chineseoil-1 Courtesy: Lifeforex
11 October 2018

Petro-Yuan, the new speculation

Basing the global oil trade on the Yuan instead of the U.S. Dollar is one leg of China’s bid to convert its currency into the international reserve currency, replacing the dollar-dominated global financial architecture. But many factors impede the Yuan from reaching the maturity required for its global adoption.

aashna-china Courtesy: Gateway House
14 May 2018

Gwadar: trade hub or military asset?

China’s ostensible intentions are to turn Gwadar port into a focal point of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. But the geography of the region is a major stumbling block in the realisation of these ambitions and raises questions about the project’s underlying motives

16CHINATRUMP-facebookJumbo Courtesy: New York Times
13 July 2017

2016, the hinge year

Three epoch-making events in 2016 are continuing to have global repercussions. They were: Brexit, China’s rubbishing of the July verdict of the Permanent Court of Arbitration after it rejected its claims on disputed islands in the South China Sea, and Trump’s election. This article, the prologue to a book-in-progress, The Hinge Year – Geopolitical Dislocations and Dispersals, outlines how these events intersect with transformed geoeconomic realities

India+Reliance+petrochemical+plant Courtesy: bdnews24
14 December 2016

Three tiers of energy security for India

India imports 80% of its oil and 80% of the imports are from vulnerable regions. This high-cost, high-risk approach is not sustainable, and the current low price of oil offers India an opportunity to secure its long-term energy needs by taking three concurrent steps: diversifying supply sources, investing in oil fields, and using financial instruments

china oil Courtesy: Yahoo
1 September 2016

China’s oil paralysis, our gain

The sheen is coming off China’s state-owned oil companies, which have been hit by the country’s political churning and by their own excesses of buying assets at the peak of the cycle. Now with oil prices low, India has the chance to make well-priced acquisitions without Chinese competition.

3153652073_58f713e5d8_o Courtesy: flickr
21 January 2016

Financial hedge for India’s oil risk

India could save $80 billion annually if oil prices stay at the current 12-year low. Policy-makers must use this opportunity to lock-in energy prices for the long-term. Financial markets, through futures and options, offer a way to make these savings permanent, and the Ministry of Finance must formulate ground rules for hedging.

Victor_Dubreuil_-_'Money_to_Burn',_oil_on_canvas,_1893 Courtesy: Victor Dubreuil / Wikipedia
15 December 2015

The Gulf storm ahead

The GCC finds itself engulfed by a perfect storm – due to the oil price fall and the re-emergence of Iran on the world scene. While the GCC is forced to undertake politically challenging reforms and confront the regional challenge of Iran, there lies a great opportunity for India to strengthen their economic as well as security ties.