Monday, June 29, 2009

Leaving India was biggest challenge - Mittal

"The biggest crisis or challenge I faced I believe is when I left India. I did not have any exposure to the global market, global situation and I landed up in a country (Indonesia) I never knew about," said Laxmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO, ArcelorMittal.
He admitted that ArcelorMittal did not anticipate a crisis of this magnitude, and said that the company has acknowledged the slowdown and was the first one to resort to cost-cutting measures. Mittal, 58, born in Sadulpur, Rajasthan, parted ways with his father and brother and took over the international affairs of the family business and left for Indonesia than three decades ago.He founded the Mittal Steel company in 1976. He expressed his disappointment over delays in securing regulatory approvals for his Rs. 1 lakh crore steel project in India. "We are disappointed with this. We are still awaiting some of the approvals, land approvals, environment approvals, and mining license; clearly this has delayed the progress by two years."

Aspiring engineers scared to opt for IT courses

The students who are aspiring for engineering career are opting for mechanical and civil engineering courses instead of IT courses. According to Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), around 60-70 percent of almost 1.2 lakh students who appeared for common entrance test (CET) this year are expected to opt for non-IT courses. Also many courses like computer engineering, medical and biotechnology which were in demand last year do not have many takers this year.
The change in career can be linked with big IT companies like Wipro, Infosys and TCS deciding to cut down the number of recruitment due to recession. Big companies are also seeking to cut down on existing staff to adapt to economic slowdown. In such situation students are not that ready to take risk by entering the IT field. "In times of recession, nobody is daring to opt for IT. There are more job opportunities in mechanical. Lot of students that I know prefer to go into electronics and communication and mechanical engineering," an aspiring engineering student Bhavish Kuttapa told Economic Times.Many students are interested in opting for telecommunication engineering as there are more jobs available in that field. It is expected from students to opt for recession-proof careers. "Something very similar happened few years ago when IT was doing better than other sectors. With government spending big on infrastructure, energy and telecom, there are more jobs available for mechanical, civil and electronic engineers," said GC Jayaprakash, principal consultant at executive search firm Stanton Chase International to economic times. (siliconindia news bureau,Bangalore)

