Arvind’s Newsletter

1.India major gainer of China+1, exports to soar to $835 bn 2030: Nomura

India and Vietnam to benefit most from China +1 strategy, which is expected to unlock new growth opportunities for Asian economies, according to Nomura.

India’s exports will surge to $835 bn by 2030 from $431 bn in 2023, with its large domestic market helping attract firms looking for supply chain alternatives to China.

Forms in electronics, toys, apparel, automotives and components, and semiconductor manufacturing are looking to invest in India

2.Reliance signs deal to purchase oil from Rosneft in roubles

India’s Reliance Industries, operator of the world’s largest refinery complex, signs one year deal with Rosneft to purchase 3 m barrels of oil per month in roubles.

The deal will enable Reliance to secure discounted Russian oil even as OPEC + group of oil suppliers extend production cuts beyond June.

3.Global consulting firms beef up India teams in prep for M&A snapping spree

Major consulting firms are expanding their consumer practice in India in anticipation of a surge in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and as growing prosperity in the world's fifth-largest economy fuels demand for consumer goods.

PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, and Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) are actively hiring to bolster their consumer and retail practice, said top executives at these global consulting firms.

The executives cited increased activity in the domestic sector, with both regional players expanding nationally and established companies continuing to acquire smaller firms. Established companies, meanwhile, are also seeking to improve their technology capabilities as well as expand their scope of business.

4.Ukraine war : collateral benefit for Air India ?

Air India is an unlikely beneficiary of the Ukraine-Russia war, which has been going on for over two years now. The Indian carrier, which was taken over by the Tata Group days before the war broke out, has been able to dominate non-stop routes between the US and India. This is because American carriers have had to take longer, costlier routes to avoid Russian airspace. According to data by aviation analytics company Cirium, American carriers have reduced frequency by 21 weekly flights, while Air India has added new flights.

5.The End of the iPhone?

iPhones, iMacs and iPads are a ubiquitous part of the Apple brand. At least that’s what we believe. But Carlton Reid writes in Wired that all these brands may be retired. “How much time remains for this dotted relic of the Steve Jobs era, a lower-case vestigial tail with little modern relevance?

Not much time at all, according to brand experts, and also Ken Segall: the creative who, 26 years ago, named the first i-prefixed Apple product.

It was Segall who persuaded Jobs in 1998 to use ‘iMac’ as a new computer name instead of the internally-developed and rather dreadful moniker MacMan.

Segall, then a copywriter for advertising agency TBWAChiatDay, remains intensely proud of his 12 years of word-wrangling for Jobs; the 74-year-old has written two best-selling books on his time working on Apple's advertising account.

“I'm milking this thing as long as I can,” he jokes, speaking from his Los Angeles home. “That I came up with the 'i' in the original iMac makes people interested in what I say.” Interestingly, however, Segall wants to kill his branding baby. He doesn't think Apple should keep the prefix.

“The 'i' needs to go,” he says. “It's now meaningless.”

6.The backlash against 'bad tourists'

Now, many destinations across the globe are becoming increasingly vocal about the kind of tourists they want on their streets – and the kind they don't. On the yes list: tourists who spend money in local shops, boost the local economy and behave respectfully. On the no list: boozy tourists – often Brits – who behave badly, disrespect local traditions and negatively affect local lives and lifestyles.

According to tourism researcher and Aalborg University professor Carina Ren, there have always been badly behaved tourists; it's just that there are more of them now than ever.

7.Pressure on Israel grows

Global diplomatic pressure on Israel intensified over its offensive on the Gazan town of Rafah.

Three European countries were today due to formally recognize a Palestinian state, the UN Security Council is set to debate Israel’s strike against a Rafah displaced-persons camp, and Israeli ties with Cairo have plummeted over the death of an Egyptian soldier at the Gaza border.

In Brussels, European Union foreign ministers held what Dublin described as “significant” talks in sanctioning Israel if it didn’t comply with international law, while Qatar said the recent Gaza strike — which Israel claimed targeted Hamas operatives then later admitted was a “tragic mishap” that killed at least 45 people — could complicate ceasefire and hostage-release talks with the militant group.