Dev Chatterjee, Amritha Pillay &Amp;Amp; Ishita Ayan Dutt

Stories by Dev Chatterjee, Amritha Pillay &Amp;Amp; Ishita Ayan Dutt

M&A Sees Sharp Decline in 2023

M&A Sees Sharp Decline in 2023

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2023

Bankers said the outlook of M&As in India in 2024, especially in the second half after the Lok Sabha election, seems relatively better.

Navi Mumbai international airport's commercial launch expected in Dec 2024

Navi Mumbai international airport's commercial launch expected in Dec 2024

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

The outer structure of Navi Mumbai International Airport's first terminal building is almost ready. Exactly behind the under-construction building, stands a partially demolished hill. Executives from the airport company are now hopeful the hill will be flattened by mid-January, paving the way for the first commercial take-off by December next year.

RIL's new energy business piques analysts' interest

RIL's new energy business piques analysts' interest

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2023

For the company's latest energy initiative to expand its green energy and storage portfolio, some analysts are beginning to suggest a closer look at some of its segments. In his address to shareholders in the company's FY22 annual report, billionaire Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of the company, said: "The green energy value holds great promise to outshine all our existing growth engines in just 5-7 years." The company has marked an investment of Rs 75,000 crore towards its new energy plans, which include solar energy value chain, green hydrogen, energy storage and other similar businesses.

100 deaths at BSE50 Companies

100 deaths at BSE50 Companies

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2023

74 of these fatalities were reported by 8 companies: Coal India (21), L&T (14), Vedanta (13, of which Hindustan Zinc reported 7), Tata Steel (7), Power Grid Corporation of India (7), JSW Steel (6), and ONGC (6).

Rs 8.45 trn & rising: Orders flood major capital goods firms

Rs 8.45 trn & rising: Orders flood major capital goods firms

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2023

India's leading capital goods and engineering firms are in the midst of one of their busiest seasons, with the combined orderbook surging past Rs 8 trillion in value. As on September 30, 2023, 13 of India's top 15 listed capital goods and engineering firms, for which data for the September 2023 quarter was available, had a total orderbook worth Rs 8.45 trillion - a number unseen at least since 2018-19. "This intuitively looks like an all-time high factoring in inflation," said Anupama Arora, a senior independent analyst who tracks the capital goods sector.

Adani Group net profit up 107% in first half of FY24 but sales slow down

Adani Group net profit up 107% in first half of FY24 but sales slow down

Rediff.com   1 Dec 2023

The net profit of the listed Adani group companies more than doubled year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in the first half of 2023-24 (H1FY24), even as their revenue declined in this period. The nine firms posted a 107.7 per cent jump in net profit at Rs 23,929 crore in April-September compared to the year-ago period. Net sales, on the other hand, were down 14 per cent to Rs 1.49 trillion in H1FY24, data collated by Business Standard showed.

Stock rally puts Gautam Adani back in world's 20 richest billionaires list

Stock rally puts Gautam Adani back in world's 20 richest billionaires list

Rediff.com   30 Nov 2023

Led by a $6.5 billion surge in personal net worth on Tuesday, Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, is back in the top 20 of the world's richest list and is now ranked 19th globally. Adani is also now India's second richest with a net worth of $66.7 billion as of Tuesday, per the Bloomberg Rich List, while Mukesh Ambani, chair of Reliance Industries, is ranked number one in India and number 13 in the world with a net worth of $89.5 billion.

Elections, festivities, and pollution weigh on India's cement demand

Elections, festivities, and pollution weigh on India's cement demand

Rediff.com   24 Nov 2023

India's cement demand has consistently shown double-digit growth over the past few quarters, primarily driven by infrastructure spending. However, dealers and industry executives note that state elections, festival season, and, in some markets, weddings and pollution may temporarily disrupt this demand story. While the festival season typically sees a slowdown in construction activity, some dealers anticipate this lull extending throughout the entire month as multiple states enter election mode.

Religare board rallies behind chairperson Saluja, defends her share sale

Religare board rallies behind chairperson Saluja, defends her share sale

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2023

The board of Religare Enterprises Ltd (REL) has rallied behind its embattled chairperson Rashmi Saluja, saying she had turned around the financial services company whose market cap has increased to about a billion dollars from under $100 million in March 2018. The board -- which is fending off an Rs 2,200 crore open offer by the Burman family -- said accusations had not only targeted Saluja but the entire Religare management that has made Religare debt free. "Our story has been one of resurgence under the guidance of the Board of Directors led by Saluja, executive chairman.

'Challenge for us is resource management'

'Challenge for us is resource management'

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2023

'The fact still remains that we will have to deliver, so the pressure is now on us to make sure we get our resources, our supplies lined up at acceptable costs.'

