The services sector growth in India fell to a one-year low in November on softer expansions in new work intakes and output, despite receding price pressures, a monthly survey said on Tuesday. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global India Services Business Activity Index fell from 58.4 in October to a one-year low of 56.9 in November. Despite witnessing a month-on-month decline, the rate of expansion was stronger than its long-run average.
The dairy major is transforming into a full-fledged F&B and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) player, reports Vinay Umarji.
Always interesting, DMK politics is going to get even more absorbing in the days to come, predicts Aditi Phadnis.
Reliance Industries Ltd invested over $125 billion in the last ten years as it undertook massive expansion in hydrocarbon and telecom businesses, a report said, estimating that the conglomerate's investments in the next three years would be in relatively less capex-heavy retail and upstream new energy. Reliance is coming out of a series of long and intensive capex cycles (hydrocarbons and telecom).
Electrical Consumer Durable (ECD) companies like Havells India have seen strong Q4FY24 sales and continuing seasonal demand across fans, air coolers, and room air conditioners (RAC) in addition to business-to-business sales of cables, switchgear, and professional lighting, among others. Havells India's Q4FY24 revenue rose 12 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 5,400 crore, in-line with consensus. Strong summer demand led to robust volume growth in fans and RAC and volume growth in cable and wires (C&W) due to infrastructure spending and real estate activity.
Next year Medica and Manipal will merge, making the amalgamated entity the largest corporate hospital chain in the country, overtaking Apollo Hospitals Enterprises.
Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has accorded its in-principle approval to the expansion plan of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) at a cost of Rs 9,869 crore (Rs 98.69 bn), the sources said.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is looking at 600 to 800 strategic sites across the country for its retail outlets expansion, a top official of the company said on Wednesday.
After Air India and Jet slashed ticket prices, low-cost carriers respond with 5-20 per cent cuts; likely to spur air travel market's sluggish growth.
ITC's results for the January-March quarter (Q4) were strong, with robust growth in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment and a good performance in hospitality. The tobacco division's performance was on expected lines, with double-digit volume growth, helped by reclaiming of market share from the smuggled trade. There was 60 per cent growth in non-cigarette earnings before interest and tax (Ebit), despite a relatively weak performance in paperboards.
SEL will also be setting up an innovation centre in Denmark, which will focus on concepts beyond design and development-related R&D.
'There is no reason why we should break this business up.'
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday revised upwards the GDP growth projection for the current fiscal to 7.2 per cent from 7 per cent on rising private consumption and revival of demand in rural areas. Unveiling the bi-monthly monetary policy, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said estimates released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) placed India's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 8.2 per cent in 2023-24. "During 2024-25 so far, domestic economic activity has maintained resilience," he said, adding that manufacturing activity continues to gain ground on the back of strengthening domestic demand.
Long-term macro trends indicate growth in demand for air travel. Trends from the ticketing website MakeMyTrip indicate a likely annual growth of between 11-17 per cent in Indian air travel demand over FY24-30. Through that period, InterGlobe Aviation or IndiGo may continue to make gains in market share in both domestic and international travel, aided by large fleet additions. IndiGo is the largest global customer of Airbus by far with 950 aircraft orders outstanding.
Domestic air passenger traffic grew 5.1 per cent year-on-year to an estimated 138.9 million in May and was significantly higher by around 14 per cent than pre-Covid levels, credit ratings agency Icra said on Thursday. Icra also said the outlook on the Indian aviation industry is stable amid the continued recovery in domestic and international air passenger traffic with a relatively stable cost environment and expectations of the trend continuing in FY2025.
With a gradual rise in temperature and the start of heatwave, FMCG and dairy firms selling cola-based fizz drinks, juices, mineral water, ice creams and milk-based beverages expect a spike in sales and have ramped up their production and stocks to meet the anticipated consumer demand. The makers are launching new products keeping in mind the evolving consumer preferences and also investing substantially on promotions and expansion of the channels this season, company executives of beverage and ice cream makers said. Beverages major PepsiCo said summer months are naturally the most favourable season for its category and it is "optimistic" that its portfolio of brands will continue to delight consumers during the period.
The PSU steel major has now set a target of completing the mega project--aimed at augmenting its annual production capacity to 23.46 million tonne from the present 14.6 MT-- to 2012-13 from the earlier deadline of 2011-12.
Maruti Suzuki, which crossed the one-million car production mark last year, will have to produce at least 100,000 additional units this year to meet the demand.
Tata Motors, India's third-biggest carmaker, on Wednesday said it would invest a little over Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion) this fiscal for capacity expansion, product development and marketing.
Having signed up teen tennis sensation Sania Mirza as brand ambassador for its Getz model, Hyundai Motor India on Monday
'While lower steel prices may impact a part of the quarter, this will be offset by softer raw material prices.'
Bajaj Auto Ltd would spend Rs 150 crore for new products and capacity expansion, enabling it to surpass the 10-12% two-wheeler industry sales growth expected this year and set up an assembly plant in Indonesia, a top company official said.
Companies are approaching them again with capacity expansion proposals, suggesting a more durable basis for an economic turnaround.
Cadbury India said it will start local manufacturing of parent Kraft Foods' orange drink Tang, while it will also embark on a capacity expansion for its confectionery products.
'We condemn recent illicit missile launches in the region that violate UN Security Council resolutions. We express serious concern over recent dangerous and aggressive actions in the maritime domain. We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures,' the declaration said.
Villagers and activists had long been alleging over-exploitation and pollution of groundwater and soil by the unit.
Domestic air traffic demand in India grew by around 14 per cent with the airlines enjoying an average load factor of almost 79 per cent in May compared to last year, even as the global traffic rose by 6.8 per cent.
'Our factories are world-class and are becoming increasingly attractive for our global business leaders to use to serve other markets.'
Diversified entity ITC Ltd on Thursday reported a 22.66 per cent rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 5,225.02 crore in the fourth quarter ended March 2023, led by a strong growth momentum across operating segments. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 4,259.68 crore a year ago, ITC Ltd said in a regulatory filing. Its revenue from operations increased 7 per cent to Rs 18,799.18 crore in the period under review against Rs 17,754.02 crore in the year-ago period.
India's manufacturing sector growth climbed to a 16-year high in March on the back of the strongest increase in output and new orders since October 2020, amid reports of buoyant demand conditions, a monthly survey said on Tuesday. The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) surged to a 16-year high of 59.1 in March, from 56.9 in February, reflecting stronger growth of new orders, output and input stocks as well as renewed job creation. In Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) parlance, a print above 50 means expansion while a score below 50 denotes contraction.
This is largely on the back of Tata Steel's expansion at Kalinganagar, as well as JLR's in China and Brazil
Private carrier Jet Airways is expected to further consolidate its international operations into a major revenue grosser in FY09, to overcome the growing turbulence in the domestic sector. The general economic scenario does not bode well for capacity expansion on domestic routes, with some of these struggling on account of overcapacity, and only yesterday some airlines were pushed to hike fares to make up for higher aviation turbine fuel prices.
'We have not done budgeting yet for the coming year.'
The government in 2007-08 had announced tax holiday scheme of five years for two-star, three-star and four-star hotels, besides convention centres in NCR.
The stock of commercial vehicle (CV) company Ashok Leyland is up 46 per cent in the past three months, gaining despite worries about a slowdown in sales volume. Brokerages have a mixed view on the country's second-largest medium and heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer. The company reported steady March quarter results and its valuation, focus on growth and medium-term prospects are positive, but some brokerages are cautious, given near-term demand concerns and the risk of competition increasing in the industry.
