Krishna Kant, Shine Jacob &Amp;Amp; Sachin P Mampatta

Stories by Krishna Kant, Shine Jacob &Amp;Amp; Sachin P Mampatta

Post Budget, companies likely to change dividend tax policy

Post Budget, companies likely to change dividend tax policy

Rediff.com   10 Feb 2020

An analysis of S&P BSE 500 companies suggests that promoters of Indian private-sector companies in particular could end up paying at least 20 per cent more as additional tax on the same dividend income.

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.

Spike in oil prices a temporary phase

Spike in oil prices a temporary phase

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2020

Oil prices jumped nearly $3 a barrel and gold and safe-haven bonds rallied on Friday after the killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike by the US in Baghdad.

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.

Will the West Coast refinery take off?

Will the West Coast refinery take off?

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2020

BPCL's impending privatisation and RIL's stake sale to Saudi Aramco raise questions about the future of the West Coast Refinery, once touted as the world's largest.

Will Indian Railways be privatised?

Will Indian Railways be privatised?

Rediff.com   31 Dec 2019

Railways to hive off all production units and workshops into new govt-owned company; may invite bids from private players to run passenger trains in next 15 days, with ownership vesting with the government.

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.

Govt to break 150-yr tradition, gives nod to Railway board restructuring

Govt to break 150-yr tradition, gives nod to Railway board restructuring

Rediff.com   25 Dec 2019

The new board will have a leaner structure on functional lines headed by the chairman and four members - covering infrastructure, operations and business development, rolling stock, and finance.

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.

Railways in talks with Reliance Jio on tower use

Railways in talks with Reliance Jio on tower use

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2019

Indian Railways is in talks with Reliance Jio Infocomm to allow the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom major's use of its towers. The aim is seamless mobile and internet connectivity for passengers along the 67,368-km of tracks. The Railway Board has entrusted its RailTel Corporation arm to work on the modalities with Jio. The Jio tie-up is expected to bring down its telecom bill by at least 35 per cent from this financial year.

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.

Only 61% homes used LPG as of Dec 2018

Only 61% homes used LPG as of Dec 2018

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2019

Only 48.3 per cent of the rural households used LPG, while the figures were much higher in urban areas at 86.6 per cent, according to a NSO report.

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.