Innholdsfortegnelse for 29-Nov-20 i Business Today

BT500 is Business Today’s longest running annual project. Its uninterrupted run since 1993 has been witness to every twist and turn of the Indian economy and every rise and fall in India Inc. But it hasn’t ever seen a year like the one that is unfolding in front of our eyes now. A near three-month shutdown of the economy due to the Coronavirus-induced lockdown, widespread disruption in manufacturing, services, supply chains and logistics — the march of the migrants — and innumerable job losses, the effects of which will be visible in corporate India’s performance in the coming quarters. But what is already visible in India Inc.’s health are the effects of 18 quarters of persistent slowdown. After all, while Coronavirus was unanticipated, the slowdown preceding it was not. That…

₹3.86 LAKH CRORE Value of UPI transactions in October, a record high 54.1 Services PMI in October, compared to 49.8 in September. This is the first expansion of the services sector since February GST Collections Exceed ₹1 Lakh Crore Dip in Number of Unemployed Record E-way Bills Generated in October Manufacturing Output Expands at Multi-Year High Pace Car Sales Get Festive Boost, Rise 17 per cent Decent Rise in FDI Despite Lockdown Source: PIB, CMIE, RBI, GSTN CENTRE TIGHTENS PURSE STRINGS The central government's gross fiscal deficit was ₹43,646 crore in September, the lowest since the beginning of the current fiscal The deficit was lower by a sharp 55.3 per cent compared to the year-ago period. It fell due to a 26 per cent cut in government expenditure to ₹2.3…

ROARING BEARS The average market cap of Bt500 companies rose only 1% in 2020, despite 34% growth in RIL mcap TOP FIVE HOLD GROUND SECTORAL WINNERS TOP GAINERS TOP LOSERS TOP PERFORMING SECTORS No sector has shown healthy growth Figures are 2020 rank and average mcap (in ₹ cr) for Oct 2019 to Sept 2020…

It’s not hard to figure out where a company is headed. Among other things, it requires paying attention to words of its leadership team. In Airtel’s case, there are compelling reasons to believe that the company wants to shed the tag of a telecom firm and be known as a digital services company. CEO and MD (South Asia and India) Gopal Vittal emphasised on this at the latest conference call with investors, there was ample prior evidence of the company’s ambitions. For instance, the number of times Vittal mentioned ‘digital’ during earnings call jumped from zero in June 2018 quarter to four in December 2019 quarter to 28 in March 2020 quarter. “We are maniacal about morphing ourselves into a digital services provider by riding on our core strengths and…

Public sector units (PSUs) account for 12.5 per cent market capitalisation of BT 500 universe and a significant chunk of the economy. When the economy was struggling to cope with Covid-19 and the resultant lockdown, many had expected that the government would unleash their full potential to support the economy. The idea was to push capex through large PSUs and lending through large public sector banks (PSBs). But that doesn’t seem to have been the story. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, gross bank credit fell 1 per cent between March 27 and September 25. Investments in new and completed projects during first six months of FY21 fell 37 per cent from ₹8 lakh crore to ₹5 lakh crore, says CMIE. According to National Statistical Office, gross…

Do you get more when you give more? Yes, India Inc. believes so. The country’s 500 most valuable companies were generous with dividends. It's hardly surprising then that promoters, the largest shareholders in companies, turned out to be the biggest beneficiaries. Equity dividends paid by these companies touched ₹2.27 lakh crore in FY20, which was a high of at least five years. They grew 14.7 per cent compared to 2.8 per cent increase in FY19 and average growth of 9.2 per cent in previous three years. This was despite a 26.6 per cent fall in their combined net profit as against a rise of 20.2 per cent in FY19. Revenue growth of the sample was anaemic too. A Paradigm Shift So, what made these companies distribute as much as 66…

INDIA’S MOST VALUABLE COMPANIES THE LIST (1-200/500) 41.4% Sterling & Wilson Solar Fall in total income to ₹4,900 crore in FY20 from ₹8,366 crore in FY19 INDIA’S MOST VALUABLE COMPANIES THE LIST (201-400/500) 239% Tata Steel long products Growth in total income in FY20 compared to FY19 INDIA’S MOST VALUABLE COMPANIES THE LIST (401-500) For keys to symbols used and other notes, see footnotes on page 76; NA: Not applicable; The list excludes BFSI companies; Standalone data; Source: Ace Equity…

Listening To An Innovation: A lot of things can happen to companies, professionals, and entrepreneurs, but there is one essential fact that cannot be ignored. Unexpected things will always happen that will bring massive unhappiness to human beings. And this unhappiness may bring severe crises and loss of goodwill if not managed properly. It was the basic idea of preparing to deal with the crisis through meticulous preparation of executable plans that laid the foundation of the Risk Management business of "Apex", in India. The choice to work for the medical fraternity came with the fact that in India, this is probably the single profession where there is a huge communication gap between the doctors and the patients. In our modern India, there were and there are, ever-increasing numbers of…

