While both Dabur and HUL have been aggressive in the 'naturals' market with new launches across its portfolio, unchecked distribution expansion and inconsistent quality of products have also been at the heart of Patanjali's problems.
FII investments, movement of rupee against dollar and crude oil to influence trading
Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty spurted over 1 per cent at close on Monday following buying in IT, oil and gas and banking shares bolstered by firm global trends. Rising for a second straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex rallied 760.37 points or 1.41 per cent to settle at 54,521.15. During the day, it jumped 795.88 points or 1.48 per cent to 53,760.78. The broader NSE Nifty advanced 229.30 points or 1.43 per cent to 16,278.50 as 41 of its constituents advanced.
'The impact of CEO transition is fairly even for stocks, with about half (53 per cent) of the events not producing any change in the relative performance of the stock.'
'With the ease of access, we have seen an increased participation from tier-2, tier-3, and tier-4 cities/towns.'
Investors' wealth fell by Rs 2.39 lakh crore on Monday in line with a weak trend in the global equity markets. The BSE Sensex tanked 861.25 points or 1.46 per cent to settle at 57,972.62. During the day, it tumbled 1,466.4 points or 2.49 per cent to 57,367.47.
The Indian IT services sector is scrambling to retain talent since digitisation-led transformation has increased the demand for a digitally skilled workforce. As a result, the pull for jobs for tech professionals is also coming from non-IT sectors, leading to higher attrition among IT companies. The average number of tech jobs from non-IT sectors has seen a 41 per cent uptick in March-May'21 versus March-May'19, according to data from Naukri.com.
The first to see price hikes will be soaps. In the past six months, domestic palm oil prices have increased by 46 per cent. Palm oil is a key input going into soaps.
One of the oldest living brands in the country, Horlicks has been innovative in its approach, which helped it survive intense competition
This is the Mukesh Ambani-led company's second entry into the dairy segment and it will directly compete with Amul and Mother Dairy.
The FMCG sector is generally considered to be a safe haven during difficult times as people never stop buying soap and toothpaste. However, weak rural and semi-urban demand has been a factor since the lockdowns of 2020-21 while rising inflation has also impacted margins. While the FMCG majors have survived on the basis of price hikes and good management practices, they have seen growth slowdowns and experienced margins being squeezed as raw materials and transport costs rose. The FMCG sector witnessed positive volume growth in the fourth quarter of the 2022-23 financial year (Q4FY23) after five consecutive quarters of decline, and the rebound in demand was led by urban markets.
Hindustan Zinc (HZL), a subsidiary of Vedanta, announced an interim dividend of Rs 21 per share last week, resulting in an outflow of Rs 8,863 crore. The announcement has turned the spotlight on India Inc's dividend-paying policy - more so for reasons driving the generosity of firms. An analysis of BSE 500 companies by Business Standard Research Bureau shows that some of the top 20 dividend-paying companies in 2021-22 (FY22) include Vedanta, Tata Consultancy Services, HZL, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation (IndianOil), Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Reliance Industries (RIL), and Bajaj Auto, among others.
HDFC and HUL are the latest entrants in the club
FMCG CEOs indicate that the market should stabilise post the general elections and that some growth should make its way back especially in rural areas
The recent sell-off in IT stocks such as Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has resulted in a sharp decline in the IT sector weighting in the Nifty50 index. The sector's weighting in the index has slipped to a five-year low of 12.2 per cent, down from the 17.7 per cent at the end of March 2022. The top IT companies - TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies, and Tech Mahindra - accounted for 13.6 per cent of the index at the end of March this year.
With India contributing only 2% to its revenues, the multinational is focusing more on key markets like the US and China.
Equity benchmark Sensex tumbled over 575 points on Thursday, tracking heavy losses in index-heavyweights HDFC twins, TCS and Reliance Industries amid a weak trend in global markets. Declining for the third straight day, the 30-share Sensex slumped 575.46 points or 0.97 per cent to settle at 59,034.95. During the day, it tanked 633.06 points or 1.06 per cent to 58,977.35. The broader Nifty-50 also declined 168.10 points or 0.94 per cent to close at 17,639.55.
