Twitter for more - GAIN THE ADVANTAGE!!!

How to use Twitter for more than just tweeting
15 OCT, 2012, 03.23AM IST, KARAN BAJAJ & HITESH RAJ BHAGAT,ET BUREAU 
Twitter may limit you to only 140 characters but the add-ons you can get for it are virtually unlimited. ET introduces you to 35 less-known ways that let you do a lot more with your Twitter account.
tweriod.com: Tweriod analyses your tweets and followers to let you know the best time to tweet. Tweeting then will get you more responses/retweets.
tweetwally.com: Here, you can see a page that collates tweets with a particular hashtag or keyword — makes it easy to track a topic on twitter.
twylah.com: Twylah aggregates your tweets and shows links/images tweeted by you on a single web page. Your followers can easily get a glimpse of topics that you tweet about. The service is currently in beta so you have to request an access code.
manageflitter.com: This tool categorises your followers — inactive, no profile pic, spam or by language. Use this information to unfollow the irrlevant ones. You can also schedule tweets.
tweetalarm.com: Get notified (by email) when someone mentions specific keywords on twitter — notifications can be instant, daily or weekly.
monitter.com: Here, you can search for a particular topic or keyword on twitter and sort the results based on the location of the tweeter.
nurph.com: At Nurph, you can create a virtual chat room where followers can tweet-chat with you. You also get a robot assistant that learns from the ongoing conversation and can reply on your behalf.
useqwitter.com: Sign in to Qwitter to find out who unfollowed you. The free version lets you track a single twitter account — it updates weekly.
futuretweets.com: Ever wanted to send automated tweets in the future? Here, you can schedule a tweet for later (day or time). Hint: use it as an alibi.
twit-twoo.net: Create an account & they'll tweet you with reminders for an event or happening. Use it to remind you of anniversaries or to-dos.
splitweet.com: Effortlessly manage multiple twitter accounts with this handy tool. Great for corporate use too.

flashtweet.com: Simply put, FlashTweet allows you to acquire targeted followers. You can also use it to mass follow based on a keyword or location.
twitchamp.com: Like a friendly competition? Compare how you're doing on twitter with your friends. You only need to enter the usernames.
tweetcube.com: Use this free service to share files (up to 10MB) on twitter. You can share any sort of file, but the catch is that it gets deleted in 30 days.
tweetstats.com: Just enter your username here to get detailed stats — tweet density, replies, retweets — it's all there.
tweetwrappr.com: Useless but funny, TweetWrappr lets you 'gift wrap' a tweet and send it to someone as a URL.
visibletweets.com: Just enter a keyword or hashtag and watch as everything gets animated for you in real time.
tweetrans.com: Want to be a global tweeter? Use this tool to send tweets in multiple languages in one step.
tweepsmap.com: Simply shows you where in the world your followers are.http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/how-to-use-twitter-for-more-than-just-tweeting/articleshow/16814294.cms

RBI to cut rates BANKS WILL PERFORM

FM tells RBI to cut rates, again, almost, Published: Saturday, Oct 13, 2012, 9:45 IST 

By Team DNA | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

This time, it’s more straightforward. Finance minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said interest rates “must come down”. If that sounds like an order, it is. The usage of ‘must’ as a verb is unlikely to be lost on Duvvuri Subbarao. “If the fiscal policy steps that we are taking encourage the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to take monetary policy action which will result in lower interest rates, I think that will be good,” the 67-year-old finance minister said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in Tokyo on Friday.

That’s the second overt notice Chidambaram has sent Mint Road inside a month. And he said the rupee must appreciate a little more. “It has appreciated about 5% or 6% in the last few weeks, but I think the rupee must find a reasonable level, its true level,” he said. RBI governor Duvvuri Subbarao left interest rates unchanged at 8% for the third straight time during its monetary policy review on September 17, but had snipped the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 25 basis points. That had elicited a not-so-direct fiat from Chidambaram.

“The response of the RBI on October 30 will be far supportive of growth,” he said on that day. It’s ‘a small step’ that’s ‘welcome’. “Like others, I am not disappointed (with RBI action). There is a regular review that is due on October 30, which is only six weeks away,” the finance minister had then assuaged the Street.

The RBI has said that curbing fiscal deficit may boost scope to cut interest rate this year. The government announced the first increase in diesel prices in more than a year on September 13, after Chidambaram pledged to contain a fiscal shortfall that has put the nation’s investment-grade credit rating in jeopardy. It also opened the industries including retail and aviation to more foreign investment the next day, and this month decided to seek parliamentary approval for more overseas participation in the insurance and pension businesses. The rupee has surged more than 5% against the dollar in the past three months, the most among major Asian currencies, buoyed by the biggest opening of the economy to overseas companies under Singh as prime minister since 2004.

With inputs from Bloomberg

http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_fm-tells-rbi-to-cut-rates-again-almost_1752061

Indian Stocks likely to take a pause.....

