What? There are no 'I's in the global economy, of course. Well, the year has begun with corporate earnings and once again it’s time to turn our attention to these to see what they seem to be telling us about the health of the economy. India’s, and the world’s. From the corporate earnings announced, they… Continue reading The Three ‘I’s to Watch in the Global Economy
The start of a new year usually means the world’s global elite gather at Davos-Klosters in Switzerland for their annual summit. And this year was no different. After three years when these were disrupted due to Covid-19 pandemic and had to be held virtually, they are back in person for the second consecutive year now.… Continue reading What The Davos Summit Missed in 2024
We have to admit we live in pretty strange times. Not only is there not much to choose between the political left and the right these days, it’s also because there is so little that differentiates them. There used to be a time, when they were so clearly defined by their ideologies, that it would… Continue reading When The Political Right Steals Ideas and Policies from The Left
In one sense, that ought to be a damn good thing. Since it might mean that the end of hostilities and shelling is near. On the other hand, it could mean that the world has failed to come up with an effective diplomatic and political solution to end the war even as it tires of… Continue reading World Losing Appetite for War and What it Means
In my last few blog posts on climate change and how it affects the poor, I had wondered how a COP summit being held in hydrocarbon heartland would go. On the one hand, it could be stymied by all the powerful interests in fossil fuels present in the region as many of their economies are… Continue reading COP28 Ending on a Timid Note
We’re nearing the end of 2023, and it appears that most economies have managed to stave off a recession, except Germany, Austria, Poland and Sweden among advanced economies that might still close the year a little in the cold. Ireland too looks surprisingly weak in 2023, but not if you consider the previous two years… Continue reading What To Expect from the Global Economy in 2024
Finished reading the second book that my aged father gifted me in Goa for my birthday this year. I hadn’t heard of the author or any of her books, even though she is supposed to be a Pulitzer Prize winner. Right from the start, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson struck me… Continue reading The Dangers of Supplanting Caste for Race
October 2023 began with all the omens of a Middle East conflict once again, when Hamas launched a series of rocket attacks on Israel and Israel responded in its typical fashion. Everyone in media wondered how Israel could be caught so off-guard and about the failure of its world-renowned intelligence. This only adds to the… Continue reading Stalemate or Larger Regional War in the Middle East?
The last time I wrote about the global economy, I wrote about its fractious state, thanks to the geopolitical tensions all around. This time, I thought I would look at it from the multilateral institutions’ point of view and then share my own thoughts on where the global economy might be headed. As I write… Continue reading Global Economy Still Searching for Direction
As has become commonplace these years, 2023 too has been a year of extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, excessive and unseasonal rainfall in some places, drought in other places. We know that extreme weather conditions and natural calamities are becoming the rule, but it doesn’t conform to any pattern and we are unable to mitigate… Continue reading Greening the Planet Against Climate Change
Peripatetic Perch 