BUSINESS
Corporate Corridor | HUL's decision to cut soap prices: why investors should not get in a lather
News of HUL cutting soap prices spooked the market but what it may lose on margins, it could gain in volume growth
COMPANIES
Corporate corridor | P&G’s listed companies may escape the worst of the slowdown
Gillette and P&G Health are relatively better off since their sales are mostly in the urban and semi-urban areas.
BUSINESS
Sentiment booster | Infrastructure tweaks are helpful but the problems are deeper
If the government actually accelerates clearance of dues to infrastructure developers they will benefit, but that’s not the only problem the sector faces
BUSINESS
Sentiment Booster | Auto sector needs more sops to get back on track
The government has taken a few steps to help the automobile industry but that may not be enough to resolve the big issues that are affecting growth
BUSINESS
Corporate corridor: Acquiring Café Coffee Day may not be ITC’s cup of tea
ITC has been approached to bid for Café Coffee Day. Diversification is ITC’s forte and it also knows a bit about the business, but the café business is not an easy one to crack
BUSINESS
Corporate Governance | CG Power’s disclosures are one more wake up call for investors
CG Power's disclosures reveal numerous holes in its financial picture and adds to a growing list of Indian companies that have tripped on the corporate governance front
BUSINESS
India Inc | Defaulting on CSR may not land executives in prison, for now
The government appears willing to reconsider a tweak in the CSR law that had threatened jail for executives of defaulting companies.
BUSINESS
Nestle’s recipe for riding out the FMCG slowdown | Corporate Corridor
Nestle has managed to steer clear of a slowing market, with volume growth doing most of the heavy lifting on the sales growth front
BUSINESS
Rural demand: Revival in rainfall improves farm income prospects
The scare caused by truant rainfall in June has been made up to a considerable extent in July. If August also lends a shoulder, then farm output could get a major boost.
BUSINESS
Tata Steel’s caught between Europe and a hard place | Corporate Corridor
Tata Steel’s Europe business bored a hole in its performance, highlighting why selling it is a must so that it can sail ahead on its profitable Indian business
BUSINESS
Corporate Corridor | ITC's shares are at a discount to its peers but that could change
ITC’s sales growth may have been unimpressive but margins in cigarettes have improved and barring punitive taxes or policy actions it could sustain
BUSINESS
Corporate Corridor | Hindalco found a good match in Aleris, securing EC approval is vital
The European Commission appears hesitant to approve Novelis’s bid for Aleris. The success of this bid is crucial for parent Hindalco Industries’ plans
BUSINESS
Corporate Governance | Light touch regulation for proxy advisers is the right approach
Proxy advisers are relatively new in India but play an important role in upholding governance standards. A SEBI working group seeks to ensure they practice what they preach.
BUSINESS
Corporate Corridor | Coffee Day episode leaves investors in the dark
Coffee Day’s investors find themselves staring at a bleak period as the late founder’s letter raises more questions than it gives answers
COMPANIES
Corporate Corridor | Pfizer’s Upjohn and Mylan combining forces holds lessons for Indian pharma majors
The merger of Pfizer’s Upjohn division and Mylan may not only attempt to solve their problems in the US market but also make inroads into emerging markets, particularly China
BUSINESS
Corporate Corridor | Vedanta shakes off one uncertainty, with parent exit from Anglo American investment
The exit from Anglo American will reassure investors that the promoter focus will remain centred on Vedanta
BUSINESS
Corporate corridor | What HUL’s results say or don’t about the slowdown in consumption demand
HUL’s soaps business was the main reason why growth slowed down and if its price cuts work, then it should recover in the second half of FY20.
BUSINESS
Corporate corridor | Early FMCG results show some companies will keep the growth flag flying
The narrative of a FMCG slowdown may be true at the industry level but individual results show that some companies are not taking a slowdown for granted.
BUSINESS
Audit trail | When auditors resign, SEBI wants them to go out with a bang
SEBI is tightening the screws on auditor resignations, both on when they can resign and the disclosures to be made when that happens.
BUSINESS
Consumption Play | FMCG slowdown may be real but numbers show a nuanced picture for investors
The June quarter should see a slowdown in volume growth while price-led growth does some moderate lifting. That could mean that margins may either hold up or even improve.
BUSINESS
Corporate Corridor | Pharma has a tough climb to regain investor faith
Compliance-related issues with the US FDA just don’t seem to be going away any time soon. In India, a key threat is the government’s efforts to make drugs affordable, and what policy changes it adopts to fulfil that objective.
BUSINESS
If banks don't get superior rights, investor expectations of recovery from IBC will need pruning
The NCLAT order on Essar Steel has highlighted a new challenge for the bankruptcy code: whether maximise recovery for banks or ensure equitable treatment of all creditors.
BUSINESS
Budget 2019 | Why the FM saw red on trade
Why India's government wants to shore up customs duty collections, in addition to giving an impetus to Make in India
BUSINESS
Rising effective tax rate creates headroom for further corporate tax cuts
The effective corporate tax rate in 2017-18 has risen to 29.5percent, a good three percentage points higher than a year ago and is the highest in the past five years