Index outlook: Stocks take a breather

LOKESHWARRI S K  

The rally wobbled slightly last week as investors decided to take some money off the table. The Government continued to feed the market titbit reforms to keep the mood upbeat but investors seem to have grown tired of this façade. Doubts regarding the passage of many of these bills in Parliament also led to a tempering of the enthusiasm.Declining exports and widening trade deficit, weak industrial production numbers and rating agency Standard and Poor threatening to downgrade India’s credit rating added to the air of caution, resulting in both the Sensex and the Nifty closing the week with losses. Volumes were strong in both the cash as well as derivative segment. Index put call ratio has declined below 1 implying that traders have closed their short positions in this correction. Open interest , however, moved above Rs 1,50,000 crore reflecting growing trading interest. FIIs were going a little slow with their secondary market purchase last week but they have managed to buy $2 billion worth of equity so far in October.Fractal geometry seen in behaviour of stock market participants is an interesting facet for analysis. Every rally begins with an overdose of pessimism and ends with a burst of optimism. This behaviour is common whether the rally is four years long or four months long, only the intensity of emotions varies according to the degree of the trend. The resurgence in stock market cheer observed over the last month restates this trend. The gush of second quarter earnings will keep market participants riveted in the week ahead. Headline inflation data and the RBI’s next monetary policy meeting scheduled for October 30 will be other discussion points next week.Sensex (18,675.2)The Sensex opened the week on a wobbly note and went on to close with a 263 points loss. A bearish engulfing candlestick pattern is seen in the weekly chart of the Sensex. But though the short-term trend has reversed lower, the medium-term trend has not yet been affected in the index. Oscillators in the daily chart are also hovering in the neutral region implying that it is not yet time to throw in the towel. The medium-term view remains unaltered. The index has neared critical long-term resistance band between 18,800 and 19,150. A convergence on wave targets makes this a powerful hurdle from where the index can retract to 17,855 or 17,000. The extent of this correction will determine the medium-term trajectory in the index.If the correction halts at the first target (17,855), it will imply that the index will attempt to move towards 20,000 again after consolidation in the zone between 17,800 and 19,000 for few more weeks. On the other hand, decline to the 17,000 support will mean that the index has already achieved its yearly peak at 19,137. Medium-term target on move beyond 19,150 remains at 19,600. The index can move lower to 18,428 or 18,291 in the week ahead. The 18,000 zone will be the key support that investors need to watch out for. Close below this level will cause a severe dent in the prevailing sentiment. Short-term resistances for the index will be at 18,933 and 19,137.The Nifty (5,676) too closed the week 71 points lower making the short-term outlook negative. The index could decline to 5,614 or 5,546 in the short-term. Traders can play short as long as the index trades below 5,746. Next short-term resistance would be at 5,815. Targets on a strong move beyond this peak would be 5,870 and 5,920. The Nifty is in a short-term decline but the medium-term view remains positive. However, as we have been reiterating, the zone between 5,800 and 5,870 is an important long-term resistance zone for the index. Decline from this zone can pull the index down to 5,420 or 5,180 over the medium-term. Halt around the first support at 5,420 will be ideal from a medium-term perspective.Global cuesIt was a sedate week for the global equity markets. Most benchmarks recorded minor rallies or declines. CBOE Volatility Index closed 1.8 points higher but it is near its long-term lows reflecting complacency among investors. The DJ Euro STOXX 50 index that represents European stocks is declining from key resistance at 2,600. Close below 2,400 will mean that the medium-term trend could be reversing lower. The Dow had a forgettable week with the index closing lower in all the sessions. The index is, however, halting at our first short-term support at 13,240. Reversal from here will keep the short-term trend up and pave the way for rally to 13,700 or 13,784 again. We stay with the view that close below 13,000 is required to reverse the medium-term trend.lokeshwarri.sk@thehindu.co.in

• http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/investment-world/index-outlook-stocks-take-a-breather/article3994700.ece?homepage=true

Indian pharma - GROWTH-Opportunities

In my earlier posts, mentioned about the opportunities emerging for CRAMS, the results of DIVIS and Dishman for last two quarters reveal the up-building opportunities...   ----

Opportunities back home for Indian pharma, NALINAKANTHI V.

