In a sign that July GST collections are likely to be more robust than the anaemic June figures, the call money rate and weighted average tripartite repo rate went up in India, as banks saw the demand for funds go up, to pay GST dues to the government. The Purchasing Managers’ Indices for services, manufacturing and composite activity all signal growth, although this is yet to reflect in credit growth.
Trump has announced high tariffs on the entire non-American world and that has virtually created a level playing field for exporters to the US. Countries can stop negotiating with Trump and his bullying bunch of bureaucrats, and the US government would begin to stew in the self-wrought prospect of all imports suddenly turning 20-30 per cent more expensive than before.
While computer science remains a popular choice, the engineering landscape is broadening. Opportunities are emerging in green energy, defense, and space industries, driven by sustainability goals and national security needs. This shift demands diverse engineering skills, from power and mining to materials and microelectronics, offering a promising future for young engineers beyond the realm of coding.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Namibia recently, on his way back from the G20 summit in Brazil, he was received warmly, and awarded the country’s highest civilian honour.
US president Donald Trump continued to swing his wrecking ball at the world trading system. He has said that he would impose a tariff of 30% on Mexico and the European Union, and 35% on some goods from Canada. He has threatened loyal Asian allies South Korea and Japan with a duty of 25%. On pharmaceuticals, he has promised an import duty of 200%
Sebi recently found that Wall Street financial firm Jane Street Capital had manipulated the cash and forward markets, fleeced hapless Indian investors, and made millions of dollars. For many, this would evoke images of the Wolf of Wall Street, howling Greed is Good, rebirth of the East India Company, and finance capital, rising and shimmering, shapeless and threatening, from Lenin’s tract on imperialism.