Articles written by
K Raveendran

By K Raveendran Like all other investment instruments, weaker investor interest has affected gold prices as well.  There has been bi-directional equity volatility in recent times, but this has failed to support gold prices as short term momentum waned. Gold fell 3.8 percent  in May this   year  leaving it just under 2 percent higher on […]

The post High Inflation, Rate Hikes Add To Gold’s Appeal Both As Hedge And Asset first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The Narendra Modi government might in all probability be able to bring the friendly Arab governments round to softening their initial response to what they consider to be the most sacrilegious remark by BJP leaders against Prophet Mohammed. The government has already intensified the firefighting, with special efforts being made to explain […]

The post Narendra Modi Govt’s Image Has Got A Big Jolt In Gulf Nations In Last Few Days first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The world believes that the success of western sanctions against Putin’s Russia depends on just two countries: India and China. On the face of it, it would appear to be a straightforward positioning. For, much of the Russian oil that has been made redundant by the sanctions is expected to flow to […]

The post New Delhi Holds Its Own On Discounted Oil Imports From Russia first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The remark by two judges of a Supreme Court vacation bench on the need for senior advocates to enrol and train at least 15 juniors is set to breath new life into the long-drawn controversy about the abuse of the system of designating senior advocates. “We want the young generation of this […]

The post Renewed Focus On Skewed System For Designating Senior Advocates first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Car companies in India are already creating waves about the launch of electric vehicles, with nearly a dozen brands expected to hit the road in a year’s time. Joining the EV bandwagon are all major automakers, including Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra, Mercedes etc. But even as the euphoria continues, the EV industry is […]

The post Ukraine War Fallout Takes The Clock Back On Shift To Electric Vehicles first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri has attributed the excise cut in petroleum products to Prime Minister Modi’s ‘considered and very well thought through assessment that the burden on the common man, the Aam Aadmi, needed to be addressed. He was speaking to television channel in the wake of the […]

The post Modi’s Sensitivity And The ‘Game’ Petroleum Companies Play first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The decision by the Supreme Court this week that the powers of the Centre and the States to legislate on GST-related issues are equal debunks the idea that the Centre can ride roughshod over the states, as it has been happening to a large extent. The court’s judgment also strengthens the cause […]

The post Supreme Court Stress On Cooperative Federalism A Slap On Centre first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Given the hype and build-up for LIC’s Rs 21,000 crore dream IPO over a long time, the listing of the shares has turned out to be an anti-climax. Of course, the first day price is no indication of how the stock is going to perform over any term. But the debut has […]

The post Anti-Climax In LIC’s Listing On Stock Market Forms Part Of Trend first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The seismic shift in the global crude oil market has begun to take effect. This is expected to manifest in tightened crude markets as well as unprecedented shifts in trade flows, most notably of Russian oil from Europe to Asia. Russia is expected to redirect as much volume as possible to alternative […]

The post India A Key Player In Seismic Shift In Global Crude Oil Market first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The Narendra Modi government has received a real snub from the Supreme Court, which has overruled the Centres’ objections and stayed all proceedings in sedition cases. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana also directed on Wednesday that all pending cases, appeals and proceedings with respect to charges framed for […]

The post Supreme Court Sees Through Govt’s Game On Seditions Law first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of 4.7 million as ‘excess’ Covid deaths over and above the officially acknowledged figure in India and the response of the Modi government to the report are both shocking, but not surprising. The WHO has resisted persistent opposition from the Indian government to finally […]

The post Modi Govt Arguments Against W.H.O ‘Excess’ Death Numbers Fall Flat first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran It is not a clamour yet, but there is growing awareness about the need for the judiciary to shed its elitist character. As both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Supreme Court chief justice NV Ramana pointed out last week at the joint conference of chief ministers and high court chief justices, there […]

The post It Is Time For Our Courts To Be Freed Of Elitist Tendencies first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The worst fears have come true about problems in coal availability developing into a full-blown energy crisis. As most parts of the country sizzles in heat wave conditions, there is unprecedented draw down on available power, leaving gaping gaps in supply. Some states are going through power cuts of up to 8 […]

The post India’s Power Crisis And Putin’s Weaponisation Of Energy first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The ‘freeze’ ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a response to the outbreak of Covid pandemic had gone terribly wrong in terms of its timing. Millions of lives and livelihoods were lost as everything ground to a halt, a mistake for which the nation continues to pay a heavy price. Now […]

The post Two Lockdowns In Asia’s Two Biggest Countries Offer Many Lessons first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran We have so many laws to be followed that it is virtually impossible to live for a moment without breaking one. It is a different matter that some of these laws had ceased to have any relevance ages ago, but these continue to fill the statute books for no rhyme or reason. […]

The post Flippant Laws Make Life Full Of Risks For Common Citizens first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran It has been a hop from crisis to crisis, each more disruptive and destructive than the other. The pain and sufferings endured by people to change their demonetised notes in the wake of Modi’s midnight demonetisation were unprecedented. Another midnight move, the introduction of half-baked GST regime took the steam out of […]

