Nachiket Kelkar

FIIs bullish on monsoon, reform hopes

As buyers go online, Arvind, Tata jump on e-com bandwagon

After Kotak, Piramal to set up fund to bail stressed assets

Billionaire industrialist Ajay Piramal-led Piramal Enterprises plans to set up a fund to invest in stressed assets in the country for which it is in talks with global fund houses.

Gold regains shine as investors put money in the yellow metal

Many people wrote-off gold in 2014 and 2015 as investors turned to equity markets and domestic mutual fund investments surged. Globally, too, foreign investors started moving investments back to the US to the safety of the dollar, following volatility in emerging markets from the slump in crude oil and metals.

Patanjali’s thrust pushes FMCG rivals into ayurveda mode

Well-entrenched FMCG companies are having to rethink their strategy due to Patanjali Ayurved’s runwaya commercial success

HUL likely to report volume growth, but revenue likely to dip

Hindustan Unilever or HUL, the largest fast moving consumer goods company in India, is likely to report a volume growth of around 6%, in line with the growth reported in the last three quarters, while the overall revenue could be lower by 4-5% due to price cuts.

Gold sales set to increase this Akshaya Tritiya

Gold sales are likely to go up on Akshaya Tritiya this year, inspite of the rise in prices of the precious metal, as there is a lot of pent up demand in the market following the recent 45-day strike, according to jewellers and market analysts.

Now, order your Starbucks coffee on mobile

In the US, 25% of the transactions happen over the Starbucks app, through which one can locate nearby outlets, order and pay it using the Starbucks card. The coffee can then be collected by the customer. This service is the first of its kind in India and Starbucks is confident of a strong response once the app is launched sometime this year.

In Mumbai, jewellers divided over strike against hike in excise duty

After the 42-day strike against the government’s proposed 1% excise duty was called off on April 12, many went back on a three-day strike from Monday, demanding rollback of proposed levy.

IPOs in India likely to raise $5 billion in 2016

The Indian primary market will see a number of public issues this year estimated to raise close to $5 billion.

After stellar results, Infy surges in trade

Infosys’ shares surged over 8% to a record high in intra-day trading on Monday after the software services exporter surprised positively on its strong guidance for 2016-17 fiscal. Analysts believe the guidance coming on top of good growth over the last fiscal year, suggest it’s getting back its bellwether tag and the stock valuations could rerate over the next 12-months.

TCS shares fall 2% on $940-million fine in US

According to the lawsuit, TCS’ employees fraudulently accessed its software, which was then used to develop a rival product. TCS said it will contest the verdict

Brick and mortar firms unite to oppose FDI violations by e-tailers

Despite recent government clarifications on foreign direct investment (FDI) in e-commerce and the definition of a marketplace model, online companies continue to flout rules, organised retailers have said.

‘We are likely to acquire more abroad than in India’

In an exclusive interview with HT, Godrej Group chairman Adi Godrej talks about the global ambitions of Godrej Consumer Products, and also shares his thoughts on the growth in the domestic market amid emergence of new players such as Patanjali. Excerpts

Reliance Retail ventures into fashion e-commerce, launches Ajio

Reliance Retail, an arm of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries that is the largest modern retailer, joined the fashion e-commerce race with the launch of portal ajio.com.

SBI may revalue Mallya’s Kingfisher House in Mumbai to attract bidders

The actual value of Kingfisher House, the former headquarters of the defunct Kingfisher Airlines, was pegged at a little more than Rs 50 crore — about a third of the reserve price that SBI Caps had fixed at Thursday’s auction.

Tata Group to raise investments in defence business

Defence is one of the 25 thrust areas under the NDA government’s Make in India initiative. It has also eased foreign investment norms to 49% through automatic route.

Microsoft sees big cloud business from Indian banks

Technology giant Microsoft sees big growth opportunities in the cloud market in India, particularly in financial services where companies are increasingly focusing on technology and offering digital services.

Profit blues ahead for firms, earnings downgraded 21%

The average earnings per share estimates of some of India’s top companies have been downgraded by 21%, the sharpest since 2008 when the financial crisis stemming from the collapse of Lehman Brothers eroded margins of most of the world’s large companies.

Reforms on the way to help bleeding banks, says Jaitley

The government could likely bring in big-ticket reforms in banking soon, and may announce specific measures to address the problems faced by the industry, which has been reeling under bad loans.

Stock market rout dents market capital of top business families

Four of India’s top business families saw their wealth erode sharply this week amid a stock market rout triggered by concerns of a global slowdown, and a looming bad loan crisis in state-run banks.

Ashok Leyland plans to exit joint venture with John Deere

In 2009, Ashok Leyland formed a 50:50 joint venture with US-based John Deere for earth moving equipment business and the first product was launched in November 2011

Mahindra to relook at car design as taxi apps take root

With cab services getting better and convenient, auto sales volume will be affected as apps are making mobility easier, says executive director of Mahindra Group Pawan Goenka.

Brokerages see Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali as threat for Colgate products

Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved has now caught the interest of top brokerages of which two have issued reports describing how the home-grown personal care company is gaining market share at the expense of multinational giant Colgate Palmolive India.

Fed over for now, market eyes domestic cues for road ahead

As India’s equity and currency markets took the US interest rate hike in their stride, the focus shifted back to domestic factors.

Carmakers say SC’s diesel ban in Delhi may hit expansion plans

The Supreme Court ban on diesel vehicles in Delhi will hurt companies like Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Toyota Kirloskar and luxury car makers like Mercedes Benz, which have a sizeable portfolio of vehicles in the diesel segment.

Economy to do well in near term despite US rate hike fears: Experts

Even as the global economy continues to grapple with recession, the economy is likely to grow by 7.9% next fiscal year despite negatives stemming from a probable US rate hike, including Credit Suisse, DBS, Goldman Sachs have said.

Edelweiss, Milestone eye $1.1-billion realty investment in India

Edelweiss Alternative Asset Advisors and Milestone Capital are together raising about $1.1 billion (Rs 7,200 crore) to invest in the country’s real estate.

REITs still stuck in development after more than one year

Investment vehicle hit by deterrents such as dividend distribution tax and a lack of clarity on MAT.

Weak rupee set to boost earnings margins for IT firms

The July-September quarter has always been considered financially good for Indian IT companies, and with a weak rupee further boosting exports this time around, sales and margins are likely to be more lucrative.