IMF forecasts India’s growth will improve to 7.5% in the next fiscal

• Risks to global growth tilt to the downside, with IMF revising 2019 growth projection downwards by 20 bps to 3.5%  
• The review comes even as trade tensions and a weakening Europe cast a shadow over global growth

IDBI  gets  nod  to  resume  insurance  JV  stake  sale plan

• IDBI joins other state-owned lenders that are in the process of monetizing their shareholding in insurance joint ventures

• IDBI’s announcement follows LIC’s announcement that it has completed the acquisition of a 51% stake in the bank

Top court to hear Trai petition against tribunal’s ruling on predatory pricing

• A bench headed by justice R.F. Nariman issued notices to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, and Reliance Jio Infocomm
• TDSAT had highlighted the need for “objective” yardsticks to introduce vital changes relating to SMP and non-predation

Xander in talks to set up logistics platform in India

• PE firm begins negotiations to identify and acquire land parcels for logistics parks

• India’s logistics industry, which is worth around $160 billion, is likely to touch $215 billion in the next three years

France slaps $56.8 million fine on Google

• Google has come under CNIL’s scrutiny before, but under the old rules, fines couldn’t exceed €150,000
• Google was accused of forcing users to agree to new privacy policies

EWS quota may face infrastructure, faculty hurdles

• A Delhi University professor said jumping into the EWS quota will worsen the teacher-student equation
• Neither the HRD ministry nor the UGC has explained how to implement 10% quota in education for EWS

Srei Infrastructure gets board nod to list equipment finance business

• The move will help augment the capital of both its infra finance and equipment finance businesses

• Srei’s equipment finance business funds the purchase of new and used equipment for sectors such as construction, mining and allied equipment

PMJAY spending gives a boost to govt’s focus on tertiary care

• The top tertiary specialities for treatment were cardiology, cardiothoracic, vascular surgery, orthopaedics
• The estimated proportion of all deaths due to NCDs rose from 37.09% in 1990 to 61.8% in 2016, says ICMR report

Opinion | Tech changing the face of indirect tax, transfer pricing

The capability of the government to digitize tax compliance has reached a new high after GST came in to effect

Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe may be put on the block

• Patek Philippe has sales of 1.5 billion francs, according to Berenberg estimates

• The 180-year-old Swiss watchmaker could fetch 7 billion to 9 billion euros, analysts led by Zuzanna Pusz wrote in a note

Pakistan shares Kartarpur draft pact

• The draft pactwas given to the Indian high commission in Islamabad, according to the foreign office statement
• New Delhi has received the draft of the agreement that aims to finalise the documents needed for pilgrims to cross over

Globalization 4.0 has just begun, but we are vastly underprepared for it

• Economic protectionism and vociferous nationalism have joined forces to win elections and widen differences
• Strong winds buffeting the world over the last few years have intensified and spread, causing change and disruption

Lockheed sees potential exports of 200 F-16 jets from proposed Indian plant

• Lockheed Martin has offered to shift its F-16 production line from the United States to India
• Lockheed has picked Tata Advanced Systems as its Indian partner for the proposed F-16 plant 

China’s 2018 growth slows down to a 28-year low of 6.6%

• Growing signs of weakness in China are fueling anxiety about risks to the world economy and are weighing on profits for firms
• Policymakers have pledged more support this year to reduce the risk of massive job losses, but have ruled out a "flood" of stimulus 

Farm-loan waivers to hit states fiscal deficit targets: Report

• India Ratings expects the states' revenue account on aggregate to clock a deficit of 0.5 percent of GDP in FY20 
• The agency has, however, maintained a stable outlook on the finances of the states for FY20

Government may pay farmers cash instead of subsidies

• The government is planning to club all farm subsidies including fertiliser costs
• The additional cost is likely to be limited to ₹70,000 crore annually

India's contribution to world growth doubles in a decade 

• The IMF estimates India's economic growth at 7.3% in 2018-19, 7.5% in 2019-20 and 7.7% in 2020-21
• Lower oil prices, slower pace of monetary tightening and easing inflationary pressures aiding growth

Xi Jinping warns party of 'serious dangers' as Chinese economy slows down

• Xi Jinping told top provincial leaders and ministers that the Communist Party needed greater efforts to prevent risks
• The US, under President Donald Trump, has slapped tariffs on hundreds of billions worth of dollars of Chinese goods

ONGC share buyback to open January 29, closes February 11

• ONGC's board had, on 20 December, approved the buyback of 25.29 crore shares for ₹159 apiece
• The government, which holds 65.64% stake in the company, stands to gain around ₹2,640 crore from the buyback programme 

