News for 'The Illustrated Weekly of India'

India's jobless rate at 6-year low; wage employment share shrinks

India's jobless rate at 6-year low; wage employment share shrinks

Rediff.com11 Oct 2023

India's unemployment rate fell to a six-year low of 3.2 per cent in the July-June 2022-23 period, down from 4.1 per cent in the same period the previous year, according to the latest annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report. The report, released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Monday, showed a decline in unemployment rates in both rural and urban areas during the 2022-23 period to 2.4 per cent and 5.4 per cent, respectively, from 3.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent in the 2021-22 period. The unemployment rate for rural women (1.8 per cent) was lower than that for rural men (2.7 per cent) in 2022-23; in urban areas, the rate was higher for females (7.5 per cent) compared to males (4.7 per cent).

Motivational speaker dupes several; SC seeks response

Motivational speaker dupes several; SC seeks response

Rediff.com28 Feb 2024

The Supreme Court has sought responses of the Centre, CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and others including 13 states on a plea alleging fraudulent activities by motivational speaker Vivek Bindra and his firm Bada Business Pvt Ltd. Accusing the social media influencer and his firm of tricking people into giving them their money through a ponzi scheme that promised big returns, the petition sought a direction to the Centre to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI to probe the case. A bench comprising MM Sundresh and SVN Bhatti took note of the submissions of senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Shubham Chaudhary and 19 other petitioners, that Bindra and his firm have duped several people of their money.

Amid liquidity crunch, shorter-tenure govt bonds lag 'longer' peers

Amid liquidity crunch, shorter-tenure govt bonds lag 'longer' peers

Rediff.com27 Feb 2024

Short-term government bonds fell behind longer-dated securities in demand this month so far due to a liquidity crunch in the banking system and expectations of a delay in a rate cut, said market participants. Investors have favoured longer-tenure government bonds, or g-secs, with insurance companies and pension funds leading the charge by stocking up on those with maturities of 30 years and more. Preference for longer-term securities was strengthened by the conclusion of the borrowing programme, which compelled institutional investors to fulfil their requirements in the secondary market.

Rs 9000-cr worth of IPOs lined up for next few weeks

Rs 9000-cr worth of IPOs lined up for next few weeks

Rediff.com17 Oct 2022

IPO market hopes to come out of slump in festive season, reports Sundar Sethuraman.

Mid, smallcap indices stay afloat in choppy January

Mid, smallcap indices stay afloat in choppy January

Rediff.com6 Feb 2024

The S&P BSE Midcap and the S&P BSE Smallcap indices have managed to stay afloat in a volatile January that saw the frontline indices hit their respective 52-week high levels and then slip. While the S&P BSE Sensex has lost over 2 per cent thus far in January, the S&P BSE Midcap and the S&P BSE Smallcap indices have gained nearly 2.5 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively during this period.

Is India Prepared For AI Adoption?

Is India Prepared For AI Adoption?

Rediff.com12 Apr 2023

The impact of AI automation in India is the lowest.

India to clock GDP growth of 6.5% in FY24: Arvind Virmani

India to clock GDP growth of 6.5% in FY24: Arvind Virmani

Rediff.com21 Sep 2023

The Indian economy will grow at around 6.5 per cent in the current fiscal, notwithstanding high crude oil prices and increased uncertainty due climate changes, NITI Aayog member Arvind Virmani said on Thursday. Virmani also asserted that the gross household savings ratio in India has consistently gone up. In an interview with PTI, he said: "My growth projection (of India's GDP growth) is 6.5 per cent plus minus 0.5 per cent... because my experience is that the fluctuations in global GDP more or less has balanced out for us, assuming normal changes."

'New Laws Will Make India A Police State'

'New Laws Will Make India A Police State'

Rediff.com26 Dec 2023

'These new laws give complete (impunity) to the police.' 'Whatever little accountability the police had, all that is gone now.' 'There is no accountability mechanism against the police for abusing or misusing in the new laws.'

Street Signs: Nifty50 enters 'overbought' zone

Street Signs: Nifty50 enters 'overbought' zone

Rediff.com26 Dec 2023

Going 'long' is becoming an overcrowded trade on Dalal Street, and any negative trigger could lead to a sharp correction, warn experts. However, given the strong momentum, particularly in IT stocks, the downside could be protected in the immediate term. "With the Nifty50 surging to new life-time highs, the bulls remain in control. Further upsides are likely once the immediate resistance of 21,492 is taken out.

