Business Today 23-Aug-20

It’s never more important to gaze into the future than when the world is clutching at straws of hope. When nothing seems to be going right. And when nature and fate both seem to have loads of surprises in store. Each one punkier than the other. So just as humanity turns to the divine for direction, we turned to some of the best names in their fields to crystal-gaze for Business Today. For deep insights in areas as vital as agriculture and food to economy and manufacturing, even top of the mind concerns such as drug discovery and disaster management. The galaxy of global and Indian CEOs and specialists who have graced this issue with their foresight includes Charles V. Bergh, CEO, Levi Strauss, who writes about the Future of…

A number of rating and other agencies have come out with another round of FY21 GDP growth estimates. A majority of these estimates – released after April-end – are more pessimistic than the projections made in March and April This is despite high-frequency indicators such as FMCG and fuel sales showing signs of returning to pre-Covid levels CARE Ratings, for instance, revised its forecast from −1.5 per cent to - 6.4 per cent as economic activity continues to be hit due to lockdowns in several parts of the country…

Central and state governments borrowed 94 per cent more in June this year as compared to the same month last year In June 2019, they had borrowed ₹1,98,606 crore, compared with ₹3,72,071 crore in June 2020 However, corporate bond issuances moderated, after a sharp rise in April-May GOVERNMENT CORPORATES GSec is government securities; T-bills are treasury bills; SDL are state development loans; CP is commercial paper; Figures in ₹crore Source: Motilal Oswal…

Passenger vehicles: The industry made 1,45,291 vehicles (down 83.9% YoY), while domestic sales declined 79.3 per cent to 1,39,136. Exports fell 74.7 per cent to 44,130 Two wheelers: Production fell 78.5 per cent to 1,248,332 units while domestic sales fell 74.2 per cent to 1,291,845 and exports 61.8 per cent to 337,728 units Commercial vehicles: Production was 28,939 units (down 87.6 per cent YoY) while domestic sales fell to 31,636 units (down 84.8 per cent). Exports declined 66.7 per cent to 3,870 units Source: CARE Ratings…

Exuberance is a vital pre-requisite to gaze into the future. Entertainer George Burns looked at the future, “because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life”. But TV diva Oprah Winfrey has been characteristically buoyant: “When I look into the future, it’s so bright it burns my eyes”. Equally upbeat is the outlook of a galaxy of global and Indian CEOs who agreed to write for The Future Issue on topics ranging from agriculture and apparel to food and pharmaceuticals. Take the case of travel. A new mode of transport hasn’t been invented in a 100 years. Yet, the Future of Travel requires moving at higher speeds, lowest costs and with least energy (forget fossil fuels). That’s precisely what some of the newest modes of transport being…

Healthcare is the most important macroeconomic indicator across the world right now. A large-scale global delivery of Covid vaccine seems a bit too optimistic over the next 12 months. It means that a very sharp, quick global economic rebound is unlikely. In the first quarter of the pandemic, the GDP of the United States contracted 9-10 per cent, or about 33 per cent on an annualised basis. This is true even in Germany, though it is likely to have a swifter rebound because its health curve is under control. China, another bellwether, is in a much better shape. In fact, its economic recovery sounds best because they were able to contain the virus. Both globally as well as domestically for India, growth is highly interdependent across regions. You can't have…