May 28, 2020 5 min readOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Since the outbreak began, it can seem like it’s harder than ever to stand out amidst all the noise. We’re writing posts that people don’t read, hosting live streams people don’t attend, and running ads that people don’t click on anymore. And when you combine a decrease in engagement, a loss of income, and a nagging feeling that you’re not even making a contribution, it’s only natural that the internal strife just builds and builds. This lack of engagement, money, and purpose very much defined my…

In a major relief for borrowers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday lowered the repo rate by 40 basis points from 4.4 per cent to 4 per cent. The reverse repo rate was also reduced to 3.35 per cent. These rate cuts were made in order to limit the impact of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown on the economy. Borrowers, especially those whose loans are linked to external benchmarks like the repo rate can rejoice. The apex bank last cut the rates in its March 2020 in an advanced monetary policy review. In total, it has cut the…

India’s largest drug maker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries is getting ready to start the trials on a few drugs that have emerged as potential treatment candidates for Covid-19. This includes an anti-coagulant and anti-inflammatory drug nafamostat and another plant-based dengue drug candidate that Sun Pharma was developing along with government research institutes. Sun Pharma stock was up 3.5 per cent on BSE on Friday. On Friday, Sun Pharma said that it received the nod from the country’s drug regulator to initiate a clinical trial with nafamostat mesilate in Covid-19 patients. These will be phase II clinical…

May 28, 2020 6 min readOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Most financial advisors would agree that any return that beats the market (which has seen an average annual return of 10.7{bce2ac57dae147ae13b811f47f24d80c66c6ab504b39dda4a9b6e8ac93725942} since 1871) is pretty darn good. From 1965–2017, Warren Buffett (through Berkshire Hathaway) enjoyed a 20.9{bce2ac57dae147ae13b811f47f24d80c66c6ab504b39dda4a9b6e8ac93725942} average annual return, and he’s historically one of the best investors in the world. But did you know that the Renaissance Technologies Medallion Fund has gained 71.8{bce2ac57dae147ae13b811f47f24d80c66c6ab504b39dda4a9b6e8ac93725942} per year from 1994 to 2014, thriving through the Dot Com Bubble and the recent recession? How did Simons and his team…

Businesses and governments are mobilizing to fight COVID-19, and their top priorities have included stabilizing the workforce’s health, ensuring business continuity, securing liquidity, and maintaining supply chains. These are all efforts an organization relies on to ensure the effectiveness of its systems. But one important factor is often overlooked: the emotional health and effectiveness of the organization. As New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who has emerged as a popular figure by virtue of his daily coronavirus press conference / therapy session, put it: “Call it psychological. Call it feelings. Call it emotions. But this is as much a social crisis…

Banking stocks have seen strong gains this week with the Nifty Bank index surging nearly 11 per cent in the last three trading sessions (starting May 23). In comparison, the Nifty50 is up 5 per cent. The gains come after huge selling pressure and consequent under-performance of banking stocks since the start of March. The financial sector, banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), are seen to be most impacted due to the lockdown. Which is why, the Nifty Bank lost 41 per cent between February 28 and May 22, compared to a 19 per cent decline…

May 26, 2020 5 min readOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. We’ve all heard it before: Social media is important for sales. But specifically, Instagram — with its focus on high-quality images and the aesthetic side of marketing — can take your product to new heights, if used correctly. In fact, research compiled by Our Social Times discovered that engagement with brand posts from consumers is increasing at a rate faster than that at which brands are creating Instagram accounts. According to Sprout Social, the presence of brands on Instagram is up by 71 percent from last…

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has allowed the recently merged Punjab National Bank (PNB) to hold promoter stake in two life insurance companies – PNB Metlife and Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance. After the merger of Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India with PNB on April 1, the Delhi-based lender holds 30 per cent stake in PNB MetLife and 23 per cent in Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance. The insurance regulator has allowed PNB to keep its shareholding in both the insurance companies intact…