DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ India’s gamified equities are a wake-up call
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The result is an acceleration of Indian savings away from gold and real estate into financial products. However, it is also leading to what Ashish Gupta, chief investment officer at Axis Bank’s mutual fund, dubs “the gamification of Indian equities”. A frenzy for index options has driven up volume in the derivatives market to the tune of $4.3 trillion a day. Retail traders made up a higher share of equity derivatives turnover than their institutional counterparts on the National Stock Exchange between 2017 and 2021. Whatever the fix, it’s a reminder that India’s digital leapfrog which other developing countries are urgently trying to replicate has a dark side too.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Ashish Gupta, Gupta, weren’t, Ananth Narayan, SEBI, Nithin Kamath, Zerodha, Lalit Keshre, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Bombay Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, National Stock Exchange, Tiger, Securities, Exchange Board of India, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, U.S

☆ For global banks, India could soon be worth it
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The hot new business class ticket within Asia is in fact, Hong Kong to Mumbai. Before the pandemic, more than half of the Asian top line of U.S. bulge bracket banks typically came from Greater China which includes the mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Overall, IPO fees in India have risen from 1% of proceeds in 2017 closer to 2% in recent years, LSEG data shows. Hong Kong bankers are not going to relocate to India any time soon but while they wait out a slow and uncertain recovery in China activity, the trip to India looks increasingly worthwhile. Proceeds from initial public offerings in India amounted to $3.8 billion across 172 deals as of Oct. 24, according to LSEG data.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Banks, Mukesh Ambani, Bhavish, Ola, What’s, Gaurav Trehan, Blackstone, Amit Dixit, David Solomon, James Gorman, Citigroup's Jane Fraser, Noel Quinn, Bill Winters, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, UBS, Insurance, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Reliance Industries, KKR, Bank of America, Global Financial, Investment, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Offshore, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, Hong Kong, China, Asia, Mumbai, Greater China, Macau, Taiwan, Beijing, Washington, India, United States, Offshore China

☆ India and Japan will be Asia's next power couple
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida upon his arrival at Bharat Mandapam convention center for the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. Evan Vucci/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Oct 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - India and Japan are edging closer. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's governments form part of the so-called Quad security grouping with the United States and Australia to counter Chinese expansionism in Asia. Now the two countries are setting up an investment fund together. That’s delivering on a pledge by Kishida to invest 5 trillion yen, or some $42 billion, into India over the next five years.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Fumio Kishida, Evan Vucci, Fumio, Kishida, Wood Mackenzie, Sajjan Jindal, India’s, Lakshmi Mittal, JBIC, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Indian, Japan, Bharat, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, National Investment, Infrastructure Fund, Japan Bank, International Cooperation, Japan External Trade Organization, Nippon Telegraph, Telephone, Reuters Graphics, Teck Resources, Nippon Steel, ArcelorMittal, Japan Fund, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Japan, United States, Australia, Asia, Reuters Graphics India, China, Russia, South, Teck, Indian

☆ Infosys campus pullback signals hard jobs reboot
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Employees of Indian software company Infosys walk past Infosys logos at their campus in the Electronic City area in Bangalore September 4, 2012. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Oct 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Clients are cutting back on IT spending as the global economy slows. India’s second biggest technology services firm by market capitalisation Infosys (INFY.NS) has twice cut its revenue growth forecast this year. IT firms provide well-paying jobs in urban India where less than half of workers have regular wages or salaries. As a result, Infosys revenue grew 16% annually between financial year 2021 and 2023, twice the rate during the prior three years.

Persons: Vivek Prakash, That’s, Pranav Kiran, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Indian, Infosys, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, U.S, Tata Consultancy Services, X, Ericsson, Qantas, Thomson Locations: Electronic, Bangalore, India

☆ AI may force IT spending into economic decoupling
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BENGALURU, Oct 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Global CEOs are under pressure from investors to adopt generative artificial intelligence into their businesses. Outsourcers like $200 billion Accenture are sounding the alarm. Accenture sold $300 million in generative AI deals in the year to August, less than 1% of its $72 billion in total new bookings. Blackstone-backed Mphasis, a smaller firm, says one-third of its total contract value of $707 million for the quarter to the end of June was from “pure AI deals”. The full spectrum of how businesses can use generative AI is still emerging but there are obvious applications: customer support agents and coders are seeing productivity increases of 14% and 55% respectively.