Higher affordability, increase in penetration and greater awareness can drive growth. It is complex, impacted by global factors and subject to litigation — those are usually the reasons why lay investors shy away from pharma stocks. But pharma companies, especially the ones focussed on the domestic markets, could be simply viewed as consumption plays too. The pharma market in India grew at an impressive 17 per cent annually over the last five years. The domestic markets also yield operating profit margins of 30-35 per cent while developed markets yield 20-25 per cent. But can the industry sustain its current growth in future too, you may ask? The answer is yes, for three reasons. Low drug use Despite India being the third largest pharma market by volume, only a third of the country’s population has access to medicines. With over 70 per cent of the country’s population residing in the rural areas, pharma penetration in rural India is abysmally low at 17 per cent.A vast majority of the people living in these areas are either undiagnosed or continue to rely on conventional treatments, including siddha, ayurveda and homeopathy. This provides enormous scope for pharma companies to widen their geographical coverage. Though expansion into the rural markets isn’t a short-term exercise, it can accelerate volume growth for the industry over the next few years. Companies such as Ranbaxy Labs, Torrent Pharma, Sanofi Aventis have attempted to widen reach into the pan-urban and rural markets by adding dedicated sales force. Sanofi, for instance, is reaching outto rural India through its ‘Prayas’ initiative. The company adopts a differentiated branding strategy in these markets by launching an extension of its established brands at a lower price point.The caveat here is — the efforts to scale up in the rural markets are yet to pay off for most companies. Nevertheless, these should help companies sustain growth over the medium term. But, operating profit margins in these markets are likely to be lower in the near term due to lower pricing. From acute to chronic There is also scope for an upgradation in the product mix of companies, leading to more stable growth.The pharma market is currently skewed towards acute therapies such as antibiotics, pain management, gastroenterology, vitamins, to name a few. Acute therapies, which have shorter treatment duration, constitute over 65 per cent of the country’s total pharma market, according to pharma market research firm AIOCD AWACS. Given the seasonal nature of these therapies, pharma companies witness swings in their quarterly earnings. For instance, with June to December period representing peak sales for antibiotic drugs, sales for the rest of the year will largely remain sedate. Growth numbers tend to be volatile on account of high dependence on acute therapy areas. Most of these therapies are also growing slower than the broad market (refer table). But, with the higher incidence of life-style diseases, companies are consciously shifting focus towards faster growing chronic therapies. For instance, chronic therapies now contribute 50 per cent of Lupin’s domestic revenues, from less than a third five years ago. A market shift towards chronic therapies, which favour long-duration treatment, can make growth more stable and predictable. Low dosage compliance Life-style changes can be a key demand driver, too. For instance, rising stress levels, sedentary life style and imbalanced diet have led to a sharp increase in the incidence of lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cardio-vascular disorders. Increasing awareness about the need for continued medical attention and treatment is helping improve patient cure rates while lending the industry a helping hand. Increase in per capita income has made medicines more affordable for patients. Better affordability will also translate into higher dosage compliance and improved cure rates for the patients, thereby resulting in a steady growth for the industry. However, the average patient dosage compliance in India is still lower than in most other countries. Hence, improvement in the dosage compliance can further accelerate demand for drugs. Changing course In early 2000s, listed pharma companies aggressively pursued the export markets. But the attractive dynamics of the Indian pharma market has led most companies to renew focus on the home market in recent years. Companies such as Ranbaxy and Glenmark, which were aggressively pursuing opportunities in the foreign markets, have turned back to the Indian market. Ranbaxy initiated project ‘Viraat’ to scale up its presence in the rural market. The company more than doubled its sales force from 2,500 representatives in FY09 to almost 5,300 currently. But efforts such as these are yet to pay off for most players. For instance, in Ranbaxy’s case, due to greater skew towards acute therapies and a steep rise in attrition levels, the contribution from the new recruits is yet to accrue. The revenues per medical representative for Ranbaxy witnessed the sharpest fall from Rs 60 lakh to Rs 36 lakh in the last four years. Other companies such as Unichem Labs, GlaxoSmithkline Pharma (GSK), Cipla, IPCA Labs, Torrent Pharma and Pfizer too are yet to reap the benefits of the expanded field force. Unichem Labs witnessed a 31 per cent slide in field force productivity with the average revenue per representative slipping from Rs 35 lakh in FY09 to Rs 24 lakh currently.Interestingly, multinational companies such as GSK, Sanofi Aventis and Pfizer, who maintained a conservative stance in the Indian market, have also turned aggressive in the last four years. GSK and Pfizer increased their field force strength by a whopping 83 per cent and 72 per cent in the last four years. The revenue flow from the expanded field force should help these companies sustain growth over the next few years.Sun Pharma, as an exception, saw the slowest increase in sales force, a 36 per cent rise over the last four years. The company has the highest absolute revenue per medical representative at Rs 97 lakh currently, which is a 9 per cent increase in the last four years.While most companies who have added field force are yet to see incremental revenue flow from the new additions, Glenmark and Lupin have managed to improve productivity by 5 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively, in the last four years. While the outlook and prospects for the Indian pharma market in terms of demand continue to remain robust, pricing uncertainty remains. Any adverse changes in the proposed drug pricing policy may risk growth.The Group of Ministers (GoM) on drug pricing policy earlier suggested capping the prices of essential drugs at the weighted average price of drugs with market share greater than 1 per cent.However, the Supreme Court has directed the government to extend the cost-based pricing policy to all the essential medicines.The Government’s decision and Supreme Court’s directive in this regard will likely determine the pharma industry’s fortunes in the medium term. nalinakanthi.v@thehindu.co.in

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/investment-world/opportunities-back-home-for-indian-pharma/article3994687.ece?homepage=true

Digital-age consumption

Sanjeev Sanyal: Digital-age consumption

Sanjeev Sanyal / Oct 12, 2012, 00:46

The world is supposed to be in deep recession. Demand for all manner of goods and services is said to be exceptionally weak, especially in developed countries. Yet we have recently been witness to crazed Apple customers queuing up overnight to buy the latest iPhone as if their lives depended on it. Some five million iPhone5 devices were sold within the first three days of the launch — a record. What is going on? Why are customers so willing to spend on expensive smartphones but not on cars and houses?

The answer may be that underneath the overall economic gloom, consumer patterns are shifting to a completely new trajectory. Perhaps the cumulative impact of social and technological change may have shifted us to a consumption landscape where an economic recovery will not re-inflate demand for yesterday’s products.The United States was the world’s largest market for cars till China replaced it in 2006. Conventional wisdom is that American consumers are being held back by economic troubles, and will again begin to buy cars when the recession ends. But, what if the next generation of US consumers does not see the automobile as a symbol of status and freedom, as was the case with their parents and grandparents? Unlikely as this may seem at first glance, there is growing evidence that this is indeed happening. The proportion of 17-year-olds with a US driving licence has dropped from almost 70 per cent a generation ago to less than 50 per cent today. This decline was already underway before the Great Recession and cannot be explained away as a cyclical deviation. Instead, studies have shown that rising internet penetration lowers the likelihood of having a driver’s licence.

We are finding similar trends in other developed countries as well. In Britain, for instance, the number of trips made per person per year has declined by 10 per cent since the late ’90s. It appears that people are shopping, meeting friends and working online rather than travelling for these activities. In short, a communications-based lifestyle is replacing the old transportation-based lifestyle. Automobile sales may well improve in the West once the recession is over, but they may never go back to the old trajectory.

