13 November 2007

Other Business Stories, International News

Myiris.Com

Calsoft to buy 100% stake in International Innovations
Bank of Japan keeps interest rate unchanged at 5%
Brokers` Outlook: Upward trend to continue in market
Usha Martin to enhance captive power capacity
CRISIL assigns `IPO grade 4/5` to Edelweiss Capital`s IPO
RIL inks PSA for offshore block in Oman
ADAG to foray into TV broadcasting biz

Gulf Oil buys Saudi`s largest lubricant co.
Havells India enters healthcare space
REL plans to infuse Rs 40.66 bn in Orissa


LiveMint.Com


Jindal Stainless in JV with 3 firms for coal mining
India Today group to launch tabloid in partnership with Daily Mail
New drug-resistant TB strain poses threat to India
Wockhardt plans 14 new hospitals, to invest up to Rs600 cr
Oil ministry looks at ways to compensate PSU oil companies
Panoramic Universal acquires stake in Hi-Flyers
India loses ad revenue to S’pore, China : Assocham
Hyderabad to host air show in 2008


International News
CNNMoney.Com and The Economic Times.Com


China's Wuhan Steel to buy $1.1 bn assets from parent
IBM to buy Cognos for $5 billion
Wall Street in no mood to call off party despite $84-bn write-down
High costs make hybrid trucks a slow starter
US consumer satisfaction dipped in 3rd qtr: Survey
World Bank mulls NRS 1,600 crore aid for Nepal
Airbus wins Oman Air order for 5 A330s
Vodafone expects South African clarity in two months
Microsoft in talks to buy Musiwave
Apple, China Mobile in talks to bring iPhone to China
Goldman Sachs gets approval for stake in Chinese tool maker
Vodafone revenue up on Indian business

E*Trade shares sink 59%
Funny money on Wall St.
Yahoo expands mobile search in Asia
China's inflation rate hits 11-year high
Retail earnings in focus
Wal-Mart cautious on holiday earnings
Oil prices slip


$8 billion in gift cards went unclaimed in 2006
Wall Street on economic, credit watch


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Corporate Stories

EconomicTimes.Com

Sensex ends 300 pts up as investors cheer Left statement on n-deal
Rupee ends weak at 39.42/43 vs dollar
Gold records biggest one-day fall in 20 months
IDBI cuts rates on some term deposits, realigns others
DoT may issue Letter of Intent to all telecom applicants
No new controls on capital inflows:FM
Petroleum Ministry to consider rationalising ATF prices

REL raises Rs 507 crore upon conversion of FCCBs into equity [
Vodafone revenue climbs on Indian business
Coal Ministry likely to allocate 23 coal blocks next month
Texmaco forms JV with Aussie firm
Jyothy Labs sets Rs 620-690 per share IPO price band
Pratibha Ind group co get 413.5 mn rupees order
FMC seeks lifting ban on futures trade in four commodities

IIP slowdown: Chambers ask for policy revision
Tata, Reliance among 13 cos in race for Tilaiya project [
Four bid for stake in Kenya state-run telcom firm
Faze Three acquires 76 pc stake in German firm
Microsoft elbows out Infosys as best company to work in India
Adobe appoints Shantanu Narayen as its new president
M&As, PE deals total $63.5 billion till Oct

$6.5 bn investment in pipeline for medical tourism industry
After Malar, Fortis eyes Chennai's Lifeline
PEs to take a sip of Cafe Coffee Day for $95 mn
RBI in talks over FX funds for projects: Govt
RBI okays $5-bn forex reserves for infrastructure
Century Extrusions hits 20% circuit, up 60% in 7 days
Venture capital funds face realty check

Tata supercomputer named fastest in Asia, 4th in world
Google offers $10 mn in prizes for new cell phone software


Moneycontrol.Com

Left softens stance on nuke deal; gives nod for IAEA meet
Steel prices may go up: Bhushan Steel
Bombay Rayon likely to invest 1100 cr, stock surges
Gati Corp to foary into aircargo, stk at new high
Revision in free-float adjustment factors of BSE Index
Mkts to remain volatile in November: Experts
Crude prices drop below $95/bbl

Petronet LNG a good buy: PN Vijay
Birla Power Vs Honda SIEL: Whom should you bet on?
Bongaigaon Refineries has target of Rs 120: Mohindar
BoB, Italy-based Pioneer tie-up for AMC biz
REC World Headquarters building at Gurgaon


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India's 40 Largest Companies: Forbes, USA

India's 40 Largest Companies
Forbes, USA


Mumbai, India -
Around the start of every winter, Indians worship the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, as part of their biggest festival, Diwali. This year, some of the companies on our India 40 list had plenty of reason to celebrate, with their market capitalization as much as tripling in a stellar bull run. Infrastructure, energy and banking companies dominated the rankings, as demand boomed in these sectors.

