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India’s largest FMCG firms, including those with high exposure to rural markets such as Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Dabur and Emami, are waiting for a boost in rural demand to help revive sluggish growth in volumes and earnings, according to analysts tracking their stocks. Photo: Indranil Bhoumik/Mint

HUL: HR exemplar

1 min read . 27 Dec 2020 Livemint

It was concern for workplace safety, ironically, that led India Inc. to recognize the enormity of this horror. Now that it’s got attention, we should expect wider adoption of such an HR policy

Photo: iStock

Spectre of Brexit still haunts City of London

2 min read . 27 Dec 2020 Livemint

Britain has struck a deal on trade ties with the EU post-Brexit, to the relief of Britons. But the main bill for opting out of Europe’s common market will be borne by its financial sector

BMC health workers collect swab sample from people for COVID-19 testing in Mumbai on Saturday. (ANI)

Modern Times

Some ordinary learnings from an extraordinary year

4 min read . 27 Dec 2020 Manu Joseph

The response of people to the pandemic shows that we might actually care for other people around us

The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced to an all time high of 44,601.63, during the day, before ending up 1% or 445.87 points up 44523.02.mint (MINT_PRINT)

On The Other Hand

The anatomy of a stock market bubble staring India in the face

4 min read . 27 Dec 2020 Vivek Kaul

Easily buyable shares, a gush of cheap money and a burst of speculation have over-inflated prices

Leo Burnett’s library lies at one end of the office, making it a quiet space to catch up on research and reading. Photo: Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint

Parallax View

Five books of 2020 that deserve to be on reading lists

4 min read . 27 Dec 2020 Sandipan Deb

They are full of surprises and ideas that make for worthy, even if not always pleasant, food for thought

Photo: AFP

In the margins

Labour reforms are not to blame for the unrest at Wistron’s plant

4 min read . 27 Dec 2020 Vivek Dehejia

India’s policy shift away from an inflexible labour market is designed to solve the kind of problems seen at the iPhone factory

Focusing on the fortunes of the rich alone can do US society much harm (Photo: Reuters)

Mint Curator

The wealth of billionaires isn’t America’s big inequality crisis

3 min read . 27 Dec 2020 Noah Smith , Bloomberg

Vast disparities within its middle class need far greater attention

Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP)

After Momentous 2020, Russia’s Putin Enters New Year as Powerful as Ever

5 min read . 27 Dec 2020 The Wall Street Journal

Kremlin leader takes action to cement his rule, repel challenges and spread Russia’s influence in moves that signal what’s likely to come next year

Brown University students

Bond Boom Comes to America’s Colleges and Universities

5 min read . 27 Dec 2020 The Wall Street Journal

Eyeing low rates and financial pressure tied to Covid-19, higher-education institutions are issuing a record amount of debt this year

Neurology and nostalgia help explain why people have always worried that the world is going downhill.

Why We Can’t Stop Longing for the Good Old Days

6 min read . 27 Dec 2020 The Wall Street Journal

Neurology and nostalgia help explain why people have always worried that the world is going downhill.

Real estate (Bloomberg)

The Most Interesting Real-Estate Stories of 2020

3 min read . 27 Dec 2020 The Wall Street Journal

Our reporters examined how the pandemic has reshaped markets, the way we design and build homes and how industry professionals do business

Three reasons 2021 could be (a lot) better than you think (REUTERS)

Three reasons 2021 could be (a lot) better than you think

4 min read . 26 Dec 2020 The Wall Street Journal

The unusual nature of this recession suggests it could lead to more rapid recovery than others

Covid-19 Risk for Workers at Restaurants: Cramped Kitchens

Covid-19 Risk for Workers at Restaurants: Cramped Kitchens

6 min read . 26 Dec 2020 The Wall Street Journal

Coronavirus-case data and employee complaints suggest food-prep workers can face exposure

Gas is cleaner than oil, but still has a transition problem

Gas is cleaner than oil, but still has a transition problem

2 min read . 25 Dec 2020 The Wall Street Journal

Natural gas will play a key role in the shift to renewable energy, but that is no guarantee it will provide good returns

Finding the sacred in the delights of Christmas

Finding the sacred in the delights of Christmas

10 min read . 25 Dec 2020 The Wall Street Journal

More than a season of good cheer, the holiday asks believers to think about reality itself in new ways.

Personal finance

Power Point

Five lines from movies that defined personal finance in Roller coaster 2020

4 min read . 25 Dec 2020 Radhika Gupta

Good behaviour is the biggest vaccine and the best secret ingredient in investing

Jupiter, and three of its moons, left, and Saturn, right, are seen in the sky, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, above Chicago. The two planets are in their closest observable alignment since 1226, appearing in the alignment known as the ''Great Conjunction,'' which has also been called the ''Christmas Star.'' (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (AP)

A Matter of Numbers

Hello great conjunction, my old friend

6 min read . 25 Dec 2020 Dilip D'Souza

Saturn, Jupiter seemed so close in the sky on 21 Dec but the two planets didn’t actually overlap

Individual income tax returm form by IRS, concept for taxation (Photo: istock)

Just too taxing

1 min read . 24 Dec 2020 Livemint

Though our taxman seems convinced of India’s case, that all assets bought anywhere that yield returns off domestic operations should be subject to Indian capital-gain levies, the fact that our law was tweaked to clarify this only after that deal was done made the tax claim too weak to pass legal muster globally

Photo: iStock

A fantasy market that mustn’t ignore reality

2 min read . 24 Dec 2020 Livemint

Online gaming expanded explosively in 2020 and apps designed for it are on a dream roll. But playing for money can be addictive and these apps should be regulated appropriately

Photo: AP

New Normal

Covid and the advent of an ascetic Christmas season

4 min read . 25 Dec 2020 Sushmita Bose

Christmas makes us feel warm and snug, with all the wine, mistletoe and Jim Reeves carols setting the mood for a new year to come, but 2020 has been aberrative. Blame it on a bug.

Opinion