Traditional ways of thinking about consumption may no longer apply in this new world. For instance, the old way of measuring the consumption basket was to look at the allocation of expenditure. Today I may use Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter all day but it will not show up in my consumption basket, as I will not have “spent” any money on it. The small sum that I pay for the broadband or mobile connection does not reflect my use of these services as I pay for them by providing “eyeballs”, contributing a blog or sharing a photo. Yet, one can hardly ignore these activities, since several of the world’s largest companies now derive their success directly from such consumer behaviour.
Even the way we use time has changed fundamentally. Time surveys show that Americans spend almost the same time watching television today as they did in 2003 (roughly two-and-a-half hours a day). However, they also found that television viewers were probably also checking emails, shopping online or using social networking sites. They were spending the same time in front of the television, but paying only intermittent attention. Such is the new world where we routinely multitask, switch technologies and pay for services with “eyeballs”.
Moreover, it is not merely the youngest consumers who are making the shift. A study by Nielsen found that consumers in the 25-34 age bracket were the most likely to shift from the old “feature phones” to smartphones, but those in the 35-44 bracket were just as enthusiastic as those in the 18-24 category. In fact, the youngest group only accounted for 19 per cent of high-app users compared to 39 per cent for the 25-34 cohort and 25 per cent for the 35-44 cohort. In other words, a very large segment of the population is adapting to the new world. This has very big implications for how we think about consumer goods and services, urban design and public policy.
So, what should we expect from consumers in emerging markets? In some areas, the trajectory of consumer behaviour in emerging markets will continue to follow the past experience of developed countries. For example, the rising penetration of basic household durables like refrigerators and washing machines follow fairly predictable paths, even if the shift has been often much quicker in the case of emerging markets.
Nevertheless, we need to be very careful when extrapolating developed-country experiences to today’s emerging markets. We can see how emerging markets can often leapfrog technologies. For example, India skipped the fixed-line telephone stage and jumped directly to mobile telephones. Over 41 per cent of Indian households had a mobile phone in 2011, compared to 17.4 per cent who had a fixed line phone, according to Euromonitor data (if anything, this data understates mobile penetration in India).
Other emerging markets have witnessed similar trends. A study by Boston Consulting Group comparing the behaviour of mobile users in China, the US and Japan found that the Chinese were the most active users of almost all mobile services. Clearly, as late entrants, consumers in the developing country have aggressively embraced the new technologies and lifestyles.
In other words, we currently stand at a moment in history where the cumulative impact of social and technological change is causing a shift in the trajectory of the world’s consumption patterns. The world will eventually emerge from this recession; but many old industries will probably never revive. In many cases, emerging markets will simply leapfrog into the new landscape without passing through all the phases experienced by developed markets. In fact, the hyper-urban societies of Singapore and Hong Kong show how quickly an emerging market can move to the frontiers of technological, social and economic experience. Indeed, in some ways these cities may be a better place to experience the future than the West.

http://www.businessstandard.com/india/technology/news/sanjeev-sanyal-digital-age-consumption/489290/

NEXT WEEK...Nifty swing...MAY VOLATILE...

Wkly Tech Analysis: Nifty likely to test support at 5,535

Next week, the Sensex is likely to seek support around 18,530-18,435, while face resistance around 18,825-18,915

Rex Cano / Mumbai Oct 14, 2012, 00:49 IST The markets broke its five-week winning streak as global cues and political turmoil played spoilsport. The Sensex from a high of 18,969, dropped to a low of 18,581. The BSE benchmark finally ended with a loss of 263 points at 18,675. Among the Sensex stocks, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd slumped nearly seven per cent to Rs 245. Wipro and Hindalco Industries tumbled six per cent each to Rs 352 and Rs 118, respectively. Infosys, Reliance Industries, State Bank of India and Tata Motors were the other major losers. On the other hand, Sun Pharma soared five per cent to Rs 715. ITC, Tata Steel and Sterlite Industries were the other prominent gainers. As per the monthly Fibonacci chart, the Sensex recently has slipped below its near support level of 18,750, hence may now test lower levels of 18,400 to 18,150-odd levels. On the upside, in case the index sustains above 18,750, we could see the index rally back above the 19,000-mark.Next week, the Sensex is likely to seek support around 18,530-18,435, while face resistance around 18,825-18,915.The NSE Nifty swung in a range of over 115 points. The index from a high of 5,751 slipped to a low of 5,637, and finally settled with a loss of 71 points at 5,676. Currently, the Nifty is testing support around its short-term (20-day) daily moving average on the daily charts, around 5,660-odd level. As long as the index maintains above this on a closing basis, the index could bounce back to 5,800-odd levels. On the flip side, a breakout below its short-term moving average could see the index slip to 5,525-odd levels.The weekly charts indicate strong support for the index around 5,535-odd levels. The price and moving averages price action remain positive for the 18th straight week. However, the momentum oscillators are in conflicting mode, while momentum seems to be in favour of the bulls on the weekly charts, select indicators have turned negative on the daily charts. Hence, one can expect a two-way movement next week. Next week, the Nifty may seek support around 5,630-5,605, while face resistance around 5,720-5,750. http://www.businessstandard.com/india/news/wkly-tech-analysis-nifty-likely-to-test-support-at-5535/191135/on

MARKET CORRECTION...FISCAL CLIFF... BlackRock SAYS...

