Do it yourself

The government finally released the broad contours of New Education Policy. The last such policy was formulated 34years ago in 1986. Since then the socio-economic and technology context have completely changed. We are perhaps 25years late in effecting the necessary changes in our education, training and skill development system. Nonetheless, the new policy proposal is a strong positive move and needs to be welcome. In fact, it is arguably the best thing that has happened to India since MNREGA and RTE were implemented more than a decade ago. The new policy is a "reform" in true sense, as it aims to change the status quo materially. The new proposals mark significant departures from the extant methods & practices of teaching, curricula, learning objectives, assessment procedures, regulatory framework, and other related aspects of the education system. The strong emphasis on accessibility & affordability, vocational training, value system, ethical orientation, natio...

Lately, I have received a lot of queries from readers about Gold. Everyone seems to have woken up to the idea of investing in yellow metal. Many readers have read a lot about the latest trends in the global financial markets, and appear to be in full concurrence with the idea of structural decline in the relevance of USD as global reserve currency; however the views about the rise of EUR or CNY as alternative reserve currencies do not seem to be sanguine. This uncertainty about the future of the global financial system is probably driving the interest of investors towards gold, which has traditionally been a popular reserve currency and preferred store of value during crisis period particularly. Many readers have highlighted that it was perhaps a mistake on my part to cut allocation to gold in my portfolio. I would like to answer the queries and concerns of the readers herein below. First of all, I would like to remind the inquisitors that it has been my consistent sta...

The new margining norms proposed to be implemented from 1 August 2020, in respect of the equity market trades done on stock exchanges are a cause for worry for one simple reason, i.e., this highlights for the n th time that the securities market regulation in India lacks a robust conceptual framework. It is important to understand that regulation of securities market is like salt in a dish - any excess or less magnitude of regulation could make the dish unpalatable. Any market participant would vouch for the fact that the regulators understanding of the risk management needs in the securities market is inadequate, as it relies more on adhoc methods rather than a strong conceptual framework. In the event of a crisis, comes out like a brave fire fighter and douses the fire with whatever tools it has. Unfortunately, there is little empirical evidence to highlight that SEBI has taken enough preventive measures to stop frequent occurrences of crisis in the market. We frequently witness...

Continuing from Friday (see Slipping back into deep abyss ) Two of the key questions that are begging answer from the central bankers infusing trillions of dollars in fresh liquidity in the global financial system and the governments borrowing incessantly to further their populist agenda, is what will be the impact of this debt burden on the potential economic growth? and How the perpetually slow growth will impact the demography, i.e., whether the world will follow the demographic trends of Japan and grow old? (see How will this tiger ride end? ) As per the World Bank report titled Global Waves of Debt - Causes and Consequences , "Amid record high global debt, low interest rates and subpar growth have led to an intense debate on whether the recent rapid increase in debt is reason for concern. Some argue that countries, especially those that issue reserve currencies, should take advantage of low interest rates to borrow more to finance priority expenditures. Oth...