Zee sacks 50% staff at its Bengaluru-based tech centre

Zee sacks 50% staff at its Bengaluru-based tech centre

Rediff.com29 Mar 2024

Zee Entertainment on Friday said it has "pruned" its Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) by about 50 per cent following the guidance of a special committee, which had conducted a critical assessment of its several business verticals. The MD & CEO has pruned TIC staff strength by 50 per cent to achieve a cost-effective structure, a Bengaluru-based business vertical of the company that offers technology solutions, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) said in an official statement.

Why Securing Gateway of Tears Is Critical For India

Why Securing Gateway of Tears Is Critical For India

Rediff.com5 Jan 2024

The Indian Navy, which regards itself as the 'net security provider' in the Indian Ocean Region, has also stepped up to the plate, with a warship stationed at all times off the Gulf of Aden for counter-piracy tasks. 91 Indian warships have been deployed in the region since 2008, patrolling high risk areas where piracy was rampant.

'Markets Are Too Confident, Excited, Aggressive'

'Markets Are Too Confident, Excited, Aggressive'

Rediff.com29 Apr 2024

'The main worry is lots of new investors coming into the markets in order to make a quick buck/easy money.' 'Those things are happening again and have happened in the past as well.' 'All that has led to problems.' 'We are not there yet, but will get there eventually.'

Analysts turn cautious on Asian markets; India remains an outlier

Analysts turn cautious on Asian markets; India remains an outlier

Rediff.com30 Aug 2023

The 55 basis point (bps) spike in the US 10-year bond yield, triggered by a combination of FOMC's hawkish commentary and BOJ's relaxation of the yield control curve (YCC) has made analysts cautious on Asian equities and expect them to trade sideways in the short-to-medium term.

'Ameen Sayani was the Shahenshah of Melody'

'Ameen Sayani was the Shahenshah of Melody'

Rediff.com22 Feb 2024

For four decades, his voice united millions of Indians for an hour every Wednesday as he brought Hindi cinema's greatest songs in an unparalleled radio broadcast.

Moody's lauds RBI move on unsecured loans

Moody's lauds RBI move on unsecured loans

Rediff.com20 Nov 2023

The RBI's decision to tighten norms for unsecured personal loans is credit positive because lenders will need to allocate higher capital for such loans, thus improving their loss-absorbing buffers, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday. The Reserve Bank last week raised risk weights on unsecured retail loans, credit cards and lending to non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) by 25 percentage points. Moody's said unsecured loans have been growing rapidly in the past few years, exposing financial institutions to a potential spike in credit costs in case of sudden economic or interest rate shocks.

Axis Bank, L&T, Thermax: Chris Wood rejigs India equity portfolio

Axis Bank, L&T, Thermax: Chris Wood rejigs India equity portfolio

Rediff.com29 May 2023

Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies has rejigged his equity portfolios. In his Asia ex-Japan long-only portfolio, he has added Axis Bank (5 per cent weightage) and increased holding in Larsen & Toubro (L&T) by one percentage point. This, Wood said, will be paid for by removing the investment in ICICI Lombard General Insurance and reducing the investments in HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries (RIL) by one percentage point each.

India's urban unemployment rate falls to 6.8% in Q4

India's urban unemployment rate falls to 6.8% in Q4

Rediff.com30 May 2023

India's urban unemployment rate declined in Q4FY23 to 6.8 per cent - the lowest in over four years -- after it stagnated at 7.2 per cent in the previous October-December quarter, reflecting improvement in the labour market, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Monday. The unemployment rate in current weekly status (CWS) terms for all ages in the March quarter was the lowest recorded in more than four years, from the time the NSO released India's first quarterly urban jobless rate for the December quarter in 2018. The jobless rate in urban areas had been on a continuous decline since the peak of 20.8 per cent in the April-June quarter of FY21.

