It was tempting for the MPC, at a time when change in the Consumer Price Index from its level a year ago is still above the median target of 4 per cent, to cry Inflation and let loose higher policy rates
The issue is not the rate of tax; it's the taxing of turnover, and not the gaming company's revenue
The desired response from the RBI in an environment of falling inflation and a declining dollar index is to slash rates, not hold them steady
The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) announcement of withdrawal from circulation of the ₹2,000 currency notes has caused much incredulity. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin quipped, “500 doubts, 1,000 mysteries and 2,000 blunders”, and Rajya Sabha member P. Chidambaram said, “Demonetisation has come full circle”. The Union government has distanced itself from the decision by letting the RBI announce it.
“It is now proposed to expand the scope of UPI by permitting operation of pre-sanctioned credit lines at banks through the UPI,” said the RBI Governor’s statement, towards the end, announcing the Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to pause policy rate changes. This proposal is fairly anodyne and anaemic, in comparison to, say, the Red Queen’s curt command, “Off with his head!” But make no mistake, it is no less effective a death sentence, directed, in this instance, at credit cards.
Recognise AT1 bonds as insurance, rather than pure debt. Once AT1 bonds are understood as insurance by a bank that is still a going concern, against a calamitous loss, the expectation that they should be bailed in only after equity is written off would disappear
The high-decibel angst of investors in Credit Suisse’s Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bonds that were fully written off before selling the bank to rival UBS for $3.23 billion resonates with investors in Yes Bank’s AT1 bonds, who are currently litigating against such a write-off at the hands of the RBI-appointed administrator, before the troubled bank was transferred to State Bank of India.
Telling the truth to power is, of course, the job of journalists. But it used to be the case that the pre-Budget Economic Survey took pains to highlight challenges (near-term and structural) that policy and Budget outlay need to address.
This year’s Survey has the unique distinction of brushing off two traditional responsibilities of the Survey: identifying constraints and making recommendations. Instead, it sings an erudite paean to India’s economic management over the last eight years and projects continued growth, even if the world economy slows down.
