Tuesday, July 29, 2008

FOREIGN M&As, PROJECTS TO DRIVE ICICI BANK

Even as the corporate and financial sectors talk of a slowdown and its possible impact on profitability, the country’s largest private sector lender, the Rs 4-lakh crore ICICI Bank, is betting big on overseas M&A and project finance as key growth drivers for FY09.

The Financial Express
ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR TO GROW 18 % ANNUALLY

With new markets opening up, the entertainment and media sector is poised to witness about 18 per cent annual growth in the next five years. The study, titled 'Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2008-2012', says India, along with other BRIC nations - Brazil, Russia and China - will see an economic growth of around 13.6 per cent as against 5.9 per cent growth that the rest of the world will witness in this period.

The Economic Times
GREENBACKS POWER COMPANIES INVESTING IN RENEWABLE ENERGY

With oil prices ruling high despite recent correction, domestic companies such as Reliance Industries (RIL), Tata BP Solar, Essar Power, Suzlon and Moser Baer are investing more in renewable energy. While Suzlon, Moser Baer, Indowind and Webel raised $1.4 billion overseas in 2007 through convertible bonds for investment in green energy, RIL, Tata BP Solar and Essar Power raised $628 million on domestic stock exchanges in 2007

The Economic Times
PROFIT-FOCUSED INFOSYS NOW LOOKS TO GROWTH

In a significant change of strategy, India’s second largest software services firm Infosys Technologies Ltd has said it will focus on growth, even if this means lower profitability — a reflection of a tougher business environment where Indian software firms are finding it harder to grow, and a contrarian play for a company that has sometimes walked away from deals that would have meant lower profitability.

MINT
Rs 65,000-CRORE MAKEOVER FOR DELHI

The capital city of Delhi is set to shed its old and ugly skin to give way to a shiny new world-class avatar for the Commonwealth Games. This is no cosmetic touch-up job but a multi-thousand crore rupees makeover, which will ensure that the 16 million-odd residents of the city forget that they ever faced any shortages of the basic kind (think power, water, transport, medical facilities) and instead enjoy the abundance of aesthetics.

Business Standard
PE DEALS SURGE 55% in H1 2008 DRIVEN by REALTY SECTOR

Private equity investments in the country witnessed an increase of 55 per cent in terms of value to touch $10.4 million during the first six months of this year, driven by significant deals announced in the realty and infrastructure sector. Overall, there were 207 deals worth $10.4 billion during first half of 2008, as against 178 transactions with a value of $ 6.69 billion during the corresponding period a year-ago.

Business Standard
ANIMATION IND TO GROW TO Rs 42 bln BY FY09

The Rs 12 bn animation industry in India is set to grow to Rs 42 bn by 2009 with its revenues projected to double up to almost USD 1.5 bn by 2010. The Indian animation market is only one per cent of the global market of the USD 1,125 bn but growth is expected to be around 35 per cent in the next few years.

The Economic Times
BSNL SEEKS GLOBAL BIDS FOR MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENTS

Confronted with perennial shortage of modems and other broadband equipment, state-owned BSNL is exploring the possibility of setting up a joint venture for manufacturing these products. The PSU has invited tenders from all global equipment majors to enter into a JV for setting up manufacturing facilities in India.

The Economic Times
RIGHT TIME FOR INVESTORS TO ACCUMULATE GREEN STOCKS

The oilfield of the future is not 200 feet deep below the surface. It is 96 million miles above the ground. This is not an understatement. High oil prices in the 1970s ended the era of crude oil as a source of electric power and kick-started the wind energy industry in Europe and elsewhere. Will the current regime of triple-digit crude oil prices begin the era of renewable energy?

The Economic Times

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

INDIA AMONG TOP THREE MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT MARKETS

India continues to be one of the top three markets for global collaborations in entertainment and media, because of a 'relatively friendly foreign investment regime..

The Economic Times

A TALE OF TWO STRATEGIES

The management of human resources has a strong link with the financial performance of a multinational company. Indian multinationals are showing how to foster it.

Business Standard

INDIA INC’S TOP CEOs GIVE NO SIGNS OF SLOWDOWN

A majority of CEOs from top Indian companies including ICICI Bank, Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor GE India, and HUL, do not foresee any production slowdown in this fiscal, even as rising input and interest costs are affecting the net profit margins.

The Indian Express

THE INVISIBLE HAND OF POLICY IS WORKING

The unravelling of the merger between Reliance Communications (RCOM) and South Africa’s MTN and the travails of the Ranbaxy-Daiichi Sankyo deal highlight the changed economic environment in India. If it came to pass, the RCOM-MTN deal would have created an international telecom giant with a subscriber base of 120 million from the Cape of Good Hope to the Himalayas..

Hindustan Times

Monday, July 14, 2008

M&As CONTINUE TO CLICK, JUNE SEES 51 DEALS WORTH $5.35 BN

Amid apprehensions of economic slowdown, India Inc. seems to have resorted to mergers & acquisitions to keep their business going. The number of M&A deals announced in June stands at 51 with value at $5.35 billion, as against 49 deals and $2.92 billion in May...

The Economic Times

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

INDIAN FIRMS EMPLOY OVER 30K US CITIZENS

Amidst the row in US over outsourcing, a study has said that big corporates like Essar, HCL, Tata, Mahindra and Wipro have generated over 30,000 jobs for Americans in recent years.

The Financial Express

RESULTS FROM IT COS SET TO EXCEED TARGETS

First-quarter results for India’s largest software services companies are expected to exceed the most bullish markets estimates, reflecting a windfall from the weaking of the rupee against the US dollar and the euro.

Livemint

IT/ITES TO FUEL REALTY GROWTH IN ‘08

Demand for office space has traditionally been driven by the IT/ITeS sectors that comprise software development and processing centres. This is expected to be the largest demand driver in 2008 as well. Of the total expected supply of 82.8 million sq.ft.in 2008, IT related developments will garner the largest chunk.

Livemint

PC SALES CROSS 7.3 MN UNITS, UP BY LAST YEAR'S 16 PC

Driven by growing notebook consumption in the country, personal computer sales crossed 7.3 million units in 2007-08, registering a growth of 16 per cent over the previous year. Information Technology (IT) consumption in 2007-08 was led by a significant growth in notebook sales, which grew by 114 per cent.

The Economic Times
INDIAN CELLULAR SERVICES MARKET TO SURPASS $37 BILLION BY 2012

Total cellular services revenue in India is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18 percent from 2008-2012 to exceed US$37 billion, according to Gartner. The India mobile subscriber base is set to exceed 737 million connections by 2012 growing at a CAGR of 21 percent in the same period. This growth is poised to continue through the forecast period, and India is expected to remain the world's second largest wireless market after China in terms of mobile connections.

Consumerinfoline