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American economy really is exceptional. It is richer, more innovative, and continues to expand at a high rate compared to most of the developed world. It has been extra special the last 15 years, with its equity market outperforming any other country as growth prospects for China and Europe dimmed. But it seems exceptionalism might be ephemeral. Uncertainty around trade and the future strength of the dollar has led some big European investors to retreat from American stocks. And the problem may go deeper. Less than 100 days into a second Trump administration, commentators are already discussing the coming end of American exceptionalism. Many things make the American economy exceptional. For one, it houses the deepest and most liquid capital markets, which help channel money to its more productive uses. But what makes it truly extraordinary is its dynamism, which underpins innovation and productivity, attracting talent from around the world. To figure out if our best days are behind us, it is necessary to separate short-term exceptionalism based on current financial conditions and longer-term structural exceptionalism that has been a feature of the American economy for the last century. The short-term boom may indeed be fading, but exceptionalism should endure over the longer term because it is more durable than whatever damage any one president can do in a few months.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Infosys wants its employees to think like entrepreneurs. But so far, it’s mostly the senior staff stepping up.

According to Russell Reynolds Associates' (RRA) annual Global CFO Turnover Index report, the average CFO tenure reduced to 5.8 years down from 6.2 years during 2023.  Friday Briefing: What it takes for a CFO to step-up as CEO The spike in the US matched previous levels set in 2021 during the pandemic and the report attributed the US and UK exodus to a swathe of factors, including notably high rates of CFO retirement or transition to a board position.  According to RRA's research, the average age to transition to a board position reached its lowest point in six years at 56.6 years o...

Russia and the United States have started talks on joint rare earth metals and other projects in Russia, and some companies have already expressed an interest in them, President Vladimir Putin's investment envoy said in remarks published on Monday. Amid efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war in Ukraine, minerals cooperation has been floated by both Kyiv and Moscow, though Trump said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants to back out of a proposed deal. Putin in February suggested that the United States might be interested in exploring joint exploration for rare earth metals deposits in Russia, which has the world's fifth-largest reserves of the metals used in lasers and military equipment. Kirill Dmitriev, Kremlin special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation, told the Izvestia newspaper in remarks published on Monday that talks had already begun. «Rare earth metals are an important area for cooperation, and, of course, we have begun discussions on various rare earth metals and (other) projects in Russia,» said Kirill Dmitriev, who is also the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

Elon Musk did not miss the opportunity to take aim at billionaire George Soros after being interrupted by a heckler at a Wisconsin rally on Sunday. While speaking at a town hall event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sunday, Musk's speech was disrupted by an audience member. The Tesla CEO responded by linking the disruption to George Soros and said, “It was inevitable that at least a few Soros operatives would be in the audience… give my regards to George! Say Hi to George Soros for me.”

NDRF) team has begun rescue operations under Operation Brahma at the U hla thein monastery, where around 170 monks are still stuck, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on Monday. The Army team will visit the hospital site on Monday and will setup their Medical Services on Tuesday. The NDRF are also trying to get the NDRF team deployed at the Sky Villa (where four towers of 11 storeys each have collapsed). The towers have several foreigners. The relief material (arriving tomorrow) will also be given to the Secretary General of state Mahanayak Committee (2nd highest of the Committee in Myanmar) where around 2,000 monks are sitting outside the monastery. The monks are not injured, but they have nowhere to go and have no basic amenities. Teams will also be deployed to the Mandalay Palace, Maha Muni Pagoda, MIIT, and other such places where substantial damage has occurred. The teams are providing assistance to members of Indian community for their stay and food. Rescue efforts are underway in Myanmar after a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the country, killing at least 1,700 people and leaving widespread destruction in its wake. The quake, which was felt as far away as Bangkok and Chinese provinces, has left many more injured or trapped under rubble, CNN reported.

Donald Trump knows how to dominate the news headlines. On Sunday, the President reiterated that he could pursue a third term as US President, even though such a move could challenge the constitutional two-term limit established by the 22nd Amendment. President Trump, in an interview to NBC News, said that there were methods for doing so and clarifying that he was “not joking.”

