports, employment and middle-class growth for three decades plus. But with agentic AI out to automate much of what the sector does, that success story may be nearing its limits. It’s time to turbo-charge manufacturing—which needs a renaissance.
From bidets to AI labs: Japan’s hidden innovators should step out and learn to play the hype game
Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:00:45 ISTMany Japanese companies are proving remarkably innovative and thriving off it in the age of AI. Yet their reluctance to trumpet their success often leaves investors in the dark. About time they learnt a trick or two in the art of hype.
Anthropic’s warning raises urgent questions about the use of AI for mass surveillance by the state
Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:00:24 ISTAnthropic’s clash with the Pentagon has brought into focus a troubling prospect: AI could help the state stitch together scattered digital traces and surveil citizens at scale. This power raises questions about privacy, freedom and the future of dissent in every democracy.
Devina Mehra: How hard do wars hit stock markets? What the historical record suggests
Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:50:03 ISTEvery major conflict sparks fears and market turmoil. Yet, the past half century (or more), from the two earlier Gulf wars to the US bombing of Libya, shows that conflicts have no lasting impact on stock markets. While they get shaken, they recover soon enough.
The Third Gulf War is raising plumes of smoke but could this appalling war have a silver lining?
Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:30:43 ISTIran’s Hormuz chokehold shows how easily a war in West Asia can rattle global energy markets. But perhaps this oil shock could do what years of climate talks have not: jolt governments out of complacency and hasten the world’s shift to cleaner options.
Why Indian kitchens need to quit gas and go electric: In war or peace, it’ll serve us better
Wed, 11 Mar 2026 07:30:19 ISTThe Iran war has spotlighted India’s reliance on imported energy—even for something as basic as cooking meals. A shift from LPG and PNG to efficient induction stoves could cushion us. With a few reforms, India could go in for a climate-friendly electric transition.
Mint Quick Edit | Mutual fund investor interest in equities revived last month: Will the Gulf war hurt it?
Wed, 11 Mar 2026 07:00:38 ISTRetail investors may be rediscovering their appetite for equities, with inflows into mid- and small-cap funds surging in February. But fresh uncertainty looms: the Gulf war’s oil shock. Will inflows slow?
India’s data could hold the key to keeping frontier AI models accessible in a world of uncertainty
Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:00:05 ISTFrontier AI is racing ahead, but a handful of tech firms control access to the most powerful models. As geopolitical flux raises the risk of tech-denial regimes taking hold, India should use its vast data troves as a bargaining chip to strike AI-access deals. This window won’t stay open for too long
Hormuz is just one of many chokepoints that are pushing countries to rethink economic strategy
Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:01:04 ISTThe Cold War-style weaponization of supply bottlenecks—from the Strait of Hormuz to rare-earth clamps—is forcing countries to rework their strategies in favour of self-sufficiency as geopolitics makes global interdependence harder by the day.
Freebies galore: The 16th Finance Commission warns against them and so does ancient history
Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:30:23 ISTThe 16th Finance Commission has echoed its predecessors in warning about the harsh fiscal fallout of unchecked freebies. But subsidies and cash transfers have a way of veering out of control. It’s a lesson that an emperor of olden times learnt a little too late.
Equal opportunities for women may be the fastest way to generate jobs and accelerate economic growth
Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:01:02 ISTWell-crafted laws that empower women can significantly lift an economy’s performance. Yet, in much of the world, legal rights exist largely on paper, with weak enforcement and missing support systems keeping millions out of work. Closing this gap could unlock jobs, entrepreneurship and faster growth
As oil soars and stocks slide, investors in India should focus on equity yields over capital gains
Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:30:58 ISTThe Iran war has made oil spike and equities slide. While RBI could steady the rupee with its dollar reserves, investors should focus on what stocks are actually worth instead of what they can be encashed for. Equity yields over capital gains, that is.
Mint Quick Edit | China’s latest retail inflation number may be a relief but deflation still haunts its economy
Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:00:58 ISTChina’s inflation ticked up in February after its flat reading in January, but we can’t infer that its campaign against ‘involution’—excessive rivalry—is working. Perhaps it needs a big dose of fiscal stimulus to overcome its price-softening woes.
Event prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are buzzing in America: Should India allow them too?
Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:00:46 ISTPrediction markets on platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi are witnessing a boom, with wagers being made on outcomes of war, elections, sports and more. Their appeal is undeniable—even as questions swirl over regulation and insider information.
Battle of pipelines: Hormuz is clamped but other routes exist for Gulf oil to flow—if Iran lets it
Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:30:25 ISTGlobal oil markets may stabilize if even a modest share of Gulf supply can avoid the clamped Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are activating bypass pipelines to reroute exports. But Iran’s gameplan is to worsen today’s oil shock.
What explains upmarket Apple’s low-priced MacBook? A chip crunch more than market opportunity
Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:00:25 ISTApple has long guarded its premium aura, but slowing laptop sales and a global chip shortage may have forced a rethink. Its low-priced MacBook aimed at students aims to mop up sales in a high-volume segment even as a supply chain squeeze threatens high-end sales this year.
Gold-dollar dynamics: What the US ‘ashvamedha’ run and AI could mean global for investors
Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:04 ISTInvestors betting on gold’s rise and the dollar’s decline as a reserve currency may need to rethink their assumptions. The Iran war has seen the dollar strengthen and gold fall. Will this last? Here are four scenarios for investors around the world to track.
Ajit Ranade: India’s stubbornly high PF payout rate is getting in the way of its monetary policy
Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:30:43 ISTThe EPFO’s 8.25% payout is 3 percentage points above the Reserve Bank of India’s policy rate. For RBI’s credit easing to take effect, the PF rate must be linked in some way with rates in the larger savings market. When will India’s political economy let this distortion end?
Marketers, take note: The spending patterns of Indian households change in distinct ways as incomes go up
Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:00:22 ISTNobody can bank on assumptions of linear growth in spending by Indian households as they earn more. As a survey reveals, different income brackets display distinct patterns—with new market categories entering the picture—as key thresholds are crossed.
Deploy municipal bonds to give urban India the makeover it needs—Here’s how to attract investors
Mon, 09 Mar 2026 07:30:39 ISTUrban local bodies (ULBs) must mobilize vast sums to modernize India’s rapidly expanding cities and keep them liveable. Municipal bonds are a useful way to raise that capital. But India must first strengthen the market for ULB debt. Here’s what could be done.
Mint Quick Edit | End of Iran’s regime? Why prediction markets generate both information and anxiety
Mon, 09 Mar 2026 07:00:38 ISTBets on crystal-ball platforms like Polymarket over war outcomes and the like reveal what people think. That makes them useful. But what about insider trading? And perverse incentives to make ‘killings’ in such prediction markets?