After India, WhatsApp globally restricts message forwards to 5

• The feature was first introduced in India last year to crack down on spread of rumours and fake news
• WhatsApp also brought out advertisements to help users understand how to spot fake news

Amazon knows what you buy, and it’s building a big ad business from it

• Ads sold by Amazon can now be considered a third major pillar of its business
• Amazon has slowly been developing ways for brands to target their own customers and shoppers

Sebi interpretation does not permit smaller L&T buyback

• Shares of L&T opened at ₹1,275 a share, or 3.3% lower than its Friday close
• On Saturday, Sebi had rejected L&T's ₹9,000 crore share buyback proposal

Opinion | India's bankruptcy code had teeth. Now it's got dentures

• A bankruptcy law that can only be used against small entrepreneurs would take the country back to where it was in 2001
• If PSBs do not wield their voting power on creditor committees, the moral core of the bankruptcy code will collapse

Solar alliance to set up bank for projects

• The bank will be built along the lines of newer multilateral funding agencies like AIIB, but will involve private participation as well
• It will have in-built financial mechanisms that will allow it to fund its own projects

Toyota, Suzuki to drive in cheaper hybrid cars

• Firms aim to slash costs and make affordable hybrid cars available in India
• The first hybrid car from the partnership between Toyota and Suzuki may go on sale in India in three years

Kotak Mahindra Bank Q3 profit rises 23% to ₹1,291 crore

•  Kotak Mahindra Bank reported a 23% growth in net profit for the third quarter, on higher net interest income
• The bank had posted a standalone net profit of ₹1,053 crore in the October-December quarter of the last fiscal

HDFC Bank: No surprises as bad loan metrics continue to shine

•  The private sector lender reported a 20% year-on-year growth in net profit to ₹5,585.85 crore for the quarter ended 31 December.
• Gross non-performing assets for the December quarter were 1.38% of its loan book, slightly higher than 1.29% a year earlier.

How to cope with salary delays and not hurt your money life

• Building an emergency corpus is very important to ride out the irregular salary phase
• Financial planners suggest you should have at least six months of expenses in your emergency corpus

Mehul Choksi gives up Indian citizenship, surrenders passport in Antigua  

• The foreign ministry had said that Choksi could not have dual citizenship.
•  Choksi's move is seen as an attempt by him to avoid extradition to India

CBDT says notices sent only where TDS was not deposited by employer

• Only 1,400 prosecutions filed so far for various offences in 2018-19
• A number of these pertained to cases where TDS was deducted but not deposited with the government

‘Uri’ is a certified blockbuster while ‘Why Cheat India’ fails to take off  

• 'Uri' collected ₹37.25 crore this past weekend compared to ₹35.92 crore in its first three days
• 'Uri' crossed the ₹50 crore mark on day five and the ₹75 crore mark on day eight

Has Reliance Jio become the largest telecom company in India yet?

• Vodafone Idea is wearing the mantle of market leader uncomfortably 
• On an apples-to-apples comparison, Reliance Jio may have already overtaken incumbents' revenues in Q3

Oil rises to 2019 highs on strong China demand despite economic slowdown

• International Brent crude oil futures were at $62.83 per barrel
• Both oil price benchmarks had dipped into the red earlier in the session on fears that China's 2018 economic growth figures would be weaker

RBI set to go for rate cut next month: Goldman Sachs

• RBI likely to cut interest rates by a quarter percentage point in February, Goldman analysts
• RBI governor Shaktikanta Das to chair his first Monetary Policy Committee meeting next month

SBI Life: performance in Q3 underscores the stock’s recovery

• The SBI Life stock has recovered most of the losses after the IL&FS crisis, and the Q3 performance should come as an affirmation of investors’ faith
• The insurer’s new business grew 20% on an annualized premium equivalent (APE) basis

South and east India offer more jobs for women

• Women in regular non-farm jobs account for less than a fifth of the regular workforce
• In the south and in several parts of the east, the shares of women in regular non-farm jobs are significantly higher

Negotiating vacation time with your boss

• A step-by-step guide on how to increase the number of leaves you are entitled 
• And no, you don’t need to lie about a relative’s sickness, you just need to plan ahead

Senior citizens can claim tax break up to ₹50,000 per year for medical expenses

• As medical expenditure has not been expressly defined, admission of these payments for the deduction, would be a fact specific evaluation
• The units of tax-saving funds gifted on marriage are not treated as taxable income

Decline in India’s electronic imports can't be attributed to duty hikes alone

• In fiscal year 2018, electronic goods accounted for 11.91% of all imports, making it the third-largest contributor to India’s overall imports after crude oil and gold
• Although the latest product-wise data is not available, some analysts expect the fall in consumer goods to be sharper this time around

Wipro: healthy Q3 but constrained growth outlook

• Wipro is seeing a good deal flow. According to the management, the order pipeline is strong.
• Company's revenue grew 5.1% in Q2 and 2.4% in Q1 from a year ago

Is this the right time to invest in the small-cap segment?

