A rise in the unemployment rate from 4.8% to 5% may appear to be statistical noise. At first glance, it is a decimal-point movement that might seem more significant to economists than to the man in the street. But numbers rarely speak in isolation.More important than this small uptick is the c...
The Indian banking system has made a strong post-pandemic recovery, with credit growth significantly outpacing deposit mobilisation over the past two decades, according to a report by SBI Research.The study highlights a broad-based expansion in bank balance sheets and a rise in financial intermediat...
India’s economy is often described as one of the fastest-growing in the world. Yet beneath this impressive surface lies a quieter and more troubling reality. India has grown, but it has not fully transformed. The gap is not one of ambition or talent — it is structural.Most successful develo...
When the Russia–Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022, the world was still recovering from post-pandemic supply chain disruptions. The war sent international prices of food and other commodities soaring. The benchmark FAO Food Price Index touched an all-time high of 160.2 in March that year, whi...
The rupee has weakened significantly over the past year, falling from 84.7 to 89.7 against the US dollar. Its depreciation has been even sharper against the euro (9.4 per cent) and the British pound (14.3 per cent). It has also lost value against the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan. In nominal ter...
A glut situation has emerged in the post-Diwali period, with foodgrain stocks reaching exceptionally high levels. On October 1, wheat stocks in government godowns stood at 320.3 lakh tonnes — the highest in four years — exceeding the minimum buffer requirement by more than 1.5 times.Rice stocks,...
Indians love gold. For many, it remains a safer and more dependable savings option than real estate, stocks, or bonds.According to the World Gold Council, Chinese consumers purchased 857 tonnes of gold in 2024, while Indians bought 803 tonnes. Over the past 15 years, these two countries to...
The United States has entered a new phase of economic management—one where the central bank is no longer focused solely on taming inflation but also on cushioning a labor market showing its first signs of fatigue. The quarter-point reduction in the benchmark lending rate, bringing it down to a ran...
At a time when punitive tariffs from the United States threaten to squeeze exports and dampen investments, India has chosen to shield its economy by revamping the tax structure to stimulate domestic demand.This is an unusual weapon to counter an external economic assault: providing cheaper goods for...
India’s farmland has always carried the burden of uncertainty. The rhythm of the monsoon, the vagaries of temperature, and the volatility of market prices combine to keep millions of farmers on edge.Against this backdrop, the quiet rise of farming beneath solar panels offers a glimpse of a differe...
