While the stock markets across the world have fallen on the back of the credit crisis in Greece and its contagion effect, shipping rates for dry bulk carriers have firmed up since the development.
The European economic crisis could be an opportunity for Indian corporate houses. Leading investment bankers say assets, globally, are available at attractive valuations and the rise in domestic stock prices has added more strength to balance sheets of Indian companies.
Most economists say the impact on inflation could be substantial, considering that steel prices rose by over 9 per cent in the past year.
Japan's leading information technology services and solutions provider, NTT Data Corporation, has emerged as the most aggressive suitor for Indian software services firm Patni Computer Systems. NTT is in advanced talks with the promoters of Patni Computer to buy their combined 46.5 per cent stake, investment banking sources said.
"ArcelorMittal has shown interest in the stake buy and the due diligence will start soon," said an official familiar with the development. The Facor stock closed at Rs 23.5 a share on the Bombay Stock Exchange today. At the current price, the company has a market capitalisation of Rs 435 crore. However, the deal is expected at Rs 35 a share, about 50 per cent premium to the current market price.
Rendezvous Sports World, part of the consortium that owns Kochi franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL), may not be technically having the "sweat equity" that they claim to have.
Base metals have recorded a sharp rise in prices as global demand picks up. Rising alongside are the share prices of the leading metal companies in the country like Sterlite, National Aluminium Company and Hindustan Zinc.
Setting up business in China has never been easy, with the constraints such as language, vast differences in cultural experiences and a form of government radically different from most of the western and Latin American countries where Indian businesses have firmly established themselves.
The company is already in talks with Indian oil refiners to buy paraxylene which is developed from naphtha, a refining byproduct. The company plans to use paraxylene as a raw material to make purified terephthalic acid (PTA), a petrochemical product used in polyester and plastic.
The churn in investment banks, though less muted than in the heydays of 2007, is gathering speed. "The pent-up desire to move is very high at the moment," says R Suresh, managing director at head hunting firm Stanton Chase.
Cross-border deals are back after a brief lull in 2009. And, investment bankers say 2010 is going to be the year of outbound deals.
A study of 435 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, which provide their capital-employed data on a quarterly basis, shows capex grew by a meagre 3.4 per cent in the nine months ending December 2009, compared to the level in March 2009.
Tata Steel plans to expand capacity to 10 million tonnes at Jamshedpur by August 2011 from 6.8 million tonnes.
Vedika Bhandarkar, managing director & head of investment banking, recounts how even in a supposedly bad year, the bank raised about Rs 1,00,000 crore (Rs 1,000 billion).
The annual report also mentions Tata Sons is obligated to buy the stake at the higher end of fair value or 50 per cent of the subscription purchase price.
M&M is preparing a plan for carbon 'footprinting' of all group companies. That includes carbon emissions made even during air travel by employees.
Aluminium producers are pleasantly surprised, as the price of the base metal reached a 14-month high of $2,188 per tonne this week despite the absence of any surge in consumption.
India saw one of the worst terrorist attacks in November last year, when Mumbai was under siege for four days. Little under a year later, Indians perceive rising food prices as a bigger threat than terrorism.
Till a few months ago, hiring was a strict no-no for investment banks. On the contrary, they were scaling back staffing plans in India given the dearth of merger and acquisition activity and stagnant capital markets.That is changing rapidly with a rising number of deals fuelled by strong growth in the markets and an improving economic environment.
Last month saw 30 companies filing their draft red herring prospectuses with the market regulator for initial public offers , a sharp increase from six in August and three in July this year. The Securities and Exchange Board of India received eight filings in September last year, the month the Lehman Brothers meltdown brought the world economy to its knees.
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