• Edelweiss Small Cap Fund offers an added STeP feature that enables investors to benefit from any correction
•  The segment has the potential to outperform large-caps, mid-caps but it also sees the deepest cuts when economic and market conditions turn unfavourable

Why there is a weak case for level playing field in e-commerce

• Capital has always been, and will always be, an entry barrier and this is fundamental to any type of business not just retail
• The existing market forces may always resist change, but when the demand undercurrent is strong, supply will eventually find a way

Centre to weigh exempting Meril stents from price cap

• Meril Life has sought a price exemption for developing unique, biodegradable stents
• NPPA meet on Monday is likely to discuss the price exemption claim. If granted, it will be valid for five years

Brokers write to Sebi, oppose higher margin framework

• The broker association wants Sebi to define the margin framework to correlate with risk, not exposure 
• A Sebi circular issued on 17 December effectively raises exposure-based margin in equity derivatives from 3% to 4.25%

Does your job offer you smart choices when it comes to reskilling?

• If you’re a millennial looking for reasons not to quit your job, ask what kind of L&D transformations does your company offer 
• Access to learning and development opportunities is considered an important workplace benefit by millennials

Avoid these mistakes, plan your investments

• Investments should be made in a planned and systematic manner to make the most of them
• PPF is a good tax-saving investment per se, but if someone wants liquidity, it would not be the right option for them

For VC funds, millennials drive investment decisions

• India’s domestic consumption may grow into a $6-trillion opportunity by 2030, driven by young population
• VCs have invested over $10 bn into Indian startups in each of the previous two years

Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital seeks more deals in digital-only drive

• Sorrell, who was ousted from WPP last April after three decades building it into the world’s largest advertising holding company

• Sorrell plans to offer digital content, analytics and distribution to help clients to reach customers in a rapidly changing media environment

Kae Capital to raise ₹100 crore fund to back portfolio companies

• Kae has fully deployed its first fund of $25 million raised in 2012
• Before starting Kae Capital, Mirchandani had invested in his personal capacity in companies such as Myntra

Term plan premiums: A ready reckoner

• A look at premium rates for some insurance policies of a sum assured of 1 crore across three age categories for policy terms of 30, 25 and 20 years
•  The claims settlement rate is measured by the value of the policies as a lower settlement rate is indicative of high ticket-size policies being rejected

Reliance Jio may take InvIT route to monetize fibre and tower units

• The move will help reduce Jio’s debt, make it asset-light and transfer future capex to new entities
• Jio’s profit rose to ₹831 crore in the December quarter from ₹681 crore in the preceding three-month period

Govt in poll mode, strives to attain ‘Housing for All’ target

• Rural development ministry asks states and UTs to allot land to more than 400,000 people to ensure the target can be met by the 31 March deadline
• The ministry is also rushing to complete the construction of 3.34 million houses by 31 March, given only 6.66 million rural houses have been completed

‘Changes in GST will boost SMEs but may complicate tax system’

• States opt for different GST registration criteria for businesses
• Delhi, J&K, Assam go for higher threshold but Kerala retains current rate
• Divergent registration criteria could make GST more complex

TDP up in arms against Reddy for backing KCR’s front

• TDP will try and recreate a 2014-like atmosphere in the state when AP and Telangana were created, says a party leader
• YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy last week held a joint press conference with TRS working president and KCR’s son K.T. Rama Rao

Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, parties shift their focus to Bihar

• NDA, Grand Alliance eye 40 Lok Sabha seats and plan to use public meetings to showcase their strength
• Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar will be attending meetings together for the first time along with other JD(U), BJP, LJP leaders

Vodafone Idea seeks 2 year extension for spectrum payment citing high debt

• The government in March 2018 enhanced number of annual installments for spectrum payment from 10 to 16 years
• Vodafone Idea is progressing the sale of non-core tower and fibre assets to further increase financial flexibility