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India’s stock markets crashed by 769 points on August 16, as investors reacted to good news in the US and bad news at home. Stock markets fell and the rupee has crossed the Rs 62-mark, as the RBI’s capital control and gold import restriction measures appear to have caused panic.
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The Indian government took yet another step to limit the imports of gold and silver, to counter the country’s widening current account deficit. Gold is an asset that may be viewed as being unproductive by some but Indians have traditionally viewed them as a safe investment and a coveted accessory. That has created a headache for India as the imports of precious metals is putting a big burden on the economy.
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Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) is planning to take over the trucks business of its subsidiary Mahindra Trucks & Buses. The business will be transferred to M&M through a scheme of arrangement, after being approved by M&M’s board .
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Asian Paints had announced in March that it plans to acquire a 51% stake in privately-held Sleek International but had not disclosed the consideration. It had said it will do a due diligence exercise before finishing the deal. That seems to have gone off well, as it has said it will be investing Rs 120 crore in two instalments, by August 10, 2013.
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Bajaj Auto
Bajaj Auto’s sales disappointed in July too, as dull demand conditions and a strike at its Chakan plant appear to be hurting sales. Compared to June, its motorcycle sales have not declined by much but its CV-segment sales have fallen sharply. Domestic has done better compared to exports, over a year ago.
Equity markets in the emerging market sphere are celebrating after the US Federal Reserve’s statement issued on July 31. The Fed’s statement, that the US economy grew at a modest than expected pace in the first half, has been taken as a sign that the Quantitative Easing ‘taper’ is nowhere in sight. They may be right but they should also pay heed to the Fed’s statement about the improving health of the US economy, and if upcoming indicators point to a recovery on expected lines then the Fed may commence a taper.
Continue ReadingVivimed Labs is acquiring a drug-making facility in India, that comes with regulatory approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), giving it acess to the US market. It will get two products as part of the deal and some outsourcing contracts that will give it access to quicker revenue streams. In the longer run, it plans to file to sell new drugs from this facility.
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Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering plans to raise $150 million U.S. dollars (roughly Rs 892 crore) by listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) by October 2013, the company said. The capital raised will be invested in two subsidiaries and will also go towards reducing the company’s overall debt.
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has proposed a hike in foreign direct investment limits in the broadcasting sectors, chiefly television and FM radio. The move follows the government’s desperation to bring in FDI follows to help bridge the balance of payments problem.
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The Reserve Bank of India (link) did the predictable by holding on to rates at current levels in its quarterly monetary policy review. The repo rate has been retained at 7.25% and the reverse repo rate has been kept at 6.25%. Repo is when banks borrow from the RBI to meet temporary funds requirement and the reverse repo is when banks park surplus funds with the RBI.
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