Nearly Rs 41,000 crore unspent in govt's Rs 1.97 trillion PLI scheme

Nearly Rs 41,000 crore unspent in govt's Rs 1.97 trillion PLI scheme

Rediff.com12 Feb 2024

Of the Rs 1.97 trillion that the government intends to spend on all 14 production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes, around Rs 41,000 crore remains unutilised as of now, according to a senior government official. This means that 80 per cent of the total allocated amount, or Rs 1.56 trillion, will be used to pay incentives to companies eligible to claim benefits over the next few years. The unutilised amount/savings result from undersubscription, lukewarm responses in the case of schemes such as textile, as well as a reduction in the allocation of schemes.

'Some Cooling-Off In Small Caps'

'Some Cooling-Off In Small Caps'

Rediff.com3 Apr 2024

'More than investors, fund houses, and advisors have raised caution and limited flows on small-and mid-caps.'

'When He Spoke, The Whole Nation Listened'

'When He Spoke, The Whole Nation Listened'

Rediff.com13 Mar 2024

'Ameen Sayani was copied by generations. Now everyone is trying to become smaller Ameen Sayanis in their own way.'

The RBI Way Of Firefighting

The RBI Way Of Firefighting

Rediff.com8 Apr 2024

Why is the RBI harsh on Paytm Payments Bank? Why did it give Rana Kapoor of Yes Bank Ltd such a long rope?Often, it's a long investigation process, but the RBI doesn't discuss this openly since that can threaten financial sector stability, explains Tamal Bandyopadhyay.

'Markets started building on NDA's win since Dec'

'Markets started building on NDA's win since Dec'

Rediff.com5 Apr 2024

'Rather than taking a very short-term view on the markets, equity investing should be premised on longer term growth opportunities.'

Make Your Goals Work For You!

Make Your Goals Work For You!

Rediff.com13 Dec 2023

A resolution which says 'I will be more organised' is not a good one, but a resolution which says 'I will keep my clothes and papers in an organised manner, make my bed, have bath at a regular time, eat at a fixed time, go the gym at a fixed hour and go to bed at a stipulated hour' is a far better resolution, points out P V Subramanyam.

IPO rush ahead of FPI holiday season

IPO rush ahead of FPI holiday season

Rediff.com21 Dec 2023

More than half a dozen companies will hit the market with their initial public offerings (IPOs) between now and the end of next week. The cumulative amount raised from these IPOs is expected to be around Rs 8,000 crore. Stationery products firm DOMS Industries and home financier India Shelter Finance's IPOs - of Rs 1,200 crore each - got off to a flying start on Wednesday (December 13), with the former garnering over six times the subscription and the latter getting 1.5 times subscribed.

Nifty hits life-time high, Sensex jumps 493 points

Nifty hits life-time high, Sensex jumps 493 points

Rediff.com1 Dec 2023

Among the Sensex firms, ITC, NTPC, Axis Bank, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finance, Asian Paints and Tata Steel were the major gainers. Mahindra & Mahindra, Wipro, Maruti, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and HDFC Bank were among the laggards.

Journalist who warned of Bhopal gas tragedy dies

Journalist who warned of Bhopal gas tragedy dies

Rediff.com21 May 2021

He had penned a book on classic film Mughal-E-Azam and was awarded the prestigious BD Goenka Award (1985) and Prem Bhatia Journalism Award in 2010.

Equity market valuation rises as US bond yields ease

Equity market valuation rises as US bond yields ease

Rediff.com18 Dec 2023

The Indian equity market valuation has been moving in tandem with the US 10-year treasury yield. While the benchmark US bond yield has witnessed a nearly 70 basis point decline since the end of October this year, dropping from 4.93 per cent to 4.23 per cent on Friday, the Sensex earnings yield has slipped by nearly 45 basis points - from 4.5 per cent to 4.05 per cent. Previously, Indian equities' earnings yields rose in sync with the US bond yields.

FPIs pull out over Rs 10K cr from Indian equities in just 21 days

FPIs pull out over Rs 10K cr from Indian equities in just 21 days

Rediff.com24 Sep 2023

Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have pulled out over Rs 10,000 crore from Indian equities in the first three weeks of September, primarily due to rising US interest rates, recessionary fears, and overvalued domestic stocks. Before the outflow, FPIs were incessantly buying Indian equities in the last six months from March to August and brought in Rs 1.74 lakh crore during the period. Mayank Mehra, smallcase, manager and principal partner at Craving Alpha,believes that strong economic growth prospects, attractive valuations, and government reforms could support foreign investment flows in the next month.

