Anti-government protests in Egypt are making Prashant Goenka, director, international business, Emami Ltd, nervous
Companies are predictably working overtime to cash in on the boom. LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Videocon have all lined up new models of both HDTV-ready and full-HDTV sets for the world cup this year.
The cola wars will no longer be restricted to Coke and Pepsi, with their Latin American competitor Ajegroup setting up shop in India.
With mounting pressure to set aside substantial amounts each quarter to improve provision cover for bad loans, State Bank of India is using every possible way to step up recoveries from non-performing assets.
"Instead of plastic faces, which appear artificial, why not use real people?" asks K V Sridhar, national creative director at ad agency Leo Burnett India. "They are compelling brand ambassadors, who can lend an air of authenticity to the communication exercise."
"Both domestic and international business grew well this quarter. Growth in net sales of the domestic business was close to 50 per cent, while the international business saw nearly a three-fold growth during the same period. Our international acquisitions have played a role in helping us register good numbers this quarter."
Commercial banks now prefer one-year certificate of deposit (CDs) to short-term paper (of three- to six-month duration) to raise money, as volatility in the money market in the three months through December has made them focus on stability and improving their balance sheet.
Those with plans to enter the wealth management business want to first put in place robust processes.
The Rs 1,500-crore (Rs 15 billion) ladies handbag market will see some major action this year, with luggage makers V.I.P and Samsonite contemplating entry soon.
Market research based on interviews or questionnaires to understand the consumer mind will soon become pass.
"Kraft's acquisition of Cadbury is a global acquisition, where some value is attributable to India. This is different from Vodafone, where the transfer of a single share of the offshore company by Hutch resulted in the Indian business getting transferred to Vodafone," said Pranay Bhatia, associate partner at legal firm Economic Laws Practice.
Bank to argue with the Reserve Bank that new norms don't apply to floating rate schemes.
Consumer durable companies are stepping up investments in production and distribution to cash in on the demand the industry is witnessing. According to a recent report by research agency Crisil, the Rs 25,000-crore consumer durable industry is slated to grow at a rate of 17-18 per cent over the next five years, to touch Rs 60,000 crore.
Stung by the public criticism of teaser rates, SBI Chairman O P Bhatt told RBI officials in a post-monetary policy meeting on Friday that only eligible persons are given these loans and the norms are not diluted while extending such loans.
Deposit rates have increased over 100 basis points (bps) in the last ten days, as banks are getting aggressive to mobilise resources to fund the growing demand for loans in the busy season. In the last ten days, at least five government banks have increased deposit rates and more are expected to follow suit.
Reserve Bank of India has stepped up checks on the use of funds borrowed from its liquidity window. The Central bank is keen to see that such funds are not diverted for lending purposes. Net borrowing by banks rose to a record Rs 1,48,490 crore (Rs 1484.90 billion) on Tuesday.
The plan of action ranges from drawdown of loans to seeking additional guarantees, to even recalling some of the loans, if the situation so warrants.
Dabur is in advanced negotiations with the US company, and is likely to close the deal shortly. The deal size is in the region of Rs 500 crore.
Banks are starting to fall in line with the Reserve Bank of India's position on so-called teaser home loans. Even as the country's largest lender State Bank of India stood its ground, several other banks have said they could go slow on teaser loans -- home loans bearing an introductory lower interest rate for a stipulated period of time.
This festive season is expected to be a happy one for consumer durables companies, with most expecting to clock a sales growth of 40 per cent - double the amount achieved last year.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances