
BUSINESS
Budget Chart Point | Will Budget 2021 herald a new dawn for the fertiliser sector?
As part of the stimulus package, the government last year said it will allocate additional amount for subsidised fertilisers. Higher allocation can clear the subsidy backlog, easing financial pressure for manufacturers

BUSINESS
How SBI Life and HDFC Life differed in December quarter
SBI Life saw strong growth in protection revenue while HDFC Life calibrated the business fearing heightened risks due to COVID-19 pandemic

ECONOMY
Budget Chart Point | Freight revenues keep the flag flying for Indian Railways
How the Railways plans to fund the capex will be important

BUSINESS
Renewed push for defence indigenisation to boost company order books
Allocations for defence may rise in 2021 Union Budget and the government has set specific targets for import substitution and domestic procurement

BUSINESS
Cement firms begin 2021 on a quiet note despite firm demand
Cement prices continue to decline. Prices dropped 2 percent sequentially in January continuing the easing trend of earlier months

BUSINESS
Adani Group gets cash boost from stake sale to Total, but is it enough?
Stake sale to Total sets a benchmark for Adani Green Energy’s market valuation. Proceeds from the sale can help the group fund capex and reduce pledges of shares

BUSINESS
COVID-19 pandemic is aiding Indian IT in more ways than one
Offshore mix at Infosys and Wipro reached record levels last quarter. With customers more amenable to remote delivery, offshoring is estimated to remain high, aiding IT companies' profit margins

BUSINESS
Infosys maintains pre-pandemic lead over TCS, Wipro
Both Infosys and TCS guided for a double digit revenue growth rate in FY22. But Infosys’ growth comes on an estimated 4.5-5 percent revenue expansion in the current fiscal year versus flat revenues at TCS

BUSINESS
Outlook for Indian pharma brightens in 2021
Drug sales in India increased 8.5 percent last month taking the growth in December 2020 quarter to 6.4 percent. The recovery will aid December quarter results

BUSINESS
BFSI powers TCS’ stellar comeback
BFSI, which generates about 30 per cent of TCS revenue, grew 2.4 per cent in the previous quarter. Order inflows from the segment stood at a strong at $2.6 billion

BUSINESS
Localisation drive adds strength to auto components recovery in 2021
Import substitution and customer wallet share gains will strengthen the auto component sector’s recovery. Ratings agency ICRA projects revenue growth in FY22 after two years of decline

BUSINESS
Serum Institute gets ahead in COVID-19 vaccine, but opportunity still exists for others
Serum Institute alone cannot inoculate the entire population at one go. This leaves enough space for competitor vaccines, provided they succeed in clinical trials

BUSINESS
Tactical purchases by states spur volumes at IEX, low tariffs key
IEX trading volumes in day ahead market jumped 29 percent in December, continuing the strong growth of the earlier three months

BUSINESS
Tata’s restructuring of group firms shows results, but more needs to be done
The underlying theme behind the Tata business rejig is balance sheet deleveraging, simplification of inter corporate holdings, focus on chosen business segments, scale and returns improvement

BUSINESS
COVID-19 places Indian IT on higher growth path; will margins follow?
Several IT companies have reported large order inflows and significant expansion in project pipelines. Ramp-up of these contracts is set to improve revenue growth rates in 2021-22

BUSINESS
How savvy financial management is propelling the Adani group
As the Adani group acquires scale, it's stepping up focus on stakeholder communication and investor compliances such as ESG. While the strategy is helping it raise funds at competitive rates, more needs to be done

BUSINESS
How the government can help sustain the growth in home textile exports
Stay-at-home consumers are driving demand for home textiles. Indian exporters are seeing strong sales and market share gains

BUSINESS
Accenture’s rising utilisation levels indicate a familiar challenge ahead for the IT sector
Accenture’s latest results indicate a strong demand recovery. Order inflows have jumped and it expects strong bookings in the current quarter as well

BUSINESS
How Divi’s Laboratories made it big by focusing on fewer products
Divi’s is well placed to benefit from increased sourcing by global innovators seeking to lower dependence on China. It has a proven track record and is building new capacities which can aid market share and growth

TRENDS
Winter products keep festive momentum going for value format retailers
Footfalls at retailers continue to lag previous year’s levels. But average spends and purchases by visiting customers have gone up, aiding a recovery

BUSINESS
NTPC has a long way to go on ESG despite its focus on renewable energy
NTPC is stepping up its ESG focus, targeting green energy capacity additions and pollution control measures. But the company has much to deliver as the poor rating by Sustainalytics shows

BUSINESS
L&T Infotech's deal win gathers pace, sharpens focus on cloud and data products
Large deal wins show signs of recovery after a tepid first half of the fiscal year for L&T Infotech. The company signed two large contracts so far this quarter and sees strong opportunities in the cloud and data products business

BUSINESS
CCI scrutiny is a bad omen for cement companies, but charges have to stick
While cement prices post COVID-19 have been firm, future price hikes may be deferred fearing regulatory action

BUSINESS
Cargo at major ports grows for the first time since COVID-19 struck
Cargo volumes at major ports grow in November after declining for eight months. Container traffic and commodities such as iron ore and coal drive the recovery