Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2024 i Outlook Business

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change”: Victor’s anxiety in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is symptomatic of the insecurities that the rapid progress of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically large language models, or LLMs, have spawned in people. The most dominant anxiety is around job losses that AI and the aggressive redefinition of human work are threatening to cause. This worry runs deep, and far and wide, from scriptwriters in Hollywood to employees of Big Tech. The fear that machines will steal jobs away from humans is as old as the steam engine (read Genpact’s Tiger Tyagarajan’s interview for a metaphorical take on steam engines and the fear it struck among jobbers of the day). So far, the fear was exaggerated, since machines only replaced…

Economist William Sharpe once famously referred to retirement planning as “the nastiest and hardest problem in finance.” Indeed, retirement planning is a challenging feat. However, with proper planning, you can have a secure and comfortable retirement. In this journey, given below are some of the critical principles of retirement planning. Calculate Your Retirement Corpus The first step in retirement planning is determining how much money you will need during your retirement years. William Sharpe talks about the challenges in this process, such as figuring out your life expectancy, your partner’s life expectancy, inflation rates, equity market performance, and risk-free return rates, to name a few. Moreover, you also have to consider the lifestyle you want to lead during your golden years. Different online retirement calculators can help you calculate the…

The State has a very robust single window system for industrial clearances and approvals. Approvals for incentives and licenses / clearances are being offered in a time-bound manner. The department has an active investors facilitation cell for direct dialogue between industries department and the new/existing entrepreneurs to support in getting the required NOCs/ approvals from other departments through regular weekly meetings. The State has adopted best practices for making a conducive environment to facilitate investments. In last 1 year few companies such as High Spirit Commercial ventures Private limited, New Zeel fashion wear, RSCS International, V2 Retail have started their unit just within 55 days of shed allotment that shows that Bihar’s industrial ecosystem is evolving, driven by a combination of institutional support and strategic investments.…

For 28-year-old Prerana, the capital market had always been an unreadable entity which tended to move up or down at a moment’s notice. She had remained on the sidelines of the market for years, choosing to park her savings in bank fixed deposits and recurring deposits but when she found the market scaling all-time highs earlier this year, she decided to try her luck. In addition to investing in some mutual fund schemes via the lump-sum route, she also purchased shares in a few top-notch companies, while they were near their 52-week highs, only to see the prices drop in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war. Spooked by the intense volatility, Prerana, sold off her shares as well as her mutual fund units at a loss and this unfortunate event…

India’s tryst with literary gatherings can be traced back to ancient times when people gathered to listen to discourses by learned peers. So, it was only a matter of time before someone sniffed the potential of literature festivals in the country. The Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) marked the beginning of the era of literary gatherings in India with its debut in 2006. Now a literary extravaganza, JLF had quite a modest beginning with participation of about 18 writers and 100 attendees. While the footfall runs into six-digit figures now, the festival also has a significant digital presence, with over 25 million digital views in 2023, as per the JLF website. JLF may not be representative of all literature festivals in the country—few can claim to be anywhere close to it—but…

01 SMART VEHICLES The demand for smart vehicles has been increasing. This has led to the industry prioritising seamless connectivity to offer an unparalleled driving experience with heightened convenience. The strategic integration of cutting-edge features not only meets current demands but also redefines the driving journey. 02 ADVANCED DRIVER ASSISTANCE Customers want elevated safety standards and refined driving experiences. This has led to the industry placing a premium on advanced driver assistance systems. This trend signifies a commitment to prioritising safety and convenience. 03 DIGITAL PRESENCE Leveraging digital platforms for building reputation can profoundly shape customer perceptions. This trend signifies a strategic shift, recognising the influential role of the digital landscape in moulding consumer expectations. 04 CUSTOMISATION Anticipating a paradigm shift in customer demands, the industry is focussing on personalised experiences. From tailored services…

In the dynamic world of investments, putting all your eggs in one financial basket is like playing roulette with your life savings. Concentrating your investments in a single asset class exposes your portfolio to the fluctuations and uncertainties of that particular asset. Plus, it is difficult to know beforehand which asset will do well and which asset won’t. Recognising the importance of a balanced and structured portfolio, multi-asset investing has emerged as a comprehensive and adaptable approach to investment management. By putting your eggs in different baskets, you get to be in a win-win situation most of the times. Here are more details about multi-asset investing. Understanding the Dynamics of Asset Classes The nature of global markets and economic cycles makes it challenging to consistently predict the winning asset class.…

How do you see the markets behaving during 2024 elections? Generally, in the run-up to the elections, the policies are such that multiplier effects come into the economy as you find that the government spending is quite robust. All that leads to consumption, which tends to be on the higher side. But we are coming on the back of a slightly inflationary environment, so the consumption pattern this time around is slightly different from what we have seen in the past. We are seeing a K-shaped recovery on demand. Typically, it is the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) which gets impacted positively. This time, the auto sector is getting positively impacted. FMCG is still flat. The other thing is that rural India also tends to showcase the consumption story. Going forward,…

ADMAN MADMAN: UNAPOLOGETICALLY PRAHLAD AUTHORS PRAHLAD KAKAR AND RUPANGI SHARMA PUBLISHED BY HARPERCOLLINS INDIA PAGES: 526 | PRICE: Rs 630 No more fun and games; we had to be deadly serious about the work and the brand. Everything had to be checked and double-checked before it was presented to the new Pepsi team, and all the creatives had to be tested and researched before execution. There was now a protocol in place: no casual behaviour or deviating from the pecking order. Only the suits would meet with the clients, et cetera, et cetera. I was flabbergasted that the whole style of functioning had changed overnight. Pepsi had become a protocol-driven corporate like any other, and everything had become uptight and formal. Good grief! No wonder Anuja had quit the leaky…

