Dance of Democracy: Highest ever voter turnout in most places

Whether it is a vote for change or the enthusiasm of many of the first time voters, the fact remains that this election has so far seen one of the highest voter turnouts in most constituencies. India's elections kicked off on Monday. Thursday saw voting in 92 seats across 14 states and Union territories, including Delhi, Kerala and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa. Delhi saw 64.77% turnout as the contest heated up between Congress, BJP and Aam Aadmi Party. Lakshadweep Lok Sabha constituency recorded 87.05% polling for the lone seat. Kerala saw 76% voters turning up while Odisha saw 67% turnout.

Jharkhand’s turnout stood at 58.30. Uttar Pradesh's first phase polling in ten constituencies saw over 64% turnout. Madhya Pradesh saw an average 56.60% turnout in the nine constituencies that went to polls on Thursday. The polling in Maharashtra’s constituencies was lesser than expected ranging between 62-68%. Jammu-Poonch parliamentary constituency on Thursday recorded 68% polling. In Bihar the turnout was over 50% on an average. Haryana saw healthy voter turnout of over 73%. Union Territory Chandigarh created a record of highest ever poll percentage of nearly 74%. Chandigarh. The voting for the two parliamentary seats in Goa would be held on Saturday. Tripura's second Lok Sabha seat will see polling on Saturday too.

High voter turnout in western Uttar Pradesh

Harayana witnesses 73% voting

64% voter turnout in Delhi

Lok Sabha Elections: Mizoram votes

Lok Sabha Elections: Final Arunachal turnout figures today

Lok Sabha Elections: Priyanka to campaign in Rae Bareli, Amethi

February IIP at -1.9%

The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for the month of February 2014 stands at 172.8, which is 1.9% lower as compared to the level in the month of February 2013. The cumulative growth for the period April-February 2013-14 over the corresponding period of the previous year stands at (-) 0.1%. The Indices of Industrial Production for the Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity sectors for the month of February 2014 stand at 126.3, 183.7 and 156.7 respectively, with the corresponding growth rates of 1.4%, (-) 3.7% and 11.5% as compared to February 2013 (Statement I). The cumulative growth in the three sectors during April-February 2013-14 over the corresponding period of 2012-13 has been (-) 1.1%, (-) 0.7% and 6.2% respectively. In terms of industries, thirteen (13) out of the twenty two (22) industry groups (as per 2-digit NIC-2004) in the manufacturing sector have shown negative growth during the month of February 2014 as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year (Statement II). The industry group ‘Radio, TV and communication equipment & apparatus’ has shown the highest negative growth of (-) 34.1%, followed by (-) 24.6% in ‘Electrical machinery & apparatus n.e.c.’ and (-) 21.3% in ‘Wearing apparel; dressing and dyeing of fur’. On the other hand, the industry group ‘Furniture; manufacturing n.e.c.’ has shown the positive growth of 9.3%, followed by 9.1% in ‘Textiles’ and 6.1% in ‘Coke, refined petroleum products & nuclear fuel’...Read More 

To ensure stable growth, global rules of the game need to be revisited: RBI

A good way to describe the current environment is one of extreme monetary easing through unconventional policies, Dr Raghuram Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of India, said. Speaking at the Brookings Institution on Thursday, Rajan said, "In a world where debt overhangs and the need for structural change constrain domestic demand, a sizeable portion of the effects of such policies spillover across borders, sometimes through a weaker exchange rate. More worryingly, it prompts a reaction. Such competitive easing occurs both simultaneously and sequentially, as I will argue, and both advanced economies and emerging economies engage in it. Aggregate world demand may be weaker and more distorted than it should be, and financial risks higher. To ensure stable and sustainable growth, the international rules of the game need to be revisited. Both advanced economies and emerging economies need to adapt, else I fear we are about to embark on the next leg of a wearisome cycle.