Consumer stocks remain the biggest laggard on the bourses. The Nify50 weighting of FMCG stocks declined to a decade low of 9.9 per cent at the end of March this year, down 150 basis points from 11.4 per cent a year ago. At their peak in March 2013, major FMCG stocks, such as Hindustan Unilever, ITC, and Asian Paints, together accounted for 15 per cent of the Nifty50. But now together with automobile stocks, the consumer goods sector accounts for only 14.7 per cent of the index, down 200 basis points in the past 12 months and 37 per cent from the record high weighting of 23.4 per cent at the end of March 2014.
Although large companies like Nestle, Dabur or HUL have been impacted by this slowdown in demand, it was the small, local players that have been hit harder.
'There will always be a challenge to maintain a fine balance to ensure that the growth keeps happening and inflation is contained.'
He is a member of the Board of Directors of Whirlpool Corporation, Pearson and Qualcomm Incorporated.
Hindustan Unilever, the Indian subsidiary of the consumer goods company, has denied wrongdoing.
The combined market valuation of six of the 10 most valued companies surged by Rs 1,56,247.35 crore last week, with Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) emerging as the biggest gainer. While RIL, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC and Bajaj Finance saw gains in their market capitalisation (m-cap) in the holiday-shortened week, Infosys, HUL and LIC suffered losses. Stock markets were closed on Tuesday on account of Muharram.
Continuing its decline for the third day on Friday, the BSE gauge plummeted 1,214.96 points or 2.20 per cent to 53,887.72 during the day. It settled at 54,333.81, a decline of 768.87 points or 1.40 per cent.
FMCG has been behaving unlike a defensive category in recent quarters.
Beauty and Personal Care (BPC) e-retailer Honasa Consumer's initial public offering (IPO) has failed to find backing from analysts due to the company's weak financial track record and expensive valuation. T Manish, research analyst at Samco Securities suggests avoiding the IPO as the company's financial performance does not inspire confidence. "The profit has been inconsistent and advertising and marketing expenses are incredibly high at around 40 per cent of the revenues.
Some analysts see more upside in FMCG stocks given the performance gap between the sector and the market.
The one-minute-long ad features a young Hindu girl, dressed in a white t-shirt, who chooses to get stained in Holi colours in order to protect her young Muslim friend who has to go to the nearby mosque to pray. The advertisement ends with its classic tagline, 'Daag achche hain' (stains are good).
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms reached an all-time high of Rs 288.50 lakh crore on Wednesday amid an ongoing rally in equities, as the benchmark Sensex settled above 63,000-level for the first time ever. The 30-share BSE barometer climbed 417.81 points or 0.67 per cent to settle at 63,099.65, its fresh record closing high. During the day, the benchmark jumped 621.17 points or 0.99 per cent to 63,303.01, its lifetime intra-day peak. Extending its winning momentum to seventh day, the Sensex has rallied 1,954.81 points or 3.19 per cent during this time.
The biggest challenge is crude oil's sustained rally - it is nearing $80 a barrel - stoking inflationary pressures and consequent price hikes in the sector.
Automobile company Tata Motors, metals and mining major Vedanta, oil marketing firm Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), private sector IndusInd Bank, and two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto have witnessed their market cap slip below the Rs 1-trillion mark this year.
The country's largest consumer goods company Hindustan Unilever says it has been able to reduce its water use by regular metering, monitoring and controlling of utilities consumption at all its manufacturing sites
The IT major is followed by RIL (Rs 795,628.55 crore), HDFC Bank (Rs 624,362.11 crore), Hindustan Unilever (Rs 367,880.69 crore) and ITC (Rs 367,513.78 crore).
It takes 6 to 8 months after the approval for a product to hit stores.
Reliance Industries accounted for Rs 6.3 trillion in wealth created since 1995; closest rival was Hindustan Unilever which was at Rs 4.9 trillion.
Adani Enterprises' proposed Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion) fundraising via fresh issue of equity shares through a public offer would be the fourth biggest by Indian companies, excluding banks and non-banking financial companies.
Top companies reported that despite most of them making staples and essential products, movement of raw material, goods and labour remained restricted, impacting sales.
Ramdev's company remains a dominant player in the naturals space, but products of rivals are also gaining popularity.
FIIs have offloaded shares of Bajaj Corp, Nestle, Jyothy Laboratories and Britannia.
...followed by financial services, IT, and sales and marketing.
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