Geopolitics

China's Rare-Earth Own Goal

Whereas the conventional wisdom holds that the US depends on Chinese rare earths, it is actually China that depends on the US (and others) for higher value-added processed minerals.

Daniel Gros

November 6, 2025 at 4:29 AM IST

Is Bessent Right About the Fed?

Did the Fed’s aggressive asset purchases inflate risky bubbles and blur its core mandate? A closer look at how unconventional policy may have compromised financial stability.

Willem H. Buiter

November 5, 2025 at 7:25 AM IST

The US Department of the Treasury

Can China Catch Up with the US Economically?

It will not be all smooth sailing for China in the coming years. Its economy is struggling with excess supply and weak domestic demand, though there are significant differences across regions.

Keun Lee

November 4, 2025 at 5:58 AM IST

Kremlin

Is a TV Ad by Ontario Costing India a US Trade Deal?

Does a Canadian apology embolden Trump to demand more from India in trade talks?

TK Arun

November 4, 2025 at 4:17 AM IST

Kremlin

US Trade Deal: A Three-Step Plan for Protecting India’s Interests

India faces a triple threat: tariffs, sanctions, and pressure to concede on trade. Can New Delhi protect its energy, exports, and digital future?

Ajay Srivastava

November 1, 2025 at 5:07 AM IST

iStock.com/MAGNIFIER

Profiles in Weakness at the Trump-Xi Meeting

While most people regard the Sino-American rivalry as a new cold war between two world-bestriding giants, the truth is that both countries are tightly constrained. Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping each sense the other side's vulnerabilities, which means they cannot hide their own.

Harold James

October 30, 2025 at 6:00 AM IST

Will AI Bury Future Generations in Cognitive Debt?

As AI takes over routine work, are we erasing the very steps that build mastery? This piece explores how creativity is born from repetition; and warns that by automating too soon, we may be denying the next generation the struggle that turns skill into intuition.

Bertrand Badré and Florian Ingen-Housz

October 29, 2025 at 12:33 PM IST

Alvarez/Istock.com

Measuring AI’s Economic Impact

Although research on AI is expanding rapidly, what is required now is systematic data collection.

Diane Coyle

October 29, 2025 at 11:32 AM IST

iStock.com

Genome Editing: A Quiet Revolution in Indian Rice Fields

Indian scientists are quietly rewriting the genetic code of rice. Early field trials of genome-edited varieties promise higher yields, lower input use, and greater resilience to climate stress.

G. Chandrashekhar

October 16, 2025 at 9:12 AM IST

Geopolitics

Afghanistan Standoff: The Shifting Sands Of Pakistan’s Strategic Depth

Pakistan’s long-cherished notion of strategic depth in Afghanistan has collapsed. India, through quiet resilience and measured engagement with the Taliban, has reclaimed moral and strategic space.

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd)

October 16, 2025 at 7:18 AM IST

@DrSJaishankar

India’s Exports to US Fall 20% in September as Trump Tariffs Bite: GTRI

BasisPoint Insight

October 15, 2025 at 4:26 PM IST

Briefing

Myth of Currency Debasement

Markets often mistake monetary flexibility for monetary decay. The greater risk lies in misreading cycles as signs of systemic erosion.

V Thiagarajan

October 12, 2025 at 4:16 PM IST

Optics Over Power: Trump’s Elusive Quest for the Nobel Peace Prize

Donald Trump’s latest snub from the Nobel Peace Committee is more than a personal setback. It’s a quiet assertion of Europe’s independence from American pressure.

Saibal Dasgupta

October 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM IST

Kremlin

India’s Growth Story Meets Its Consumption Wall

Tax breaks lift demand for now, but slowing income, weak investment, and US tariffs threaten to sap India’s growth momentum.

Shilpashree Venkatesh

October 4, 2025 at 12:54 PM IST

iStock.com

Export Monitor

Indian Exports May be More than Just Faltering

India’s exports have weakened across major markets. A temporary surge in shipments to the US provided some relief, but rising tariffs have added pressure on growth prospects.

