Best of BS Opinion: Covid-19 outbreak, India's MF industry, and more

From the reasons Sebi should revisit the liability side of MFs and why it is absolutely imperative to address the fiscal challenge, both at the Central and the state levels, immediately to how it might be better for governments to bear losses upfront than after the damage is done, here's a selection of Business Standard Opinion pieces for the day.
The debate must now move beyond the binaries of whether we can incur a deficit or not, to how much is necessary without creating macroeconomic instability, writes Neelkanth Mishra, co-head of APAC Strategy and India Strategist for Credit Suisse. Click here to read…
The lack of funds at the state level could weaken their response to the virus, says our top edit. Read on…
India is not in a position to remain in lockdown mode for an extended period, says our second edit. Click here to read…
Nurturing ambition and setting high targets are important attributes of planning and governance. But when planners in the government lose touch with reality, such ambitions become a burden on the whole system, writes A K Bhattacharya. Read on…
Rajendra Chitale, managing partner, M. P. Chitale & Co, & Mahesh Vyas, MD & CEO, CMIE, put together the design of "an impactful, fiscally responsible programme" that removes the bottlenecks in credit decision making. Click here to read…

It’s true that fund managers can’t control stock markets but it’s time they stopped succumbing to investors’ greed, writes Joydeep Ghosh.

Global oil prices skid on high US crude production, economic slowdown

Market News:
Oil prices fell on Monday after US energy firms added rigs for the first time this year in a sign that crude production there will rise further.

US spot crude oil futures were at $53.37 per barrel at 0027 GMT, down 32 cents, or 0.6 per cent, from their last settlement.

International Brent crude oil futures were at $61.37 a barrel, down 27 cents, or 0.4 per cent.Analysts said high US crude oil production, which hit a record 11.9 million barrels per day (bpd) late last year, was weighing on oil markets.

In a sign that output could rise further, US energy firms last week raised the number of rigs looking for new oil for the first time in 2019, adding 10 facilities, to 862, Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its weekly report on Friday.


 Beyond oil supply, a key question for this year will be demand-growth.Oil consumption has been increasing steadily, likely averaging above 100 million bpd for this first time in 2019, driven largely by a boom in China...Read More