Shivani Shinde &Amp; Krishna Kant

Stories by Shivani Shinde &Amp; Krishna Kant

More misses than hits hint at uncertain times for IT services companies

More misses than hits hint at uncertain times for IT services companies

Rediff.com   24 Jul 2023

The first-quarter performance of top IT services players, as well as mid-cap firms, has been subdued, reflecting macro uncertainties. The numbers of the top four firms show several misses, hinting at difficult times ahead. One mismatch is the total contract value (TCV) signed by the firms and the revenue growth registered.

IT stocks log biggest gain in nearly three years as growth worries ebb

IT stocks log biggest gain in nearly three years as growth worries ebb

Rediff.com   22 Jul 2023

The gauge for the performance of informational technology (IT) stocks soared nearly 5 per cent-most in nearly three years-as growth worries eased following a robust order book posted by bellwether Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The Nifty IT index rose 4.5 per cent to close at 30,945. This was the biggest single-day gain since September 14, 2020. Industry titan TCS' shares rose 5 per cent to Rs 3,509.

Poor O2C showing may pull down RIL's revenue, profit

Poor O2C showing may pull down RIL's revenue, profit

Rediff.com   18 Jul 2023

Reliance Industries may report a muted performance for the April-June quarter of FY24, with most brokerages expecting it to have witnessed a year-on-year (YoY) and quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) contraction in revenue and net profit during the period because of a poor showing by its oil-to-chemicals (O2C) division. The O2C division, which includes refining and petrochemical businesses, accounts for a little over half of RIL's revenue and profit. A muted showing by RIL in the first quarter of 2023-24 may weigh on the overall corporate earnings, as well as the equity markets.

India Inc may see over 22% profit jump in Q1; revenue growth may disappoint

India Inc may see over 22% profit jump in Q1; revenue growth may disappoint

Rediff.com   17 Jul 2023

Brokerages expect Nifty50 companies to have cumulatively witnessed strong double-digit growth in their earnings in the first quarter of FY24 (Q1FY24). This growth in the combined earnings is expected to have been driven by banks, automakers, and oil & gas companies. Other sectors may report muted profit growth.

Macro uncertainties may keep IT hiring in slow lane this fiscal year

Macro uncertainties may keep IT hiring in slow lane this fiscal year

Rediff.com   17 Jul 2023

India's information technology (IT) sector will witness subdued hiring in 2023-24 as macro uncertainties impact demand environment, with clients either taking a pause on spend or stopping discretionary spend, say human resource experts. To begin with, unlike earlier years, the three large IT players TCS, HCLTech, and Wipro have not provided any new hiring targets for the financial year. And Wipro has said that its hiring target will depend on the demand environment.

Byju's CEO speaks to shareholders, firm to set up board advisory committee

Byju's CEO speaks to shareholders, firm to set up board advisory committee

Rediff.com   7 Jul 2023

Byju Raveendran, CEO and founder of the eponymous edtech giant, has told shareholders that the company will set up a board advisory committee (BAC). This was part of a discussion on July 4 with shareholders at an emergency general meeting (EGM). Raveendran also said that in the next EGM in three weeks will give details about BAC's members and composition.

Android probe: CCI 'protecting' Amazon, Google tells SC

Android probe: CCI 'protecting' Amazon, Google tells SC

Rediff.com   7 Jul 2023

Google, in its latest appeal to the Supreme Court, has said the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is protecting Amazon's interests after having complained that India's anti-competition body (CCI) had copied part of a European Commission ruling against it for allegedly abusing the market dominance of Android. The latest twist to the Google-CCI case comes as Google filed an appeal in the Supreme Court on June 26, against the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal's (NCLAT's) March 29 order. The tech giant's contention is that the NCLAT failed to apply the "effect analysis" part in the CCI order.

Byju Raveendran talks 'struggles', not layoffs

Byju Raveendran talks 'struggles', not layoffs

Rediff.com   30 Jun 2023

After assuring shareholders that Byju's is on a strong footing, Chief Executive Officer Byju Raveendran, after much delay, spoke to employees in a townhall session. In his first-ever address to employees since problems began at Byju's, Raveendran spoke about the resignation of auditors and board members, the Term Loan B dispute, and the future of educational technology (edtech). Raveendran also asked his team to 'rise above the noise' and work with resilience and determination.

Tata Comm to acquire NYSE-listed Kaleyra for $100 mn in all-cash deal

Tata Comm to acquire NYSE-listed Kaleyra for $100 mn in all-cash deal

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2023

Tata Communications on Wednesday announced that it would acquire NYSE-listed Kaleyra, a global omnichannel integrated communication services provider with a set of proprietary platforms offering targeted personalisation through messaging, video, push notification, e-mails and voice-based services, and chatbots. The acquisition is an all cash deal. Tata Communications has agreed to acquire Kaleyra at a price per share of $7.25, for a total consideration to Kaleyra shareholders of approximately $100 million, besides the assumption of all outstanding debt.

