Opinion

While Kamala Harris’s fiscal, trade, climate, immigration, currency and China policies seem to be a continuation of US President Joe Biden's plans and promise relative economic stability, Trump’s agenda is more likely to cause inflation, reduce GDP growth and blow up the budget.

While IPOs historically raised money to forge new paths and expand businesses, their purpose has changed. These days, most IPOs are offers for sale, with promoters and other shareholders selling their shares to the public. Some equity sellers are VC and PE players aiming to cash out.

Are quick delivery services using predatory prices? While it’s for the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to decide on probing their allegedly unfair market practices, Zepto, Blinkit and Instamart may find it worthwhile to fend off suspicions with pricing transparency.

Four years plus after the Galwan hostilities, India and China have agreed on disengagement and patrolling. There’s a long way ahead for mutual ties to normalize, but let’s not under-exploit the potential of a better economic relationship.

To safeguard a financial system exposed to major vulnerabilities, India must bolster regulatory frameworks, crisis management and cybersecurity, and also reduce credit misallocation. Stability and sustained economic growth may depend on it.

Cannabis consumption is rising in the US and Kamala Harris favours legalizing it across the country. But research studies remain woefully sketchy on what THC use at various dosage levels can do to the health of this drug’s regular users.

Billionaires wield extraordinary power and influence today. Think of Elon Musk and his ownership of X. We could escape another gilded age if we pursue stronger institutional means to limit the influence of the ultra privileged and reconsider the policies that have created such extreme disparities.

The company’s breakthroughs go beyond cost-effective reusable rockets for space launches. It has had many tech spinoffs, while its Starlink has democratized internet access. Its innovations serve not just humanity’s future, but also the present.

Rather than simply spreading awareness about it, mental healthcare should be framed as a human right, focusing on accessibility and non-discrimination. We must push for policy and cultural shifts in favour of an inclusive framework that encourages multiple voices, perspectives and narratives.

To maintain financial stability, RBI has imposed restrictions on four NBFCs for excessive lending practices, signalling a firm stance against reckless growth.

India’s Constitution replaces a sword and the blindfold has been cast off. While this is a judicious reform of judicial iconography and a worthy move by the Judiciary to shed its colonial baggage, it should prompt us to recall John Rawls’ ‘veil of ignorance’ and Amartya Sen’s view of justice.

The public response to Hyundai’s share offer was underwhelming, but was this because of its pricing and perceptions of its market prospects, or does it mark a turn in investor sentiment?

In 2022, Delhi witnessed 76 road rage cases, which went up to 84 the next year

The company’s recent ‘feat’ was overhyped. We should acknowledge that science has been a big disappointment. This may be because there has been a brain drain from real science.

Political dynamics within the European Union could spell increasing bad news for India. With CBAM levies on the horizon, we may face even more EU protectionism, making an EU-India free trade agreement harder to strike.

Even if the Fed achieves a soft landing for the US economy, Jerome Powell’s record is marred by a failure to hold inflation in check. The Fed’s delayed efforts to withdraw its pandemic infusion of liquidity created asset bubbles and distorted the US housing market.

Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is an all-inclusive e-commerce platform that serves the public aim of linking the entire country for wide economic participation. It’s a worthy addition to the country’s digital public infrastructure.

To strengthen defence preparedness, India’s spending on it must rise sharply. The pace we choose is the question and this depends on how adequately the country is equipped to tide through the dramatically different world now inhabit.

Yahya Sinwar is gone, but the Israel-Hamas war’s deeper existential battles remain unresolved.

The 2024 Nobel laureate shares three key recommendations. Graduate from being a ‘talent nation’ to an innovation hothouse, formulate a global tech strategy that includes alliances and push for technology that puts humans first.

First invest, then infuse foreign technology and then innovate, says the World Bank’s chief economist

Leaders must embrace continuous learning, be open to critical feedback and make personal changes that could propel their professional growth. Such adaptability is critical for leaders to stay relevant in a fast-changing world of business.

Nasa’s mission to a Galilean moon of Jupiter that’s encrusted in a thick shell of ice will let us know if its bulky ocean has signs of life. The lure, of course, is water—a vital resource that we’ve failed so starkly to secure on Earth.

A bad decision to bat first? A ball that swung too much under overcast conditions? A score of 46 all out against New Zealand in Bengaluru is as dismal as it gets. Let’s see how the team fares in its second innings.

Data can dissect problems, identify patterns and provide clarity in a way that intuition cannot. But when confronted with abstract issues or when the data available is irrelevant, the best choice is often one that feels right—a judgement that comes from the depth of experience.

VCs have largely stuck to relatively low-risk areas where startups fix immediate well-defined problems, despite falling returns, as the deep tech ecosystem is still in infancy. In time, we can expect VCs to start funding bolder ventures.

More than a startup’s technology, its impact reveals the quality of an investment, and venture capital has made truly daring bets in India. As for deep-tech risk appetite, think of how many space-tech startups VCs have funded—that’s literally rocket science.

India’s swelling base of investors, IPO exuberance and soaring market capitalization as a ratio of GDP all suggest over-financialization that may result in financial instability. Rein in over-extended markets without letting the real economy take a blow.

Knee-jerk reactions to price spikes have included food export curbs and stock limits, but these short-term actions to tame prices have often meant farmers had little reason to up output. We need public investment in well-regulated markets, storage facilities and distribution networks.

Indian airlines have received at least 13 false bomb threats in the past 48 hours alone, causing passengers stress and the industry losses. Can disruptors be deterred? Foolproof security may be our surest bet.

Satellite spectrum allotment should go by what the country hopes to achieve. For the inclusion of underserved areas, we should go for cheap allocation. In urban India, however, we should aim for a level playing field to maximize competition.

Democratize information and everyone gets a chance to excel. If internet access and technology tools could turn India into a chess powerhouse in two decades, developed nation status by 2047 looks well within reach.

Managing expectations is a tricky aspect of setting policy. After the central bank’s big stimulus, the finance minister’s promises seemed to fall flat with investors. The optics of a move can be just as important as its substance.

The conversational method of data collection such surveys use have inherent limitations. The accuracy of results often depends on the sociopolitical setting of the interview and the interviewer’s ability to analyse responses.

India should get its carbon market going and rationalize domestic levies even as it challenges the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for violating the principle of differential responsibilities.