Spain, U.S. fiscal cliff may spark market correction: BlackRock's Fink, October 13, 2012 9:04 AM ETBy Chikafumi Hodo and Nathan LayneTOKYO (Reuters) - Investors should brace for three or four months of jittery markets due to uncertainty over support for Spain and the looming "fiscal cliff" threatening the United States economy, BlackRock Chief Executive Laurence Fink said in an interview on Saturday.Fink, head of the world's largest money manager overseeing $3.6 trillion in assets, said he was still bullish on U.S. equities but warned that the stock market could lose 5 to 10 percent in a correction in the final months of the year."The next three to four months we are going to probably have greater uncertainty and the market may test itself one more time," Fink told Reuters during a trip to Tokyo, host to this week's semiannual meeting of the International Monetary Fund. Behind those jitters is uncertainty over when and how Spain, the latest epicenter of the euro zone debt crisis, might seek financial aid as it struggles with a huge budget gap, soaring debts and the need to reform its economy, Fink said.But for all of the troubles facing Europe, Fink said just as much time was spent at the IMF meetings talking about the so-called fiscal cliff of expiring tax cuts and looming spending cuts that will hit the U.S. economy early next year unless congress acts.Failure to come up with a solution could knock U.S. gross domestic product in the first quarter to a 3 percent annual rate of contraction, Fink estimated, based on the current run rate of 2 percent annual growth. That risk is already hurting the economy with CEOs reining in spending and reluctant to hire workers, he said. On the other hand, a solution could trigger a substantial rally in equities and set the stage for a stronger economy, underpinned by a recovering housing market and a banking system now sound due in part to post-crisis reforms, he said.FINDING GROWTHFink dismissed the notion that New York-based BlackRock, whose assets under management are equal to the size of the German economy, may struggle to continue delivering growth. While BlackRock will not pursue large acquisitions, it is considering a couple of "fill-in" deals, he said, adding that one would be similar to its purchase earlier this year of Claymore Investments Inc, a Canadian provider of exchange traded funds (ETFs). Fink also pointed to the potential for growth in actively managed funds, where it is still smaller than a handful of its rivals, while it wants to boost its business providing institutional clients with "solutions" that address specific investment requirements. Fink said 62 percent of his company's clients are currently only turning to BlackRock to manage one product."Just think if I could expand that mindshare and help my clients and now have two products with 62 percent of my clients."  One of Fink's biggest challenges is to fend off the advance of rival Vanguard Group, which has been chipping away at BlackRock's 40 percent share of the $1.2 trillion U.S. ETF market by offering lower fees. BlackRock said a month ago that it plans to cut fees on some of its core iShares ETFs. Fink said he would be unveiling a strategy for bolstering its ETF business on Monday, two days before the company is due to announce third-quarter results, but did not elaborate on the contents of Monday's announcement.Earlier this year, BlackRock unveiled an overhaul of its management structure that expanded its global executive committee to 21 from 13. Worries have mounted about the strength of BlackRock's management bench amid persistent speculation that Fink may be a candidate to replace U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner if President Barack Obama is re-elected.Fink said he was not giving the prospect much thought. "Unfortunately for my life right now my future is being discussed more than I'm thinking about it," he said. "I expect to be here, I want to be here, I intend to be here for many more years." Succession scenarios for Fink and other senior positions were discussed at an annual board retreat last week to take stock of the company's talent pool and identify future leaders, Fink said. "I leave the room when they talk about me. That's between the head of HR and the board," he said.(Additional reporting by Peter Thal Larsen; Editing by Edmund Klamann)  http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=OBR&date=20121013&id=15668824

SUGAR SWEET NEWS BUILDING....

End sugar open sale quota at once, says Rangarajan panel, SHISHIR SINHA

NEW DELHI, OCT 12: 

One of the last regulated industries may soon find its wings, if the Rangarajan Committee’s suggestions are accepted by the Government. The committee has recommended deregulation of the sugar sector by giving freedom to mills to sell sugar in the open market.

It has also suggested doing away with the system of mills providing sugar for the public distribution system, under which the mills are required to offer 10 per cent of their production to the Government at below market prices. The committee, headed by the PMEAC’s (Prime Minister Economic Advisory Council) Chairman, C. Rangarajan, said: “Rationalisation of sugarcane pricing and liberalisation of sugar trade need to be introduced over a two-to-three year period, in a calibrated and phased manner. However, levy sugar obligation and administrative control on non-levy sugar need to be dispensed with immediately.” The committee submitted its report to the Prime Minister. Levy sugar is meant for distribution through ration shops, while non-levy sugar is for sale in the open market.The Centre fixes the quantity of sugar that mills can sell in the open market and ration shops every month on a quarterly basis. While other sectors of the economy have been freed, the sugar industry continues to remain under the government control, right from the level of production to distribution.

“Markets in almost all sectors in India are constantly matching anticipated demands with supply. There is no particular reason why sugar market would not be able to do this,” the Committee said.The mechanism of regulated release of non-levy sugar imposes costs directly on mills (and, hence, indirectly on farmers) on account of inventory accumulation and inability to plan cash flows, the committee said. “Since this mechanism is not serving any useful purpose, it may be dispensed with,” it said. The committee has dealt with the issue of remuneration to farmers for sugarcane, while keeping the financial condition of sugar mills in the mind. It advised change in the existing system by paying fair and remunerative price (FRP) as minimum price to the farmers at the time of cane supply.

Further, it has suggested revenue share mechanism in place of the ‘tried but failed’ profit sharing mechanism. “On a half-yearly basis, the state government concerned would announce the ex-mill prices of sugar and its by-products, and farmers would be entitled to a 70 per cent (75 per cent in case of combined value of sugar and its by products) share in the value of the sugar and by-products produced from the quantity of cane supplied by each farmer,” it said. The farmers will get money after deducting FRP already paid while remaining will go to the sugar mills. Since the sugar value estimate includes return on capital employed, this implies that farmers would also get a share of the profits. With such a system in operation, states should not declare any state administered price (SAP), it advised.

