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Bread is traditionally made using a small number of familiar ingredients: flour, yeast, water and a pinch of salt. But in the current era, ‘industrial bread’ – even ‘industrial whole-grain bread’ – is quite another matter. Thanks to modern “food science” Sara Lee’s Soft & Smooth Whole Grain...

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With a shoreline of around 7,600km (if we include Lakshadweep and Andamans and Nicobar) and perhaps some of the best views that nature can offer, India should abound with marinas populated by yachts huddled together. India could have a thriving yachting community; but we do not seem to believe...

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In the past two years, over 220 private sector companies have announced investment plans adding up to over Rs25,00,000 crore. As India finds itself staring at a severe slowdown, these mega projects will have to be postponed analyse Sucheta Dalal & Debashis Basu On a drive from Delhi, a top...

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In the autumn of 1399, Tamerlane, the Mongol warlord, had just returned to Samarkand flush with the spoils of his recent ransack of Delhi. While the elephants he had brought from India were hauling stone for a magnificent new mosque, he charged south-west to defeat the Ottoman sultan. In...

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Raymond is one of the finest Indian brands. It spends huge amounts of money to publicise its premium fabrics. It is also the world’s largest manufacturer of worsted suitings. But, as we keep repeating, there is no correlation between the brand or size and shareholder value. Companies with the...

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In my last column, I had stated that, broadly, over the short- to medium-term, the Sensex would remain range-bound between 13,500 and 15,500. I had identified major support levels at 13,454 and 14,063 and resistance at 15,167 and 15,565. The immediate resistance is at 15,167 which had acted as a...

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ML: Let’s start with your background. NS: I was born and brought up in the Kalbadevi area of Mumbai which used to be the hub of wholesale trading in textiles. I always stood first in school. However, when I got into Sydenham, which was an elite college, I realised that everyone else is far...

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Sharbati (I am not sure how it translates or where the name comes from) is a variety of wheat which the discerning consider the best for making traditional Indian rotis. It is much sought after in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Mumbai consumes 30% of the total Sharbati...

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Bees, birds, fish and some animals gracefully flock or swarm in a particular direction even though not every member of the group knows where they are going. You often see the same trait among mutual funds, as they try to garner as much money as possible, offering products timed with different...

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It is among the earliest entrants in private aviation and the sole survivor of the crash that killed companies like East West, Damania, Modiluft, Sahara and others. Jet Airways has grown steadily over the years. It is by far the largest private airline, measured in terms of passengers flown;...

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K Surya Rao was an area marketing manager at Vanguard Therapeutics, Hyderabad. When he changed job, his former employer ignored all his polite reminders to pay his salary, field expenses and statutory Provident Fund (PF) dues. Frustrated, he filed an application under the Right to Information...

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Inflation has hit us like a hurricane. Erudite economists are talking about its macro and micro effects and uttering other technical mumbo jumbo. I would like to add another dimension to this. The poor availability of coins (for small change) is acting as hidden inflation which is not taken into...

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This is a useful book for those who want to ‘become’. It has a powerful message that is embedded, literally and metaphorically, in the vibrant phrase, Resonant Leader. Resonance, in the physics of sound, is the principle of string and percussion musical instruments and acoustics management....

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Where do investors stand in an IPO? “…regulator’s inspection showed that the details of the promoters as mentioned in the IPO document were different from the ones filed with the Reserve Bank of India.” “…the merchant banker had not even verified the plant and machinery of the companies, the...

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A dozen years in a country’s economic history make a lot of difference. In 1996, Ratan Tata gave up a lonely battle to get the group back into the aviation business. His proposed venture with Singapore Airlines was scuttled by dirty politics, dubious policies and business rivalry. Then, neither...

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Shreedhar Kanetkar 25 September 2008
Readers may recall a passing mention in my column last fortnight of companies that dilute the stakes of existing shareholders by issuing fresh equity. If media reports are accurate, it is the opposite action (companies offering to buy back shares) that is likely to attract investors’ attention....

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The best of investors tell you that, to do well in the markets, you have to do your own work. This is because popular notions about investing are fraught with myths and false beliefs. Over the past three years, we have dissected many such myths, including ideas like ‘fund managers are experts’,...

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In early August, Moody’s Investors Service warned that the risks confronting India’s economy had grown: if fiscal policy were to spur inflation, there would be pressure to change India’s sovereign ratings outlook from stable to negative. Moody’s analyst Aninda Mitra clarified the situation....

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In our previous column in MoneyLIFE, we had maintained that the Sensex was likely to remain range-bound for sometime, between the levels of 14,000 and 15,500, possibly a few months more. This forecast was based on the fact that there is some good support/ resistance at those levels which have...

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We are back a full circle. A dozen-odd years after the IPO (initial public offering) mania of 1992-96, the market is dead again. Ironically, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is the first to kick off a discussion on how to revive the primary market. As in the 1990s, this time too the...

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