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In his two months in office, US President Donald Trump has given a new meaning to the term ‘disruption.’ Before he took his second presidential avatar, the term was discussed mostly in hypothetical terms in seminar rooms and conference circuits. But eight weeks plus of Trump 2.0 have made disruption the operational reality for the global order.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The conventional economic case for globalization and free trade has emphasized the aggregate gains that they bring, including enhanced productivity, faster technological change and wider consumer choice. However, a critical aspect often overlooked is that globalization inevitably creates both winners and losers in the short term, even though its long-term effects are broadly positive for society as a whole.

Elon Musk gave out $1 million checks on Sunday to two Wisconsin voters, declaring them spokespeople for his political group. Musk's move came ahead of a Wisconsin Supreme Court election that the tech billionaire cast as critical to President Donald Trump's agenda and “the future of civilization.” Musk was the star of a 2,000-person rally Sunday night in Wisconsin and he stunned attendees at the town hall wearing a cheese hat — an ode to the state's cheese industry and also its Green Bay Packers football team. «BREAKING: Elon Musk takes the stage in Wisconsin and throws a signed Cheesehead hat into the crowd,» the tech mogul's America PAC wrote on his platform, X, on Sunday evening, adding a cheese emoji and an American flag emoji. ALSO READ: 'I am almost done...': Elon Musk to quit DOGE and leave Washington DC after $1 trillion in US govt cuts

Elon Musk acknowledged that his job as head of President Donald Trump’s effort to cut the size of government is “costing me a lot” when it comes to his other big job, as CEO of Tesla Inc. Political backlash from Musk’s recent political forays in the US and around the world have weighed on Tesla at home and abroad. “It’s costing me a lot to be in this job,” Musk said at a town hall event in Wisconsin, noting some of his political opponents have highlighted the stock’s retreat. “What they’re trying to do is put massive pressure on me, and Tesla I guess, to you know, I don’t know, stop doing this,” Musk said. “My Tesla stock and the stock of everyone who holds Tesla has gone, went roughly in half. I mean it’s a big deal.” Tesla shares rose to a record high in the month after Trump was elected, but have dropped 45% since their Dec. 17 peak. While he remains the world’s richest man, Musk’s own personal wealth has declined by more than $100 billion this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. “Long term I think Tesla stock’s going to do fine, so maybe it’s a buying opportunity,” Musk said.

As we step into FY26, consumption may emerge as one of the hottest investment themes due to lowering of interest rates and income tax rate cuts, says Viraj Gandhi, CEO, SAMCO Mutual Fund. In this chat with ET Markets, he also talks about 2 other promising sectors — private sector banks and pharma. Edited excerpts:

Sridhar Vembu, Chief Scientist at Zoho, recently commented on young students leaving home for higher education, stating that they end up paying more without acquiring valuable real-world skills. Vembu's comment was in reply to American investor Nate Fischer, who advocated for a decentralized US education system, the business tycoon lamented how young people are pushed into the rat race, forced to leave their families, spend a fortune on education, and gain little to no real-world skills. «He makes very important points about the higher education rat race and the chase for credentials where young people go far from home, pay ever more to stay ever longer in higher education, all too often without even gaining useful real world skills. He proposes solutions that are based on local institutions, in the American context,» said Vembu. «In the Indian context, I fundamentally believe we have to revive our rural areas to revive our civilisation and that means being able to retain and nurture talent locally. We invest a lot of time and resources trying to ensure young people can stay near home and still have a decent economic future while being close to their families and their roots,» added Vembu.

The women student protest leaders of Bangladesh will be honoured with the 'Madeleine Albright Honorary Group Award', named after the first woman to serve as US Secretary of State. «A valiant group of women were key drivers in the student protest movement against violent repression in Bangladesh in July-August 2024. They demonstrated extraordinary bravery, including standing between security forces and male protestors in spite of threats and violence,» the State Department said in a statement. «When their male counterparts were arrested, these women found innovative ways to continue communication and lead the protests, defying censorship efforts, even during the complete shutdown of the Internet. The bravery and selflessness of these women amid uncertainty was the very definition of courage,» it said. However, the State Department did not name any particular individual for the award.