Persons: ChatGPT, Julie Sweet, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Global, Accenture, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Consulting, Gartner, Blackstone, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, U.S, India

☆ Asia’s breakup party is happening under duress
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

As with other big breakups in the region however, there are unspoken reasons for him to join the party. Vedanta Resources is in talks with bondholders to extend the maturity by roughly three years on about $3.2 billion of debt due in 2024 and 2025. But even then, Vedanta Resources may still have a funding gap until 2027 under certain conditions, according to JPMorgan. Even if those were sold for as much as $1.5 billion, JPMorgan estimates Vedanta Resources will at most receive only $350 million in net proceeds. For every one share in Vedanta, shareholders will receive one additional share of each of the five new companies.

Persons: Anil Agarwal, Ajay Agarwal, Vedanta, Mukesh Ambani, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, Vedanta, Vedanta Resources, London Stock Exchange, JPMorgan, Hindustan, HK, Reliance Industries, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, Mumbai, Hindustan, People’s Republic, Asia, Vedanta

HONG KONG, Sept 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Global banks in Hong Kong are feeding on scraps. Bankers in Hong Kong are working on smaller issuances than they typically took on in the past, Dealogic data shows. Among the bigger ones in the works, courier SF Holding (002352.SZ) has filed for a secondary listing in Hong Kong and may raise up to $3 billion, per IFR. Fees on Indian deals are tiny, for example, and costs in Hong Kong are high. Overall investment banking fees in Hong Kong are set to come in at the lowest level in a decade too, Dealogic data shows, with HBSC top of the table.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Debtwire, Una Galani, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, UBS, Bank of America, Bankers, HK, SF, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, New York, Swiss, United States, China, brimming, Shenzhen, Asia, India, U.S, Asia Pacific, Japan

☆ Total’s green bet on Gautam Adani is a win-win
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Tuesday, the company said it would invest $300 million to form a joint venture with $19 billion Adani Green Energy (ADNA.NS) to build solar and wind farms in the country. The latest tie-up ought to help Total to hit its target of having 100 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030. Adani Green Energy and Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS), in which Total owned stakes of about 20% and 37% at the end of June, have lost about 50% and 80% of their market value since January, and are among the worst performing of the group’s nine core listed entities. Total’s green capacity targets may be more pressing than the risk of further Adani problems. Adani Green will contribute assets to the joint venture, it said in a statement, adding that the deal will help it achieve its target of having 45 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Persons: Gautam Adani, Carmichael, Hindenburg, Patrick Pouyanné, Adani, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, Adani Enterprises, Adani, Green Energy, Australia, GQG, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Energy, Thomson Locations: Indian, Ahmedabad, Queensland, BENGALURU, –, India

☆ Singapore’s wealth boom hits most sensitive phase
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Edgar Su Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Sept 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Singapore’s wealth boom may be set for a pause. The amount involved has almost doubled and banks, realtors and jewellery dealers have been caught up in the ring. It is the most eye-catching saga since 2015 when Singapore’s banks were involved in the 1MDB Malaysian sovereign fund mess. As Singapore’s success as a financial centre grows, so too does its vulnerability to dirty money. A thornier problem is Singapore’s desire to avoid perceptions it is capitalising on the troubles of China, its top trade partner.

Persons: Edgar Su, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin, Pranav Kiran Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, realtors, DBS, Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Monetary Authority of, U.S, Police, Thomson Locations: Marina Bay, Singapore, Rights SINGAPORE, China, Malaysian, Hong Kong, Monetary Authority of Singapore

☆ Byju's business head resigns amid reorganisation at Indian startup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man walks past an advertising hoarding of Byju's, an Education Technology company and one of India's biggest startup, outside one of its branch in New Delhi, India, June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Byju's Chief Business Officer, Prathyusha Agarwal, and two other senior executives have resigned as the struggling Indian ed-tech startup restructures its business and operations, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday. Two other business heads - Himanshu Bajaj and Mukut Deepak - have also left, the company, once India's most valuable startup, said. Byju's has let go of thousands of employees this year as it grapples with multiple legal and financial woes. Reuters has reported that Byju's will file 2022 audited earnings by September and 2023 results by December.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Prathyusha Agarwal, Agarwal, Himanshu Bajaj, Mukut Deepak, BYJU'S, Moneycontrol, Byju's, Mohandas Pai, Rajnish Kumar, Pranav Kiran, Navamya Ganesh, Nivedita Organizations: Education Technology, REUTERS, Rights, Byju's, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Prosus NV, Deloitte, Reuters, State Bank of India, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Bengaluru