Shishir.Sinha@thehindu.co.in

Growth Concern Overshadows -- Euro Weakens

Euro Weakens as Growth Concern Overshadows Central-Bank Efforts By John Detrixhe - Oct 13, 2012 9:30 AM GMT+0530 The euro declined against most of its major counterparts as concern that the global economy is slowing overshadowed policy makers’ efforts to contain Europe’s three-year-old debt crisis. The shared currency touched its lowest versus the dollar in almost two weeks as the International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecasts. It also said Greece should get more time to meet fiscal targets. The euro fell after Standard & Poor’s cut Spain’s credit rating, then rose on bets the move will pressure the nation to seek aid, unlocking a stimulus program. European Union leaders meet next week. Singapore’s dollar climbed as its central bank unexpectedly left monetary policy unchanged.  “You had the sentiment around Spain where the S&P downgrade evolved from being a concern to a potential benefit,” Noel Hebert, chief investment officer at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based Concannon Wealth Management LLC, which oversees about $250 million, said in a telephone interview. “The IMF news was ugly at first and then better at second as they backed off on austerity demands. If you follow the slope of where the euro went this week, that seems to generalize the path.” The euro depreciated 0.7 percent to $1.2951 this week in New York, halving last week’s 1.4 percent gain. It touched $1.2826, the lowest level since Oct. 1, almost falling below its 200-day moving average of $1.2824. The 17-nation currency fell 0.9 percent to 101.61 yen. The Japanese currency gained 0.3 percent to 78.44 yen per dollar. 

Net Shorts  Futures traders increased their bets that the 17-nation currency will decline against the U.S. dollar, figures from the Washington-based Commodity Futures Trading Commission show. The difference in the number of wagers by hedge funds and other large speculators on a decline in the euro compared with those on a gain -- so-called net shorts -- was 72,570 on Oct. 9, compared with net shorts of 50,265 a week earlier. The Swedish krona was the biggest loser against the euro as inflation abated more than forecast, raising the possibility of an interest-rate cut before year-end. A Statistics Sweden report showed consumer price growth slowed to an annual 0.4 percent in September, from 0.7 percent the prior month. A Bloomberg survey projected a decline 0.6 percent. The currency fell 0.7 percent to 8.6737 per euro and slid 1.4 percent to 6.6975 to the greenback. The krona will probably decline as European asset prices stabilize and investors unwind their bets on haven currencies including Sweden’s, according to Morgan Stanley. “We would expect the Swedish krona to lead the way with the current round of position-unwinding,” Morgan Stanley said Oct. 11 in a research report. Aussie Strengthens The Australian dollar gained against 14 of its 16 most- traded peers this week amid speculation that China, the nation’s biggest trader partner, will take steps to stimulate flagging economic expansion. The Aussie rose 0.5 percent to $1.0233. China’s economy expanded 7.6 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, the least in three years. Growth may have slowed to 7.4 percent in the third quarter, according to the median estimate of 27 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The euro region’s economy will expand 0.4 percent this year, 0.1 percentage point less than forecast in July, and grow 0.2 percent in 2013, versus 0.7 percent predicted three months ago, the Washington-based IMF said in a report. The world economy will grow 3.3 percent this year, the slowest pace since the 2009 recession, compared with a July forecast of 3.5 percent, it said.......http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-13/euro-weakens-as-growth-concern-overshadows-central-bank-efforts.html

NIFTY non -stop rise... but....

The markets managed to stay above 5650 level but the external EURO crisis is not over. The Nifty is took some pause after 5 weeks of non stop rise from 5215 level registered on 5^th Sep-12 to a level of 5815 on 5^th Oct-12. A steep rise of 600 points, close to 12%. Yesterday it closed at 5676 level.

The Nifty is in strong Bull grip. Most of the under performing stocks are now catching up. The metal stocks are also participating despite of their anticipated tepid results. I believe the Infy results are good but the anticipation/expectation from the huge cash pile up reserves are not made full utilization, has a dent on the stock performance. The recent purchase of Lodestone to add some more new clients and new revenue stream. The  CFO- Bala is being groomed to the top slot. The management changes are going to cap at the recent rise at 2650 level. The stock will gain some support for now at 2335 level at first level and 2229-25 at the second level. The upper side resistance is at 2548-64 level. For now the strategy is to sell and buy from the resistance levl. I believe the selling can be started from 2485 level to cover at 2250 level. The markets are for now taken some accumulation period around 5500 level. The reforms are driving the market rather than the performance of the corporate sector. The RBI is going to provide some rate cut relief much needed for the capital intensive sectors. The expansion plans are hold may start resume. The Govt spending has been focused on rural infra structure. So the rural economy is growing and the income levels are rising for spending. So the retail sector is going to take the advantage of the push. If we clearly go back and study the programmes, we can understand the policy reform changes and the growth opportunity sectors…..

GMR INFRA ...POTENTIAL....

I-T searches at GMR Group offices across country

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article3987686.ece?homepage=true

  

Mo Yan won the 2012 Nobel prize-TRIBUTES TO Guan Moye

(Reuters) - Chinese writer Mo Yan won the 2012 Nobel prize for literature on Thursday for works which combine "hallucinatory realism" with folk tales, history and contemporary life in China. Mo, who was once so destitute he ate tree bark and weeds to survive, is the first Chinese national to win the $1.2 million literature prize, awarded by the Swedish Academy. He said the award made him "overjoyed and terrified". Some of his books have been banned as "provocative and vulgar" by Chinese authorities but he has also been criticised as being too close to the Communist Party. While users of a popular Chinese microblogging site offered their congratulations, dissident artist Ai Weiwei said he disagreed with giving the award to a writer with the "taint of government" about him.

Mo, 57, who grew up in the town of Gaomi in Shandong province in the northeast of the country and whose parents were farmers, sets his works mainly in the land of his birth.

Mo Yan is a pen name which means "Don't Speak". His real name is Guan Moye and he was forced to drop out of primary school and herd cattle during China's Cultural Revolution.

