Breaking Views News - Page 30

Water's not free anymore, and look who is smiling

According to the Global Market Report, 2008, the global water industry is expected to grow at a compound rate of 5 percent over FY07-16. And that's good news for those companies which are into water recycling and desalination.

Q1 results show big firms weathering slowdown better

Rising interest rates and higher wage bills have hurt smaller companies harder than larger ones.

I found the Murdochs to be tough but fair employers: Peter Mukerjea

The CEO of Star India for seven years, Peter Mukerjea associated closely with the Murdochs. In a look-back and forward he asks some hard questions and lays out what is likely to happen in the future.

Saturated metros take gold jewellers to tier I, II locations

The gold jewellers are now looking to expand their business into smaller cities and towns as fierce competition has caused stagnation in the metros.

Why RCom is defaulting on its USOF obligations

Reliance Communications has been a big defaulter in meeting its rural telephony obligations under USOF because it is unviable. The company goofed up by overbidding for these circles.

There's gold in the gold loans business for Manappuram

With banks not too happy about lending against unconventional assets and with microfinance institutions in the doldrums, loans against gold have taken off like a rocket.

SKS Microfinance punters may have partied a bit too soon

The RBI's draft Bill on regulating microfinance institutions set off celebrations in the SKS share. But the Andhra response shows, that many more kinks have to be ironed out

What's the secret behind P&G's market aggression?

Does Procter & Gamble Home Products have some kind of magic wand to make the cost of its inputs immune to inflation? Read on to find out why the company has still not raised prices despite shrinking margins.

Infosys: Please deploy your cash to get big ticket customers

During the quarter ended June 2011, Infosys had 2 clients who accounted for $ 200m revenue. Over the past one year, the company has succeeded in adding 1 such customer.

Facebook, Google & Microsoft want it all - telecom's the prey

The Big Three of the tech world want to give you everything - email, voice- in one inbox. If they succeed, the telecom companies are dead meat. But they're assuming we want it all in one inbox

Is Coal India the next milch cow? Or next basket case?

Coal India is currently charging far below world prices for its coal. As the nation starts depending more on costly imported coal, this undercharging will have to go. Or else we will soon have the same situation as in oil.

It's going to be a 'wild' ride for two-wheelers

Two-wheelers are expected to outperform their four-wheeler counterparts since they are not affected by inflationary trends as most of them are bought outright.

Not Sebi, govt is regulator, says Sahara; SC non-committal

The Sahara Group desperately wants a change of forum from Sebi to Department of Company Affairs. So far, the Supreme Court has not obliged.

Sibal on the defensive, says no favours granted to RCom

PIL claims that instead of penalising Ambani Rs 650 crore for a contract allegedly violated by him, Sibal has asked for Rs 5 crore only.

Madura PE deal will allow apparel business to take off

Clothing represents about 5% of household expenditure, according to government data (on private final consumption expenditure). The total clothing market currently could be around $25-30 billion.

Will he, won't he? RBI chief waits for a call from North Block

In less than two months, Reserve Bank Governor Duvvuri Subbarao's term will get over, but the government has still left him guessing. Will they, won't they give him an extension of two years, as he is entitled to?

PIL in SC seeks CBI probe into Sibal's 'favour' to RCom

An NGO has filed a public interest litigation against Communications Minister Kapil Sibal for allegedly favouring Reliance Communications by reducing the penalties recommended by his bureaucrats.

What's 'awesome' about Skype video-chat on Facebook?

Facebook promised "something awesome" following the launch of Google+. How great is it? Meh.

Not fair or lovely: Why FMCG shares are now on the sell-list

Is the FMCG story now coming to a close? Many say there are clouds on the horizon.

Data crunch: RBI Governor gets the wrong number

Is the official data on prices, jobs and growth reliable? The RBI Governor was wringing his hands in despair at frequent revisions of data. He clearly needs to look beyond the data - even though the data needs to be spruced up, too.

Dr Subbarao, does KYC stand for Kick Your Customer?

The KYC norms put out by the Reserve Bank and other organisations are simply not realistic. They result in harassment of customers, and little else.

Ambani's 2007 Swan stake sale involved $4m Swiss funds

Forging links between RIL and Swan has set the CBI on a long, devious trail that leads to Switzerland through Mauritius.

Why Biyani wants to sell Pantaloon's financial services

The past nine months have not been too happy for Pantaloon Retail in terms of performance primarily because it may be over-leveraged.The decision to sell stake in Future Capital could bring in much needed cash for the company.

Apollo set for huge expansion, looks to raise Rs 850 crore

The company could raise the money through a combination of debt/equity or a possible asset sale. Hiving off non-core assets augurs well for Apollo as compared to raising money through a mix of equity and debt.

Why public sector banks are out of favour for markets

Investors are also showing a clear preference for private sector banks over public sector banks within the sector.

Here's Sibal's justification for over-ruling his babus

When Kapil Sibal reduced the penalties for Reliance Communications for switching off some rural services unilaterally, he justified it by using the in-built provisions of the USOF Agreement rather than the basic telecom licence agreement.

Djokovic, IBM and Rolex win

The rules change at Wimbledon, including brand colours. But given its tradition and awesome viewership, view argue, not even IBM.

Microfinance starts to rework a future outside Andhra

The growth of credit in the micro-finance space is not that slow. According to RBI data on credit deployment by banks, micro-credit grew 16.5% to Rs 25,231 crore in May 2011.

Wave of Wall Street layoffs could see jobs shipped to India

Investment banks ranging from Bank of America to Goldman Sachs are issuing pink slips. Analysts reckon that some of these jobs could migrate to India.

The Praful Patel Guide to destroying AI - Revised Edition

More than anyone else, Praful Patel was instrumental in sending Air India on the road to ruin. The government's best bet now is to cut its losses and run.