☆ Indian interlopers can disrupt global mining M&A
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BENGALURU, Aug 25 (Reuters Breakingviews) - An Indian tycoon has a powerful motive to throw himself into some global mining M&A. Sajjan Jindal is looking to pull together a consortium to take a 75% stake in the coal unit of Canadian miner Teck Resources (TECKb.TO), according to Bloomberg. Such a move would pit his $23 billion Mumbai-listed JSW Steel (JSTL.NS) against a rival $8 billion bid by Swiss commodities giant Glencore (GLEN.L). In North America, JSW already has steel plants in Ohio and Texas, and coal mining facilities in West Virginia. Anchoring a consortium bid makes sense but if push comes to shove, Indian tycoons can afford to be aggressive interlopers.

Persons: Sajjan Jindal, Jindal, JSW, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Teck Resources, Bloomberg, Tata Steel, Steel Authority of India, South, JSW, Elk Valley Resources, Deloitte, Chamber of Commerce, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, Teck, Mumbai, India, JSW, Australia, Ukraine, North America, Ohio, Texas, West Virginia, Teck Resources, Elk Valley, Elk

☆ India’s space startups are ready to blast off too
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Amit Dave Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Aug 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Nearly seven million people watched India’s space program make history on Wednesday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) became the first to land near the moon’s unexplored south pole. Peak XV Partners, formerly Sequoia India and Southeast Asia, in June led a $10 million investment in Digantara, which maps space debris. At $74 million, the bill for India’s moon mission was less than the cost of producing 2013 Hollywood space thriller "Gravity". New Delhi is finalising new foreign direct investment rules, and that will likely turbocharge India’s space startups.

Persons: Amit Dave, Elon Musk, Singapore’s GIC, Pranav Kiran, Coinbase’s, Una Galani, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, SpaceX, XV Partners, Sequoia, Skyroot Aerospace, Hollywood, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Gujarat Science City, Ahmedabad, India, Sequoia India, Southeast Asia, Digantara, New Delhi

HONG KONG, Aug 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) China shortcut sets a tricky roadmap for its western rivals. An increasingly competitive Chinese market means others may also need to plot a new route. VW’s western peers may feel they do not need to follow in its tracks. Second, VW’s Xpeng deal highlights how companies need to adapt quickly to stay relevant in China. Both partnerships will see the companies jointly develop intelligent, connected electric vehicles for the Chinese market.

Persons: China’s, that’s, Bernstein, Alix, Elon Musk’s, VW’s, Auto, Neil Unmack, Pranav Kiran, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, HK, FAW, SAIC, VW, BMW, upstarts, Alix Partners, Elon, Mercedes, Benz, Nissan, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volkswagen’s Audi, Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology, Jetta, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Xpeng, Kingdom, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Zhejiang

☆ Saudi binge is fiscal free kick for European clubs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Streisand Neto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Saudi binge may help European teams raise funds and meet tough new financial rules. The Roshn Saudi League is a top scorer in the football transfer market. UEFA, the governing body for European football, has introduced new rules limiting clubs’ spending on wages, transfers and agent fees to 70% of revenue. European clubs should take the money before the referee's whistle blows. Saudi clubs have spent over 550 million euros buying players from European clubs in the 2023/2024 transfer season, according to Transfermarkt.

Persons: Al Hilal's, Neymar, Fahd bin Saad Al, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, Germain, Rúben Neves, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Len Blavatnik, China’s, Oscar, Marouane, Hilal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neil Unmack, Thomas Shum, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Soccer, Al, Saudi Pro League, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Paris Saint, Saudi, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Britain’s Premier League, Premier League, Deloitte’s Sports Business, UEFA, Deloitte, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Bloomberg, BBC, Thomson Locations: Al Hilal, Paris, France, Saudi, Hilal, Saudi League, Al, Ittihad, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Kingdom, Saudi Arabian

☆ Electric vehicle premiums will ride high in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Mahindra Funster electric concept SUV is on display after it was unveiled at the India Auto Expo 2020 in Greater Noida, India, February 5, 2020. Singapore's Temasek handed Anand Mahindra’s EV business a punchy valuation of up to $9.8 billion this month. The $23 billion Mumbai-listed Mahindra & Mahindra (MAHM.NS) generates most of its top line from its sprawling autos business churning out everything from commercial vehicles to three wheelers. It follows the sale of up to 4.8% to British International Investments, the UK's development finance institution, at a $9.1 billion valuation in July last year. True, Temasek's valuation of the EV business depends on the latter hitting undisclosed milestones.

