Business

[ad_1] Top stocks to buy (AI image) Stock market recommendations: According to Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, the top stock picks for the week (starting May 19, 2025) are Bharti Airtel and Varun Beverages. Let’s take a look:Stock NameCMP (Rs)Target (Rs)Upside (%)Bharti Airtel1814211016%VBL50266532%Bharti AirtelBharti's 4QFY25 performance was in-line. India wireless revenue/EBITDA grew ~1%/2% QoQ, offset by fewer days. Consol. net debt inched up by ~INR50b due to the redemption of USD1b perpetual bonds.We continue to favor BHARTI's superior execution on premiumization.Robust FCF of ~INR97b/ ~INR390b in Q4/FY25, along with moderating capex, should lead to significant FCF generation of ~INR1t in FY26-27E. We model a 14%/17% CAGR in Bharti's consolidated revenue/EBITDA (FY25-28E) driven by an expected ~15% India wireless tariff hike (Dec'25), faster home broadband growth, & continued strong double-digit growth in Africa.Varun BeveragesVarun Beverages delivered strong 1QCY24 performance with 29% […]

[ad_1] Byju Raveendran (File photo) BENGALURU: Byju’s founder, Byju Raveendran, outlined plans for what he described as a major reboot of the embattled edtech company, centred around AI-powered personalised learning and a renewed focus on mission-driven education. In a wide-ranging interview on ANI’s podcast with Smita Prakash, Raveendran addressed controversies around his leadership and financial mismanagement allegations, and said the company’s next phase, “Byju’s 3.0,” is already in development.“This is my life’s work. We are building again, this time with even more clarity,” he said, adding that core members of the original team were continuing product development “in the background,” despite ongoing insolvency proceedings in India and legal challenges abroad. The founder, who was ousted as CEO by shareholders in 2024, claimed that the company is now preparing to leverage generative AI to create “one personal tutor for every student,” […]

[ad_1] BENGALURU: India is experiencing an uptick in mid-market global capability centres (GCCs). The country witnessed over 140 greenfield GCCs come up during the past 30 months, according to data from HR consultancy firm Xpheno’s research. These GCCs initially planned for 70,000 positions, with individual centres targeting between 50 to 3,000 roles.A recent Nasscom-Zinnov report showed that India has over 480 mid-market GCCs, with 210,000 professionals employed. Mid-market GCCs are capability centres set up by mid-sized firms with annual revenue ranging from $100 million to $1 billion. They represent 27% of all GCCs and 22% of total GCC units in the country. In the last five years alone, more than 110 new facilities were established, representing approximately 35% of all new GCC units in India within this period.480+ centres, 2.1 lakh employedThis contrasts with the larger GCCs in terms of […]

