While regulations do not oblige instant messaging platforms to share user-specific information with SEBI, the latter has the right to information, especially when possession and circulation of unpublished price-sensitive information has violated listing/trading norms. The norms mandate a uniform disclosure of market information via stock exchanges only.

The social media ought to respect the integrity of a market regulator seeking specific information on a need-to-know basis to track the culpable traders and beneficiaries of insider-trading. It is important that national bourses proactively surveil social media platforms to prevent leakage of information. Simultaneously, these platforms must be assured of no undue penal consequences for unconditional cooperation.

New Delhi

While it’s heartening to note that private consumption expenditure accounted for 50 to 60 per cent of GDP in the December 2017 quarter, it’s not surprising in a country like India where the marginal propensity to consumerism is high. Inflation will have negligible impact on aggregate demand in the economy. Still, it is hoped that gross domestic fixed capital formation constitutes a higher percentage of GDP than private consumption expenditure to ensure the real growth of the economy.

Chennai

This refers to ’Trump’s trade wars’ by Paran Balakrishnan (From the Viewsroom, March 5). President Trump’s decision to impose high tariff duty on imported steel and aluminium will have a cascading effect on global trade practice. It also violates the convention of multilateralism. The WTO must send a strong message to make the US realise the importance of international trade and taxation understanding. This act undermines the free trade culture and will instigate undesirable trade wars. A reciprocal taxation system will only disturb the trade harmony.

The global trading world had supported the US economy during the 2008 financial crisis; there was no protectionism. US parochialism today, however, is threatening to dislodge the global market balance.

Gulbarga Karnataka

Not demonetisation nor GST nor banking scams prevented the BJP from a stellar performance in the North-East. The political relevance of the left appears to be diminishing. The political scenario has taken a full turn with the BJP sitting pretty like the Congress prior to 1967. Despite setbacks in some by-lections, the results show there is no one to match Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi is perceived as a poor substitute.

Chennai

The way voters made their choice in the assembly elections in the three NE states marks a paradigm shift in their perception of the BJP. The message is that the young electorate will vote for a party committed to development and having the credibility to ensure it. However, this is not a carta blanca for the BJP. If its overzealous members continue to overplay the Hindutva card and threaten the minorities, its good work in other areas may go unnoticed, unlike in the NE.

Pune

The BJP won 35, 11 and 2 seats on its own with 43, 15.3 and 9.6 per cent vote-share in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya respectively. This comes to a total of 48 out of 178 Assembly seats and an average of 22.6 per cent vote-share in the three States accounting for 5 Lok Sabha seats. No doubt the BJP has reason to celebrate, but to hype it up as if it were a good gauge of the national mood appears to verge on misplaced enthusiasm and euphoria. How the Assembly results qualify to be described as ’saffron surge’, ’saffron sweep’, ’stand-out performance’ and ’conquest of north-east’ is not quite clear.

The results are not a reliable barometer of the popular mood at the national level. Nor are they likely to neutralise the growing dissatisfaction with the Government.

 06 Mar 2018, 07:04 AM