India's largest company by market value and our list-topper Reliance Industries saw its market capitalization go from $30.7 billion since the last list to $91.54 billion this year. The company run by billionaire Mukesh Ambani had a more modest rise in assets, from $21.70 billion to $30.67 billion. Oil and Natural Gas Corp.--at second spot--saw market capitalization nearly double to $61.81 billion from $31.4 billion. But its assets rose faster, from $18.6 billion to $33.7 billion.

India's benchmark Sensitive Index (Sensex) has gained 41% this year, as foreign investors pumped around $17 billion into the markets. Domestic companies are seeing strong growth as a rapidly expanding middle class fuels demand for consumer goods and takes bank loans to invest in homes and vehicles. This year, 13 banks made the list, with State Bank of India topping the sector rankings at No. 3. The country's largest private lender, ICICI Bank (nyse: IBN - news - people ), came in a close second at No. 5, up one spot from last year. Others on the list included HDFC Bank (nyse: HDB - news - people ), Canara Bank and Bank of Baroda.

In Pictures: India's 40 Largest Companies

Infrastructure companies also fared well, powered by an increase in state spending on roads, ports and airports as well as rising construction demand for homes and businesses. The government estimates it will need close to $500 billion over the next five years to ramp up infrastructure, a key roadblock to the growth of the economy, which rose 9.4% for the year ending on March 31.

Larsen and Toubro, India's largest engineering company, which won a $1.4 billion contract this month to modernize an overcrowded airport in Mumbai, came in at No. 15, a seven-point jump from last year. Capital goods business Bharat Heavy Electricals gained 10 spots to No. 13. India's largest real estate developer by value, DLF, was a new entrant, at No. 26. The New Delhi-based company raised a record $2.5 billion in an initial public offering in June. Real estate business Unitech is another newbie, at No. 36. Construction company Grasim Industries moved up seven spots to No. 27.

Another sector that grew at a gallop this year was telecom. India is now the world's fastest-growing telecom market, adding around 7 million subscribers every month. Market leader Bharti Airtel was at No. 9 on the list, up two spots from last year. New entrant Reliance Communications was at No. 10. Both firms are investing billions of dollars to expand networks, especially in untapped rural areas.

Software services companies, for several quarters the darlings of domestic investors as outsourcing from the West multiplied their profits, lost a little shimmer this year. A rupee that appreciated around 12% against the U.S. dollar since January cut into revenues from their main market of North America. Rising wages and high attrition costs compounded the woes.

India's largest software services company, Tata Consultancy Services (other-otc: TACSF - news - people ), fell two spots to No. 11. Wipro (nyse: WIT - news - people ) came in at No. 16, compared with its No. 12 ranking last year. But Bangalore-based Infosys Technologies (nasdaq: INFY - news - people ) managed to hold its own, gaining one spot to No. 14 on the list.
Another casualty of the rupee's appreciation: Adani Exports, No. 37 last year, fell off this year's list, replaced by newcomer Central Bank of India.

Automobile companies haven't had a stellar year either. The central bank's tightening monetary policy prompted banks to increase interest rates, cutting into the markets for heavy commercial vehicles (between eight and 35 tons) and passenger cars that are financed mainly by loans.
Bajaj Auto dropped off this year's list, while India's largest carmaker Maruti Udyog fell one spot to 31. Tata Motors (nyse: TTM - news - people ), which controls 65% of the commercial vehicle market, was at No. 22, compared with its ranking at No. 10 last time. Truck maker Mahindra and Mahindra fell five spots to No. 33.

Despite the sector setbacks, this year's India 40 list tells the story of a flourishing economy consolidating its position on the global map. And with a domestic market place of a billion-plus people, 60% of them under 30 years old, the boom is unlikely to falter anytime soon.
We ranked the 40 largest companies headquartered out of India using Thomson Financial's Worldscope database. They were judged on sales, profits, net assets and market value--each metric equally weighted. We excluded publicly traded subsidiaries with greater than 50% ownership of company stock and/or figures consolidated by the parent company from the rankings.

