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Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve, speaks at a press conference at the Federal Reserve, in Washington, July 30, 2025.

ExplainSpeaking: Understanding US Fed’s dual mandate dilemma through 6 quotes from Jerome Powell

September 19, 2025 6:39 pm

Political pressures aside, the US Fed faces a difficult predicament with inflation and unemployment rising at the same time. Put simply, it cannot address one problem without making the other worse.

Closer trade ties with China, a country with which India has several strategic conflicts, apart from China being capable of overwhelming the Indian economy (definitely far more than the US) with its export prowess is fraught with challenges.

ExplainSpeaking: Why trading with China, as against the US, poses more challenges for India

August 30, 2025 10:35 am

If protecting its domestic producers (be it in manufacturing or in other sectors) is the central goal of Indian policymakers then choosing China over the US for trade may be akin to jumping out of the frying pan into the fire

ExplainSpeaking: How Trump’s tariffs are hurting the US economy

August 31, 2025 8:52 am

US tariffs impact 2025, Trump tariffs US economy: Trump and his supporters have claimed that far from the apocalyptic collapse many mainstream economists foresaw under the new tariff regime, the US economy has remained robust. We evaluate this claim over key macroeconomic variables and assess if, and how far, have tariffs hurt the US economy.

Employee working on a dress at a garment factory in New Delhi on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.

ExplainSpeaking: What Trump's tariff abuse teaches India

August 08, 2025 7:32 am

Experts suggest that the 50% tariffs could result in India’s GDP falling by more than half a percentage point. But, Trump is not singling out India, and India should not impose retaliatory tariffs. Here's why.

India continues to be a bright spot in the global economy and is expected to grow 6.4% in 2025.

ExplainSpeaking: Key takeaways from IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook on India, the US, and the world

July 31, 2025 11:21 am

The broader message is captured by the title of the report — “Global Economy: Tenuous Resilience amid Persistent Uncertainty”. However, it hides considerable variation in the economic prospects of different countries.

Poverty in India: Children attending to their younger siblings near the Red Fort in Old Delhi.

ExplainSpeaking: The truth about poverty in India

June 27, 2025 2:05 pm

Bizarre as it may seem, especially for a country with so many people at low levels of income and consumption, as well as a country with an enviable record of studying poverty, India’s poverty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Here is why.

Why govts revise GDP base year and methodology, why the proposed 2026 revision matters for India's global standing

June 19, 2025 8:28 am

The GDP is the central metric to assess the annual economic growth or the overall size of an economy and the 'base year' refers to the year that works as a starting point for calculations. At present, the base year is 2011-12. Why is the govt changing it? All you need to understand.

The shifting of timelines — as a result of the six-year delay — as well as the politicisation of several issues that will be mapped are likely to create problems of analysis and comparison when Census 2027 eventually happens. (Express photo by

ExplainSpeaking: The critical importance of the next Census for India’s economy

June 12, 2025 6:54 am

The national Census provides the fundamental statistical basis for all other types of surveys and analysis in the country. In other words, the Census is a reality check for the country — a look in the mirror without which a self-portrait is not possible.

In nominal GDP terms, the Indian economy has made giant strides in overtaking some of the biggest economies

ExplainSpeaking: Why India is the third-largest economy, not fourth or fifth

June 01, 2025 4:40 pm

Indian Economy: Recently, Niti Aayog CEO declared that India had overtaken Japan to become the fourth-largest economy in the world. We look at the data to check this claim

ExplainSpeaking | US dollar’s fall: Why this is Donald Trump’s Liz Truss moment

April 12, 2025 10:14 am

Trump’s tariffs have sent the value of the US dollar plummeting. This is similar to what happened to the UK pound in 2022 after then Prime Minister Liz Truss unveiled her bold mini-budget