infotonic

Adhering to fame-II localization norms is paramount for EV sales to gain steam The government launched its flagship Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme to encourage customers buying electric and hybrid vehicles, as they cost more than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. The scheme also includes an upfront discount of up to 40% on the price of the vehicle, at a rate of Rs 15,000 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to customers purchasing EVs, thereby making EVs affordable.   My article in the Times of India: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/adhering-to-fame-ii-localization-norms-is-paramount-for-ev-sales-to-gain-steam/

Here's Why Battery Swapping System for Electric Vehicles May Not be a Good Idea https://www.news18.com/news/auto/heres-why-battery-swapping-system-for-electric-vehicles-may-not-be-a-good-idea-6071467.html

  ESG Cynics. ESG-themed investments (that is, those which focus on environmental, social, and governance priorities) are expected to surpass $40 trillion in assets this year, suggesting that the concept has become deeply rooted in global markets. But the term itself is increasingly ridiculed by detractors. Critics claim the term is hazily defined, has failed to reduce income inequality, and has become a political lightning rod. Even some proponents acknowledge that it might be time for a rebrand—while maintaining that the underlying concept remains important. See the link to the Bloomberg article headlined  ‘Hating ESG’: Advocates Are Looking to Replace the Label https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-17/-hating-esg-advocates-rethink-label-as-us-culture-wars-bite?sref=YMVUXTCK&cid=other-eml-onp-mip-mck&hlkid=188cf10c22854ab789c2b8e012f33990&hctky=9431270&hdpid=e33e1947-f934-4b96-9412-a314b6fc5abd&leadSource=uverify%20wall

The digitalization of education: A boon or a bane? - My article in FE  When the pandemic caught us unaware in March 2020, followed by the continued lockdowns, we all realized how digitization saved the day by altering our day-to-day lives, into what we started calling the ‘new normal’! Naysayers have been waxing eloquent that physical academic environments can enhance camaraderie and collaboration among students, infuse a sense of teamwork and community, and play a crucial role in their overall personality development. However, in the face of the unprecedented health crisis that the pandemic had unleashed, the feasibility of the aforementioned is minuscule, if at all. Read the article here.:   https://www.financialexpress.com/education-2/the-digitalization-of-education-a-boon-or-a-bane/2624411/ ... and in Hans India  https://www.thehansindia.com/hans/young-hans/the-digitalisation-of-education-a-boon-or-a-bane-757356

How NEP 2020 will serve as a foundation for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat As Nelson Mandela once famously said, “ The power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success. It can contribute to nation-building and reconciliation.” The Nobel Peace Prize recipient recognized education as an indispensable vehicle to bring equality of opportunity to the world.   In context, India’s NEP 2020 is indeed a revolutionary policy reform from the perspective that it is the first education policy of the 21st century and it supplants the thirty-four-year-old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986. Developed robustly on the foundational tenets of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability, the policy is in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, crafte...

  Transform your marketing by being future-ready The world of marketing is fast changing.  At this point in time, new trends, new technologies, and changing patterns of consumer  behaviors are transforming the industry like never before, and with it,  ample opportunities are emerging.  Read more at: https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/marketing/transform-your-marketing-by-being-future-ready/92399855 Other publications that carried the article:  https://globalprimenews.com/2022/06/23/transform-your-marketing-by-being-future-ready-by-samir-kapur/ http://businessnewsthisweek.com/business/transform-your-marketing-by-being-future-ready/ http://mediabulletins.com/business/transform-your-marketing-by-being-future-ready/ https://contentmediasolution.com/business/transform-your-marketing-by-being-future-ready/ https://onlinemediacafe.com/business/transform-your-marketing-by-being-future-ready/ https://biznewsdesk.com/business/transform-your-marketi...

Global liquidity tightening has started impacting growth (slowing of PMIs, money supply, etc) after valuations.  The shift will be seen from de-rating to downgrades. To add salt to the wounds, there is  tightening by the RBI adds to woes, risking DII flows and SMID/India’s outperformance to large caps/EM. These lead indicators suggest a time for portfolio reshuffle. 1.        Defensives: Pharma (upgrade), staples fmcg over IT (downgrade) 2.        Consumption: Domestic auto and staples over durables 3.        Investment: Cement  (upgrade) over Industrials , Real estate 4.        BFSI: Private banks/Insurance over PSU banks/NBFCs 5.        Global cyclical: Energy (upgrade) over metals/export auto

  On The Route To Unstoppable Growth As per changing dynamics in global geopolitics and economics, one of the key growth drivers for the Indian tyre industry would be the recently levied antidumping duty on China products in USA and other developed markets The road transport and automobile industry are critical for the Indian economy. However, on the Indian terrain, there are only few that last long. Due to diversity of the weather, temperature, and geographic variations, the challenges posed by road network are many. Pacing with major part of the economy on its back is the Indian tyre industry. Like the challenges posed by the country’s terrain, the sector has recently fought hard against unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic and global uncertainties and have navigated through rocky roads and pits, sand and rain-washed slopes to script a strong recovery. In fact, rating agency ICRA estimates a 13 to 15% volume demand growth in FY2022.  JK Tyre – An Unmatched Growth S...

Q4FY22 earnings are likely to moderate AT 12% YoY; this will be a SEVEN-QUARTER LOW.   The reason for moderation w ould be commodities, reconciling its divergence with overall aggregate. While Banks, exporters (chemicals, IT) and consumer services are likely to report strong earnings, however, consumer companies are likely to remain muted, largely due to soft demand. There are more adverse macro and fading tailwinds of global reflation, market share gains and lower credit costs pose downside risk to estimates of FY23. Demand – rather than margins – looks more vulnerable.  Earnings growth moderates  1. Led by commodities… Earnings growth is likely to moderate in Q4FY22 to 12% YoY for our coverage universe. The moderation is likely to be mainly led by commodities (key earnings driver so far), while the uptick in rest is not material enough to offset commodity slowdown.  In non-commodities, unlocking has propelled consumer services’ profits. Exporters (chemicals, I...

After a broad-based earnings bounce back in FY21, growth narrowed sharply in FY22.  Key highlights:  1. Top line recovery is moderate at 12% YoY and is largely led by prices, while volumes have been weak.  2. Margin pressure due to higher input prices. Resulting in corporates pruning fixed costs again – wage bill growth for BSE500 (ex IT) has slowed to 7% YoY – pre-COVID low.  3.Banking sector’s asset quality continues to improve as MSMEs bounce back; although not out of the woods yet.  Way forward:   Going ahead, there are risks arising out of earnings downgrades (after upgrades in the last two years) as  earnings become increasingly demand dependent (as opposed to being cost and price dependent until now) – which is weak and outlook uncertain. This, along with high valuations, and tightening global liquidity warrants a decisive pivot towards low beta (risk)  Q3FY22 earnings: Demand revival slow, margin pressures high Revenue:  Topline incre...