Will tariff war ruffle USD, inviting slowdown and weaning its appeal?
Posted: April 23, 2025 at 12:49 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
The greenback’s near-nine-per-cent fall in 2025 so far can be attributed to multiple factors, including the US’ rising debt, fears of recession and actions of the central banks across the globe. But President Donald Trump’s disruptive streak with regular policy flip-flops has only accentuated the problem and has reduced the appeal of the world’s reserve currency, the US Dollar. […]
“New Drone Fund” and India’s local and global dreams
Posted: April 22, 2025 at 12:01 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
A new Centre-backed fund is being budgeted to foster a self-sustaining drone ecosystem for development, manufacturing, and adoption of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including civilian anti-UAS systems.[…]
Indian FMCG sector set to soar, but salespersons issue seeks attention
Posted: April 9, 2025 at 10:48 am | Author: Manish Marwah
After a tumultuous 2024, the FMCG industry hopes to gallop ahead in 2025, riding on rising disposable incomes, urbanization, digital penetration, and shifting consumer preferences. Inflation primarily contributed to last year’s slowdown […]
Trump’s posturing of a hard bargainer has potential pitfalls
Posted: April 1, 2025 at 4:45 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
Over time, the US losing its manufacturing prowess is because other countries have upped their game and are offering cheaper solutions across the board. China’s AI company DeepSeek’s growing dominance at the cost of Nvidia, or BYD’s (Chinese EV car company) global clout over Tesla are a glaring example.[…]
Adapt and innovate – mantra for the jewellery industry
Posted: March 18, 2025 at 2:42 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
Notwithstanding lower consumption trends, spending on gold jewellery jumped nine per cent to USD 144 billion in FY24. This meant that people were paying much more for the same piece of gold or for lower carat yellow metal. […]
Global Supply Chain Crisis makes India’s Aerospace Industry Soar
Posted: March 7, 2025 at 5:48 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
Can India position itself as the factory of the world ahead of China?
Growth in manufacturing is both a necessity and an opportunity if India wants to reach the projected target of $20 trillion by 2047. Providing the impetus is the aerospace industry in India, which is witnessing a rapid transformation driven by increased demand for parts and services with major global economies seeking to diversify their supply chains.[…]
Tax rebate and interest rate cut towards boosting growth
Posted: February 24, 2025 at 2:38 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
While India’s economic potential and its status as the fastest growing major global economy remain unchallenged, there is a worry over the pace of its growth after a 5.4 per cent GDP growth stunner in the July-September quarter. This was the slowest in the last seven quarters and much below the expectations. […]
AI Relevance and Disruption in the Global Energy Sector
Posted: February 21, 2025 at 5:54 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the global energy sector by enhancing efficiency, optimizing resource management, and driving sustainability. AI-powered analytics facilitate predictive maintenance, reduce downtime as well as operational costs for energy infrastructure. Furthermore, smart grids leverage AI balancing supply and demand while seamlessly integrating renewable energy sources.[…]
Future Tense amid Shifting Tides in AI Race without Referee
Posted: February 18, 2025 at 3:57 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
The release of DeepSeek refuelled the conversation about an emerging ‘Cold War’ bringing to focus the global race for AI dominance. And the 2025 AI Action Summit in Paris did little to allay the fears associated with a technology that is fast reshaping our lives. The fault line was wide open as the world leaders failed to broker a consensus on making AI inclusive, open, ethical and safe. […]
Fiscal-Monetary Tango Must Continue to Deliver More Rate Cuts
Posted: February 17, 2025 at 11:17 am | Author: Manish Marwah
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on the 7th of February cut its policy interest rate by a 25-basis point, marking the first reduction in nearly five years.
The ground for this rate cut was laid in the Budget for 2025-26 which was presented on February 1. In the Budget, the central government[…]
IMF, World Bank see India as a bellwether
Posted: January 29, 2025 at 1:30 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) see India continue to be the fastest-growing major economy for the next few years despite a slowdown and global uncertainties.