In Pictures: India's 40 Largest Companies



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Sensex snaps losing streak, gains 298 pts at close


Current Change
NIFTY 5695.40 78.30
SENSEX 19035.48 298.21

Frenzied buying in bank, capital goods, power and metal stocks enabled the market to snap its six session losing streak today. The opening was anything but firm and price movements till around noon remained quite listless with participants appearing somewhat clueless about the market's direction.

However, as buying gathered steam in afternoon trade on reports that the Left front may allow the government to negotiate safeguards for a civilian nuclear agreement with the US, stocks cutting across sectors rallied higher. Information technology majors, which remained highly subdued till mid afternoon, broke free from their lower levels and edged higher. Short-covering after six straight days of losses also buoyed up values of several front line stocks.

The Sensex, which had slipped to a low of 18,636.21 following a weak start, vaulted to a high of 19,210.48 in afternoon trade before it settled at 19,035.48 with a big 1.59% or 298.21 point gain. The Nifty ended with a gain of 1.39% or 78.30 points at 5695.40. In intra-day trades today, the Nifty touched a low of 5591.60 and a high of 5758.85.

NTPC, which ended stronger by 7.4% at Rs 272.25, was the biggest gainer in the Sensex. HDFC Bank closed with a gain of nearly 7% at Rs 1578.50. Larsen & Toubro notched up 4.85%. HDFC ended nearly 3% up. State Bank of India (2.65%), ICICI Bank (2.6%) and Tata Steel (2.2%) ended with handsome gains. Reliance Energy, Reliance Communications, BHEL, Tata Motors and Maruti Suzuki gained 1% - 2%. ACC, Hindustan Unilever and Reliance Industries also closed with smart gains. Bajaj Auto, ONGC, ITC and Grasim Industries ended marginally higher than their previous closing levels.

IT majors Wipro (down 3.55%) and Tata Consultancy Services (down 1.5%) struggled almost right through the session today. Infosys Technologies (down 0.85%), Satyam Computer Services (down 0.6%) did have a bright time this afternoon but failed to retain gains. Mahindra & Mahindra eased by 2.75% to Rs 708.30. Hindalco (down 1.6%), Ambuja Cements (down 0.75%) and Cipla (down 0.7%) closed with sharp losses. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Ranbaxy Laboratories and Bharti Airtel also ended weak.

Nifty stock MTNL spurted 6.75%. ABB, Suzlon Energy, ABB, Tata Power, BPCL, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Punjab National Bank, SAIL, Sterlite Industries, Unitech, VSNL and Zee Entertainment also closed with impressive gains. GAIL India, Nalco, GlaxoSmithKline Pharma, HCL Technologies, Siemens, Hero Honda and Reliance Petroleum ended in the negative zone with sharp to moderate losses.

Besides sector heavyweights HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank, Axis Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Indian Overseas Bank, Andhra Bank, Allahabad Bank, Kotak Bank, Corporation Bank, Union Bank of India, Canara Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Indian Bank, IDBI, Vijaya Bank and Bank of Maharashtra also finished on a high note today.

Areva was the biggest gainer from the capital goods index. The stock ended the day with a hefty gain of 13.45%. Alstom Projects vaulted 9.15%. Bharat Electronics gained 7.15%. Lakshmi Machine Works, Kalpataru Power Transmission, Bharat Earth Movers and ABB moved up by 3% - 6%. Crompton Greaves, AIA Engineering, Greaves Cotton, SKF India, Praj Industries and Jyoti Structures also recorded handsome gains.

Torrent Power, Power Grid, Chambal Fertilizers, Welspun Gujarat, Dredging Corporation, Ispat Industries, Jet Airways, Omaxe, Maharashtra Seamless, Punjab Tractors, Gujarat Narmada, Reliance Natural Resources, BF Utilities, Century Textiles, Power Finance Corporation, Bharat Forge, Divi's Laboratories, IVRCL Infrastructure, DLF and Jindal Steel were among the prominent gainers today.

HTMT Global, National Fertilizers, Gujarat Minerals, Apollo Tyres, Hexaware Technologies, MRPL, MphasiS, Cairn India, Thermax, Bongaigaon Refinery, IPCA Laboratories, Balaji Telefilms, Chennai Petroleum Corporation, Patni Computer Services, Sesa Goa and Indian Hotels closed with sharp losses. As several midcap and smallcap stocks also surged higher on strong buying support, the market breadth remained pretty strong today. Out of 2823 stocks traded on BSE, 1859 stocks romped home on a winning note. 898 stocks closed in the negative territory and 66 stocks settled at their previous closing levels. Mirroring the gains posted by midcap and smallcap stocks, the Midcap and Smallcap indices ended stronger by 2.12% and 1.89% respectively.