Below are the excerpts of Dr Raghuram Rajan, Governor, RBI's speech:

Central bankers are usually reluctant to air their concerns in public. But because the needed change has political elements to it, I take my cue from speeches by two central bankers whom I respect greatly, Ben Bernanke in his 2005 "Global Savings Glut" speech, and Jaime Caruana in his 2012 speech at Jackson Hole, both of whom have raised similar concerns to mine, although from different perspectives...Read More

RBI proposes global crisis 'safety net'

RBI releases Draft Report on ‘Working Group on Pricing of Credit’

Banks to follow norms on sale / purchase of realty abroad: RBI

RBI shifts to CPI-based Real Effective Exchange Rate

NBFCs must deduct investments made in group entities: RBI

RBI revises booking of forward contracts norms

FM rejects RBI's proposal to restructure CMD's post in PSBs

RBI to issue Rs. 10 with inset letter 'A' in numbering panel

India's real GDP growth is projected to strengthen: IMF

The global recovery is becoming broader, but the changing external environment poses new challenges to emerging market and developing economies, says the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook (WEO). The IMF forecasts global growth to average 3.6% in 2014? up from 3% in 2013?and to rise to 3.9% in 2015. The strengthening of the recovery from the Great Recession in the advanced economies is a welcome development, according to IMF staff. But the latest WEO also emphasizes that growth remains subpar and uneven across the globe. "The recovery which was starting to take hold in October is becoming not only stronger, but also broader," said IMF Chief Economist Olivier Blanchard. "Although we are far short of a full recovery, the normalization of monetary policy—both conventional and unconventional—is now on the agenda." Blanchard cautioned, however, that while acute risks have decreased, risks have not disappeared. In this setting, the global economy is still fragile despite improved prospects, and important risks—both old and new—remain. Risks identified previously include finishing the financial sector reform agenda, high debt levels in many countries, stubbornly high unemployment, and concerns about emerging markets...Read More

Govts must press ahead with spending reform: IMF

Emerging market economies have stronger fiscal positions: IMF

Real interest rates now close to zero; set to rise only moderately: IMF

Domestic car sales down 5% in March: SIAM

Domestic passenger car sales declined 5.08% to 1,71,489 units in March as against 1,80,675 units in the same month last year. Motorcycle sales increased 16.24% to 9,06,665 units in March from 7,80,022 units a year earlier, according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Total two-wheeler sales in March rose 21.16% to 13,34,214 units as against 11,01,203 units in the same month last year. Sales of commercial vehicles were down 24.55% to 64,101 units in March, SIAM said. Vehicle sales across categories registered an increase of 12.83% to 16,77,445 units from 14,86,664 units in March 2013, it added. For the fiscal ended March 31, 2014, domestic car sales fell 4.65% to 17,86,899 units as compared to 18,74,055 units in the previous year.

March trade data: March trade deficit at $10.5bn

India released its trade data for March today. The trade deficit narrowed by more than 40 percent from a year ago to $8.13 in February on a sharp fall in imports, further easing pressure on the country's current account balance.

• March non-oil imports at $24.3bn Vs $20.12bn (MoM)
• March trade deficit at $10.5bn Vs $8.13bn (MoM)
• March trade deficit at $10.5bn Vs $10bn (YoY)
• FY14 oil imports up 2.2% at $15.78bn Vs $13.7bn (MoM)
• FY14 Exports at $29.57bn Vs $25.68bn (MoM)
• FY14 imports at 40.08bn Vs $33.81bn (MoM)
• March exports highest in last one year
• Gold & silver imports down 17.27% at $2.76bn YoY
• FY14 gold & silver imports down 40.2% at 33.46bn YoY
• March iron ore exports up at 12.31%
• FY14 iron ore exports up 1.9% at $1.7bn YoY
• March petroleum exports up 0.01% at $60.85bn
• March engg exports down 11% at $661 million YoY
• FY14 engg exports down 6% at $75.8bn YoY...Read More

Job Rejection! A ‘no’ is not the end!

