First came the electric vehicles (EVs). And now, another clean energy alternative is offering itself as an option for two-wheeler owners. Compressed natural gas, known as CNG in common parlance, is being used to power a portfolio of bikes that Bajaj Auto is developing. CNG two-wheelers aren’t entirely unheard of, but this will be the … Read more
As national elections kicked off on Friday, two questions emerged uppermost on investors’ minds: What if Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to lead a coalition government where his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not have a Parliamentary majority on its own? And, what would his third term entail in terms of policies if Modi comes … Read more
Last week the India Meteorological Department said that the country will have an ‘above-normal’ monsoon for 2024. This is good news for farmers, as agricultural productivity is heavily dependent on monsoon rains. Over half of the nation’s land relies on rain-fed agriculture. While a good monsoon season usually boosts both Kharif and Rabi crop yields, … Read more
If you’re buying weekend tickets to an IMAX screening of the latest release, you’re probably spending upwards of Rs 2,000 for a family of four. That’s not counting the popcorn and drinks, maybe a dinner afterwards near the theatre. One would imagine IMAX to be a phenomenon limited to the affluent, with demand coming largely from … Read more
Economists and businesses have been trying to understand the relationship between private spending and Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections in India. While some data like the private final consumer expenditure show that people are spending less, GST collections have remained robust. “GST reflects the overall consumption patterns within the boundaries of a state. We … Read more
In 2020, at the height of a global pandemic, entrepreneur Sakshi Vij’s self-drive rental platform, Myles, launched a car subscription service. It was a bold move, and risky too, but it worked out. “We got a lot of attention from vehicle manufacturers who were then looking for innovation to be able to sell better,” Vij … Read more
Shashank Shah (name changed) started buying small quantities of ETFs or exchange-traded funds which track Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index in early March. Shah, who manages a Rs 500 crore family office portfolio, sold it at the end of March for a tiny profit but plans to re-enter later. It was the first time in … Read more
In the last few months the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s central bank, has made headlines several times for pulling up non-banking finance institutions. Recently it increased risk weightage for fintech companies that give credit in the form of unsecured loans, credit cards or consumer loans from 100% to 125%. This means that … Read more
In the 2010s, trendy, social media-fuelled, millennial-focused brands like BuzzFeed, Vox Media, Huffington Post, and Vice were taking over, raising hundreds of millions of dollars at several billion dollar valuations. The party is over. BuzzFeed is a penny stock. Vox Media is getting further from its dream of going public. And Vice Media is bankrupt. … Read more
It has been a strange year for India’s quick service restaurants (QSRs). Companies operating fast food chains such as Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and McDonald’s have seen their revenue grow in FY24, but the growth is accompanied by a sharp decline in a crucial metric: same store sales growth or SSSG. While eating out rose dramatically … Read more