Multibagger Stock: Visu International

Visu International Ltd. (Formerly Visu Consultants Ltd.), a pioneer in the field of 'GLOBAL EDUCATION', is the main arm of Visu Group of Companies. Its core activity lies in assisting students to make the right choice with regard to higher education overseas. Every country on the globe has Universities which are vying for students across the frontiers. In such a scenario, it becomes an impossible task for a student to decide on the program, University and Country most suited to their requirements. In steps an experienced consultant like Visu, offering end to end services to our clients. With our experience and expertise in 'study abroad' spanning over two decades, we could be the trusted hand for any student.
Visu International Ltd., was started in 1983, by Mr. C.C.Reddy, an NRI from USA, Founder and Chairman, built the huge organization, that it is today. From a humble beginning, today he succeeded in the uphill task of dispelling all the myths usually associated with ' study abroad' and have brought the concept of overseas education to the doorstep of every student, by making it affordable and devoid of cumbersome procedures.
Visu International Ltd. has more than 73 offices all over the world, placing more than 75000 students in Universities abroad. Our reach extends to five continents and Universities in most Countries like the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, France and Spain.
It offers the following services:
Councelling
Coaching for TOEFEL, GRE, GMAT, SAT in India .About 50000 students per year are getting coaching in various centres within India.
Application Processing for admission abroad
e- application status
Visa guidance
Post Visa services
Bank Loan guidance
Travel Assistance
This year is the Silver Anniversary Year of Visu International and Management is hopeful of surpassing Rs. 100 crore turnovers with a significant increase in the bottom line.
Future Prospects:
Project today reported that Conglome Industries Pvt Ltd, a group company of Visu International Ltd, is planning to expand it presence in Africa, Myanmar and Vietnam.As per report, the company will carry out its expansion plan in the phased manner. In the first phase, Conglome intends to invest INR 500 crore in the various sectors in Africa, Myanmar and Vietnam. As per report, they have identified 11 sectors in agriculture, education, mini hydro power generation and distribution, roads, housing, bore wells, manufacturing of ethanol and alcoholic & non alcoholic beverages to make the investment. The funds for the expansion will be raised from equity, banks and partners.Apart from this, Conglome is also in the process of acquiring 8 companies in Africa at the investment cost of INR 100 crore. Out of which INR 25 crore will be equity and the rest will be raised from foreign funding.
About the Management:
Mr.C.C.Reddy,ChairmanMr.C.C.Reddy started his practice as an Attorney in the year 1960. He was a Member of the Communist Party of India and a State Leader in the Trade Union Movement. Mr.Reddy was exposed to International Law and in late 60s, he represented India in various International Law Conferences held in Moscow, Berlin and Helsinki under the leadership of the Legendary Mr.V.K. Krishna Menon.
In 1973, he moved to the United States of America as an Immigrant and there he headed various International business corporations as Chief Executive. He had exclusive trade relations with both East and West European countries. During this period, he was a Member of the U.S. Technology Transfer society, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Australian Chamber of Commerce. He also was a Special Invitee to the African National Congress and he addressed the ANC in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In 1983 he established Visu Consultants Limited in India which is today known as Visu International Limited. Visu International Limited is the Flagship Company of the Visu Group of Companies with its offices in 20 countries and has 2000 employees across the Globe. Visu Group deals in Education, Software, Manufacturing in 8 countries in Africa, Trading from Hong Kong and China with Retail Operations in India and Africa.
Mr.Reddy is a Member of the Osmania University Academic Senate. While in U.S.A he has been a keen observer of the U.S. political system and believes that some of the electoral practices could apply to Indian political system.
In the recent elections, he has been named as the Vice Chairman of the A.P. Congress Committee Campaign Committee. Mr.Reddy conceived, designed and telecast the campaign material. The efficacy of the campaign materials resulted in a land-slide victory for the Congress Party. Mr.Reddy has been appointed as Advisor to the Government of A.P. on Foreign Investments and NRI affairs. In fulfilling this responsibility and in order to benefit the farming community of A.P. in particular, Mr.Reddy is in the process of finalizing a lucrative Agricultural Development Scheme in African Countries where the A.P.Farmers would be relocated for using their skills and making their personal fortunes as other expatriates have done for centuries in these countries. Mr.Reddy is also helping in sourcing foreign investments from foreign countries for developmental projects in A.P.
Mr.Reddy has also entered into production of Feature Films and TV serials. One Telugu feature film is ready for release and production for two more films is going to start very soon. Mr.Reddy has plans to regularly produce feature films under the banner of Visu Films International.
At present CMP of INR 5.55, the stock looks very attractive and it will give a 200-350% return in time duration of 1-2 years.
Positive Points for this stock for Up moving:

1) Company doing very good and available very cheep at INR 5.55/-
2) Book Value 25/-; Company Assets 79 Crores.
3) Company planning to invest 500 Crores various sectors.
4) Company Having Good Corporate house in Hyderabad Business center and good Land Bank.
5) Company releasing Telugu Movie Soon. So Mumbai operators are accumulating with a target of INR 50/-
6) Company Doing Education Business; expecting good news from company.
7) Company planning to declare more future plans.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