Facebook reject went on to sign a $19 billion deal with the company that once did not consider him worth employing… This story about WhatsApp founder Brian Acton is fast becoming the stuff of legend. However, equally interesting is what Acton posted online in the year 2009 once he was told he wasn’t getting the job – "Facebook turned me down. It was a great opportunity to connect with some fantastic people. Looking forward to life's next adventure." Hey, even Twitter didn’t think Acton had what it takes. "Got denied by Twitter HQ. That's ok. Would have been a long commute," is what he had posted on his, ahem, Twitter account after getting to know of the rejection.

As a recruiter, it’s these two sentences by Acton that have really caught my attention in the entire ‘WhatsApp sold to FB" saga. If only our candidates reacted so positively when informed that they were not considered a suitable fit in the companies we had helped them contact for job change. While the more positive ones shrug and move on with a "It’s their loss if they are not hiring a talent… I was doing good in my current company and another new company has recognized my talent," more often than not I’m faced with reactions like "How is that possible? I had an hour long interview with the CEO? Was I being led along for the last 6 months only to be rejected now?" Oh yes, I have had one of these too. Worse, he insisted on speaking directly to the MD about his rejection, only to earn himself a black mark...Read More

Why You should NOT pursue your 'Dream Home'

When you look at the hoardings and advertisements put up by real estate developers, the phrase 'dream home' is almost always part of the promotion. And since we all dream of owning our home one day, this is definitely a useful psychological hook to use in property promotion. But what really constitutes your dream home? Let us examine this in some depth. Home ownership is not a desire we suddenly wake up with one morning - as Indians, it is practically something we grow up with. It is the highest ideal of the Indian Way of Life to own a home, so we dream about ours from very early on. Usually, this 'dream home' is larger than life, beautifully decorated, in an impeccably planned neighbourhood and the envy of our friends and relatives. With the passage of time, our dream home tends to become a little more realistic. For example, most of us have to accept that a bungalow in the classiest part of the city may not be within our means. In other words, the mental imagery of a mansion surrounded by lush lawns and trees lining the compound fade, to be replaced by a spacious, ultra-modern flat. By the time we have launched our career and managed to save enough money for a down payment, even this picture will have moderated in accordance with new realities such as actual spending power...Read More

India Inc poised for the change; hiring up by 3%: RecruiteX

With political uncertainty coming to a conclusion, Hiring went up by 3% during the month of March ‘14, according to the latest TimesJobs.com RecruiteX, indicating that India Inc is optimistic about the future. With the Parliamentary Elections promising to quell the economic and political instability in India. Corporates showed signs of recovery and confidence as hiring recovered across key sectors, job hubs and functions. The Indian jobs market which was largely inactive during Jan-Feb ‘14 is getting back on track as RecruiteX demand index climbed up to 93 points in March from 90 points recorded in February ‘14.

Petrochemicals & Project/Infrastructure lead

The Project/Infrastructure sector emerged as the top employment generator in March ’14 with a 12% rise in demand, the Petrochemicals industry reported a 9% rise.

As anticipated by industry experts in the bi-annual RecruiteX report, Petrochemicals and Project/Infrastructure were the first two major industries to show signs of revival in a struggling economy. While both these industries started the year on a somber note, witnessing negative hiring sentiments during January ‘14, things started looking up from February.

Other significant changes were:

• IT/Telecom sector reported 6% increase in hiring
• Hiring up by 5% in the Healthcare/ Biotechnology/Pharmaceutical and Manufacturing & Engineering industry
• Construction/Cement/Metal/Steel/Iron industry registered a 9% increase in hiring...Read More

India’s Economic Confidence upbeat: Ipsos Study

India’s economic confidence is on an upward swing due to falling inflation, appreciation of rupee and improving performance of industry and services sector which has boosted investor confidence, according to a report by global research firm Ipsos.  According to the "Ipsos Economic Pulse of the World" study, India's economic confidence level has been continuously increasing since October 2013 and it has reached to 61 percent in February 2014, a rise of 10 points. India now holds 6th position as the most economically confident country in the world after Saudi Arabia, Germany, China, Sweden, and Canada. About four in ten (37%) Indians believe that the local economy which impacts their personal finance is good. Whereas five in ten (48%) people expect that the economy in their local area will be stronger in next six months, a surprising decline of 3 points. "Bullish foreign investors are returning to India and plowing in billions of dollars into Indian equities, in anticipation of a more business-friendly government winning the general elections this spring," said Mick Gordon, CEO, Ipsos in India...Read More

