The Union government seems set to launch a new round of banking policy liberalisation. Among the pointers is a recent statement made by the Finance Minister that “India needs a lot of big, world-class banks” and that a strategy to…
The Indian rupee losing its value against the US dollar should normally not draw undue attention as it has been a long-term trend. But three factors have contributed to concerns about the recent and ongoing descent of the rupee vis-a-vis…
India’s banking sector appears poised for a structural shift, entering a new era after one defined by the rise of “new” private banks such as Global Trust Bank and Yes Bank. In what could prove to be a new milestone,…
Advocates of neoliberal financial policies still argue that the post-1991 licensing of the so-called new generation private banks was a major step in enhancing competition and spurring “innovation” in the banking space. This position is maintained despite a raft of…
There is a sense of panic gripping financial markets in India. The immediate causes are a combined slide of indices of stock markets and of the rupee vis-à-vis the US dollar. For market players accustomed to what has been an…
If a spate of recent headlines in the media is to be believed, the rupee is in free fall. That is true when the rupee’s value vis-à-vis the dollar is the sole focus. While the rupee stood at 84.1 to…
The sense in business circles, that demand is weak and growth is slowing down, was confirmed when GDP figures for the second quarter (July-September) of financial year 2024-25 showed growth at 5.4 per cent. This was well below forecasts of…
With the short-term, frenzied interest that accompanies annual budget presentations in India having ended, it is time to raise issues that were largely ignored in the debate. Prime among them is the question as to how much or how little…
The mismatch between the problem at hand and what the Budget offers is stark be it welfare or even taking care of key political allies Just before Nirmala Sitharaman presented her seventh consecutive Budget as Union Finance Minister of a…
Recent discussions on economic policy in the US and other high-income nations make it appear that there is only one domain and one instrument that really matter: monetary policy and interest rates. Whether on the eve of meetings of the…