The turnover on the National Stock Exchange, at Rs 19,646.96 crore, was higher by over Rs 2,300 crore than what the exchange had recorded yesterday.


Best company to work in? Microsoft beats Infy
Indian American is new Adobe president
Gold records biggest single-day fall...
Seven businesses you can start tomorrow

McNally Bharat bags order
REL, others get 2 coal blocks
Usha Martin raises capex
Scrip Scan: Hot picks of the week

Reliance plans foray in TV
RBI chief calls for greater financial inclusion
‘Big jump in outbound deals in last 3 years’



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Corporate/Personailty of the Day

Arvind Raghunathan

Arvind Raghunathan (born 1963) is a Managing Director and Head of Global Arbitrage at Deutsche Bank, where he has worked since 1995. Here, he manages a large part of the bank’s proprietary trading and investments in a variety of global financial instruments. Industry publications have named him several times as one of the world’s top traders.

Born and raised in India, Raghunathan attended the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras), as a National Science Talent Search scholar. After receiving his engineering degree in 1984, he moved to the United States and obtained a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley in 1988. For the next three years, Raghunathan was Assistant Professor at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York University and the University of California, Davis, where he accomplished fundamental research on computing. During this time, Raghunathan also was a consultant for a number of corporations, including IBM, Hewlett Packard, and Xerox. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute for Combinatorics in 1991.


For more, Visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvind_Raghunathan


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12 November 2007

VC Updates from VCCircle.Com, Indiape.Com

VCCircle.Com

ICICI Venture Invests $10 Million In RG Stone Urological Research Institute
Exclusive: Sequoia Invests In In-Store Media Company DSN

Mallya May Sell A Minority Stake In United Spirits To Diageo: Report


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Indiape.Com

Matrix Partners India expands fund to $450 million
M&As, PE deals total $63.5 billion till Oct

Diageo eyeing stake in United Spirits
Indiaco Ventures acquires 20.83% stake in Laser Cosmetics Pvt Ltd

ICICI Venture invests US $ 10 million in RG Stone Urological Research Institute
Mittal eyes 50% stake in HPCL subsidiary

Lehman Brothers to pick up 10% in Ramky for $100 mn
Baseline to invest $100 mn in India

Sweden's Securitas buys stake in India's Walsons
PE investors pour money into virgin sectors


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Corporate Stories from other Leading Sources

Fitch affirms `BBB-` ratings to India with `stable outlook`

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Yahoo Finance

Chidambaram says no steps planned on curbing inflows
Rupee down as weak stocks raise outflow fears
FMC head seeks end to ban on four commodities

Jindal Steel board to consider 5-for-1 stock split
BSE says ties up with U.S. Futures Exchange

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LiveMint.com

MMTC becomes most valued PSU in terms of Market-cap
RBI nod to use forex for infrastructure projects
GDP growth may stay at 9% for 2007-08: CII
Top 5 IT firms spend $438 mn on training
L&T eyeing $1 bn shipbuilding orders
Areva T&D plans buys in Indian power firms
Ask Mint On Investments

----------------------------
Myiris.Com

HCL Tech becomes Artesia`s consulting alliance partner
Capital goods sector vibrant driven by investment : FM
IVRCL buys an Oil & Gas E&P co
Brokers` Outlook: Market may remain negative
Panoramic Universal acquires 51% stake in Hi-Flyer Travel

Solar Explosives acquires 74% in Navbharat Coalfields
ICRA assigns A1+ rating to Power Grid
Sterlite Optical to invest Rs 1.4 bn to double optical fiber capacity
Reliance MF to launch Infra Fund
Suryachakra Power inks MoU with CGC

ANG Auto board approves buy-back of shares
Ansal Housing eyes Rs 1.5 bn turnover from Ansal Town
Lanco bags Rs 731.8 mn contract from AP Govt.
EPF likely to invest in capital markets
Pioneer Investcorp net surges 2.52 times for Sep`07 qtr

Bihar Tubes inks order with BHEL
Diageo may pick up 10% in United Spirits
Mega Resources hikes stake in Accel Frontline to 10%
Union Bank of India to employ 1,200 personnel
Canara Bank to open 5 branches overseas
KEC International eyes Rs 9 bn overseas orders
Wipro may bid for Capgemini


