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Cryptos: Boom, Bust, Bubble?

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When I’d first heard of cryptos, specifically Bitcoin – I was both in awe and envy for the character I imagined having held onto these tokens for nearly a decade. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. Despite the fairly obvious name: Cryptocurrency; the internet has mostly focused on it as a vehicle to quick riches. Fast-forward to around three years later, and I’m currently learning my ropes in crypto, reporting the current conditions, and still discovering more about the ever-changing landscape with varying factors every day. However, what hasn’t quite changed is the scenery amongst retail investors. What has changed however – is the number of people interested. It’s more than it was when I’d first heard of it.   Should You Crypto? In an accepted sense – any object, tangible or otherwise, has value as long as a substantial set of people agree on the same. That is how our fiat currencies work these days, with the US Dollar finally de-linked from gold. That is how a lot of al...

A Beginner’s Guide to Investing: ASSET CLASSES

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by Anirban Chakroborti Chances are, you’ve just come into a lot of money and don’t know what to do with it. Or, you probably earn well every month, but want to squirrel it away conservatively. However, every now and then, you hear these people dressed sharp as a knife, say, “Made all my money in the market”. But that’s just one. There’s always one guy at the party who says how he raked in the big bucks on one day and maybe bought that smart watch you have long eyed. If you are thinking of going that line – pinch yourself hard and run the other way as fast as you can. While the discussion on money can go on for hours and would require more than just one blog post, here’s a piece of advice for anyone who has to work hard to earn their money and has a day-time job: think of investing, not trading. Investing is when you decide to buy a certain financial product for a long-time, displaying your confidence in the product with the hope that it performs well in the coming future. However...

Afghans: Do they know a Home anymore?

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by Anirban Chakroborti   “It was very difficult to leave my country,” a veiled woman remembered in Doha, Qatar. “I love my country.” But this is just one of the many similar sounding statements. Amidst the pace at which the Kabul takeover by the Taliban forces occurred before all US troops could even pull-out – one that is too tough for most of the world to process nearly a week after the horrifying videos surfaced on all social platforms – the ones at the centre of this catastrophe, the Afghans, remain just a number, or a stray image in our heads. The video of a man grappling onto an aircraft’s fuselage only to fall to his death mid-air is more than just a cheap attempt at a green card. It cries of desperation, a cry for survival as decades old images from the previous Taliban regime resurface in the haunted citizens’ eyes. As most of the world debates about the geo-political ramifications of this government takeover, with neighbours such as China, having on-going BRI p...

Financial Tips for Every College Student

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Anirban Chakroborti   As educational institutions gradually reopen across the country, many students will again be returning to their college towns, and their ‘broke’ lives – a common euphemism used casually across the internet and social circles, to tell a deeper truth - financial struggles that have come to characteristically define college life for most students. While the stereotype has percolated over the ages, the current generation of students exhibit a more prudent attitude towards money. As college life no more resembles the image of loaned teas at the canteen, we bring you five easy ways to be financially responsible and comfortable as a student:   1.       Watch Your Spends – Especially with Digital Wallets   An age old advice that is ever relevant, it is important for students to analyse their spending habits and distinguish between needs and wants. With multiple social scenarios being a natural for college students, it is esse...