FMCG companies may lose lather in soap margins, India, Bangladesh ties can go off balance; all this and more on Moneycontrol Pro

Finally, some great news! India’s fastest-growing financial subscriptions service, Moneycontrol Pro, is available both on the website and mobile apps. Moneycontrol Pro offers curated markets data, independent equity analysis, insights into investment styles and exclusive trading recommendations. In sum, all the information you need for wealth creation. Time to look beyond the boom in mobile manufacturing Mobile phones’ contribution to India’s overall electronics production rose to 37.12 percent in 2018-19 from 9.93 percent in 2014-15. The transformation has been largely attributed to favourable government policies. A closer look reveals these are mostly assembly operations with high levels of imported content. What is needed to increase local value addition? Read here to know more. [caption id=“attachment_6847201” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image[/caption] FMCG companies may lose the lather in soap margins | Corporate Corridor A sharp rally in palm oil prices is reversing the benign input cost situation that existed for soaps, one of the large segments within the FMCG universe. Rising costs could become a problem but larger companies could be at an advantage. The situation is made complex by weak demand conditions. Read here to know what investors should be watching for. India, Bangladesh relations can go off balance easily On the face of it, relations between India and Bangladesh, the large neighbor to the east, are hunky-dory but there are disturbing developments which can queer the pitch if they continue to take place. The situation has to be handled with extreme care to protect cordial bilateral relations between the two countries. Read here for more. Gas distribution company valuations appear inflated, but are backed by solid Q2 earnings An increased focus on clean energy, a switch to natural gas and a substantial price differential between gas and competing fuels such as petrol and diesel augur well for gas marketing companies. Their Q2 performance was healthy as well. Their shares have run up, bringing up the question of what should investors do now? Read here to know our research analyst’s view. Ideas for Profit | This cooling stock lost steam in Q2 but should you still consider it? This air-conditioning company did not do well in Q2 but it retains the potential to capitalise on favourable long-term industry dynamics, periodic product launches, impetus towards centralised cooling and enjoys robust fundamentals. Read our research analyst’s take to know more. Picks from our technical analysts (Please click on security name to access recommendations) Axis Bank ICICI Bank Sun Pharma Piramal Enterprises