Speaking to the state-run China News Service, Mo said he was happy to have won. "But I do not think that my winning can be seen as representing anything. I think that China has many outstanding authors, and their great works should also be recognised by the world. "Next, I'm going to put most of my efforts into creating my new works. I will keep working hard, and I thank everyone. As to whether I go to Sweden to receive the prize, I will wait for word from the organisers about arrangements." 
"AT HOME WITH HIS DAD" 

Peter Englund, head of the Swedish Academy, said Mo was "at home with his dad" when he was told of the award. "He said he was overjoyed and terrified," Englund told Swedish television. "He has such a damn unique way of writing. If you read half a page of Mo Yan you immediately recognise it as him." The award citation said Mo used a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives to create a world which was reminiscent of the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 

At the same time, he found a "departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition", the Academy said. Englund said Mo offers "a unique insight into a unique world in a quite unique manner." His style is "a fountain of words and stories and stories within stories, then stories within the stories within the stories and so on. He's mesmerising," Englund told Reuters television. Mo is best known in the West for "Red Sorghum", which portrayed the hardships endured by farmers in the early years of communist rule and was made in a film directed by Zhang Yimou. His books also include "Big Breasts and Wide Hips" and "The Republic of Wine". 

"My works are Chinese literature, which is part of world literature. They show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs," Mo told reporters in his hometown, Xinhua news agency reported. The last Chinese-born winner was Gao Xingjian in 2000, although he was living in France by that time and had taken French citizenship. His Nobel was not celebrated by the Chinese government.  
CHINA HAS "WAITED TOO LONG" 
Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily praised the win in a commentary on its website (www.people.com.cn). "This is the first Chinese writer who has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Chinese writers have waited too long, the Chinese people have waited too long," it wrote. Mo, a vice chairman of the government-backed Chinese Writers' Association, said he had nothing to say about Liu Xiaobo, the jailed dissident who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 and whose name has been banned from public discussion in China.
"His winning won't be of any help for Liu Xiaobo, unless Mo Yan expresses his concern for him," said Ai Weiwei. "But Mo Yan has stated in the past that he has nothing to say about Liu Xiaobo. I think the Nobel organisers have removed themselves from reality by awarding this prize. I really don't understand it." Beijing-based writer Mo Zhixu said Mo Yan, who once copied out by hand a speech by Chairman Mao Zedong for a commemorative book, "doesn't have any independent personality." 
Yu Shicun, a Beijing-based essayist and literary critic, said Mo Yan was a puzzling choice for the prize. "I don't think this makes sense," said Yu in a telephone interview. "His works are from the 1980s, when he was influenced by Latin American literature. I don't think he's created his own things. We don't see him as an innovator in Chinese literature." On the streets of Beijing, there was pride in Mo's achievement.
"I think this is an unprecedented breakthrough, because before this they spoke of Chinese nationals getting the Nobel prize, but it was only the peace prize, never the others such as the literature, the physics and chemistry prizes," said Xu Jiebiao, 28-year-old IT consultant. "So a Chinese getting the Nobel prize for literature will increase the national pride." The literature prize is the fourth of this year's crop of prizes, which were established in the will of Swedish dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and awarded for the first time in 1901. The writer, who was in the People's Liberation Army before progressing to academia, was one of the favourites to win the award this year, according to British bookmaker Ladbrokes, along with Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

(Additional reporting by Johan Ahlander, Simon Johnson, Anna Ringstrom, Niklas Pollard, Sui-Lee Wee, Ben Blanchard and Lucy Hornby; Writing by Giles Elgood; Editing by Peter Millership)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/10/11/nobel-prize-literature-mo-yan-china-idINDEE89A08M20121011

EURO RECESSION ?? STUDY SAYS...

11 OCT, 2012, 09.07PM IST, AFP 

German institutes warn of recession, halve 2013 forecast

BERLIN: Germany's leading economic think tanks warned on Thursday there was a "great danger" that Europe's top economy could fall into recession, as they slashed their growth forecasts for next year in half. The four institutes -- Ifo in Munich, IfW in Kiel, IW in Halle and RWI in Essen -- also lashed out at theEuropean Central Bank, saying its latest anti-crisis measures risked fuelling inflation in the 17 countries that share the euro.

"The euro crisis is negatively impacting economic activity in Germany," the institutes wrote in their joint twice-yearly forecasts, published here on Thursday. "Should the situation in the eurozone continue to deteriorate, this will also impact the German economy. Over the forecasting period as a whole the downside risks prevail and there is a great danger that Germanywill fall into a recession," they warned.

While Germany clocked up growth of 0.5 per cent in the first quarter and 0.3 per cent in the second quarter, "there are currently a large number of signs that overall economic expansion will weaken towards the end of the year," they wrote. As a result, gross domestic product ( GDP) was projected to grow by 0.8 per cent overall this year and by 1.0 per cent next year. That marked a downgrade from the institutes' previous spring forecasts when they had been pencilling in growth of 0.9 per cent for this year and 2.0 per cent for next year.

Furthermore, the latest projections were based on the assumption that the situation in the euro area, currently grappling with its worst-ever crisis, would stabilise. If it did not then Germany, which has held up much better to the long-running crisis than its eurozone partners, could find its economy going backwards, they said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged that after two "very good" years of growth, that this year would be "weaker." "If you believe the forecasts -- I cannot be more precise -- we will have maybe 0.8 per cent, 0.9 per cent, around one per cent," Merkel told reporters after meeting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The German government publishes its twice-yearly forecasts next week.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/german-institutes-warn-of-recession-halve-2013-forecast/articleshow

India’s exports DROP by 10.78 %

NEW DELHI, OCT 11: 

India’s exports have dipped 10.78 per cent to $23.69 billion in September 2012 compared with $26.56 billion in the same period a year ago. Imports grew by five per cent to $41.77 billion from $39.75 billion in September 2011, resulting in a trade deficit of $18 billion for the month.

