India’s WPI inflation and merchandise trade deficit remained elevated in May as the conflict in West Asia pushed up energy prices. Both are likely to ease if the ceasefire between the US and Iran holds and energy prices remain contained.
Datametricx
istock.com
For the UK, the largest commercial gains are likely to come not from mass-market consumer goods but from silver, aerospace equipment, premium vehicles and high-end spirits. in
Ajay Srivastava
Istock.com
No major economy has achieved developed-nation status by relying predominantly on banks. India must now build corporate debt markets worthy of its ambitions.
Srinath Sridharan
IStock.com
India is changing how it measures growth and prices. Bond and currency markets should pay attention
BasisPoint Groupthink
The unlisted enterprise creation ecosystem is always quietly financing India's industrial ambitions for decades
Chandrika Soyantar
From housing and gender to AI, finance and food, this week's stories reveal how unequal access quietly shapes India's economy, choices and future.
Phynix
iStock.com
NATO's 5% GDP commitment is the largest peacetime military spending pledge in modern history. But budgets don't build strategic identity, and Europe is confusing the two.
Kirti Tarang Pande
NATO
India's economic indicators sent mixed signals in June, with strong growth in automobile sales and power generation contrasting with weak fuel consumption, delayed kharif sowing, and continued mutual fund outflows.
istocks.com
India’s retail market boom is building capital, but for many new traders, it is also becoming a risky substitute for secure income and paid work.c
Karnati Kiran Kumar
The biggest CETA gains are likely in sectors where India is competitive, UK demand is strong and tariffs fall, including garments, textiles, leather and seafood.
Iran’s greatest act of military defiance is its rising threshold for misery, not missiles or drones; the Strait remains its only leverage in war.
Rajesh Ramachandran
https://khamenei.ir/
India’s housing surge is pricing out families, draining savings, weakening consumption, and perhaps accelerating the country’s fertility decline.
Vivek Kaul
As more vegetable oil is diverted into biofuels, India faces a growing risk that global markets may no longer reliably supply its kitchens.
Atul Prakash
The Prime Minister's current visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand is more than diplomacy. It signals the beginning of Act East 2.0—a strategic shift from engaging the East to shaping the Indo-Pacific.
Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd)
x.com/narendramodi
Despite a world-class digital payment system, high-value currency continues to rise. The missing explanation may lie not in the payment system, but in India's trade with China.
BL Chandak
India's irrigation network has grown rapidly. The next phase must focus on efficiency, micro-irrigation and making every drop of water work harder.
Sujit Kumar*
Fueled by more than $1 trillion in borrowed money and rising leverage across the financial system, US stock markets may have entered bubble territory. Two developments could trigger a sharp correction: higher interest rates and a loss of confidence in the handful of tech giants driving the AI boom.
Dambisa Moyo
Damien VERRIER/iStock.com
Football built two gods. The storytelling lets us worship only one.
Minari Shah
Via WikiCommons
Fresh US strikes on Iran show that the ceasefire is at best an interval in a wider conflict; India must stay alert, not relieved.
Michael Patra is an economist and former RBI Deputy Governor.
Abheek is an Independent Economist and the Former Chief Economist at HDFC Bank.
Ajay Srivastava is the founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative.
Vijay Singh Chauhan, a former IRS official, is a Senior Visiting Fellow at ICPP, Ashoka University
Dhananjay, a D-School alum, is CEO and Co-Head of Equities at Systematix Group.
Kriti is a psychologist specialising in mental health, org behaviour, and brand strategy
Srinath is an author, corporate advisor, and independent director on corporate boards.
Ex-civil servant Chavaly held key Railways, Finance roles; specialises in infra & PPPs
Nilanjan Banik, Professor at Mahindra University, specialises in trade and development economics.
Rahul Ghosh is a banking and risk expert.
Rajesh Mahapatra is the former Editor of The Press Trust of India
Krishnadevan is Editorial Director at BasisPoint Insight.
Chandra advises companies on big-picture narratives on strategy and markets.
Kalyan Ram co-founded Cogencis. He now leads BasisPoint Insight.
Gurumurthy is an ex-central banker who handled markets, and later, financial stability for RBI.
Arvind Mayaram, former Finance Secretary, is Chairman of the Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur.
Vivek Kaul is a writer and an economic commentator.