Plain Facts
Exciting, sharp and clear analysis of the trends that matter, through data and charts. Plain Facts is published every weekday, with coverage spanning across themes, including corporate strategy to inflation to unemployment and emerging sectors. Follow us on #MintPlainFacts across social media.
How rural India is bearing the brunt of the inflation rise
India’s rural inflation has moved closer to 5%, while the urban rate remains below 4%. The gap is usually explained by higher food prices, but the latest data suggest price pressures may be spreading beyond food.
3 min read11:24 AM ISTFootball rules, cricket rises: How the business of global sports works, in 5 charts
Revenues of the global cricket body are only about one-fourth that of the global football association. Still, it's doing far better than other nation-based sports, with a stronger ICC, the IPL's financial muscle and a more stable revenue model reshaping the business of cricket.
4 min read19 Jul 2026The week in charts: Inflation heat, export shift, tracking services production
In this weekly Plain Facts compilation, we present to you data-based insights, with easy-to-read charts, to help you delve deeper into the stories reported by Mint in the week gone by.
4 min read18 Jul 2026Why four Asian countries got a World Bank income upgrade—and India didn’t
India has remained stuck in the lower-middle-income group as Vietnam and the Philippines have moved up. The gap exposes the harder challenge facing the world's fastest-growing major economy: turning aggregate growth into higher incomes.
4 min read15 Jul 2026Out with humanities, in with tech: why China's universities are undergoing a reset
As universities globally face a crucial race to reinvent higher education amid higher AI adoption, China has already moved to replace over 12,000 university programmes to address its graduate jobs crisis.
5 min read14 Jul 2026How rising AI costs are reshaping business decisions
From token limits and usage-based pricing to layoffs and AI sovereignty, companies are discovering that the economics of artificial intelligence matter as much as the technology itself.
5 min read13 Jul 2026In charts: How West Asia war, rate shifts, extreme heat are affecting the world
While escalating hostilities in West Asia and rapid Nato rearmament fuel global security anxieties, central banks remain focussed on inflation-growth dynamics. Meanwhile, Europe continues to face an intensifying climate crisis, and HBO sweeps the 2026 Emmy nominations.
4 min read12 Jul 2026The week in charts: Slow kharif sowing, capex caution, clean energy milestone
In this weekly Plain Facts compilation, we present to you data-based insights, with easy-to-read charts, to help you delve deeper into the stories reported by Mint in the week gone by.
4 min read11 Jul 2026June retail inflation likely climbed to 4.2%, breached RBI target: Mint poll
India's retail inflation in June likely came in above the RBI's 4% medium-term target for the first time under the revised CPI series, on fuel price pass-through and rising food costs.
3 min read10 Jul 2026Two reasons why gold ETFs have hit a speed bump
Despite recent price drops and flattening returns, gold ETFs remain a safe liquid financial instrument for long-term gold exposure in India.
5 min read8 Jul 2026Wait for it…
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