40% foodgrain stored unprofessionally: Assocham

Owing to extreme dearth of about 35 million tonnes (MT) warehousing capacity together with massive food grain storage shortfall of about eight MT, about 30-40 per cent food grain is stored in an unprofessional manner during the peak marketing season in India, according to a recently concluded ASSOCHAM-Yes Bank joint study. "There is an urgent need to develop a strong warehousing system equipped with modern and scientific storage facilities like warehouses, silos, silo bags and others as the grain storage capacity in India has not been keeping pace with the marketable surplus," highlighted the study titled ‘Agri-Infrastructure in India: The Value Chain Perspective,’ jointly conducted by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Yes Bank.

Growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about nine per cent, the market size of warehouse was over Rs 22,800 crore in FY 11 which is expected to cross Rs 35,000 crore mark in FY 16 and only 12 per cent in this accounts for agro while the remaining is industrial warehousing. While the warehousing space clocking a CAGR of about four per cent and which was about 1.52 billion square feet in FY 11 is expected to grow to 1.84 billion square feet till FY 16 and only 29 per cent of this accounts for agro while the remaining for industrial warehousing. "India needs to recalibrate its strategy to mitigate the challenges of high food grain wastage due to lack of scientific storage facilities and high inflation due to lack of cold chain infrastructure like cold storages and refrigerated transport as it leads to wastages in fruit and vegetables," suggested the ASSOCHAM-Yes Bank study...Read More

Indian Construction Sector will remain under stress up to Sept 2014: ICRA

Project execution challenges are expected to persist and the revenue growth rates of Indian construction companies could continue to remain muted for at least up to September 2014 on the back of poor performance of companies in infrastructure sub-sectors like Roads, Airports and Power, which have not been able to achieve their set business targets, according to ICRA, a leading ratings agency. Inordinate delay in environmental clearances, high ticket land acquisition costs and increased due diligence by Lenders as also sector-specific issues like mine development permissions, fuel supply shortages, precarious financial health of distribution utilities in case of power sector, security clearances and tariff-related impediments for port sector and dwindling interest from private sector participants coupled with increasing difficulties in achieving financial closure for road sector have put Indian Construction Sector in a tight spot, ICRA has said. In fact, companies in the construction / infrastructure sectors form the highest proportion of CDR cases approved in FY13 /H1FY14...Read More

Foreign Tourist Arrivals up of 4.5% in March 2014 over March 2013

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in March, 2014 was 6.69 lakh which was 6.40 lakh in March, 2013 with a growth of 4.5%. Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism in Rupees terms in March, 2014 were Rs. 10,257 crore in comparison to Rs. 9,553 crore in March, 2013.

The following are some important highlights regarding FTAs and FEEs from tourism during the month of February, 2014:

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs):

• FTAs during the Month of March 2014 was 6.69 lakh as compared to FTAs of 6.40 lakh during the month of March 2013 and 6.06 lakh in March 2012.
• There has been a growth of 4.5% in March 2014 over March 2013 as compared to a growth of 5.5% registered in March 2013 over March 2012.
• FTAs during the period January-March 2014 were 21.27 lakh with a growth of 4.9%, as compared to the FTAs of 20.27 lakh with a growth of 3.0% during January-March 2013 over the corresponding period of 2012...Read More