'Lacklustre Market Is Good Time To Invest'

'Lacklustre Market Is Good Time To Invest'

Rediff.com1 Nov 2023

'Historically, equities have consistently outperformed debt, gold, property, and other assets over a reasonable period.'

Modi's Obsession With Nehru

Modi's Obsession With Nehru

Rediff.com9 Feb 2024

The satta market is accepting bets on how many times Modiji will mention Nehru at his election rallies, says A Ganesh Nadar with a wink.

BJP resorts to cartoon campaign against Cong LS candidates in Chhattisgarh

BJP resorts to cartoon campaign against Cong LS candidates in Chhattisgarh

Rediff.com17 Mar 2024

While the BJP said it has only portrayed some incidents, which happened during the previous Congress regime through the cartoons which are not meant to hurt anyone, the grand old party accused it of releasing such illustrations out of frustration.

Xi, Sharif to attend virtual SCO meet hosted by India

Xi, Sharif to attend virtual SCO meet hosted by India

Rediff.com30 Jun 2023

At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping and PM Shehbaz Sharif will attend via video conference, the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads meeting of the SCO on July 4.

'Markets Could Crash 40-50% If...'

'Markets Could Crash 40-50% If...'

Rediff.com10 May 2024

'If the NDA comes to power with 320-330 plus seats, then we could see some correction. We could possibly see a level of 19,500 to 20,000.' 'If the NDA comes to power with a majority of 400-plus, we could see the markets going to about 23,500-24,000 levels.' 'And from there we could see some correction because markets are expensive at this point of time and a correction is overdue.'

Fireworks on D-Street: Four IPOs to raise over Rs 6,600 crore this year

Fireworks on D-Street: Four IPOs to raise over Rs 6,600 crore this year

Rediff.com22 Nov 2023

Diwali fireworks are expected to continue on Dalal Street next week, with four companies collectively seeking to mobilise over Rs 6,600 crore through initial public offerings (IPOs). In terms of the amount raised, this is poised to be the busiest week of calendar year 2023. Tata Technologies (Tata Tech), a subsidiary of Tata Motors, could lead the charge with an IPO projected to be over Rs 2,900 crore. This will mark the first maiden share sale by a Tata Group firm in nearly two decades.

Markets to focus on RBI's interest rate decision, global trends

Markets to focus on RBI's interest rate decision, global trends

Rediff.com1 Oct 2023

RBI's interest rate decision, macroeconomic data, global trends and trading activity of foreign investors are the crucial factors to drive equity markets in a holiday-shortened week ahead, analysts said. Markets would remain closed on Monday for Gandhi Jayanti. "While global cues will continue to dictate trends in local markets, focus will shift to RBI's monetary policy announcement on Friday. "Although the market is expecting a status quo on interest rates, global concerns like rising US dollar index and bond yields coupled with surging crude oil prices continue to weigh on investors' minds.

Foreign portfolio investors: The back-seat driver in market dashboard

Foreign portfolio investors: The back-seat driver in market dashboard

Rediff.com15 Aug 2023

After pumping in close to $20 billion in the preceding five months, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have yanked out $220 million from domestic stocks this month. The selling by overseas funds has led to turbulence in the domestic markets, with benchmark indices swinging wildly recently.

Investing In Cryptocurrencies? Read This

Investing In Cryptocurrencies? Read This

Rediff.com29 Feb 2024

If investing in Bitcoin, adopt a three to five-year horizon and invest systematically to gain from its volatility.

India-China Economic Race: Who Has Won?

India-China Economic Race: Who Has Won?

Rediff.com10 Apr 2023

One could argue that India is not troubled in the same way as China is by a declining population and structural problems in real estate/construction and finance. But India has serious trade and fiscal imbalances, and excessive dependence on capital expenditure by the government, points out T N Ninan.

US, Europe need countries like India to outcompete China: Top US Senator

US, Europe need countries like India to outcompete China: Top US Senator

Rediff.com18 Feb 2023

Earlier in an op-ed in The Washington Post, Schumer said the democratic international order must stand strong to confront the rise of the Chinese Communist Party.

Gaming Is Not Just For India's Young

Gaming Is Not Just For India's Young

Rediff.com1 Jun 2023

Meet Nilima Kalra, 79, Manju Roy, 80, Sumita Maan, 79, and Gurpreet Kaur, 75.