C’EST LA VIE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS Some days may feel like a breeze and others not so much, but the key to being good at anything is to keep pushing forward, says Juan Pablo Rodriguez, the chief executive officer of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, the Indian arm of the multinational beverage company. He calls himself a “regular guy trying to do his best every day”, be it in the capacity of a father, husband, son, brother, friend or a leader at work, and believes in enjoying the present without undue stress about the future. Work is a big part of who he is, but what gets him going is tackling new challenges and solving problems. “It is all about the thrill of creating, collaborating and leading. Making an impact each day, that…

To ensure transparency and enable a conducive business environment, Department of Industries, Government of Bihar is continuously striving to facilitate investors in setting up of business and assist in investment related activities for the State. Textile & Leather, Food Processing, IT/ITeS &ESDM, EV, Logistics and Bio-Fuel have been notified as the HighPriority sectors. The State has adopted best practices for making a conducive environment to facilitate investments, offering lucrative incentives through “Bihar Industrial Investment Promotion Policy (BIIPP) -2016” which has been amended time to time as per the industry needs. Apart from the BIIPP-2016, department of Industries also provides additional incentives through sectoral policies such as Bihar Logistics Policy, 2023, Bihar Biofuels Production Promotion Policy, 2023, Bihar Industrial Investment Promotion Policy, Textile and Leather Policy, 2022, Bihar Startup Policy, 2022…

With the Hindenburg report against the Adani Group set to turn one year old, the shares of the group may find themselves at the same level they were at before the massive sell-off. While Adani businesses have recovered to an extent from the hit to valuations, the battle for trust is not over yet. Does this explain why the feelings of institutional investors on the bourses do not match the exuberance of retail investors? The timing of launching the country’s largest follow-on public offer (FPO) by the Adani Group in January 2023 could not have been better. The shares of the conglomerate’s flagship firm, Adani Enterprises, had just ended 2022 with over 120% returns. Speaking ahead of the launch of the FPO, chairperson Gautam Adani expressed confidence about the timing…

At the 28th edition of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Dubai last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to host the 33rd edition in India in 2028. Since the first meeting of the COP, the conference has grown into one of the largest and most important intergovernmental meetings. According to the UNFCCC handbook, titled How to COP, the total number of participants at COP25 was 22,472, which included government delegates, intergovernmental organisations, non-government organisations, etc. Hosting the now-bigger COP aligns with Modi’s agenda of positioning India as the Vishwa Guru (global teacher) and driving international diplomacy with the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (one earth, one family, one future). In this context, the benefit suggested by the UNFCCC…

Market valuation is a topic which creates great divide among the academician, practitioners, and investors. Equity market is a collection of several companies, engaged in a different sectors of the economy, having different financial size and business cycles. We all know that equity market does not follow a pattern, and that the stock price movement is random in nature. Still we want to put a number to summarise it. Valuation is not about pricing and certainly not about market timing. But it is equally true that whatever is valued can be priced and vice versa. Price is a factor of value and time. Valuation multiples tell you a story in numbers and how you interpret it is up to an individual. Some of the most popular market metrics that investors…

LIFE REBOOT INSIDE INDIA’S PODCAST REVOLUTION Jishan An jum started listen in g to podcasts five years ago, when the audio format had just begun to pick up the pace. Now hooked to them, the 23-year-old public relations professional listens to podcasts on his way to work on weekdays and at home on weekends. His favourites are history podcasts, like Empire by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand, but he also listens to the ones on business, and occasionally satire. “Listening to my favourite authors and influencers talk in a casual environment keeps me hooked,” says Anjum. India, with 57.6 million monthly listeners as per the data up to 2019, was the third-largest podcastlistening market in the world after China and the US, according to PWC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2020–24…

Slip, Stitch & Stumble Rajrishi Singhal Published: December 2023 How did India reach the crisis of 1991? How did it emerge out of that crisis and move towards growth? Singhal’s book gives a lowdown on the long and arduous journey of the country’s financial sector. Getting Dressed and Parking Cars Alok Kejriwal Published: December 2023 The author gives an insight into the process of building a successful start-up as he speaks about his own successes and failures. The book also encourages entrepreneurs to ask the right questions while chasing a business idea. Network & Grow Rich Murali Sundaram and Biju Chandran Published: December 2023 Through more than 50 success stories of common people who became successful business owners, this book highlights the importance of collaboration, networking and building relationships in…

FAVOURITE MOVIE War movies stand as my preferred genre, and Enemy at the Gates is a classic example. Based on the battle of Stalingrad, the movie impeccably captures the perseverance of a Russian sniper who fought against overwhelming odds, ultimately contributing to the defeat of the German army. FAVOURITE BOOK A recent life-changer for me has been Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. It explores the secrets to living a longer and healthier life, emphasising self-sufficiency in daily activities. I have noticed subtle yet impactful improvements, like increased energy throughout the day, better focus and a sharper memory. Now, my goal is to maintain these changes for a longer and healthier life ahead. FAVOURITE SPORT I am a big fan of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and I take great pride…