Naukri Hiring Outlook Survey reveals upswing in hiring activity in 2014

Buoyancy in hiring activity was the sentiment that emerged from the Naukri Hiring Outlook survey 2014 – a half yearly survey which gauges the hiring sentiments of companies and covers a plethora of sectors. The survey was conducted amongst 800 plus recruiters. Approximately 64% of the recruiters who were surveyed indicated the creation of new jobs this year. This represents a more positive outlook in comparison to July 2013 when only 54% recruiters signaled the creation of new jobs. In contrast, replacement hiring is likely to contribute less to the overall hiring with only 30% recruiters expected to engage in it in 2014 versus 54% recruiters who anticipated the need for replacement hiring in second half of 2013. Layoffs too, are also expected to decrease with only 2% recruiters anticipating them in first half of 2014 as compared to 5% recruiters who suspected layoffs in the second half of 2013...Read More

Govt defends decision to increase gas price

The government has defended its decision to nearly double natural gas prices and urged the Supreme Court to refrain from interfering in the process, says report. Report says that the government told the court that its tussle with RIL over the production-sharing contract over the KG basin gas fields was not a "friendly fight". The government had penalised RIL, blaming for the fall in gas output from controversial KGD6 block. The company said output dropped because of geological surprises.

Will Indian healthcare manifesto up its "HEP"ness quotient?

Deemed as one of the biggest general elections of the Indian political history, all major political parties are trying to instill hope and come up with creative manifestoes addressing the increasing inflation, law and order situation and corruption to name a few. Amid the cacophony of many a social and economic policy changes, has healthcare made the cut? Specially considering the catastrophic viral hepatitis that is silently but consistently edging towards the nation?

The global policy report on prevention and control of viral hepatitis 2013 by the WHO reflects that five million hepatitis-related deaths could occur in South East Asia alone, in the coming decade. With approximately 100 million hepatitis B and 30 million hepatitis C patients in this region about three-fourth are unaware of their hepatitis status owing to the silent nature of the disease and lack of surveillance. Greater than 50 per cent of the global burden of hepatitis E is from South East Asia alone. The number of chronic hepatitis B carriers in India alone was estimated to be around 40 million in 2006, which increased from 36 million reported in 1996.Additionally, the WHO has noted that India neither has any national policy nor established any goal to eliminate the viral hepatitis...Read More

Office space absorption in Q1 2014 drops by nearly 5% over Q1 2013: CBRE India

Office space demand slowed down in the first quarter of 2014, with around 6.3 million sq. ft. of office space getting absorbed across the leading cities of the country as against 6.6 million sq. ft. in Q1 2013—a drop of approximately 5%. Transaction activity was dominated by the National Capital Region (NCR), Bangalore and Chennai—representing about 70% of the total space transacted during the quarter. The IT/ITeS, financial and services segments continued to drive demand for office space, according to the findings of CBRE’s latest report, India Office MarketView Q1 2014. New office space supply in the leading cities was also affected due to existing vacancy levels and lower demand. About 6.6 million sq. ft. of fresh office space was completed in Q1 2014, compared to about 10 million sq. ft. in Q1 2013—a y-o-y decline of about 34%. Bangalore led project completions, followed by Delhi NCR and Mumbai—together contributing to more than 80% of the total office space addition in the quarter under review...Read More

Total fresh mall supply projected to be approximately 14msf by end of 2014:C&W

JLL: Retail Real Estate – Awaiting An Upswing

Over the last 6-8 quarters, the retail sector in India has been subject to immense pressures from a slowing economy, stagnancy in jobs and incomes, and lack of stimulus from government policies. More recently, India’s quarterly GDP consistently fell short of the 5.0% y/y growth mark, which was the average growth recorded for the last financial year FY2012-13. For FY2013-14, the economic growth rate is expected to come in at less than that observed in the previous year. Private consumption expenditure, which is a critical component accounting for over 60% of India’s GDP, saw a growth slump, recording not more than 3.0% y/y growth in the recent four quarters. Lack of confidence among the consuming class due to compromised job prospects and income growth has led a rising proportion of income going towards secure savings rather than consumption spending. High inflation and borrowing rates further derailed hopes of an early recovery. Moderated consumption spending and high inflation has had a direct impact on the retail sector, whose growth momentum has been falling sharply...Read More