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Corporate Headlines from ET, MC

Economic Times.Com

Fuel price cap helped trim inflation: Govt
Capital goods sector vibrant; investments to drive economy: FM
High interest rates, strong Re pulls industrial growth down to 6.4 pc
Oil PSUs board rickshaws to keep losses under check
New cos explore opportunities in buoyant oil and gas
Rupee appreciation contributed to fall in inflation: FinMin
Reliance bags Oman deepwater block


Indiaco Ventures buys 20.83% stake in Laser Cosmetics
IVRCL Infra acquires Alkor Petroo
RBI in talks for financing projects
Post-Diwali: Marching towards 21K
Historically, investors generally gain post-Diwali

MMTC becomes most valued PSU
Sterlite Tech announces optic fibre capacity expansion
Finance Ministry's view on SBI fund raising soon
Allianz fund arm keen to enter Indian market
ICICI Venture invests $10 mn in RG Stone Research Inst
Havells sees Rs 2,000 cr revenue in 2007/08

UTI Mutual launches new infrastructure fund
Suryachakra in Chinese tie-up for power project
India's Sept industrial output seen up 9.9% [
Ashok Leyland expects truck sales to revive from Jan
Indiaco Ventures buys 20.83% stake in Laser Cosmetics
OIL eyes 5 more blocks in Africa

40 PEs, others line up for stake in Tatasb tower biz
CII sees negative growth in 17 sectors
Manufacturing sectors take a hit: CII Ascon poll
India's Sept industrial output seen up 9.9%
Consumer durables sector pulls down IIP to 6.4%

Markets continue to draw FII investments
Hot Stocks Platter: Bharti Airtel, Zodiac Clothing, Graphite India and Elgi Equipment
FII scorecard: India's loss is Korea's gain
Easier IPO pricing & disclosure rules likely
TCS launches new solutions for airlines

The subprime aftermath
Sensex as a trademark
IPO Watch: Edelweiss Capital

-----------------------------------------------------
Moneycontrol.Com

Overall macro-economics still strong: FM
BSE IPO to hit mkt before March ’08: Srcs
Post sell off, do these stocks look attractive?
Neyveli Lignite has target of Rs 225
Stocks that brokerage houses are betting on
Markets make meaningful comeback; outperform Asia
Which midcaps is India Infoline positive on?
JPMorgan AMC launches ‘Smaller Companies Fund’


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TRAI favours auctioning 3G spectrum

TRAI favours auctioning 3G spectrum




NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator TRAI on Monday favoured auctioning spectrum for third generation (3G) mobile services to firms which already provide second generation (2G) services, a development that could be a setback to new players who wish to offer only the advanced telephony system.



The auction of 3G spectrum should be restricted to existing operators who are already providing 2G services, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Nripendra Misra said at a FICCI seminar here. The regulator also said entry fees for new mobile licensees in all the circles should be raised as there is good growth potential in the telecom sector. He said it would not be financially viable for new entrants to offer these services as compared to operators who have laid out their infrastructure all across the country.



The 3G services support faster downloads and more data transmission, enabling operators to provide high-end services and broadband. Misra said to maintain a level playing field among the 2G operators, TRAI had not recommended auction of 2G spectrum. Misra said he was hopeful that the government would soon accept TRAI's recommendations on auctioning of spectrum. TRAI in its recommendations on 3G services last year had favoured auctioning of spectrum. It had proposed a base price of Rs 1,400 crore for a national 3G license.





Telecom spectrum to be allotted within a month: Shakeel Ahmed


CHENNAI: The Telecom spectrum will be allotted to various applicants within a month, Union Minister of State for Communication and IT, Shakeel Ahmed said on Monday. "It (spectrum) will be allotted within a month or so," he told reporters when asked about it after a prize distribution ceremony at BSNL here on Monday.



On various charges being reportedly levelled by two telecom majors, Bharti and Reliance over Spectrum allocation, he said, "The government is technology neutral. We will take a proper decision." He also said that the spectrum from Defence will be allotted to telecom players when Defence vacates it. "After all, national security is of primary importance," he added. Earlier, speaking at the function, he said the Indian telecom industry has now overtaken China and become the fastest growing in the world with the lowest tariffs in the whole world.




Other Relates News:



BSNL may award entire 23-m GSM line deal to Ericsson

TDSAT directs industry to be party to spectrum petition

Anil Ambani writes to PM, rails at GSM cos







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