In August, HDFC Life, the fastest-growing private sector life insurance company, entered the coveted Nifty-50, the flagship index of the National Stock Exchange tracked by global investors. The newly listed private insurer is now rubbing shoulders with the likes of HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank. Soon, Life Insurance Corp of India (LIC) is also set to debut on Dalal Street, which, according to experts, could be dubbed as India's ARAMCO moment (the Saudi Arabian oil major recently turned out to be the company with the largest market cap globally). In fact, with a likely valuation of over ₹10 lakh crore, LIC will only be second to Reliance Industries in market cap (₹14 lakh crore), ahead of biggies such as TCS, HUL and Infosys. The BFSI…

Medicover Hospital is one of the most respected healthcare brands globally with a presence in 13 countries across the globe. Medicover Hospital has in-depth specialization in cardiology, orthopedics, neurosdences, critical care, gynecology, general surgery, general medicine and gastroenterology among others. Furthermore In our rendezvous with the Executive Director of Medicover Hospitals/Hari Krishna/we get an elaborated picture of the organizations endeavours and practices. What Is the motor USP of Medicover, which sets It apart from its peers? The major USPs of Medicover is that we are always in line with the latest technologies/experienced doctors/robust infrastructure/and effective methodologies that we have set to deliver healthcare in India. Currently/we are operating 16 hospitals in India/offering uncompromising quality healthcare service, irrespective of geographical constraints. How has Medicover Hospital's journey been so for, and what…

INDIA’S MOST VALUABLE COMPANIES THE LIST (1-200/500) 62.4% Bharat petroleum Fall in net profit in FY20 compared to the previous fiscal INDIA’S MOST VALUABLE COMPANIES THE LIST (201-400/500) 1,061% indiamart intermesh Sharp increase in net profit in FY20 compared to the previous fiscal INDIA’S MOST VALUABLE COMPANIES THE LIST (401-500) For keys to symbols used and other notes, see footnotes on page 76; NA: Not applicable; The list excludes BFSI companies; Standalone data. Source: Ace Equity…

Please tell us about Saba Group. 'Saba Group' is a privately-held company that employs over 5,000 employees, operates in more than 20 countries and comprises 15 companies across 10 verticals. The group has an affinity towards agriculture and trades in the business of rice, and has a strong foothold in pharmaceuticals and Fin-tech business. It also operates in gold mining, entertainment, realestate, hospitality sectors and does impact technology investments all over the world. 50 per cent' of the profit raised by Saba Group go into philanthropy, which supports education, health, art and culture, livelihood generation and human rights. The group partners include Cargill, BAOSTEEL Group, COFCO International, Glencore, Jindal Steel & Power, LG, Mitsui & CO to name a few. Leadership with Trust-can you define this in detail? I believe…

One such rare person is Dr. Sohini Sastri, one of the best astrologers in India. Dr. Sastri is a leading practitioner of Vedic Astrology and uses it to help improve the life of her followers. We recently caught up with her for insights and here are the excerpts from the interview. Dr. Sohini Sastri, you are considered amongst the top astrologers in India. What makes you different from others in the field and so popular with your followers? Well, thank you for the compliments. I believe that it is all because of my hunger for knowledge and the unique skills at making accurate astrological predictions that people appreciate. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help thousands of people over the last couple of decades. I feel…

For Oriflame, 2020, marks 25 glorious years of business growth in India. What are the key drivers of this journey of success? I am extremely proud of the growth that Oriflame has achieved and the impact it has made in India. The Indian business has grown from strength to strength each year to reach this momentous 25th year. Our mission to empower individuals and communities through entrepreneurship opportunities while delivering high-quality, products driven by research and innovation, has helped us build credibility and create a largescale brand partner and customer base in the country. The change that I have seen since I joined Oriflame in 2003 is astronomical, and we are still growing strong. How are you going to mark Oriflame's milestone of 25 years in India? Completing 25 successful…

28.8% Rise in interest outgo of the 15 most-indebted non-BFSI companies in FY20 against FY19 32.4% Increase in their cash and bank balance in FY20 compared to FY19 Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Businesses in their aggression to grow wealth or in their failure to understand the storm that chases them, usually end up leveraging the entity. In recent times, companies that leveraged beyond their repayment ability had to undergo insolvency proceedings and some billionaire promoters returned home with empty pockets. The BT500 rankings shows that despite past lessons, corporate debt is still on the rise. The total debt of India Inc.’s 15 most-indebted non-BFSI companies (excluding Reliance Industries, which turned net debt free in the…