Global economy needs bold action: Lagarde

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Thursday that the world economy is growing – but still needs help. "Our overall message: the global economy is turning the corner, but the recovery is still too weak and too slow," she said at a news conference in Washington. On Tuesday, the IMF released its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, which forecast global growth to average 3.6 percent this year, and 3.9 percent in 2015. That is up from 3 percent in 2013. In her briefing Thursday, Lagarde said the global economy needs "bold action," stressing that countries need to work together to avoid years of slow or sub-par growth. She noted concerns "in advanced economies in general – in the euro area in particular" that prolonged low inflation would hurt growth and jobs. But she voiced optimism that European leaders will take action...Read More

Ending poverty requires more than growth: World Bank

While economic growth remains vital for reducing poverty, growth has its limits, according to a new World Bank paper released today. Countries need to complement efforts to enhance growth with policies that allocate more resources to the extreme poor. These resources can be distributed through the growth process itself, by promoting more inclusive growth, or through government programs, such as conditional and direct cash transfers. In addition, the paper notes, it is imperative not just to lift people out of extreme poverty; it is also important to make sure that, in the long run, they do not get stuck just above the extreme poverty line due to a lack of opportunities that might impede progress toward better livelihoods...Read More

Cities have always been engines of growth and development: PwC

Cities worldwide face the challenge of growing economically while balancing the social and environmental side of the city to remain sustainable in the future. To succeed, they need urban projects that have a clear vision and goals, are well managed and involve a broad range of parties working together effectively. This is one of the findings of a new report produced by the European Institute for Comparative Urban Research (Euricur), PwC and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies. The analyses 24 urban projects in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the UK, United Arab Emirates and the US. It looks at how cities can achieve good growth while nurturing sustainable competitiveness; how they can keep growing and developing over time while fostering social cohesion and environmental quality...Read More

European banking credit shortfall to last at least five years: PwC

China March exports tumble 6.6%

China’s exports and imports unexpectedly fell in March. The country's exports fell 6.6% in March from the year-ago period, official data showed on Thursday. The country exports fell 18.1% in February from a year earlier. Imports fell 11.3% in March from the year-ago period, while if had risen 10.1% in February. China reported a trade surplus of $7.7 billion for the month of March, the Customs Administration said in Beijing. The country's exports would likely fare better in the second quarter as external demand improves and remains optimistic about achieving this year's 7.5% trade growth target.

Stronger Laws for Unruly Passengers: IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling on governments to ratify important changes to the Tokyo Convention 1963 which were agreed at a diplomatic conference in Montreal last week. The Tokyo Convention provides the legal framework for dealing with passengers whose unruly or disruptive behavior leads to physical assault or poses a threat to the safety of a flight. Some 100 governments attended the diplomatic conference that agreed the changes, which will come into force when 22 states ratifythe protocol to the Tokyo Convention. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has driven the process through from initial proposal to a new treaty in five years, a relatively short length of time for a new protocol to be agreed. By extending the jurisdiction from the country of aircraft registration to the destination country, the protocol closes a loophole which allowed many serious offences to escape legal action. The agreed changes give greater clarity to the definition of unruly behavior (such as including the threat of or actual physical assault, or refusal to follow safety-related instructions). There are also new provisions to deal with the recovery of significant costs arising from unruly behavior...Read More

Support Gulf success with Regional Cooperation and Global Standards: IATA

Bank of England keeps QE programme steady at £375bn

The Bank of England today kept key interest rate unchanged at 0.5%. The Bank also kept the size of its quantitative easing (QE) programme unchanged at £375bn. Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund said the UK economy would be the fastest-growing in the G7 this year. It predicted the UK economy would grow by 2.9% in 2014, up from its previous estimate of 2.4%, and will see growth of 2.5% next year.