Persons: Kumar Rakesh, It’s, Maruti Suzuki, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Mahindra, India, REUTERS, Reuters, Singapore's Temasek, Anand, Temasek, British International Investments, BNP, Tata Motors, TPG, HK, China’s MG Motors, Maruti, India’s, India’s Mahindra, British International Investment, Thomson Locations: Greater Noida, India, BENGALURU, Mumbai, China, EVs, Temasek

☆ Jho Low could create a new world of 1MDB pain: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MUMBAI, Aug 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The fugitive at the centre of Malaysia’s sovereign fund scandal, is in China. In this Exchange podcast Billion Dollar Whale co-author Bradley Hope explains why Beijing may soon give him up and how his return could be difficult for all involved, from global banks to celebrities. Listen to the podcastFollow @ugalani on TwitterSubscribe to Breakingviews' podcasts, Viewsroom and The Exchange. Editing by Pranav KiranOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Bradley Hope, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, China, Beijing

☆ Bubble tea will test limits of China’s consumers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Thomas Shum | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Aug 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Bubble tea may be the new bellwether for the Chinese consumer. At least half a dozen boba-drink makers, including China’s largest chain by store count, Mixue Bingcheng, are planning initial public offerings in Hong Kong or the United States, Bloomberg reports. Shares in Hong Kong-listed Nayuki (2150.HK), the country’s only publicly traded bubble tea chain, have dropped 70% since their debut in 2021. Follow @t__shum on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSAt least six bubble tea companies are looking to go public in either Hong Kong or the United States, Bloomberg reported on July 24 citing people familiar with the matter. In 2022, China’s biggest bubble tea chain by store count, Mixue Bingcheng, filed for a $918 million initial public offering in Shenzhen.

Persons: Mixue, Gen, Mixue Bingcheng, Robyn Mak, Katrina Hamlin, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, Bloomberg, HK, KFC, Haidilao, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, United States, Beijing, China, Shenzhen

☆ Byju’s blowup makes its investors look bad
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo/File PhotoBENGALURU, Aug 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Byju’s says it provides learning programs to over 150 million students. The biggest lesson may be for the Indian education giant’s global investors including Prosus (PRX.AS) and Peak XV, formerly part of Sequoia, who watched founder power run amok in a country they have pinned high hopes on. But so long as the blowup at the hot startup once valued at $22 billion goes from bad to worse, its backers will struggle to create enough distance. For early supporter Peak XV Partners, the mess comes at a sensitive time, hot on the heels of announcing a separation from its U.S. parent. Representatives of the Amsterdam-listed investor and Peak XV Partners, formerly Sequoia’s India unit, both quit Byju’s board in June.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Byju Raveendran, Davidson, Byju’s, Reuters Breakingviews, Prosus, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Bloomberg, XV Partners, HK, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, BENGALURU, Sequoia, U.S, Byju’s, Amsterdam, China, Delaware

☆ Saudi’s swelling fund has scope for foreign binge
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Saudi Arabia’s big sovereign wealth fund is getting bigger. The Public Investment Fund’s assets under management swelled to 2.23 trillion riyals ($603 billion) in 2022 from 1.98 trillion riyals the year before. PIF’s international assets, which range from UK soccer club Newcastle United to struggling carmaker Lucid (LCID.O), shrank from 576 to 512 billion riyals. Still, PIF has big ambitions: it hopes to boost its total assets to a whopping 4 trillion riyals by 2025, of which 24% will be international. If so, its foreign assets could yet double to 960 billion riyals, according to Breakingviews calculations, making it a key player in global finance.

Persons: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, PIF, Neil Unmack, headwinds, Lisa Jucca, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, Investment, Saudi, Saudi Crown, Newcastle United, Twitter, Adidas, InBev, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Aramco, Neom

HONG KONG, Aug 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Koji Sato enjoyed a smooth ride in his first quarter behind the wheel at Toyota Motor (7203.T). Toyota now trades just shy of 10 times estimated earnings for the next 12 months, per Refinitiv. Those same Chinese brands are encroaching on emerging markets like Thailand, where Toyota has traditionally sold well. Executives told investors on Tuesday that they’re eager to review other investments, too, including cross-holdings in the Toyota group and other assets. Total sales rose by 24% to 10.5 trillion yen in the same period.

