The Invisible Ceiling: What the Bitcoin Consensus Isn't Pricing
Bitcoin crossed $95,000 in Q1 2026. The ETF complex now holds over 1.1 million BTC. Every institutional metric reads bullish. The hindrance is invisible — and it is structural. The fintech stack that was supposed to carry Bitcoin into mainstream payments finance is quietly working against it.
Your bank is about to get much bigger — and you did not vote for it
UniCredit just made a €35 billion bid for Commerzbank. BBVA completed its takeover of Sabadell after a year of political resistance. European banking consolidation — promised for a decade, blocked at every turn — is finally happening. SB Research looked past the deal mechanics and asked the question nobody in the financial press is asking: what does this mean for the person with a current account, a mortgage, and a small business loan? The answer is more complicated than either the banks or their critics want you to believe.
Gold at $5,000: The Metal That Broke Every Old Rule
Gold has done something in the past 18 months that even its most ardent bulls didn't predict — it has decoupled from the traditional playbook entirely. Rising real rates didn't kill it. A strong dollar didn't dent it. And now, with the Middle East in crisis and central banks buying at a pace not seen in modern history, the question is no longer whether gold hits $5,000. It's whether that's the floor or the ceiling.
The rate-cut party is over — now comes the harder part of Indian fixed income
The RBI delivered 125 basis points of cuts through 2025. The 10-year gilt is stuck at 6.7%. Bloomberg deferred India's Global Aggregate inclusion to mid-2026. The borrowing programme for FY2027 came in 18% above estimates. And the yield curve is steepening at precisely the wrong moment. SB Research mapped the full Indian fixed income landscape — the supply shock hiding in plain sight, the Bloomberg deferral's real meaning, the corporate bond opportunity the market is mispricing, and what the barbell actually looks like in practice for 2026.
The world in 2026 — four macro forces that will define the next eighteen months
The Fed is cutting but yields are not falling. The RBI has delivered 125 basis points of easing but the rupee hit 90. India is growing at 7.4% but nominal GDP is at a six-year low. Global tariffs are softening but trade fragmentation is accelerating. SB Research mapped the four structural forces reshaping the global macro landscape in 2026 — and what they mean for Indian investors who are watching the wrong numbers.
Stablecoins go mainstream
Stablecoin transaction volume exceeded $27.6 trillion in 2025 — surpassing Visa and Mastercard combined. Regulatory frameworks in the EU and US are finally catching up. SB Research mapped the corridor-by-corridor adoption curve and found that the infrastructure thesis has quietly won. Here is what comes next for fintechs, banks, and the correspondent banking system they are replacing.
AI Capex Bubble or Boom?
The five largest tech companies will spend $602 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026 — but AI services generate only $100 billion in actual revenue. SB Finance Research ran the capex-to-revenue ratio across every major technology investment cycle of the past 150 years. The ratio today is not just high. It is the highest since 1999.
Inside the Most Disruptive Supply Shock Since the 1970s
Brent crude has surged past $107 a barrel as the Strait of Hormuz sits effectively closed following US-Israeli strikes on Iran. With 20% of global oil supply unable to move, markets are navigating their most serious supply disruption in modern history — and the fallout is just beginning.
Momentum Investing: How Price Trends Drive Returns
Momentum is one of the most robust anomalies in finance. Stocks that have outperformed in the past 3-12 months tend to continue outperforming. Here's why it works — and when it breaks.
Nifty: Key Levels to Watch This Week
A technical breakdown of Nifty 50 support and resistance zones heading into the weekly expiry.