Author: Charlotte

As investor participation in mutual funds continues to grow rapidly, AMCs are playing an increasingly important role in investor education. However, a study by Eminence Strategy Consulting suggests that despite ongoing awareness initiatives, a large section of investors still does not associate their learning journey with any specific fund house. According to the study, nearly 28% of investors could not recall a single AMC that helped them learn about investing. However, among investors who were able to identify AMCs, HDFC Mutual Fund emerged as the most recalled at 14%, followed by SBI Mutual Fund at 13% and ICICI Prudential Mutual…

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President Milei’s stabilisation is delivering results: inflation is down, growth has returned and exports are playing a larger role in the recovery. But Argentina’s second test is harder: turning macroeconomic stability into investment, jobs and higher real wages before the political clock runs out.In an Economics Observatory article published in May 2024, we argued that the first test facing President Javier Milei’s new government was stabilising the economy: closing the fiscal deficit, reducing inflation, avoiding another balance of payments crisis and restoring nominal stability.Significant progress has been made. Monthly inflation fell from 12.8% in November 2023 to 2.1% in May…

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Chainalysis has indicated that the 2026 FIFA World Cup stood out not only for record attendance of 6.8 million spectators, $10.5 billion in advertising revenue, and 66 million U.S. television viewers for the final, but also for unprecedented blockchain activity. According to blockchain analytics research, the tournament drove roughly $20 billion in prediction market trading volume starting from January 2026, alongside $24 million in digital collectible transactions that began in May 2025. Chainalysis also pointed out that nearly 400,000 wallets engaged with on-chain prediction platforms, producing $5.7 billion in volume during the five-week competition itself. Betting interest focused heavily on…

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For many Indians, real estate has always been a favoured asset class. But large capital outlays and crippling illiquidity have kept the masses from venturing beyond residential property. For the past few years, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) have offered a more democratised route to invest in all manner of real estate assets. But a few shortcomings have prevented investors from fully embracing this alternative. This could be set to change, with the entry of REIT-focused mutual funds. Edelweiss Mutual Fund is set to launch the first such product—an index fund tracking the Nifty REITs & Realty Index. (NFO opens…

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Scott Cam has addressed his absence from promotional work in the lead up to the launch of the new season of The Block on Sunday night. The Block host was in fine form on the screen as season 22 kicked off with Channel 9 this week but behind the scenes Cam revealed he has been laid up in hospital following major surgery. The 63-year-old took to social media on Sunday night following a fortnight of medical treatment on his knee. “You may have noticed I’ve been a little MIA before The Block kicking off tonight,” Cam posted on Instagram. “I’ve…

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The social and economic challenges of the new Colombian administrationThe transition from the Gustavo Petro administration to that of Abelardo de la Espriella represents a significant challenge for Colombia. In political terms, it marks a shift from a left-wing to a right-wing administration. In economic and social terms, it also signals challenges ahead.In social terms, the major issue is the extent to which the new administration will uphold the commitment to social rights enshrined in the 1991 Constitution. This has been reflected in a long-term reduction in Colombia’s multidimensional poverty, particularly in access to education, health and utilities, and improvements…

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Description of historical trends in cryptocurrencies and NFT marketFigure 1a and Fig. 1b depict the historical prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum respectively. Based on the figures, the prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum underwent a rapid surge starting in 2020 and continuing until early 2021. To be more specific, Bitcoin reached its relatively high price levels earlier and sustained them for a longer period, fluctuating within the upper price range during the first quarter of 2021, whereas Ethereum’s price only reached a relatively high level during the first month of the second quarter, and its duration was very short. Subsequently, the…

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International asset managers, pension funds and insurance companies have shown strong interest in offshore China government bond futures, which are set to start trading in Hong Kong for the first time on Monday, according to senior stock exchange executives.The new 5-year China government bond futures contracts will have a size of 500,000 yuan (US$74,051). Bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has set a low minimum margin ratio so that investors only need to invest 7,980 yuan to trade one contract.“We have contacted a wide range of international institutional investors in recent months to introduce the 5-year China government…

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