Donald Trump has launched a volley of tariffs impacting allies and adversaries this year, promising «Liberation Day» on Wednesday with action targeting countries that have persistent trade gaps with his country.

F-35, a fifth-generation fighter, was developed in partnership with eight countries, making it a model of international cooperation. When President Donald Trump introduced its successor, the F-47, he praised its strengths — and said the version sold to allies would be deliberately downgraded. That made sense, Trump said last week, «because someday, maybe they're not our allies.» For many countries wedded to the United States, his remark confirmed a related conclusion: that America can no longer be trusted. Even nations not yet directly affected can see where things are heading, as Trump threatens allies' economies, their defense partnerships and even their sovereignty. For now, they are negotiating to minimize the pain from blow after blow, including a broad round of tariffs expected in April. But at the same time, they are pulling back. Preparing for intimidation to be a lasting feature of U.S. relations, they are trying to go their own way. A few examples:

Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day.” In India, which keeps getting pilloried by the US president as an exemplar of bad behavior in trade, the reciprocal tariff announcement of April 2 has acquired a fervent overtone. In preparation, New Delhi is offering one sacrifice after another, hoping that the angry god of the White House will let it go with nothing more serious than a slap on the wrist. The latest peace offering is the decision to do away with a 6% tax on ads that local businesses place with foreign search engines, social media and e-commerce firms. This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s way of telling Trump, “Look, we aren’t China. Not only do we allow Alphabet Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. to hog our digital-advertising pie, if you want us to make it cheaper for them to operate, that’s fine, too.” Also Read: India open to clearing import duty hurdle for US auto parts The sacrifice is a win for Trump, though it isn’t much of a loss for Modi. Known colloquially as the “Google Tax,” the levy was a bad idea when it was introduced in India’s 2016 budget. Since then, domestic advertisers have had to withhold 6 cents on the dollar when they get their bills from places like Ireland, where online platforms typically book their revenue. Just like Trump’s tariffs will be mostly paid by American consumers, the burden of the so-called Indian equalization levy had to be absorbed not by the tech platforms, but by the advertisers. It pushed up costs for local businesses. Where would they advertise, if not on Google or Facebook?

Freezing rain swept through Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada's most populous province on Sunday, causing widespread power outages as trees and power lines were brought down across the upper Great Lakes region. Thousands of people were left without electricity, while forecasters warned of severe weather heading towards Tennessee. The National Weather Service predicted winds of up to 70 mph (112 kph), along with the potential for tornadoes and hail up to 2 inches (5 centimetres) by Sunday night. «Make sure your safe place is ready just in case,» forecasters advised via a post on X (formerly Twitter). By Sunday evening, approximately 360,000 customers were without power in Michigan, with another 62,000 outages reported in Wisconsin and more than 110,000 in Indiana. In Ontario, over 400,000 customers were affected, reported NYT.

Authorities have looked in recent months to revive confidence in the Chinese economy, grappling with a prolonged property sector crisis and now under increasing pressure from fresh trade tensions with the United States. The Purchasing Managers' Index — a key measure of industrial output — came in at 50.5 in March, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), above the 50-point mark that separates growth and contraction. The reading for March was up from February's 50.2, and the highest in twelve months. Manufacturing was boosted by workers' return to work after the traditional Spring Festival travel period in February and the fact that «enterprises' production and operating activities accelerated,» NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe said in a statement.

Indian markets, especially after their strong recovery in March. While experts suggest the impact may be transient, here’s a look at the sectors and stocks most at risk. Additionally, we will explore whether any stocks are immune to this shock.

On a rolling twelve-month basis, gold has surged nearly 37% to just shy of Friday's fresh lifetime record of $3,100 per troy ounce. It is extremely rare for any asset, including the hottest of stocks, to hit successive lifetime highs every third trading session. Gold has achieved that astonishing feat in 2025, building on the 30% plus gains last calendar year, as central banks and capital-protection funds continue to buy into the yellow metal.