[ad_1] Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu BENGALURU: Zoho founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu cautioned software professionals against assuming continued dominance in the job market, warning that emerging technologies like large language models (LLMs) and advanced development tooling could “destroy a lot of software jobs.” In a post on X, Vembu said, “The fact that software engineers get paid better than mechanical engineers or civil engineers or chemists or school teachers is not some birthright, and we cannot take that for granted, and we cannot assume it will last forever.”He reminded that even customer demand is contingent: “The fact that customers pay for our products also cannot be taken for granted.” Vembu underscored the risk of complacency, quoting Intel’s Andy Grove, “Only the paranoid survive.”Sridhar VembuThe remarks come amid a broader shift in the software industry, where rapid advancements in generative AI […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Indian govt’s retaliatory move to restrict import of ready-made garments (RMG) from Bangladesh via the land route is expected to increase logistics costs and transit time for the products which account for around a third of shipments from India’s neighbour in the east.While it takes only two-three days for apparel produced in Bangladesh to move through land borders, now the transit time is going to be longer, depending on how long it takes for ships to sail to Kolkata and Nhava Sheva (Mumbai), the two designated ports, and clear customs before taking the land route to reach Indian warehouses.Bangladesh enjoys massive cost advantage“The decision can hit Bangladesh apparel exports to India in multiple ways, particularly when a substantial proportion of apparel import into India is through land ports, 76% from Petrapole land port alone,” said Mithileshwar Thakur, […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: India and the European Union have concluded the 11th round of negotiations on their proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA), reportedly agreeing to pursue a two-stage approach to finalise the deal, an official source, quoted by news agency PTI confirmed on Sunday."The 11th round of talks concluded on May 16," the official said, quoted by news agency PTI. This comes amid rising global trade uncertainties, particularly in light of US tariff policies under President Donald Trump. In response, both sides have opted for a phased strategy, similar to India's previous trade pacts with Australia and ongoing discussions with the US.Negotiators focused on key areas such as market access for goods, services, and investment. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal had earlier explained the rationale behind the phased approach, saying, "If some of the issues which may not be very core […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Tata Steel aims to cut costs by Rs 11,500 crore across its global operations over the next 12–18 months, focusing on controllable expenses, Executive Director and CFO Koushik Chatterjee said during a post-earnings analyst call.Building on structural cost savings of Rs 6,600 crore achieved in FY25, the company is intensifying its cost transformation drive. The measures so far have included fixed cost rationalisation, manufacturing efficiency gains, raw material optimisation, procurement enhancements, and overhead reductions.“Looking ahead to FY2026, our focus continues to be on controllable factors, and we are targeting further cost takeouts of almost Rs 11,500 crore—roughly about $1.3 billion—across geographies,” Chatterjee said, as quoted by news agency PTI.The push for leaner operations comes as Tata Steel expands its Kalinganagar plant and advances its transition to greener steelmaking in the UK and the Netherlands, both of which […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: DIAL, the Delhi airport operator, has divested its complete 50 per cent ownership in Delhi Aviation Services Pvt Ltd (DASPL) to Bird Flight Services (India) Pvt Ltd for nearly 13 crore. DASPL held the concession for operating bridge-mounted equipment at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), including ground power units, pre-conditioned air units and aircraft water supply services.According to a regulatory filing on Saturday, DIAL has transferred its 50 per cent shareholding in DASPL to Bird Flight Services for Rs 12.79 crore, as reported by news agency PTI.The filing indicates that DASPL is presently inactive with no business operations.Prior to this transaction, Bird Flight Services maintained a 25 per cent ownership in DASPL.This comes after a February PTI report suggested that DIAL, run by the GMR Group, was facing serious financial pressure and expected its […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: India’s pharmaceutical industry continues its rapid ascent on the global stage, driven by affordability, innovation, and inclusivity. Thesector recorded a 7.8 per cent year-on-year growth in April 2025, according to India Ratings, part of the Fitch Group, as quoted by Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Sunday.This growth reflects continued strong domestic demand and the introduction of new products. The country ranks third in the world in pharmaceutical production by volume and 14th by value. It is the largest global supplier of generic medicines, meeting 20 per cent of worldwide demand. India also plays a vital role in vaccine production, supplying 55 to 60 per cent of Unicef’s global vaccine needs. In 2023–24, the pharmaceutical sector recorded a turnover of Rs 4,17,345 crore, sustaining an annual growth rate exceeding 10 per cent over the last five years. The […]

[ad_1] AI-generated image (Made from Bing image creator) NEW DELHI: Stock markets are expected to be primarily influenced by corporate quarterly reports, foreign fund activity and worldwide market trends this week. Global trade agreements and their market impact will also be under close observation.Last week, the BSE benchmark index increased by 2,876.12 points or 3.61 per cent, while the Nifty rose by 1,011.8 points or 4.21 per cent."As the India-Pakistan conflict now stabilized and all major geopolitical events behind, investors' focus is likely to shift towards assessing the ongoing Q4 corporate earnings season," said Puneet Singhania, director at Master Trust Group, as quoted by PTI."Additionally, there is growing optimism around the possibility of an early India-US trade deal, which could provide further support to market sentiment," he added.Key global economic indicators and domestic developments will also affect investment flows and […]