Bengaluru recently witnessed an unusual but telling medical intervention. Doctors at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) helped a 29-year-old young man, identified as ‘Mr. D,’ break free from what was diagnosed as stock trading addiction. According to the case report, the individual moved from modest investing to aggressive intraday and Futures and Options (F&O) trading, chasing rapid gains until financial stress, anxiety, and behavioural issues t

The Union Budget shuns pre-election excess in favour of a slower, sturdier march towards fiscal credibility. Among other things, the Union Budget for 2026–27 announced on February 1 was notable for its restraint. With key assembly elections looming in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam, one would have thought that the Central government would have yielded to the familiar temptations of fiscal largesse. Instead, the budget reads like an exercise in self-denial. While po

Long-term financial security comes from how households plan, spend, save, and invest year after year. For most middle-class families, the Union Budget is more than just a policy document. It is a moment of hope — hope for lower taxes, higher deductions, or some relief that makes monthly finances a little easier. Budget 2026, however, has left many with a familiar feeling. There is no major income tax relief, and for many salaried households, the immediate impact is limited. W

Multipliers don’t create direction. They amplify what already exists Over the last two weeks, we’ve done something most AI conversations avoid. We’ve slowed down. First we acknowledged the truth founders don’t usually say aloud: AI isn’t a cure. It’s a diagnostic. In Week 2, Rashmi took us inside real operations and showed where AI breaks first: SOP gaps, unclear inputs, broken handoffs. This week, I want to address the question that quietly follows both pieces: If AI is not

The Union Budget places culture and creativity at the centre of the country’s next growth story. India is attempting something unusual for an emerging economy by treating imagination as infrastructure. In the Union Budget for 2026–27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman put a conspicuous emphasis on what is now fashionably called the ‘Orange Economy’ - a grab-bag of industries built on creativity, intellectual property and digital distribution. The ambition is explicit. By 20

When we talk about personal finance and investing, most conversations revolve around returns. How much did an investment make last year? Which asset is performing best right now? But seasoned investors know that wealth creation is not just about chasing returns. It is equally about understanding risks, especially the ones that quietly derail long-term financial goals. Whenever you invest in any product or asset class, there are three important risks you must analyse before co

RBI policy stability boosts real estate sentiment Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) decision to keep the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% has been widely welcomed by stakeholders across the real estate sector, who view the move as a stabilising factor at a time when India’s growth outlook has strengthened following the Union Budget’s emphasis on infrastructure spending and improving external trade prospects. Industry leaders believe that policy continuity will help sustai

In every market today, there are businesses that compete on price, and then there are businesses that command value. The difference is rarely the product alone. More often, it is perception. Luxury brands have understood this for decades, yet many founders continue to ignore the very principles that make premium positioning possible. Luxury is not a logo. It is not packaging. It is not even the price tag. Luxury is engineered perception. The world’s most iconic luxury brands

While top leaders of both countries cheer, the reality on the ground is very different Mumbai : Top leaders in the US and India hailed the latest trade deal between the two leading democracies as at least 32 farmers ended their life in Maharashtra in January, officials said. Farmers' leaders like All India Kisan Sabha President Dr. Ashok Dhawale and Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti Chairman Kishore Tiwari promptly slammed the NDA Government of 'vendetta' and 'victimising' the In

India’s residential housing market continues to outperform most global peers, demonstrating resilience amid easing interest rates and an uneven global recovery, according to Knight Frank’s Global House Price Index Q3 2025 and India Real Estate: Office and Residential Market – H2 2025 reports. Globally, annual house price growth strengthened modestly to 2.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2025 as major central banks pivoted towards monetary easing. Against this backdrop, Indi

Sharp fall in rates revives sentiment in a market battered by unprecedented surge Kolhapur: After reeling under an extraordinary surge in global bullion prices, India’s gold and silver jewellery industry has begun to show early signs of relief, as a sharp correction in prices over the past two days has lifted sentiment in the domestic bullion market. The earlier rally had pushed the sector into what traders described as a severe economic crisis, wiping out business worth seve

The Union Budget for 2026–27 signals a shift from funding science as a sector to building it as an integrated engine of economic strength, strategic autonomy and human capital. The Union Budget 2026–27 marks an important moment for Indian science and technology policy. For perhaps the first time in recent years, science, technology, education, start-ups, and national missions are not presented as isolated sectors, but as parts of a single national capability framework. The Fi

The budget places greater emphasis on long-term growth, structural reforms, and financial discipline rather than short-term relief. The Union Budget 2026 has been presented at a time when the economy is showing steady growth yet continues to face persistent challenges such as inflationary pressures, unemployment concerns, and uncertainty in the global economic environment. Against this backdrop, the budget places greater emphasis on long-term growth, structural reforms, and f

The Budget leans on tourism, technology, trade calibration and fiscal discipline to anchor growth amid global uncertainty Mumbai: The new budget positions tourism as a key driver of jobs, forex earnings, and local growth. Incentives will back indigenous seaplane manufacturing through a Seaplane VGF Scheme, while a new National Institute of Hospitality will strengthen academia-industry-government linkages. A pilot programme will upskill 10,000 guides at 20 iconic sites with II

Nirmala Sitharaman opts for steadiness, backing manufacturing and infrastructure over headline-grabbing reform Mumbai: The Union Budget, often tracked for bold announcements, strikes a steadier tone this year. Amid global uncertainty, it avoids dramatic policy shifts, favouring a measured path. Manufacturing and MSMEs remain at the core, with tourism, healthcare, and IT services positioned as growth drivers. True to its deregulation tradition, the government has opted for cau

Teams don’t resist AI out of fear. They resist confusion. Last week’s column made one thing clear: AI is not a cure. It’s a diagnostic. On paper, most leaders nodded along. Of course systems matter. Of course tools amplify gaps. But this week, let’s leave ideas aside and step into the shopfloor, the back office, the ops WhatsApp groups, the Excel sheets that are “almost correct”, and the people who are quietly trying to make AI work inside real businesses. Because when AI en

Every year on 1st February, the Union Budget captures the nation’s attention. From revised tax policies to increased spending in various sectors, people eagerly analyze every announcement, hoping for immediate benefits. While the national budget undeniably affects the broader economy, it's time to ask: are we giving it too much importance in our personal financial planning? Focusing solely on the Union Budget can pull us away from what truly matters - managing our own finance

There comes a point in a founder’s journey when success stops feeling celebratory and starts feeling weighty. The business is stable, the numbers are respectable, and the world sees achievement. Yet privately, many founders feel an unspoken exhaustion — the quiet awareness of what it took to get here. Years consumed by work. Relationships that adjusted without consent. Personal milestones postponed indefinitely. For some, this reality creates a strong instinct to retreat rath

In India, tax treaties are not mere guidelines—they form part of domestic law and can override statutory provisions when more beneficial to the taxpayer. In an era of globalised trade, digital services and multinational business models, conflicts between domestic tax laws and international tax treaties have become increasingly frequent. Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) are intended to eliminate double taxation, allocate taxing rights between countries and provide

India’s budget arithmetic now depends more on taxpayers, dividends and discipline than windfalls. In 2025 India crossed a subtle but important threshold. The year marked not merely a continuation of post-pandemic recovery but a transition towards structural realignment. Domestic demand remained resilient even as global trade tensions, tariff barriers and slowing external growth clouded the horizon. What stood out was not immunity from shocks but adaptability. With real GDP ex