The elevation of M S Banga and Harish Manwani to the Unilever executive even as Hindustan Lever continues to under-perform, sends two important messages. 


Changing levers

Business Standard

The stockmarkets can, at times, misinterpret the signals emanating from official documents. Or so it seems from the way the share prices of some fertiliser companies have looked up in the recent past

Not a fertile idea

At long last, India and Pakistan have agreed on two major things. One is that they will restart the bus service between the Indian side of Kashmir and the Pakistan-occupied part of it. The other

Indo-Pak progress

Meleveetil Damodaran takes charge of the Securities and Exchange Board of India at a time when the stockmarkets are in excellent health, with the Sensex reaching new highs and with new issues being

Damodaran`s agenda

Nearly seven years after being agreed upon, the Kyoto protocol has finally come into force from February 16. The protocol is intended to reduce air pollution from greenhouse gases, rekindling hopes

Kyoto and beyond

Even as reports suggest the government has made a tidy sum on US-64, thanks to the bull run in the share markets, a series of reports suggest the next UTI-type collapse thats readying itself is going

Another UTI?

The main talking point of the open offer announced by the UB group for 25 per cent of Shaw Wallace is whether it isor is nota hostile bid. 


Guzzling competition

The goings-on at ITDC, the state hotel company that runs the Ashoka and other properties, along with most duty-free shops at the countrys international airports, shows more than anything else why the

ITDC`s hangover

An autonomy package for public sector banks has been announced, and the stock market appears to have taken it at face value, pushing up the shares of public sector banks. 


Smoke and mirrors

While the government has been quick to accept all the recommendations of the 12th Finance Commission that involved giving more funds/relief to the states, it is a pity it has not shown the same

Some action not taken

As he readies to present the Union Budget today, the finance minister will have the comfort of knowing that the economy is in excellent shape, as the governments annual Economic Survey points out.

When times are good

John Kerry lobs the ball in India's court

A promising visit

Sebi reforms to foreign investment were overdue

Fruits of crisis fears

The year 2004 saw a continuation of the main market trends of the previous year. The most significant of these is the continuation of lax monetary policy in the United States, with real interest rates

A risky market

With passenger traffic growing by 24 per cent in April-September 04, or double the growth in the same period last year, the governments decision to allow private Indian carriers to fly overseas is a

No landing space

Indian companies as well as banks have been asking the RBI to lift the ban on banks guaranteeing loans raised by corporates in global markets. Given the abundant foreign exchange reserves, the policy

On your balance sheet

Last July, when P Chidambaram presented the Budget for 2004-05, his revenue projections had seemed altogether too optimistic. He was sanguine that he would be able to collect the targeted increase. 


Stubborn deficits

With the European Union formally launching the trading in mandatory greenhouse gas emissions in the new year, global commerce now includes a wholly new business which, many believe, will soon develop

Carbon trading begins

While Indias fiscal deficits have remained stubbornly high, the problem is not runaway expenditure. After all, the central governments total spending has remained more or less at a constant in

So little wiggle room

If businessmen are to be believed, India Inc. is on the cusp of big things. The optimism is not just a result of the IT story; manufacturing successes are beginning to emerge as well. 


India Inc`s next challenge

In 1982, the late L K Jha had a fortuitous meeting with Swraj Paul on board an Air-India flight from London to Delhi. Mr Jha suggested to him that non-resident Indians (NRIs) should give back

Look here, see there

Incisive columns and editorial comment by top opinion leaders

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