Persons: Koji Sato, Sato, Toyota’s, that’s, Encouragingly Sato, Antony Currie, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, Toyota, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Asia, China, Thailand

☆ BP appeal requires more than short-term sweeteners
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Aug 1 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Bernard Looney is throwing cash at BP’s (BP.L) shortcomings. In the three months to the end of June the $109 billion European oil major missed expectations by a wide margin, with net income falling 70% to $2.6 billion year-on-year. Wael Sawan, his counterpart at rival Shell (SHEL.L) who only took the helm this year, has refocused his company on “molecules” – from oil and gas to low-carbon hydrogen and biofuels. But Shell has done better, and Bernstein analysts recently estimated BP was trading at a yawning 87% discount to the sum of its parts. The risk for Looney is that if investors want to own one European oil major, it won’t be his.

Persons: Bernard Looney, Looney, Wael Sawan, Shell, Bernstein, won’t, Yawen Chen, Steve Cohen, ’, George Hay, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, Shell, outperforming, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP, Twitter, Sequoia, Thomson Locations: outperforming U.S, India

☆ Europe’s inflation data “meh” leaves ECB in limbo
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Monday’s first estimate of consumer price data for July reinforces the case for a pause on rising rates, but for Lagarde the picture is frustratingly unclear. Lagarde’s hardline colleagues will point out that’s too fast to bring inflation back to the ECB’s 2% target. Markets aren’t sure, ascribing a 70% chance to a pause in September, according to derivatives pricing data collected by Refinitiv. Revisions to the July numbers will follow and policymakers will get inflation data for August before they meet on September 14. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, “, Monday’s, Francesco Guerrera, George Hay, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, ECB, Twitter, Walmart, BT boss’s, of Japan, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt

☆ Walmart focuses India’s retail valuation debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, July 31 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Walmart (WMT.N) is bumping up its stake in Flipkart, India’s e-commerce giant, at a handsome valuation. The U.S. retailer is buying shares from Tiger Global for $1.4 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. It’s a good deal for the seller as investors assess India’s hottest retail businesses. Reliance Industries’ (RELI.NS) retail unit might come sooner; analysts peg its valuation anywhere between $57 billion and $131 billion. How the market finally values India’s consumer will be closely watched.

Persons: India’s, Japan’s SoftBank, Robyn Mak, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, Walmart, Tiger Global, Wall Street, Reliance Industries, Twitter, BT boss’s, of Japan, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Flipkart, U.S, Una

☆ Government’s NatWest meddling crosses risky line
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Meddling ministers crossed a line, and may struggle to retreat back onto the right side of it. Its shares fell a modest 3% on Wednesday morning – compared with 1% on average for Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), Barclays (BARC.L) and Virgin Money UK (VMUK.L). Rose’s strategy of cutting costs, continuing to scale back risky trading and focusing on core UK retail banking was working. Britain’s Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith said on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, that “it is right that the NatWest CEO has resigned”. Domestic rivals Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Virgin Money UK were down 2% on average.

Persons: Alison Rose, Rose, Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Nigel Farage, Andrew Griffith, Coutts, aren’t, Nigel Farage's, Paul Thwaite, George Hay, Pranav Kiran, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Economic, NatWest, BBC, Royal Bank of Scotland’s, UK Government Investments, . Mortgage, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, Virgin Money, Lloyds, Domestic, Thomson Locations: NatWest’s

☆ LVMH’s smooth ride faces twin speed bumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares in the 413 billion euro luxury behemoth fell 4% on Wednesday after it failed to wow investors with its earnings, depressing Europe’s stock market. Yet investors balked at the 1% second quarter sales contraction in the United States - which represents about a quarter of total revenue - as inflation worries cooled shoppers’ appetite for expensive items. LVMH’s conglomerate model, which spans over 70 brands, has so far proven resilient to crises. The all-important Mainland China market, which made up a fifth of global personal luxury sales in 2021, is a potential worry. Slow demand both in the U.S. and China would test LVMH’s diversified model.

Persons: Dior, Tiffany, Givenchy, Bernard Arnault’s, Lisa Jucca, Aimee Donnellan, Pranav Kiran Organizations: MILAN, Reuters, Twitter, Thales, Thomson Locations: United States, China, U.S

Search resuls for: "Pranav Kiran"

25 mentions found