All stories by DEVANGSHU DATTA
Investors must stay positive amidst the gloom
Rediff.com29 Jan 2020Investors must be prepared to believe that things will get better eventually, no matter how bad the current situation may look. If you don't possess this optimism, you will not possess the courage to invest and if you don't invest, you don't give yourself any chance to get wealthy, says Devangshu Datta.
Making Wikipedia more useful
Rediff.com18 Jan 2020Guesstimates suggest that around 80 to 85 per cent of Wiki information is accurate. That is less than 95 per cent that is considered the gold standard for 'normal' encyclopedias'. But 80 per cent is a reasonable baseline for somebody who's starting to research a topic and it does suggest that crowd-sourcing works, even though it is a long way from perfection, says Devangshu Datta.
Now is the time to focus on mid and small-caps
Rediff.com13 Jan 2020Long-term investors should consider moving into smaller stocks. Rather than try to pick stocks, it makes sense to build a diversified portfolio by exposure across midcap and small caps funds, suggests Devangshu Datta.
Don't underestimate the average Indian
Rediff.com8 Jan 2020'And don't underestimate the enabling power of bribery.' 'Hark back to demonetisation.' 'All of the cash did come back.' 'The same thing will happen with the alphabet soup of the NRC, NPR and CAA except that this exercise will deal in documents, not cash.' 'Bribes will be paid.' 'Documents will be magically generated,' points out Devangshu Datta.
Economy very close to hitting crisis point
Rediff.com30 Dec 2019'The Indian economy is in slowdown and growth may stay slow,' notes Devangshu Datta.
Want to migrate to Nithyananda's 'Kailaasa'?
Rediff.com16 Dec 2019'It's a moot point if Kailaasa will ever evolve beyond being a haven for a fugitive from justice,' notes Devangshu Datta.
Making computers intelligent
Rediff.com29 Nov 2019Computers need to be trained to recognise images, says Devangshu Datta.
Slow march on the path to immortality
Rediff.com20 Oct 2019Is it possible to extend lifespans to, say, 120 years, or longer, asks Devangshu Datta.
Markets down? Hedge with gold or currency
Rediff.com30 Aug 2019But whatever you do, be prepared to hold on to your positions and keep your nerve, advises Devangshu Datta.
Hong Kong protests: A tech-driven cat-and-mouse battle
Rediff.com19 Aug 2019Both protesters and the authorities in Hong Kong are using complex combinations of technology, reports Devangshu Datta.
How to gain from fall in rupee
Rediff.com8 Aug 2019Assume that the rupee will trend lower over the next 10 years as India increases overseas sovereign exposures, and your long-term asset allocation should be geared to deal with this trend, suggests Devangshu Datta
When prime time is not for prime news
Rediff.com9 Jul 2019A free press is not necessarily an unbiased press. The media curates what it presents to the public, and that curation is driven by multiple considerations, argues Devangshu Datta.
Every party has corruption in its DNA
Rediff.com20 Jun 2019'You cannot win an election without putting together a massive war chest.' 'It is impossible to put a war chest together, without giving and taking favours from India Inc, with a large dose of extortion thrown in,' says Devangshu Datta.
World Cup 2019: When coaches took over
Rediff.com18 Jun 2019'This World Cup is likely to be much more a clash of plans than of talent,' says Devangshu Datta.
World's most dangerous laptop auctioned as 'work of art'
Rediff.com12 Jun 2019Six pieces of malware present in the laptop had truly terrible track records. It's estimated that these six programs have logged combined damages of $95 billion between them, says Devangshu Datta.
Just legalise betting on elections!
Rediff.com9 May 2019'Legalised election betting would drive black money and satta operators out of business while creating a more level and transparent playing field for politics,' argues Devangshu Datta.
India needs a weak coalition government
Rediff.com24 Apr 2019'A rag-tag coalition is more insecure and hence, more inclined to reform,' argues Devangshu Datta.
Challenging times for Vodafone Idea
Rediff.com23 Apr 2019'Vodafone Idea has losses running over Rs 10,000 crore in the last four quarters.' 'It has long-term debt of about Rs 1.15 trillion.' 'Even post-issue, the debt service numbers won't be good,' points out Devangshu Datta.
Current bear market is a tough phase for stock pickers
Rediff.com19 Mar 2019There is little sense in trying to find stocks that will not be vulnerable in a situation where 87% of the market is trending down and India is getting set for a crucial election, says Devangshu Datta.
Growing crops in space, reaping the benefits on Earth
Rediff.com3 Feb 2019The ongoing experiments on Moon, Mars and elsewhere could translate into better crop yields and hardier plants that could thrive in inhospitable parts of the world, says Devangshu Datta.