In this week’s wrap-up, we talk about the government’s bold move to potentially privatise nuclear energy, the revamped PLFS, why the stock market might be the most powerful force in the economy. We also dive into the RBI vs Finance Ministry’s battle over cash and talk about Borana Weaves, a Surat-based company that’s spinning profits out of grey fabric and launched its IPO this week.

And in our markets edition, we decode The Leela Hotels IPO and see how luxury hospitality stacks up. Click here to read the entire markets story.

With that out of the way, let’s recap what we wrote over the week, shall we?

Understanding PLFS

For decades, India’s job data had a timing problem. Rural employment was tracked just once a year. Urban numbers were patchy. And real-time policy decisions often felt like guesswork.

But all that’s changing. From April 2025, the revamped Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) will give us monthly data across both rural and urban India. That means sharper insights, faster tweaks to policy and a better chance at fixing gaps like low female participation and youth unemployment.

But will this monthly upgrade truly fix India’s employment blind spots? 

Check out the Monday newsletter to find out.

The Borana Weaves IPO

It doesn’t sell designer sarees or branded dresses. Just unfinished cloth or grey fabric. The kind used by everyone from exporters to dyeing houses.

Yet, Borana Weaves hit the markets with a ₹145 crore IPO this week. The company has grown its profits 13x in two years and earns healthy margins. But with high subsidies, a single-state focus and a commoditised product, the story isn’t wrinkle-free.

We take a look at this as well as the grey fabric textile industry in our Tuesday’s story.

RBI’s risk buffer dilemma

The RBI is asking for a bigger Contingency Risk Buffer (CRB), which is basically its rainy-day fund. But the Finance Ministry is eyeing a larger dividend payout from the RBI, especially with defence spending and geopolitics heating up.

Now, this may sound like accounting. But it could shake up liquidity, inflation and market yields. And the tension rose ahead of the RBI board meeting.

So is the central bank being too cautious? Or is the government asking for too much?

We lay it all out in Wednesday’s newsletter.

Is India about to privatise atomic energy?

For 70 years, only the government could run nuclear reactors in India. But a new amendment to the Atomic Energy Act might change that.

Private players like Adani and L&T could soon build nuclear plants. Foreign companies too. The goal? A 12x jump in atomic energy capacity by 2047 to help India phase out coal and hit clean power targets.

But are we ready for this nuclear leap and the risks it brings with it?

You can check out Thursday's story to know more.

Why equity markets bounce back… almost every time

In 2008, 2020 and even 2025. Every time markets crashed, governments scrambled. Bailouts. Rate cuts. Regulatory action. Confidence boosts.

That’s because the market isn’t just a mirror of the economy. It also shapes policies, alters sentiment and drives economic outcomes.

Friday’s story talks about how this plays out in India, what history tells us and whether the belief that markets “always bounce back” actually holds water. 

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Here’s your chance to win some exclusive Finshots merch. All you have to do is click on this 👉🏽 link, answer all the questions correctly by 12 noon on May 30, 2025 (Friday) and tune in to our Sunday newsletter aka Sunny Side Up next week to check if you got lucky.

That’s it from us this week. Have a great weekend!

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