5 stories from the world of business that bring me joy

1) Google Pixel: I love all news about gadgets and gizmos. And the fact that Google came out with a new flagship to take on iPhone is, of course, tremendously exciting! Had a lot of fun reading about how it stacks up against both with the iPhone as well as with the best Android flagships.

2) Sensex hits two-week high: Who doesn’t like it when the stock markets are going up? It shows that the markets are once again beginning to get bullish about the immediate future of the economy and the companies.

3) Consumer spending: If you read, "The Boom Returns" (BT cover story) and the Diwali bonanza from the e-tailers, it shows how consumer spending is back with a bang again. And it gives a fairly good view of things that are moving off the shelves really fast. Finally, it shows why the economy might be keep growing fast.

4) GST can be paid by debit/credit card: We are finally taking major steps towards reducing the black money economy. First, GST itself reduces incentives to avoid taxes. Second, the card economy becoming bigger will cut down on the cash economy size.

5) The AT&T takeover of Time Warner for $85 billion: It is exciting at two levels. First, it shows that the big mergers and acquisitions are back again. Second, it shows a new direction for the media.