Short read: Patna cops resort to lathi-charge against BPSC aspirants protesting ‘normalisation’, server issues
Two weeks ago our blog on the current predicament of the Indian middle class ended up triggering a debate on the floor of the Parliament (see https://marcellus.in/blogs/why-is-the-indian-middle-class-suffering/ ). However, politicians wagging their tongues in Delhi is not going to take the sting out of what is gradually developing into a financial crisis of significant proportions because without […]
Long read: Manufacturing is a War now
Chris Miller’s fascinating book “Chip War” put semiconductor manufacturing prowess front and centre of global geo-politics. This brilliant blog by Noah Smith puts manufacturing muscle in general in the context of geo-political conflict, primarily between China and the US (and its allies). Over the past few decades, China emerged as a factory to the world. […]
Long read: Are drug expiration dates meaningless?
If you are like us, this is a question which you have been asking yourself for many years but were too lazy to do the research necessary to answer the question. Thanks to Keren Landman, MD, your quest for getting a satisfactory answer to the question of how seriously to take drug expiry dates is […]
Long read: ‘Her fans are making pilgrimages’: How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour became a near-religious experience
The entertainment business had never seen anything like it. No other tour by a rock or pop star has generated so much economic activity in so many different continents or made so much money for the star at the centre of it all. For all of us who have not kept up with Taylor Swift’s […]
Slowing Growth + Rising Risks = Quality Lenders finally Outperforming
Loan growth for the banking sector has slowed down to 12% YOY from a peak of 16% and slippages for the higher risk retail lending segments are up anywhere between 2x – 6x vs FY24 levels. The increase in NPAs is a result of: (i) oversupply of credit in the post- Covid retail lending frenzy, […]
Portfolio performance and update on Fundamentals – November 2024
Note: For all strategies except GCP, Performance data shown is net of fixed fees and expenses charged till September 30th, 2024 and is net of annual performance fees (Except for Little Champs Portfolio) charged for client accounts whose account anniversary/performance calculation date falls upto the last date of this performance period. Since, for Little Champs Portfolio, […]
The Brave New World of Middle-Class ‘Gigs’ in India
It seems clear that India has a couple of painful years ahead of it as it grapples with AI reducing the demand for labour in sectors which lie at the heart of middle-class income generation e.g., Financial Services, IT Services, Media and Manufacturing. However, it is also evident that technology is creating new jobs in […]
Short read: ‘Brain rot’: Oxford word of the year 2024 reflects ‘trivial’ use of social media
A couple of weeks ago, we featured a piece in The Atlantic which talked about how students even in elite colleges are struggling to read books. Nothing wrong in itself as today’s digital age presents plenty of alternatives to books to gain knowledge and insight. But the point being the struggle with focus required for […]
Short read: The Pursuit of Longevity
The science of ageing has progressed significantly over the past few decades. Not just delaying death but also improving the quality of life in old age. But like much else, there is a lot of misinformation about the science of ageing as well. What better than a book by a Nobel laureate to clear the […]
Short read: ‘Arrested’ via WhatsApp, elderly Sonipat couple coerced into hiding in hotel, duped of Rs 1.78 cr
A year ago, Marcellus was subjected to a nasty cybercrime attack orchestrated from the badlands surrounding the NCR. Whilst we were able to repulse the attack using the resources at our disposal, millions of others in India – especially older people – are not so lucky. The growing army of educated but unemployed men in […]
Long read: An interview with Javier Milei, Argentina’s president
The Argentinian economy has been a case study in macro-economics across most universities for being the only country in modern history to fall from rich to middle income status. Its current President Javier Milei, elected a year ago, has been on a rampage with radical reforms to curtail the role of the state and based […]
Long read: Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom
At Marcellus, we have an ongoing debate between those who believe notes in meetings should be taken by handwriting vs those who believe typing notes into a tablet serves the same purpose. This piece of research two academics who teach at the Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, supports those […]
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