In the April-September period, exports fell by 6.79 per cent to $143.6 billion from $154.1 billion in the same period last year.During this period, imports contracted by 4.36 per cent to $232.92 billion. Trade deficit during the period stood at $89.25 billion. Oil imports during September increased 30.74 per cent to $14.09 billion from $10.77 billion in the corresponding period last year. Oil imports during April-September 2012-13 grew by 6.78 per cent to $80.78 billion.

Non-oil imports during the month under review dipped 4.46 per cent to $27.68 billion. During the first six months of the fiscal, the imports contracted by 9.38 per cent to $152.14 billion. Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has said that the fall in exports for the April-September period is in line with global demand. Reacting to the trade data released by the Government, M. Rafeeque Ahmed, President, FIEO, said even the WTO has revised its forecast downwards for global trade for 2012 from 3.5 per cent earlier to 2.7 per cent.

The FIEO chief also said that the cost of credit is still a cause of concern for the export sector and a general reduction in the interest rate would benefit manufacturing as well as exports. He urged the Government to consider lowering of interest rates as top priority to give a boost to exports.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article3987486.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home

Facebook 'lied' -IPO HYPE- FALSE CLAIMS!!!!!!!!!!

Facebook 'lied' about number of users

AGENCIES

Posted: Thursday, Oct 11, 2012 at 1607 hrs IST

Social networking site Facebook provided US Securities and Exchange Commission officials inaccurate and inflated estimates of the number of its users and ultimately its worth a week before the company''s botched Initial Public Offering, it has emerged.

Facebook did not have accurate figures for the number of smartphone users who use its application and intentionally held back the real, significantly lower figures, until only a week before the 104 billion dollars IPO on May 18th.

The information has emerged after 12 letters dating from February 1 to May 17, were published on the SEC''s website 20 days after the company''s disastrous IPO, the Daily Mail reports.

According to the paper, the contentious exchanges were over Facebook’s apparent failure to disclose the exact figures for mobile phone user growth.

In the initial IPO filing from February 1st, the company said smartphone usage of Facebook increased around the world and numbered 425 million ''monthly active users''in December 2011.

When asked by the SEC to locate geographically its users it said that it couldn''t do so reliably, because for instance Facebook counted most BlackBerry owners as Canadian because their servers are based in Canada.

According to the paper, this prompted the SEC to question whether Facebook actually had 845 million individual users at the start of 2012, which the firm replied they believed was ''reasonably accurate.''

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/facebook-lied-about-number-of-users/1015336/2

ALLEGATIONS -'Kejriwal' index & STOCKS TUMBLE!!!

Now traders track 'Kejriwal' index

Kejriwal had said there was information that a lot of people close to politicians had invested in BPTP, Indiabulls and GMR group

Palak Shah / Mumbai Oct 10, 2012, 19:27 IST Anti corruption activist turned politician Arvind Kejriwal has emerged as the 'new theme' for stock market traders. They are going short on shares of companies, which Kejriwal has, or is, likely to target. After DLF, the share price of Indiabulls Group firms and GMR Infrastructure came under selling pressure today. Kejwiral had hinted yesterday he was preparing a list of nexus between politicians and these companies. The share price of Indiabulls group firms fell between 4-10% and GMR Infrastructure crashed by 9.2% at Rs 23.2. DLF too continued its slide and fell 5.4% to close at Rs 212 today. Kejriwal on Tuesday said that there was information that a lot of people close to politicians had invested in BPTP, Indiabulls and GMR group “Traders are closely following Kejriwal. He has built a reputation in stock market after his allegations on Robert Vadra and DLF. The company and Vadra till now have not been able to counter these allegations effectively,” said Kishor Ostwal managing director of Mumbai based CNI Global Research. Ostwal, however, is of the view that the sharp fall in share prices of these companies was a knee jerk reaction and they would re-bound when markets improve. The broader index Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange and Nifty of the National Stock Exchange fell 1.21 and 0.92% respectively today. Investment Advisor S P Tulsian said, corporate governance issues have been a theme for stock market traders for the past many months now. “Kejriwal's allegation has revived concerns on these companies. So traders now fear of litigation against these companies,” said Tulsian. Stock market players have given thumbs down to all those companies where Canadian research firm Veritas in the past raised red flags. They include, DLF, Indiabulls, Kingfisher Airlines and Reliance Communications. http://www.businessstandard.com/india/news/now-traders-track-/kejriwal/-index/190623/on

POLARIS - VIOLATING REGULATIONS

Polaris chief Arun Jain barred from market for 2 years

OUR BUREAU http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/markets/stock-markets/article3981365.ece?homepage=true   MUMBAI, OCT 9: 

SEBI has prohibited Arun Jain, Chairman and Managing Director, Polaris Software Lab, from transacting in securities for two years. This is for violating insider trading regulations. SEBI found that Polaris Holding Private Limited (PHPL), a promoter group company, had sold 15,080 shares of Polaris Software between August 23, 2000 and September 19, 2000 through Chennai-based broker Allsec Securities.

SEBI found that Jain had, at the time, been privy to unpublished price-sensitive information that Polaris Software had called off its proposed acquisition of a US-based company, Data Inc. Though the acquisition was called off at end August, the information was not given to the bourses until September 30, 2000. SEBI found that the trading (in 15,080 shares) was motivated on the basis of the price-sensitive information in Jain’s possession, and he was not able to prove otherwise.

After the information was made public, the share price of Polaris Software, which had closed at Rs 595 on September 29, fell to Rs 390 on October 23, 2000. This case was settled through the consent mechanism (without admission or denial of guilt and on payment of consent charges of Rs 7 lakh) on July 21, 2008.

However, SEBI had, in 2005, considered proceeding against Jain under Sections 11 and 11B of the SEBI Act (that empowers the regulator to issue directions in the interest of investors). The order comes into effect immediately.

raghavendrarao.k@thehindu.co.in