How to analyse an IPO

The year 2008 was one of drought as far as Initial Public Offers (IPO) goes. But with a revival of sorts in the markets, quite a few of these are lined up, with one — that of Mahindra Holiday and Resorts — already through. Investing in an IPO is a shade trickier than an existing company since not much information about it — financial or otherwise — will be publicly available. This is where, as a rule, the prospectus comes in as the best possible source of comprehensive information on the company.
Since the bulky document may appear a tad intimidating to the new investor, here are a few guidelines on how to pick relevant information, and what to base your investment decision on.
Any issue prospectus will be divided into seven sections — risk factors, an introduction to and detailed information about the company, financial information, details on the issue, legal and other regulatory information. Of these, the company background and business model, the industry it operates in, purpose of the issue, financial performance and risk factors are areas you should concentrate on.
The year 2008 was one of drought as far as Initial Public Offers (IPO) goes. But with a revival of sorts in the markets, quite a few of these are lined up, with one — that of Mahindra Holiday and Resorts — already through. Investing in an IPO is a shade trickier than an existing company since not much information about it — financial or otherwise — will be publicly available. This is where, as a rule, the prospectus comes in as the best possible source of comprehensive information on the company.
Since the bulky document may appear a tad intimidating to the new investor, here are a few guidelines on how to pick relevant information, and what to base your investment decision on.
Any issue prospectus will be divided into seven sections — risk factors, an introduction to and detailed information about the company, financial information, details on the issue, legal and other regulatory information. Of these, the company background and business model, the industry it operates in, purpose of the issue, financial performance and risk factors are areas you should concentrate on.
Business :
The section ‘About the Company’ gives a detailed description of the nature of the company and its business models; understand how and where the company accrues revenue, and if it is sustainable.
This includes going back to the history of the company, since it explains how the company has developed over the years, acquisitions made, milestones crossed, subsidiary activity, all of which are indicators of the consistency of performance and sustainability.
If possible, compare revenue models with those of existing peer companies to identify if, and where, the company has an advantage. If any competitor is already listed, use it as a comparison for performance, valuations, financials, and strategies.
Also included in the business section is an overview of the industry. Scrutinise it thoroughly to get a grip on the future of the industry and the company’s own prospects within it. As far as financials go, analyse these as you would for any other company.
Strengths:
The company will list its ‘strengths’ — what it considers as an edge over peers — again in the business section. Give these a once-over, paying attention to the details only if the said strength stands out — for example, Gitanjali Gems has a diamond sourcing agreement with Diamond Trading Corp, a key strength since the company is ensured of access to good quality rough diamonds which most peers do not enjoy. Sizeable market share (check source of data here), backward integration, and so on, are other factors favouring the company.
Take the strengths with a pinch of salt, since companies sometimes tend to paint a brighter picture than what they actually are. Conclude yourself if the point given in reality works in the company’s favour significantly.
Risks :
Risks detailed are wide-ranging, from an economic scenario to company-specific, which must be noted to understand potential downside to your investment. Risks are explained at the start of the prospectus.
Some risks given are general in nature and can be ignored, such as political instability, natural calamities, competition from peers and such, which are usually applicable to all companies, regardless of industry.
Legal issues that have a significant bearing on the functioning of the company, are also given here — for example, Mahindra Holidays has a resort in Munnar, where the land is under legal proceedings since it was said to be agricultural.
Now if the case goes against Mahindra, it will mean closure of a flagship resort and loss of revenue from it.
Understanding such material legal proceedings allows you to skip most of the section on legal issues that appears later in the prospectus. For example, legal issues regarding taxes, labour and such need not be combed through.
Objects:
The purpose of the issue is explained in depth, and companies are required to explain the utilisation of funds raised in subsequent annual reports.
Proceeds from the issue can go towards any number of purposes, from repayment of debt to working capital, from capacity expansion to company acquisitions besides covering issue expenses. Fund utilisation should, as far as possible, contribute to revenue generation and earnings expansion.
For example, companies may raise funds to either ramp up production capacity which may lead to increased sales, or to pay back high-cost debt resulting in lower interest costs and more leveraging capability; or for acquisitions that may add to revenues. However, the time taken to accomplish the stated objectives needs to be gauged.
Check the amount of funds set aside for issue expenses, which include advertising and promotion, printing of the prospectus and so on. Check also whether the proceeds of the IPO go entirely to the company; some IPOs involve a stake sale by the promoters in which case funds raised would not accrue to the company.
Other sections you can glance through are the regulations and policies the company is subject to, the management team and the relevant experience they hold and the instructions to bidders in the section detailing the issue — just to make sure you don’t inadvertently mess up your application.