8 'gazelles' demoted to 'cheetahs', 19 out of Hurun Unicorn Index 2023

8 'gazelles' demoted to 'cheetahs', 19 out of Hurun Unicorn Index 2023

Rediff.com   28 Jun 2023

With the number of start-ups reaching the unicorn level falling drastically in 2023, the Hurun Unicorn Index said it has demoted eight gazelles - start-ups that were founded in 2000 and have the potential to go to unicorn in three years - to cheetahs.

Why TCS' mega deal with Transamerica came to an end

Why TCS' mega deal with Transamerica came to an end

Rediff.com   24 Jun 2023

India's largest IT services player Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) saw its $2 billion, 10-year deal with Transamerica Life Insurance Company come to an end even before the period was over. Transamerica is the subsidiary of American arm of Dutch insurer Aegon NV. This is not the first time such a long-term deal has been called off. Earlier this year, UK's National Employment Savings Trust (NEST), ended a $1.8-billion deal with French IT services player Atos.

Byju's sacks 1,000 more; count jumps to 3,500

Byju's sacks 1,000 more; count jumps to 3,500

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2023

India's largest edtech firm Byju's will fire 1,000 employees in a fresh round of layoffs across departments. With the latest round, total job cuts at the company have mounted to around 3,500. According to sources, fresh job cuts are an attempt by the company to improve its finances and work towards a path to profitability.

Market concentration of telecom sector leaders rises to 72% in FY23

Market concentration of telecom sector leaders rises to 72% in FY23

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2023

Market concentration in the country's telecom sector continues to scale new heights despite government bailouts of public-sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), and private-sector Vodafone Idea. The combined revenue (or net sales) share of the country's top two telecom operators - Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio - in the sector's total reached an all-time high of nearly 72 per cent in FY23 from 70.4 per cent in FY22 and around 60 per cent in FY20. The net sales of Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel India were Rs 1.67 trillion in FY23, up 18.6 per cent from the Rs 1.4 trillion a year earlier.

Margins remain a pain point for organised FMCG supply-chain companies

Margins remain a pain point for organised FMCG supply-chain companies

Rediff.com   16 Jun 2023

Jiomart B2B is the latest among organised supply-chain companies to bite the bullet, shutting down its warehouses, and asking its employees to leave. Why are companies finding it difficult to sustain the supply-chain business? Experts point out that gross margins in supplying fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) are very low.

Edtech giant Byju's likely to lay off 1,000 more employees

Edtech giant Byju's likely to lay off 1,000 more employees

Rediff.com   9 Jun 2023

With debt woes and a legal case in the US courts, educational technology (edtech) giant Byju's is expected to be laying off more employees, according to media reports. According to The Morning Context report, Byju's intends to lay off 1,000 employees. This number, however, could not be confirmed by Business Standard independently. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on the reports.

India Has Highest Number Of Suspicious E-mails Per Day

India Has Highest Number Of Suspicious E-mails Per Day

Rediff.com   8 Jun 2023

Spear-phishing e-mails typically try to steal sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial information, which is then used to commit fraud, identity theft, and other crimes.

BFSI firms drive earnings of India Inc to a record high in Q4FY23

BFSI firms drive earnings of India Inc to a record high in Q4FY23

Rediff.com   8 Jun 2023

The earnings of India Inc hit a record high in the 2022-23 (FY23) January-March quarter (fourth quarter, or Q4), compared with their poor showing in the previous two quarters of the financial year. The rise in earnings, however, is exclusively led by banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) companies. A better-than-expected showing by banks and non-bank lenders in Q4FY23 more than compensated for the earnings contraction in the non-BFSI space.

Dividend by top 10 payers more than doubles in FY23; TCS tops the table

Dividend by top 10 payers more than doubles in FY23; TCS tops the table

Rediff.com   7 Jun 2023

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the group's biggest cash generator, overtook Vedanta to become the highest dividend payer in India in FY23. The IT services major paid Rs 42,090 crore for FY23, up 167.4 per cent from Rs 15,738 crore for FY22. The 10 biggest payers together shelled out Rs 2.06 trillion for FY23, more than double the Rs 98,371 crore for FY22.

RIL lags as markets near new highs; investors fret over rising debt

RIL lags as markets near new highs; investors fret over rising debt

Rediff.com   6 Jun 2023

Reliance Industries (RIL) was the top-performing index stock on Friday (May 26) and closed the day with gains of 2.8 per cent, against a 1 per cent rise in the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex during the day. RIL's performance on the bourses on Friday was, however, an exception, and the stock has struggled to beat the broader market for nearly two years now. The company's share price is currently at the same level as in September 2021, while the benchmark index is up 6 per cent in the period.

Govt to earn record dividend of Rs 13,800 crore from PSBs for FY23

Govt to earn record dividend of Rs 13,800 crore from PSBs for FY23

Rediff.com   3 Jun 2023

The government is set to earn an equity dividend of nearly Rs 13,800 crore from the listed public-sector banks (PSBs), all 12 of them, for FY23, up 50 per cent from Rs 9,210 crore in FY22. This will be the highest ever dividend for the government from PSBs. The 12 PSBs in our sample are paying an equity dividend of nearly Rs 21,000 crore for FY23, up 53 per cent from Rs 13,710 crore for FY22.