The post India Manages Hop From Crisis To Crisis Relatively Well first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran There is virtually a scramble for coal from non-Russian sources following a self-imposed ban by the European Union on coal imports from Putin’s sanctions-hit country. But as far as New Delhi is concerned, the opportunity will go abegging as India is by itself struggling to tie up enough supplies. The EU ban […]

The post India Has To Let Go Of Huge Coal Export Opportunity first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Attorney General K K Venugopal has been a strong advocate of raising the retirement of judges as he feels 65 years is too early an age for anyone to retire. Serving as India’s AG at the age of 90, there is no one else who can speak so authoritatively as Venugopal on […]

The post Strong Case For Raising Retirement Age, Not Lowering first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The Pakistan Supreme Court has virtually shown the door to another prime minister. Apparently, it might take longer for Imran Khan’s fate to be decided for good, but the action of a five-member bench of Pakistan’s apex court to strike down the controversial decision of deputy speaker of the national assembly to […]

The post Judicial Independence: An Area Where Pakistan Enjoys An Edge first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The emergence of Sri Lanka as a template for the fallout of infrastructure development with Chinese funding will save thousands of diplomatic man-hours for India in checkmating the Chinese ‘String of Pearls’ agenda. New Delhi has tried to counter the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative with its own ‘Look East’ policy, but […]

The post Sri Lanka A Template Of Risks In Chinese Debt Trap Diplomacy first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The proposed rupee-rouble trade for oil will be a key ingredient, along with Russian insistence on rouble payments from European gas customers, in Putin’s sanctions-busting programme. The Biden administration has obviously seen the implications of an India-Russia oil deal and it is no surprise, therefore, that Washington is trying to put pressure […]

The post Rupee-Rouble Oil Deal Could Be Key Plank Of Putin’s Sanctions-Busting first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The currency stand-off in the global gas market, triggered by Russian president Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russian gas will henceforth have to be paid in roubles instead of dollar and euro is keeping the market on tenterhooks. It has upset the calculations of all important stake holders, including India, which has been […]

The post Putin’s Gambit In Demanding Rouble Payments Takes Issues Beyond Pricing first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran As predicted, the ’synchronised’ fraud by the Modi government and the petroleum marketing companies has resumed even before the state assemblies which went to poll in the recent round have been officially constituted. The open market policy, which has been kept in ‘suspended animation’ has come alive and the results are already […]

The post ‘Synchronised’ Fraud By Government And Oil Companies Is Back first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The massive humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is engaging the attention of all concerned. The pain and suffering caused by the war to innocent people, manifesting in some three million seeking refuge in Ukraine’s European neighbour states provide unbearable visuals. But away from public gaze, vulnerable sections even far […]

The post Ukraine Aftermath To Hit Vulnerable Populations Around The World first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The impact of Russia’s Ukraine war on the energy sector, particularly oil and gas, as well as commodities, has been too dramatic to be missed by anyone, including consumers in the remotest part of the world. But what is causing new concern is how the war is pushing coal prices to unprecedented […]

The post Coal Prices Set To Double Under Impact Of Russia’s Ukraine War first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The ‘Z’ marking seen on Russian battle tanks and other military equipment as a coding for the Ukraine invasion is fast acquiring an evil meaning, similar to the evil that the Nazi symbol of Swastika denotes. In India, Swastika connotes exactly the opposite, as the Hindu symbol of auspiciousness. But for most […]

The post How ‘Z’ Has Come To Acquire An Evil Meaning Similar To Nazi Swastika first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Forgetfulness is bliss. Of all faculties, the ability to forget is the basis of human progress, whether for an individual, institution, or a nation. It is the fountainhead of forgiveness, perhaps the greatest of all virtues. And Indians are particularly endowed with it, whether it is due to their obsession with spirituality, […]

The post Narendra Modi Flourishes On Indian People’s Short Memory first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Making one of the worst fears come true, Brent crude, the benchmark oil price, has hit an intimidating $110 a barrel as the Russian invasion of Ukraine is showing no signs of a possible resolution. This is the highest price for oil in more than seven years, which by itself should send […]

The post Oil Prices Refuse To Be Tamed By Emergency Releases By IEA Members first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The Russian invasion of Ukraine has provided yet another instance of gold proving its safe haven value. As Russian forces entered Ukraine and pressed towards Kiev, gold price surged to an intra-day high of US$1,974 per ounce on Thursday, corresponding to Rs 52,797 per 10 grams on India’s MCX. Hectic buying was […]

The post Gold Shines Again As Safe Haven As Ukraine War Intensifies first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran With the Russian invasion of Ukraine already playing out, it is clear that the war between US and allies on one side and Russia on the other would be fought not just at the military and economic levels, as already manifested by the western sanctions, but with another strategic weapon as well: […]

The post Energy Is A Strategic Weapon In Russia’s War Against Ukraine first appeared on IPA Newspack.