Debashis Basu

From sanitation and transport to industrial innovation, the state shapes the systems and incentives that determine public behaviour and business performance.

The Supreme Court's ruling on Yes Bank's AT-1 bond write-off raises concerns over RBI oversight, financial product mis-selling and the limitations of disclosure-based regulation.

Irdai seeks tighter controls on insurers' costs and commissions

Many companies, especially in the engineering sector, have their own skill-development programmes. But these are too small to make a national impact

The dispute concerns methodology, base years, deflators, and the various adjustments required to convert the bewildering activity of 1.4 billion people into a single number

For much of the past decade, the Indian investment proposition was almost self-evident

Economic theories explain growth through capital, technology and institutions, but leadership may be the missing force that turns sound policies into sustained prosperity

Human capital - not geography, culture or natural resources - now explains why some nations become wealthy while others remain stagnant

Foreign investors remain overwhelmingly concentrated in India's largest companies, while domestic fund flows are increasingly directed towards midcap and smallcap stocks

The dominance of India's largest companies too is gradually eroding

India's forex stress reflects delayed reforms, weak capital inflows and a widening current-account deficit, underscoring the need to attract long-term investment

To Indian investors, a sharply rising bond yield in the US may sound like an obscure statistic from a distant financial universe. In reality, it is the gravitational constant of global finance

With a cumulative overseas investment stock of $3 trillion-3.5 trillion and annual outflows in the range of $160 billion-190 billion, China is a major FDI player across every region

Markets rally on hopes of peace and lower oil prices, but fragile ground realities in West Asia and Hormuz disruptions suggest optimism may be premature

Markets face risk of a prolonged bear phase as oil shocks and geopolitical tensions test inflation, growth, and investor confidence globally

As the Strait of Hormuz disruption deepens, India faces rising inflation, supply shocks, and fiscal strain, with markets yet to fully price in the risks

Almost any economy can grow at 8% for few years. Sustaining that pace for decades is far rarer and requires policy continuity, relentless implementation, and the ability to correct course when needed

The Indian equity markets have underperformed most global markets since the peak in September 2024, after an 18-month bull run

Trade deals ease risks for Indian equities, but weak demand and stretched valuations raise questions over whether optimism-especially in smallcaps-can turn into a sustained bull run

Tripling India's exports by 2035 needs tiger-like performance, open markets and ruthless reform-conditions history suggests India does not yet have