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First is the policy statement. A minority of officials pushed unsuccessfully in January to jettison language hinting that the next move is a cut.

What is an economy for? Since Adam Smith, economists have given a straightforward answer to this question: the economy increases our consumption possibilities. A well-functioning economy is one that offers a widening array of ever-more affordable goods and services, from food and consumer items to housing and transportation.

Mint.In India’s fast-growing but tightly regulated beer market—dominated by three global brewers controlling about 80% of sales—smaller players face mounting cost pressures and limited pricing flexibility. Premiumization is emerging as a key strategy for these brewers to protect margins and expand.Bhatia said the company expects healthy growth in line with or higher than the market average from its FY25 turnover of ₹400 crore, adding that the business has been profitable since its third year of operations.The brewer currently operates at an Ebitda margin of around 20%, compared with 10-15% for listed beer companies, which are significantly larger in scale.The company’s growth comes even as beer makers grapple with rising packaging and logistics costs.Bhatia said packaging accounts for nearly half the cost of production, particularly in cans and glass bottles, while the liquid itself contributes roughly 10-15% of the total cost.These pressures are making the low-priced segment increasingly difficult for smaller brewers, he said.Bhatia said the pricing playbook followed by Budweiser Magnum, owned by AB InBev, has reshaped how smaller brewers think about margins.

emerging market (EM) public equities for a simple reason. Over the past two decades, the MSCI EM index has significantly underperformed US equities despite far stronger economic growth.Nominal GDP in EM economies has expanded roughly fivefold over the past 20 years, compared with about 2.5 times in the US. Corporate profits have also grown faster in EM, rising about 3.3 times over the period.

Best stocks to buy today (All Buy trades are rates of Equity & Sell rates are based on F&O)ONGC: Buy above ₹266, stop ₹250 target ₹299 (Multiday)RELIANCE: Buy above ₹1385, stop ₹1290 target ₹1550 (Multiday)ATGL: Buy above ₹570, stop ₹530 target ₹650 (Multiday)In 1991, the Gulf War sent crude prices sharply higher and almost doubled India’s oil import burden in a short span. Because India was heavily import-dependent and had very low foreign-exchange buffers, every extra dollar of crude directly worsened the macro picture.

conflict and disruptions to flows.IEA projects global oil supply to plunge by 8 mbpd in March. With that, an old nemesis of central banks may return: elevated inflation and muted economic growth. Every 10% rise in oil prices that persists for a year leads to 40 basis point growth in global headline inflation and a 0.1–0.2% decline in global output, estimates the IMF.Higher energy prices feed into transport and food costs, pressurizing household budgets.

Mint, even during the Russia-Ukraine crisis, crude prices initially surged but eventually moderated as markets adjusted.He added that apart from geopolitical tensions, key risks for Indian markets include global liquidity conditions, movements in crude oil prices, and the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and oil, as rising household energy costs could disrupt consumption momentum. Edited excerpts:Markets typically react first to headlines and then gradually reassess fundamentals.

The world is at an inflection point. We have entered the age of artificial intelligence (AI), an era in which ‘intelligence’ is becoming cheap, fast and widely accessible. This will unlock breakthroughs across sectors: from agriculture to healthcare and manufacturing to education.

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Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf. US President Donald Trump warned that oil infrastructure on the island could be next if Iran disrupted shipping in the region.Facing adversaries that far outstrip it in firepower and military might, Iran appears to have chosen its targets carefully.The first is international fuel supplies.Iran has attacked at least 16 ships in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began on 28 February.

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Now that Kevin Warsh has been nominated as the next chair of the US Federal Reserve Board, it is worth asking how different a Warsh Fed would be from the current one. President Donald Trump had made it clear that he wants a Fed chair who will push for lower policy rates to juice the US economy and support his broader agenda.

The Nifty 50 is facing its most significant period of volatility in over a year. As of 9 March, the index has entered correction territory, down more than 10% from its January peak of 26,373.Whether the Nifty 50 recovers from here or drops further to 22,000 depends heavily on the duration of the current geopolitical crisis and the resulting oil shock.Here is a breakdown of the current investing landscape.The main driver of the market’s fall is the escalating conflict in the Middle East.Yes, if the war drags on and crude oil remains at elevated levels.

₹8.44 trillion) universe and, like several other MNCs, is its fastest-growing market.And now, after years of waiting, the one missing ingredient in India may finally be arriving for Siemens. The government's reductions in income tax and good and services tax (GST) rates are beginning to stir private consumption, and Mathur believes that by April the first real signs of a revival in private sector capital expenditure should be visible.The investment community has taken notice.

Mint’s Emerging Markets Tracker more consistently. As India grapples with these weaknesses, Vietnam—newly added to the tracker—has emerged as a formidable challenger.Vietnam has claimed the top spot in three of the past four months, marking a strong debut on the tracker.

In 123 BCE, Gaius Gracchus passed the lex frumentaria, a law mandating that the Roman state sell grain to citizens at a fixed below-market price. The aim was modest: stabilize food prices, protect the poor. Within two generations, it had become free distribution.

China is just managing to keep retail deflation at bay. Official data for February released on Monday showed that its consumer price index rose 1.3% from a year earlier. In January, it had recorded a rise of just 0.2%.

Indian rupee slid to a record low of ₹92.33 against the US dollar.While oil-marketing companies and air carriers will bear a direct brunt of the higher energy prices, others will face an indirect impact as oil prices feed into their input expenses. The Indian economy could take a hit if the inflationary effect of the conflict dents consumer demand.“India Inc will likely see a partial impact in the March quarter earnings for companies still operating on existing inventories, while the full effect could become more visible in the first quarter of the next fiscal year,” said Pramod Gubbi, founder of Marcellus Investment Managers, a portfolio management firm.If the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the global oil trade passes, remains closed for 2-6 weeks, it can push the three-month average Brent prices to $80-90, as per analysts at Nomura.

Indian equities endured a punishing, volatile start to the week. While the Sensex initially plummeted more than 2,400 points and Nifty 50 broke below the 23,800 support level on Monday, a late tug-of-war saw the Nifty fight back to reclaim the psychologically important 24,000 mark.This bruising session comes as the geopolitical landscape undergoes a dramatic shift.

beer (5% alcohol content), making it more affordable relative to spirits/IMFL with alcohol content over 40%, said a Nomura Research report on 8 March. The higher tax burden on spirits can pressure volumes in the price-sensitive popular and below segments and improve the affordability for the prestige & above (P&A) segment, given same alcohol content.P&A contributed 89.4% of United Spirits’s 9MFY26 net sales value.