Rajesh Mahapatra

October 4, 2025 at 6:45 AM IST

iStock.com/MAGNIFIER

Fifteen Years After Pittsburgh, the Global Economy Is Still Out of Balance

Advanced economies evade discipline, BRICS build alternatives, and the IMF remains trapped between surveillance and sovereignty

Arvind Mayaram

October 2, 2025 at 6:08 AM IST

iStock.com

The World is No More Flat: Rethinking Globalisation

Globalisation has not ended but entered a phase of rewiring, shaped by nationalism, geopolitical rivalry, climate shocks, and fragile supply chains. What must firms do to adapt?

Srinath Sridharan

September 30, 2025 at 6:56 PM IST

iStock.com

Not Just Make in India, Chips Need to be Made by India

Without owning semiconductor IP, India risks dependence. Building and backing its own chips is the real test.

TK Arun

September 24, 2025 at 6:46 AM IST

iStock.com

Between Washington and Beijing, Can India Script Its TikTok Future?

India’s TikTok question is not about short videos but digital sovereignty, strategy, and whether Delhi can carve out a distinct “third way.”

Srinath Sridharan

September 24, 2025 at 6:33 AM IST

ASphotowed

Smartphones to Pharma, India’s Key Exports to US Take a Hit

Some tariff-free products are collapsing despite facing zero duties, while several highly-taxed sectors are showing surprising resilience

Ajay Srivastava

September 22, 2025 at 3:39 PM IST

iStock.com/wsfurlan

H-1B Visa Clampdown Puts Spotlight on India’s Innovation Deficit

As the US clamps down on H-1B visas, India must look beyond brain drain debates and build R&D strength, skills, and domestic innovation to absorb its tech talent.

Sharmila Kantha

September 22, 2025 at 3:07 PM IST

iStock.com

Plaza Accord at 40: A Time Capsule of Macroeconomic Diplomacy

Forty years after the Plaza Accord tamed an overvalued dollar, can Washington still bend currencies to its will in a multipolar, fast-moving financial world?

R. Gurumurthy

September 22, 2025 at 1:44 PM IST

iStock.com

Interview

Policy Expert Ajay Shankar says Trump’s Visa Shock is America’s Loss, Not India’s

Trump’s visa shock hurts America more than India. New Delhi must use its market and talent strengths to stay firm.

BasisPoint Insight

September 22, 2025 at 7:59 AM IST

iStock.com

When America’s Farm Muscle Becomes its Geopolitical Weakness

The US, long dominant in farm exports, now faces a bruising reckoning as China turns elsewhere for its needs, exposing America’s fragile dependence.

G. Chandrashekhar

September 19, 2025 at 6:55 AM IST

iStock/beklaus

AI

Is DeepSeek Really A Threat?

DeepSeek’s AI breakthrough has sparked comparisons to Tesla’s AC revolution, potentially reshaping AI with cost-effective models. While its claims remain unverified, a success could disrupt Nvidia’s dominance and redefine AI development. Instead of fearing foreign advancements, the U.S. must focus on leveraging global innovations while safeguarding critical technologies from hostile regimes.

Amar Bhide

January 31, 2025 at 1:24 PM IST

The Bureau

Trade Fears Ease After US Supreme Court Signals Doubt on Trump Tariffs

US Shutdown Drags On, Bonds Test Nerves, and a Generation Relearns the Cost of Capital

Exports to US Slide Across Sectors for Fourth Consecutive Month

Short-Term US Waiver Offers India Little Relief at Chabahar Port: GTRI

US-China Trade Deal Born of Desperation: GTRI

Emkay’s Madhavi Arora on FOMC: “Easy There, My Friend”

Fed Cuts Rates but Powell Signals Pause Ahead

Will AI Bury Future Generations in Cognitive Debt?

The Immortality Mindset: The Psychology Behind Piyush & Prahlad's Culturally-Dominant Brands

Jallikattu: Tamil Nadu’s Ancient Bull-Taming Tradition