Mcopinion

What does the latest microfinance sector data tell us?

Active borrowers are down to 685 lakhs, a 12 per cent decline over the last year. Loan accounts have fallen by 23 per cent.

Chart of the Day: As job creation improves, will consumption follow suit?

The good news is that improving job creation has come along with budgetary sops to reduce tax and drive up sluggish consumption

Larsen and Toubro's unprecedented move in global energy

With its latest achievement, L&T is not just breaking records but also paving the way for a larger role on the international stage. Here's why this development is a game-changer

Chart of the Day | India’s Digital Boom: What’s powering the rise of data centres?

The rapid rise in India’s digital consumption is propelling an unprecedented demand for data centres. But how sustainable is this growth?

April Price Hikes: Will passenger vehicle sales stall further?

Given the declining PV sales and rising inventory levels with dealers, all eyes are on the three to four per cent hike expected in April by PV makers 

Chart of the Day: Why the rising trend in cement prices may not sustain

Large capacity additions and market consolidation could see higher supply in the market that will weigh down cement prices

Retail auto sales belie hopes of broad-based consumption recovery

Recent auto retail numbers are perplexing as 2W and lower-end car sales show declining trend indicating pain at the bottom of the pyramid

Capital goods order flows reflect capex slowdown, but is it a blip?

Capital goods firms order flows portray a moderation in economic activity both in government and private sector capex, although some sectors are faring well

Finally, a drop in lead prices to ease pressure on battery makers

Robust replacement market battery sales, particularly for four-wheelers, aided in pass through of higher input costs

Global Tariff Tensions: Bernstein’s Venugopal Garre on risks, resilience

The Indian economy has bottomed out. The pace of recovery will, however, be slow given the lack of global support, inability to drive leverage-led growth and constrained government finances.

Is the worst behind for Apollo Tyres?

A weak domestic and global environment, moderating sales in domestic and international markets and skyrocketing rubber prices have punctured investor optimism

What Indian EPC companies need to brace for

Given that over the last two years, the Budget did little to rev up allocations in infrastructure the EPC sector may continue to face sluggish order flows, unless private capex takes over

Chart of the Day| Premium hotels rush to add capacity as the sector defies consumption slowdown

The healthy demand uptick is leading to pick-up in new room supply and commencement of deferred projects in the last 24-30 months

Economic Survey points to limited uptake of private investment in many core sectors

While the government is doing all it can to pump prime infra development, why is there slack in private capex?

Budget Snapshot | It’s time to turbo-charge electric vehicle sales

The government must set right the anomalies in tax structure wherein batteries and certain components in EV manufacture attract a higher GST than the EV itself

Q3 results of Hyundai, Maruti, Tata Motors point to slowing PV demand

Demand for PVs is dented, thanks to the high base of earlier years, high inflation and sticky interest rates that are impacting discretionary spends

Budget 2025: Besides higher capex, India must boost private investment in roads

The government’s capital outlay for the road sector is likely to increase by 8-10 percent in FY2026 budgeted expenditure, which is likely to support the improvement in road execution

Will JLR’s improving sales bring comfort to Tata Motor's profitability?

While CVs saw flattish growth in volumes, the company has lately lost market share in PVs in domestic markets. Even electric vehicle (EV) sales ramp up leaves much to be desired

Domestic rubber prices fall, but it is early for tyre firms to rejoice

In the current fiscal year, tyre makers took price hikes of about 5-6 percent in replacement markets mainly, which is hardly sufficient to offset the pain from raw material price increases

New entrants to spice up equity listings in hotel sector

A defining feature is the rising presence of realty developers and private equity backed hotels that are seeking to list

Is the recent rally in cement stocks justified?

Cement prices in November were still nearly 7 per cent below the year-ago period, on an all-India average basis.

Bank NPAs are down, but watch the SMA-2 loans closely

A look at the second quarter results of banks suggests that there has been a rise in the special mention category-2 loans (SMA) of some large banks. These can be tricky for the lenders if things don’t go according to plan.

Road developers set to gain from NHAI’s asset monetisation push

Monetising road assets through TOT and the rising FASTag collections could help garner funds for NHAI’s new projects

Chart of the Day | EVs, data centres to account for a third of power demand

Soaring power demand set to offer a multi-trillion dollar opportunity for India’s power sector in generation, distribution and more

OYO’s Motel 6 acquisition adds global visibility, but what’s with its IPO plans?

Blackstone’s exit from Motel 6 rewards its investors handsomely but will the deal add heft to OYO’s valuations that have seen significant erosion since the pandemic?