Major commodity exchanges and its impact in India

 Major global exchanges for gold and silver trading operate during the following windows in Indian Standard Time (IST). These timings are critical for Indian traders as they dictate when domestic prices are most volatile.

Major Global Exchanges (IST)

The global bullion market runs nearly 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday. 

• Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM): Opens at 5:30 am IST and runs until 11:30 am IST, with a second session later in the day.
• Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE): The morning session begins around 7:00 am IST.
• London Bullion Market (LBMA): Active trading typically begins at 1:30 pm IST and continues until 10:30 pm IST.
  • Gold Fixes: Occur twice daily at 4:00 pm and 8:30 pm IST.
  • Silver Fix: Occurs once daily at 5:30 pm IST.
• COMEX (New York): Electronic trading is nearly continuous, but the most active session opens at 6:30 pm IST and runs until 3:30 am IST the following day. 

Indian Market: Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX)

MCX is the primary exchange for gold and silver trading in India. 

• Morning Session: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm IST.
• Evening Session: 5:00 pm to 11:30 pm IST (summer) or 11:55 pm IST (winter, to align with US Daylight Saving changes). 

Market Impacts in India

1. Opening Volatility (9:00 am IST): MCX opens by reacting to the overnight moves in New York and the early morning developments in Asian markets (Tokyo/Shanghai).
2. Increased Liquidity (1:30 pm IST): Volatility often increases as the London market opens, which sets the global benchmark for physical gold.
3. Peak Volatility (6:30 pm – 10:30 pm IST): This is the most critical period for Indian traders. The "Golden Cross" occurs when London and New York sessions overlap while MCX is in its evening session. Major US economic data (inflation, jobs reports) is released during this window, causing sharp price swings. 

Why Oil-Rich Countries Often Underperform in the Long Run

The paradox of easy wealth, weak nations, and the silent advantage of scarcity

For decades, oil has been viewed as the ultimate economic blessing. A natural lottery ticket. Black gold beneath the soil promising prosperity, power, and permanence.

And yet, history tells a far more uncomfortable story.

Many of the world’s most oil-rich countries — Venezuela, Nigeria, Iraq, Angola, Libya — have underperformed economically, politically, and socially over long periods. Meanwhile, countries with little or no natural resources — Japan, South Korea, Germany, Taiwan — have built resilient, innovative, and wealthy societies.

This contradiction is known as the resource curse. But the phrase understates what is really happening.

This is not a curse.
It is a structural distortion.