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Original analysis, derived from public data. India-anchored.

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A dense overlapping spread of Indian 100 rupee banknotes

Business

Why the RBI Rate Hike Is Unlikely to Lift Fixed Deposit Rates

The RBI raised the repo rate to 5.50 percent on 7 October. Banks are sitting on a pile of foreign deposits, and fresh rupee deposit rates were already falling 28 bps before the hike.

October 21, 2026

Red apples hanging from the branches of an apple tree against a clear blue sky

Business

India's New Apple Quota for New Zealand Is Already Smaller Than This Season's Shipments

New Zealand's apple exports to India have reached 45,000 tonnes this season, against a year-one quota of 32,500 tonnes at the lower duty. The quota caps the discount, not the trade, and the window and price floor shape the rest.

October 20, 2026

Workers at sewing machines beside tall stacks of fabric on a large factory floor, in a violet duotone treatment

Business

India's Manufacturers Paid 27.5 Percent More for Inputs and Still Grew Profit 21 Percent

In the April to June 2026 quarter, listed manufacturers' raw material bill rose faster than their sales. Their operating profit still grew almost as fast as sales. Who absorbed the difference?

October 20, 2026

An aerial view of a large oil tanker moored on dark blue water

Geopolitics

The Pipelines That Could Replace Hormuz Carry One Barrel in Four at Best

HSBC's CEO says Gulf investment could make Hormuz redundant in five years. The bypass pipelines that exist today cap out near a quarter of the strait's pre-war flow, and one broken pipe in September sent Brent to $131.

October 20, 2026

A doctor in a white coat holding a clipboard speaks with a patient, shown from the shoulders down in a tinted duotone

Health

India's Tobacco Fight Is Being Won Where the Users Are Not

Fewer young Indians use tobacco, which is the win prevention promised. But in the last national survey, use was 41.4% at 65 and over against 12.4% at 15 to 24, and tobacco-site cancers peak at 70 to 74.

October 19, 2026

An oil tanker berthed at a jetty beside a refinery with distillation towers and a spherical storage tank, in a navy-toned photo

Business

India's Oil Bill Rose Nearly $29 Billion Without Buying More Oil

India's crude import bill jumped from $61.9 billion to $90.6 billion in the first half of the fiscal year, on almost identical volumes. The headline overstates the net hit, and understates what comes next.

October 19, 2026

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