Equipoise - The economics club of IIM Ahmedabad

Do you like to use or would like to use strategies to win?

If you do, then get ready to stretch your mind to outwit your opponents.

The Indian Game Theory Society, in collaboration with Equipoise - The economics club of IIM Ahmedabad present to you “Stratazenith – strategize to reach the zenith”!

Stratazenith is a strategy based event modelled on game theory.

Event details:

Games will have problem statements based on simple real-life situations each having multiple rounds. After each round, the participants will be informed about their scores using which they can observe the behaviour of their opponents and strategize accordingly to maximise their scores.

You don’t need to have any prior knowledge to participate in the event.

Team size: 2

You only need to carry a pen.

Prizes worth INR 4,000 to be won!

Venue: CR7, New Campus, IIM Ahmedabad

Date: 25th February, Sunday

Time: 2:00 to 4:30pm

Predicting a growth rate in the range of 7-7.5 %, the recently tabled Economic Survey of India warns about the signs of uncertain growth. While the positive signs largely derive from structural policy fixes like the GST and the bankruptcy code, uncertainty over oil prices is likely to keep the growth volatile. One of the unique aspects of this Economic Survey is that it derives a significantly large chunk of its predictions by leveraging the power of big data, thus signalling the potential of big data to be used in policy making and analysis. Read out more at

Indian economy expected to grow at 7-7.5% in FY19: Economic Survey The Economic Survey authored by CEA Arvind Subramanian said the Indian economy is likely to grow at 6.75% in 2017-18 against 6.5% estimated by the CSO

We congratulate ISRO for successfully launching the India's 100th satellite Cartostat-2 in the sun synchronous orbit. Clearly, sky is not the limit for ISRO and for India. Here's a piece of analysis by Sumit Singare in the second edition of our newsletter taking a telescopic view of the $323 billion space economy.

Bringing to you the second edition of our newsletter , we take you closer to understanding the much fancy 'Bank Recapitalisation' initiative by the Government of India. Nishant Shah explains how Indian PSBs sitting on a pile of Rs. 10 lakh crore of NPAs are being rescued by the government's plans of pumping in Rs 135,000 crore to save the troubled PSBs. PSBs may well be the only buyers of the recapitalisation bonds and the government intends to use the capital thus raised to buy equity stakes in the banks. Sounds strange? Read out more to find the hidden challenges associated with it.

Merry Christmas!
Bah, Humbug, such dead weight loss!🤔

How do economists view Christmas? It’s doubtful if economists practice what their dismal doctrine preaches, perhaps they realize that the welfare gains of not giving gifts would be more than offset by the welfare losses of being lynched

Financial jargon probably gets to most of us. But the movie 'The Big Short' spells everything out. How events leading up to the 2008 crisis progressed, and how 4 individuals made a killing out of it.

Based on Michael Lewis’ book of the same name, this movie shows how certain individuals did foresee the crisis coming, and how they were smart enough to make ‘The Big Short’. When banks thought they were too big to fail and their greed surpassed their ability to foresee the consequences of their actions, we got this brilliant movie starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt (not to forget the 5 trillion dollars worth of losses, 8 million people losing jobs and 6 million losing their homes in the US itself).

Do watch it. It’s comedy in tragedy.

“Why do you think there isn't a more systematic investigation being undertaken?”

“Because then you will find the culprits!”

The reasons for the financial meltdown of 2008 aren’t that complicated. The greed of bankers. The greed of regulators. The greed of rating agencies. And a planet held hostage. Matt Damon’s unsympathetic narration coupled with Charles Ferguson’s superb research and blunt interviews tell you how massive private gains were made as subprime mortgages were given the highest of ratings and then passed on to innocent investors. When the dominoes started falling, these very investors bore losses while banks virtually emerged scar free (Of course, with the exception of yours truly)
It could have been avoided. And unless we mend our ways, history will repeat itself. The culprits are still at large. In your newspapers, and your living rooms.
Witness the award winning masterpiece 'The Inside Job' beautifully detailing the unfolding of events which led to the Sub Prime crisis.

In line with the market expectations, the Monetary Policy Committee of RBI kept the repo rate unchanged in view of upside inflation risks while maintaining a neutral policy stance. Not changing policy outlook to a hawkish stance also means that the negative output gap between actual and potential economic output is on radar of the growth objective of the RBI. The central bank has a medium-term consumer price index-based (CPI-based) inflation target of 4%. Find out more at

RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 6%, maintains neutral policy stance RBI’s monetary policy committee keeps the key interest rate unchanged as it feared that inflation may top the central bank’s medium-term target of 4%

Can economics see people as seekers of fairness rather than simply rational beings? Few Nobel Laureates since 1988 have been in the field of behavioural economics. The recent award to Thaler reinforces the rise of the heretics. Read more @ Livemint.com

Alternate link:http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/DBIIjQADmyXYzYF9UEsBPK/The-rise-and-rise-of-behavioural-economics.html

The rise and rise of behavioural economics Behavioural economists are one part of the broader project to reframe human motivation in economics

Prof Thaler's work led to the UK setting up a "nudge unit" under former prime minister Davin Cameron to find innovative ways of changing public behaviour!

Read more about this year's Nobel Laureate in Economics, Prof Richard Thaler here:

'Nudge' economist Thaler wins Nobel Prize US economist Richard Thaler is a founding father of behavioural economics and pioneered "nudge" theory.

RBI’s six-member monetary policy committee keeps interest rates unchanged at 6% because it anticipates upside risks to retail inflation

RBI keeps key policy rate unchanged at 6%, lowers FY18 growth projections RBI’s six-member monetary policy committee keeps interest rates unchanged at 6% because it anticipates upside risks to retail inflation