For 2025-26 and 2026-27, the World Bank has projected 6.7 per cent growth for the country while the IMF pegged it at a conservative 6.5 per cent. […]
Govt. spending, monetary policy could bring the spark back
Posted: January 27, 2025 at 12:17 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
Q2 GDP slowdown could be partly a result of low government spending in 2024 as it was a long election year. This could reverse with higher public expenditure. Moreover, the monetary policy is also expected to take a fresh route now with the new Governor at the helm in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Together, the fiscal and monetary policy tweaks could be a gamechanger. […]
Small policy tweak can make Micro grow into Small and Medium
Posted: January 22, 2025 at 9:20 am | Author: Manish Marwah
Strengthening the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector is key to growth in the Amrit Kal to make India a developed nation by 2047, the 100th year of India’s Independence.
With approximately 30 per cent of the country’s GDP, 45 per cent of manufacturing output, and 211 million employees/workers […]
Opportunity for India to weave USD 100 billion Textile Exports Dream
Posted: January 14, 2025 at 10:23 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
India, which contributes USD 35 billion annually to textile exports, has set its sights on an ambitious goal of USD 100 billion by 2030 with the 5F vision of “Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign”.
After a 7.87 per cent decline from USD 37.16 billion in 2018 to USD 34.24 billion in 2023, India’s textiles sector has emerged as a beacon of resilience growing 7 per cent to USD 21.35 billion during the April-October period […]
Private sector holds key to high growth in 2025
Posted: January 2, 2025 at 1:11 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
The thrust laid by the government on capital expenditure (investment) over the last few years aided post-Covid recovery and ensured support to the growth momentum.
Given the uncertainty amidst persisting global headwinds, the government’s thrust on public capex on physical, social and digital infrastructure will likely continue, but at a moderate pace in the coming years.[…]
Economist Manmohan Singh, whose time had come
Posted: December 31, 2024 at 3:20 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
A thinking man’s intellectual, Dr Manmohan Singh was one of the finest economists his era had seen; a gleaming example of a doer who silently did his job.
As India mourns the loss of Dr Manmohan Singh, who passed away on recently in AIIMS, New Delhi, there is a feeling of disbelief. If we could borrow a phrase from the former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel, Dr Singh was “a thinking man’s intellectual”. […]
Inflation remains an unfinished agenda for new RBI Governor
Posted: December 23, 2024 at 3:10 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
Seen as an inflation hawk, Shaktikanta Das navigated India deftly through the Covid-19 crisis. But he has demitted office at a time when economy is slowing and a 4 per cent inflation target remains an unfinished agenda.
Shaktikanta Das’s eventful tenure as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) ended this month. Seen as an inflation hawk, Das was the second longest serving central bank chief in the country[…]
EU Sustainability Law and its Overreaching Impact
Posted: December 18, 2024 at 2:56 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
The wave of sustainability-related regulatory changes in Europe may soon breach Indian coasts. The EU is among India’s key export markets after the United States.
India’s bilateral trade in goods with the EU reached USD 137.41 billion in 2023-24, with imports at USD 61.48 billion and exports at USD 75.93 billion. While EU is India’s largest trading partner for goods, bilateral trade in services, in 2023 […]
India’s Green Transition through Undersea Race for Critical Minerals
Posted: December 12, 2024 at 7:47 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
India has dived deep into exploration and development of offshore mineral resources with the first tranche of 13 blocks, spanning across the Arabian Sea and Andaman Sea, put up for e-auction.
This auction and exploration is being touted as a historic step toward resource independence while strengthening the country’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, a goal presented at COP26 in Glasgow.[…]
Q2 GDP growth slowdown: a shocker but there’s no silver bullets
Posted: December 4, 2024 at 4:15 pm | Author: Manish Marwah
GDP growth of 5.4 per cent in July-September is a seven-quarter low and is higher than anticipated. While the situation is expected to improve as government spending restarts, the road ahead is not easy amid inflation concerns, poor earnings outlook and Trump’s protectionist zeal. […]