Global Finance names World’s Best Islamic Financial Institutions 2014

Global Finance magazine has announced its seventh annual awards for the World’s Best Islamic Financial Institutions. A full report on the selections will appear in the June issue of Global Finance. The winners of this year’s awards are those banks that contributed to the growth of Islamic financing and successfully met their customers’ needs for Shariah-compliant products, while creating the foundation for continued growth and safety in the future, with modern and efficient delivery channels. All selections were made by the editorial team of Global Finance, after extensive consultations with bankers, corporate finance executives and analysts throughout the world. In selecting these top banks, we considered factors that range from the quantitative objective to the informed subjective. Quantitative criteria included growth in assets, profitability, geographic reach, strategic relationships, new business development and innovation in products. Among the subjective criteria considered were reputation, customer satisfaction, and the opinions of analysts and others involved in the industry. The mix of these factors yields leading banks that may not be the largest, oldest or the most diversified in a given country, region or product, but rather the best—the banks with which customers around the world would most likely want to do business...Read More

18 biggest banks boosted top-tier capital levels: Fed

Scott Alvarez, the Fed's general counsel, told a congressional panel on Tuesday that the 18 biggest banks have already boosted top-tier capital levels by more than $500 billion since 2008. He did not break down the total to show how much the top eight banks increased their capital. Last month, the Federal Reserve published the results of its annual stress tests, which demonstrated that the largest banking institutions in the United States are collectively much better positioned to continue to lend to households and businesses and to meet their financial commitments in a severe economic downturn than they were five years ago. The stress tests this year were the fourth round led by the Federal Reserve since 2009. This year, in addition to the 18 institutions that have been part of previous stress tests, an additional 12 firms with assets greater than $50 billion were included.

Digital Businesses Will spot Opportunities in a Matter of Seconds: Gartner

The hallmark of a digital business will be the ability to spot opportunities that might span a matter of just seconds, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner introduced the concept of a "business moment" — a transient opportunity that is exploited dynamically — in 2013 and expects these moments to occur more and more frequently as enterprises migrate from today's world to the digital business world. Digital business is the creation of new business designs by blurring the digital and physical worlds. It promises to usher in an unprecedented convergence of people, business and things that disrupts existing business models, even those born of the Internet and e-business eras. Gartner predicts that by 2020, more than seven billion people and businesses, and at least 30 billion devices, will be connected to the Internet. With people, businesses and things communicating, transacting and even negotiating with each other, a new world comes into being — the world of digital business...Read More

Worldwide PC Shipments declined 1.7% in Q1 2014: Gartner

What's Next for China's Housing Market: Moody's

China's housing market is a perennial puzzle to outsiders, raising fears about price bubbles even as it reflects the country's dramatic social and economic transformation. Recent data present a mixed picture of its state. Fundamental indicators such as price-to-income or price-to-rent ratios remain high. Anecdotes of excess inventory and "ghost cities" with blocks of uninhabited apartments abound, and China's second-ever bond default, by Zhejiang Xingrun Real Estate Co. in March, is also fueling uncertainty about flagging demand for apartments. On the other hand, supply shortages in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing are driving prices higher. Authorities are pushing ahead with plans to further transform the country through continued urbanisation, which would see another 100 million people moving into China's cities by 2020. The government spent CNY1.12 trillion (US$180 billion) on redeveloping shantytowns in 2013, and has announced a similar spending target for 2014. This article provides a brief overview of China's housing market. Demand is cooling on a macro level, especially in smaller cities, mostly as a result of the government's tightening stance. The government continues to prioritize urbanisation, although the methods will have to change...Read More

For subscription/ adding names to weekly newsletter mailing list, Click here

Website : http://www.indiainfoline.com

IIFL Centre, 2nd Floor,
Kamala City, Senapati Bapat Marg,
Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400 013
E-mail: editor@indiainfoline.com

 India's most popular website for business and investing.
© Copyright 2014, India Infoline Ltd
India Infoline takes no legal responsibility for accuracy or completeness of information or advice given.
This material is for personal use only.

Advertise with India Infoline

TOP