BUSINESS
Iron ore prices on fire but steel companies may be cool with it
Iron ore prices seem unstoppable having crossed $120/tonne driven by China’s appetite for steel. What that means for India’s steel companies and for one mining company.
BUSINESS
Sugar stocks should benefit from a higher MSP but one risk hovers on the horizon
Sugar stocks are in focus as earnings are shining and the government is considering a hike in MSP. All seems well except for one risk.
BUSINESS
Should investors worry about the FMCG sector’s low growth forecast?
Nielsen has forecast low growth or even a decline for the FMCG sector in 2020. But its data reveals some trends that could comfort investors
BUSINESS
Chart of the Day: Why China’s peers may not mind its steely embrace
The world is going in one direction as far as steel is concerned, down. Somebody forgot to give China that memo
BUSINESS
A $765-million shot across Indian pharma’s bows
India wants its pharmaceutical supply chain to become more self-sufficient but the US has a similar goal. What this could mean for Indian pharma.
BUSINESS
Hindustan Unilever’s results show light at the end of the COVID tunnel
HUL’s results show that COVID is affecting its business, but it’s not as bad as it could have been. What that means for the FMCG sector
BUSINESS
FMCG sales near a turning point in June
Nielsen’s data for June shows growth recovering after a slump in May but the big surprise was a quicker than expected revival in the buying of discretionary consumption products
BUSINESS
While steel output drops sharply, investors keep their eyes on the road ahead
The effects of the pandemic have led to a sharp decline in steel output in the June quarter but investors are hoping the worst is over
BUSINESS
Dip in tea output poses a dilemma for marketers
North India's tea plantations have seen output decline, sending prices up
BUSINESS
The twin challenges facing HUL in 2020
Two of Unilever’s decisions are posing an existential question of sorts for HUL’s product categories. How it tackles them is crucial to the long-term outcomes for the company
BUSINESS
Sugar mills are in for a good fiscal but for one risk
A healthy growth in sugar output is forecast in 2020-21, assuring mills a good fiscal year as long as the industry’s support system stays intact
BUSINESS
COVID-19: Spike in cases at factories a risk for industrial India
Industrial activity is gradually picking up but fresh outbreaks of COVID at some large units flags a new risk
BUSINESS
Chart of the Day: The curious case of retail fuel prices
Data since FY14 shows the yawning gap between crude oil price movements and retail fuel prices
BUSINESS
J&J takes a stand on fairness creams, will others have to follow suit?
BUSINESS
Dr Copper does not share gloomy economic outlook
Copper prices have crossed their end-February lows in a marked contrast to the dim outlook for economic growth
BUSINESS
Godrej Consumer: Why investors are sulking at the management reshuffle
Godrej Consumer will have an owner-manager at the helm after a long hiatus
BUSINESS
Tata Steel’s European business needs more than restructuring
While restructuring can do some good a more lasting solution would be something along the lines of the aborted ThyssenKrupp transaction
BUSINESS
When it rains, it does not necessarily pour for investors
While the monsoons are an important factor, they are not the only one driving rural income and therefore, demand.
BUSINESS
The risks for FMCG stocks from the government’s push to buy swadeshi
The government’s wants consumers to buy more locally-made products. How it determines what’s local will determine the risk for FMCG stocks.
BUSINESS
If steel output is down why are iron ore prices hot?
The answers to that question lie in China and Brazil
BUSINESS
FMCG demand crumbled in April but with a twist in the tale
A sharp decline in FMCG sales in April puts a question mark over the one sector that was providing a defence against a slump in consumption demand
BUSINESS
Sebi wants companies to come clean on COVID-19’s impact
A Sebi circular is nudging listed companies to disclose the impact of COVID-19 on their operations, to ensure all investors have equal access to information
BUSINESS
Sugar’s bittersweet moment
Higher than expected sugar output in Uttar Pradesh could result in a problem of plenty for sugar mills
BUSINESS
Privatisation is a capital idea but won’t be an easy sell
Privatisation can be a cure not just for the government’s finances but for the companies too. The devil lies in the execution.