Will Tata Steel's global stride with new deal aid profitability?

Will Tata Steel's global stride with new deal aid profitability?

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2023

It was August 2007. Tata Steel was turning 100. Jamshedpur, its hometown, had an air of celebration. The line-up for the special event included the launch of Air Deccan's commercial flight connecting Kolkata and Jamshedpur, and release of Russi Lala's new book, Romance of Tata Steel. There was also the screening of The Spirit of Steel, a 20-minute documentary directed by Zafar Hai showcasing Tata Steel's legacy, and a corporate anthem penned by Javed Akhtar and composed by Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy.

Booked in Mahadev betting case, Dabur Group's Burmans deny charges

Booked in Mahadev betting case, Dabur Group's Burmans deny charges

Rediff.com   15 Nov 2023

The Burman family, which runs Dabur Group, has denied any involvement or role in an illegal cricket-betting app as alleged by the Mumbai police in a complaint filed last week. The family said vested interests were behind the police complaint and they wanted to scuttle their (Dabur's) move to acquire Religare Enterprises, a financial services company. "We have not received any formal communication on any such FIR

Vedanta in talks to raise upto $2.5 bn to repay overseas bondholders

Vedanta in talks to raise upto $2.5 bn to repay overseas bondholders

Rediff.com   9 Nov 2023

Vedanta Resources (VRL), the diversified mining company headquartered in London, is giving final touches to a plan to raise up to $2.5 billion (about Rs 20,800 crore) as debt repayment deadlines near. The company owned by billionaire Anil Agarwal plans to do this by a combination of instruments, including issuing preference shares in the holding company to a slew of offshore investors from West Asia, and taking on another loan to refinance older debt at a higher interest rate. VRL, which is the group's holding company, is also looking to sell part of its 63.71 per cent stake in the Indian listed subsidiary Vedanta Ltd to meet funding requirements, said a banker close to the development.

From Adani to Torrent, India Inc taps overseas funds for local M&As

From Adani to Torrent, India Inc taps overseas funds for local M&As

Rediff.com   1 Nov 2023

Foreign banks and private credit funds are queuing up to fund acquisitions by Indian companies who are buying out their local rivals. The Adani Group, Torrent Group, and the Hindujas have approached several foreign banks and private equity (PE) firms to fund their acquisitions. Global investors have about $2 trillion of funds to invest, and about $100 to $150 billion is set aside for India, according to an estimate by JP Morgan.

India Inc's capital expenditure to get lift from high capacity usage

India Inc's capital expenditure to get lift from high capacity usage

Rediff.com   31 Oct 2023

Capital expenditure by Indian companies is likely to see an uptick in the upcoming quarters as capacity utilisation has surpassed the critical threshold of 75 per cent, and numerous companies have deleveraged their balance sheets, according to analysts. The first quarter of the current financial year has shown improved profitability, driven by a decrease in input prices. This, according to analysts at Care Ratings, should stimulate a revival in the private capex cycle.

Crisis Brews In Darjeeling's Tea Gardens

Crisis Brews In Darjeeling's Tea Gardens

Rediff.com   23 Oct 2023

In the last three years, 20 gardens have changed hands, and 90 per cent of the buyers are from non-tea background.

Hindujas tap private credit, foreign banks for RCap buy

Hindujas tap private credit, foreign banks for RCap buy

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2023

The Hinduja group is learnt to be looking at alternative means of financing, including private credit, to fund its Rs 9,661 crore all-cash offer to acquire Reliance Capital. The regulator, Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India (Irdai), had earlier rejected the collateral offered by the group to raise funds. The Hinduja group was in talks with Barclays, JPMorgan, Cerberus Capital Management and Apollo Global Management to raise up to $850 million.

Number of women in blue-collar jobs increasing across manufacturing sector

Number of women in blue-collar jobs increasing across manufacturing sector

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2023

"Lady candidates need not apply." So read the postscript in a job notice from Telco (now Tata Motors) on a notice board in the corridors of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (now Bengaluru), in 1974. Irked, Sudha Murty, who was then pursuing her masters in computer science at the institute, wrote a postcard to JRD Tata, expressing her surprise at this gender discrimination, especially since the Tata Group were pioneers on many fronts. Shortly, Murty became the first woman on the firm's shop floor.

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2023

Corporate India is busy restructuring - through mergers, demergers and splits. That seems to be the new normal as CXOs and boards brainstorm on how to create assets and value. The pitch rose significantly during the third quarter of this financial year (FY24), translating into $32.9-billion worth of such deals - the highest quarterly total since the HDFC Bank-HDFC merger announced in FY22 Q2.

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

'IT companies do not have a large presence there either in terms of market and team. So, the impact of the war will be minimal. But West Asia is an emerging economy.'