SIZZLING SHOW BY INDIA INC.'S EMERGING FIRMS

Over 10 years, cumulative topline of The Next 500 club nearly doubles to ₹10.62 lakh crore even as profit quadruples to ₹60,000 crore.

Rise of the Indian Liquor Brands

How premium Indian alcobev brands are disrupting the market.

WHY INDIA WANTS HYBRIDS, NOT EVS

Hybrids beat EVs in sales as buyers take a fancy to mixed powertrains to get the best of both worlds.

HDFC BANK'S MERGER PANGS

INDIA'S SECOND-BIGGEST BANK MAY NOT BE THE CYNOSURE OF INVESTORS AS THE MERGER WITH HDFC WEIGHS HEAVY, SHAVING OFF 16% OF ITS MARKET CAP. BUT WHO CAN AFFORD TO IGNORE THE 800-POUND GORILLA?

The Conversation

NITIN GUPTA, CHAIRMAN, CENTRAL BOARD OF DIRECT TAXES

Running Out Of Oxygen

Venture-capital-funded Private Markets Fueled The Creation Of Hundreds Of Billion-dollar Startups Over The Past Decade. Now Those Markets Are In Upheavaland The Unicorns Are In Crisis.

Why Medical Devices Firms Seek Lifelines

Investments rise but companies ask for more hand-holding and incentives to make India a manufacturing base.

Temple Fillip To Ayodhya's Economy

₹41,600 crore investment by Centre and state government to build facilities for 2.88-3.6 crore visitors to put Ayodhya on the cusp of a business boom.

Why A Weak Rupee Looked Strong In CY23

Rupee saw the least percentage fall on buoyant FPI flows and benign crude, but an encore will depend on Fed rate cuts and oil staying lower.

THE CHINA DILEMMA

For decades, American companies came to China to tap into a vast opportunity. As geopolitical tensions rise, it's getting much harder to stay-and it's just as hard to leave.

LOW-COST MODELS KEY TO FUTURE OF EVs

Massive demand at the lower end of the market means the segment is key to government meeting its target of 30% electric car penetration.

THE GREAT INDIAN SUV CONFUSION

NON-CLARITY ON DEFINITION AND COMPLEX TAX SLABS MEAN IT'S UP TO COMPANIES TO DECIDE HOW TO CLASSIFY THEIR VEHICLES IN WHAT HAS BECOME A 'FREE FOR ALL' MARKET.

WHY INDIA OFFICE REALTY IS PEPPING UP AMIDST GLOBAL DOOM

MARQUEE GLOBAL NAMES RUSH TO INVEST IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AS ECONOMY PICKS UP.

Sports Business Beyond 22 Yards

Be it athletics, football, kabaddi, hockey or kho kho, India Inc. is making serious investments in sports outside of cricket.

India Inc.'s Premium Play

As demand for premium products and services Surpasses Mass market in growth, companies across sectors gear up to tap the rise of India’s new affluent class.

THE MEGA INFRA MAKEOVER

SOME OF INDIA'S BIGGEST INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ARE GOING ONSTREAM SOON WITH PROMISE TO PUT ECONOMY ON A HIGH GROWTH PATH.

INTERPRETING BUDGET DYNAMICS

IN HER SIXTH UNION BUDGET, the last before this year's parliamentary elections, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman was fiscally prudent and refrained from populist schemes. She also continued to push growth via higher capital expenditure but at a slower pace. The finance minister is banking on pick-up in private spending while ensuring that lower growth in government expenditure brings down FY25 fiscal deficit to 5.1% of gross domestic product (GDP). The neutral nature of the Budget and broad directions towards building a Viksit Bharat by 2047 reflect government's confidence in coming back to power for a third term.

'BIG DATA, AI AIDING HIGHER TAX COLLECTION'

Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), tells Fortune India what is driving the buoyancy in GST revenues. Edited excerpts.

The Conversation - CHRISTIAN ULBRICH, CEO & PRESIDENT, JLL

HIGH INFLATION AND GEOPOLITICAL CONCERNS HAVE DEALT A DOUBLE BLOW TO THE REAL ESTATE SECTOR GLOBALLY. AS CHINA CONTINUES TO SUFFER UNDER THE WEIGHT OF A COLLAPSING REAL ESTATE MARKET, RAISING ALARM OF A POTENTIAL DOMINO EFFECT ACROSS GEOGRAPHIES, JLL CEO AND PRESIDENT CHRISTIAN ULBRICH WEIGHS IN ON THE RISKS AND THE OPPORTUNITIES, AND WHERE INDIA STANDS.

CURTAIN RAISER

Why FM Nirmala Sitharaman's Interim Budget sets the tone for continuity during full Budget in July.

TROUBLE BELOW AT THE BORING CO.

Shelved projects, politics, and slow progress seem to have dulled Elon Musk's tunneling dreams at the Boring Company.

Going to War Against Deepfakes

Companies are racing to detect videos that have been manipulated with the help of Al-before they cause even more violence and confusion in battle zones.

HOW WE DID IT

AS 2023 draws to a close, investors look out for investing strategies for the new year.

HOW DATA HELPS MAKE THE BEST INSURANCE CHOICES

Do your checks but act and buy. Being uninsured is a far greater risk than buying wrong insurance.

WHY GLOBAL INVESTING MAKES SENSE FOR INDIANS

India is just 3-4% of world mcap. Putting all your eggs in such a small basket is risky.

BEST INSURERS

A young population, increasing disposable incomes, growing financial awareness and robust regulatory support are contributing to the insurance industry’s growth.

BEST DEBT FUNDS

Focus on portfolio mix, duration and AAA and AA rated assets helped the best performers deliver impressive returns.

BEST DEBT FUND MANAGER

Animble-footed approach and tactical calls helped these fund managers deliver in a volatile market.

BEST EQUITY FUND MANAGER

Focus on quality of management, capital allocation and valuation does the trick for Sohini Andani.

BEST EQUITY FUNDS

Best performers in equity mutual fund category focused on buying high-growth companies that have competitive advantage at reasonable valuations.