Krishna Kant And Sachin P Mampatta

Stories by Krishna Kant And Sachin P Mampatta

Sebi probe reports cast shadow on Jhunjhunwala's holdings

Sebi probe reports cast shadow on Jhunjhunwala's holdings

Rediff.com   29 Jan 2020

Reports suggested that stock market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), is looking into the allegations of insider trading in the shares of Aptech, a computer training company in which Jhunjhunwala is a promoter. An email sent to Jhunjhunwala on the allegations did not immediately receive a response.

Falling sales add a new worry to corporates: Rising inventory

Falling sales add a new worry to corporates: Rising inventory

Rediff.com   26 Jan 2020

Net sales growth for the quarter ended December (Q3FY20) was 4.5 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis for companies that have declared their results so far, compared to an 8.4 per cent rise in the first half of the financial year. This indicates that there could be a further rise in days' sales of inventory.

Rupee one of the worst performers among its Asian peers

Rupee one of the worst performers among its Asian peers

Rediff.com   23 Jan 2020

The Indian rupee is down nearly 2 per cent against the US dollar since the beginning of January 2019. Experts attribute the Indian rupee's relatively poor performance to a sharper-than-expected fall in economic growth in India.

FMCG stocks lose sheen, valuation declines to 11-year low

FMCG stocks lose sheen, valuation declines to 11-year low

Rediff.com   16 Jan 2020

The country's top FMCG stocks, such as Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Nestl, Britannia, Godrej Consumer Products, and Dabur, among others, are currently trading at around 41x their trailing 12-month earnings, down from their peak P/E multiple of around 48x at the end of December 2018.

Airtel launches $2-bn share sale to pay AGR dues

Airtel launches $2-bn share sale to pay AGR dues

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2020

This is the biggest equity-raising exercise by an Indian corporate within a financial year. The fundraising - led by Citibank, Goldman, Kotak and Axis Capital as bankers - will see participation by foreign and domestic institutional investors.

Rich list shrinks, but top 10 add $40 billion to wealth

Rich list shrinks, but top 10 add $40 billion to wealth

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2019

Richest 10 account for 41% of promoter wealth, up from 33% in December 2018, says Krishna Kant.

As benchmark indices scale fresh peak, Sensex valuation nears 20-year high

As benchmark indices scale fresh peak, Sensex valuation nears 20-year high

Rediff.com   24 Dec 2019

The Sensex is on course to ending calendar year (CY) 2019 at a price-earnings (P/E) multiple of 29x, the highest in 25 years. Current valuations are, however, lower than those seen in the early 1990s. The Sensex has risen close to 14 per cent in the last 12 months, while the index underlying EPS dropped 6.7 per cent during the period.

Companies with worst corporate governance scores

Companies with worst corporate governance scores

Rediff.com   19 Dec 2019

Recently listed companies scored 54, compared to 58 for the BSE100 firms and 61 for entities in the Sensex pack. The report noted that issues remain in IPO companies in which there seems to be a need to institutionalise governance practices.

CSR spends and the menace of ghost beneficiaries

CSR spends and the menace of ghost beneficiaries

Rediff.com   16 Dec 2019

Ghost beneficiaries aren't the only kind of issue companies face during a period of unprecedented CSR spending, touching nearly Rs 12,000 crore in 2018-19. Frauds related to procurement, construction, and end-use of funds have had companies engaging forensic auditors to keep tabs on how money is spent, revealed conversations with those involved in such investigations. Firms are also increasingly strengthening their own capabilities to better implement their programmes.

CSR spend by listed companies highest-ever in FY19

CSR spend by listed companies highest-ever in FY19

Rediff.com   13 Dec 2019

The biggest spend (Rs 4,406 crore) was for Schedule VII (II), which involves "promoting education, including special education and employment enhancing vocation skills, especially among children, women, elderly and the differently abled and livelihood enhancement projects". The FY19 spend was 17.2 per cent higher than Rs 1,0128.3 crore spent during the previous year.

Indian hedge funds way behind Asian peers

Indian hedge funds way behind Asian peers

Rediff.com   10 Dec 2019

Indian funds did better than Asian ones in only four of the 10 months -- till October. Despite much market optimism, presumably around policy interventions and guided by buoyant flows, India's macro backdrop may be turning for the worse.

Airtel is one of the most-loved large-cap stocks on the bourses

Airtel is one of the most-loved large-cap stocks on the bourses

Rediff.com   28 Nov 2019

The company has a valuation of Rs 2.22 trillion, up from Rs 1.33 trillion a year ago.

India Inc is hiring more contract workers these days

India Inc is hiring more contract workers these days

Rediff.com   25 Nov 2019

Lower cost and easier termination may well be among the reasons that companies seek to have employees on contract. The share of employees on contract has increased to 57.3 per cent of the total workforce this year as compared to 53.7 per cent in the previous year.

Why India Inc is unwilling to hire women

Why India Inc is unwilling to hire women

Rediff.com   22 Nov 2019

The lack of a strong diversity policy on the part of companies, a limited pool of women candidates as well as socio-cultural factors contribute to their low numbers.

If Voda-Idea goes belly-up, shareholders will lose Rs 1.68 trillion

If Voda-Idea goes belly-up, shareholders will lose Rs 1.68 trillion

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2019

Collapse of the mobile operator could translate into total loss of nearly Rs 44,000 crore for the AV Birla group.

5 superstar investors end Samvat 2075 with tepid gains

5 superstar investors end Samvat 2075 with tepid gains

Rediff.com   4 Nov 2019

While Rakesh Jhunjhunwala is up 14.9% during the year to Rs 12,381 cr, Ashish Dhawan is up 68.4% to Rs 810 cr, Ashish Kacholia is down 23.4% to Rs 515 cr, Rajiv and Dolly Khanna are down 74.6% to Rs 116 cr and Vijay Kedia is down 6.2% to Rs 294 cr.

R&D spend: Auto, pharma top the list

R&D spend: Auto, pharma top the list

Rediff.com   31 Oct 2019

The biggest spender was Tata Motors, with Rs 4,224.6 crore assigned under the R&D head.

Economic slowdown makes small investors turn net sellers

Economic slowdown makes small investors turn net sellers

Rediff.com   14 Oct 2019

Session-wise data indicates small investors have taken money off the table in more sessions than they have pumped in additional capital.

India Inc still reeling under the menace of data theft

India Inc still reeling under the menace of data theft

Rediff.com   9 Oct 2019

Around 41 per cent of these companies saw such instances, compared to the global average of 29 per cent. India's number is higher than other countries such as the United States (26 per cent), the United Kingdom (32 per cent) and Japan (27 per cent). It is also worse than other emerging markets. China had 39 per cent of firms affected by data theft. It was 19 per cent and 16 per cent for Brazil and Russia, respectively.

LIC's investment in private sector at 16-year low

LIC's investment in private sector at 16-year low

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2019

This is despite the private sector companies outperforming their public sector counterparts, reports Sachin P Mampatta.