SBI cuts car loan rates

To increase its credit offtake and market share, State Bank of India on Saturday reduced the interest rate on car loans to 8 per cent for the first year. For the second and third years, the bank will charge 10 per cent, and from the fourth year it will charge the then prevailing rate.
SBI’s car loan scheme is available for new cars and also for balance transfers, that is, those who have borrowed from other banks can transfer their loans to SBI at lower rates. “We want to increase our auto loan portfolio and the penetration of auto loans. We have been able to find business logic, while others have not been able to,” said a senior bank official.
Starting from Monday, the bank’s card rates for car loans will range between 11 and 11.5 per cent, which is 25-75 basis points below the BPLR of 11.75 per cent. In February, the bank had launched a car loan scheme that offered funding at 10 per cent for a year. The scheme was on till May and was extended till September.

Under the car loan scheme, the bank’s disbursement touched around Rs 300 crore a month and with the further reduction in interest rates it may go up some more, said a senior official from the bank.
The bank’s auto loan portfolio is currently at over Rs 9,000 crore and it is now the largest financier of new cars.
Even under its special scheme of home loans at 8 per cent fixed for a year, the bank has been able to lure a significant number of customers away from other banks. Till mid-March, the bank had sanctioned Rs 1,350 crore under the special home loan scheme.
The bank cut its BPLR by 50 basis points, with effect from June 29

Indian stocks best performers across the world in 2009 so far

Indian stocks have emerged as the best performers among those in the emerging and the developed markets across the globe so far this giving investors the highest return of nearly 60 per cent. According to an analysis of MSCI Barra indices, a measure of returns from various stock markets across the world for foreign investors, Indian stocks have outperformed their global peers, including in the US, the UK and China in 2009 so far. Indian stocks have provided a return of 59.30 per cent year-to-date, against 34.37 per cent gains provided by MSCI Barra's emerging market index, covering all developing nations. Indian stocks have even outperformed all the developed world markets covered by MSCI Barra, as the markets in the US and the UK gave returns of just 2.33 per cent and 10.17 per cent, respectively, so far this year. Among the emerging BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations, the Brazilian market was the closest competitor with gains of 56.89 per cent till June 26 this year. The Chinese and the Russian markets have given returns of 36.77 per cent and 41.61 per cent, respectively, in the year so far. The 30-share benchmark index of Indian stocks, Sensex, gained over 5,000 points in the year so far to settle at 14,764.64 points on June 26 compared to 9,600 levels on December 31, 2008.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

DRA International: An engineering company in complete "Mining Solution"

The DRA Group is a multi-disciplinary, multi-national organisation that specialises in project management in mining, infrastructure and mineral process plant design and construction. One of the largest project management enterprises in Africa, DRA's South African-founded group of companies has constructed plants located on five continents.DRA offers expertise in Process Engineering, Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Structural Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering, Materials Handling, Winder Engineering, Mine Engineering, process plant operations and maintenance management. DRA also offer services in pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, procurement of equipment and supplies, fabrication and erection, commissioning and training.
DRA manage projects with a 'zero harm' focus evident in their excellent safety record. DRA utilise world class quality standards, systems and procedures which are based on ISO standards. Currently they are preparing for ISO Certification.
DRA has offices located in mining areas around the world. The company’s highly regarded complement of professional engineers (of all disciplines) in conjunction with draughting, support services and safety management teams, combine to project manage, design and construct mines for clients worldwide.

A key element of DRA's success and capability is Minopex, one of the group companies, which operates mineral processing plants on a medium term contract basis. Add to this the competence of DRA’s mine winder specialist division and DRA's mining division, and group has the expertise to offer the entire spectrum of mining services. Effectively DRA is a one-stop-shop to mineral rights owners who wish to convert their resource into wealth.