Skip to main content

Tough times - different actions

After a trip to the financial capital of India, Mumbai, I landed in the flashy city of Delhi.

Of many people that I met and talked to in Mumbai, the discussion hovered around the difficulty faced by people in stock market, economic issues, tough times, tightening the belt, lay offs (declared and not declared), sectoral impact etc etc. In a nutshell "get into the shell for safety".

Then I met Rajan S, a dear friend. I knew that he has lost a good more than 50% of his investments in stock market and was expecting a similar response that I witnessed in Mumbai. I was all set to ensure that I remain as balanced as possible.

"Hi, welcome to my newly decorated home" he exclaimed. "I went and bought two easy chairs, 5 decorative pieces, 5 pairs of trousers for myself along with 5 shirts, kids wardrobe has been replenished, wifey has bought some sarees and suits and not to talk of new curtains; all in the last fortnight" he went non stop "there are such great bargains available. In any case, no point in investing in stock market as I have burnt my fingers, hands and arms. I have decided to get all I wanted and at prices that are a steal".

No wonder Indians are seen as second most optimistic people in the world (reported in Indian media, Norwegians were claimed to be no 1 in optimism) under the current situation.

I am quite sure there are many Rajans' and they surely will ensure that Indian economy consumes more and more. Even if the growth comes down to the most pessimistic levels being talked about at this stage of about 6.5%, it will still be one of the best in the world.

Is the worst behind us? Will Indians behave differently? Not the 1% of population that invests in stocks but the rest 99%, a majority of which does not even recgnise terms like DJ, CAC, FTSE, Sensex, Nifty, HangSeng and so on.

India has had a good monsoon, paddy procurement is likely to be best ever, forex reserves are comfortable, growth is still a reality. Yes, euphoria is over but is the party over?

I just heard one investment manager (Nilesh Shah of ICICI Pru AMC) saying that Indian regulators have acted in the most positive manner and rather swiftly. Next two quarters will be tough but then there is likley to be a bright sunshine. All the companies that are not highly leveraged, can breath a sigh of relief.

Sentiments hold me from popping a bottle of Champagne but sparkling wine will do.....
Labels:

Comments

  1. fox18 November 2008 at 21:25

    Interesting comparison between Delhi and Bombay (sorry, Mumbai).

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Power of observation

Mr Topiwala observed his niece being very interested in dressing up. He engaged in a discussion and came to understand a pain point of large number of Indian women. Something that women are very passionate, possessive about and have a very strong emotional bond, almost unbreakable bond. He created a new product that solved a huge effort and a recurring problem. And this was a self sticking, in varying sizes and design and in colours preferred by women, red and maroon. Since its launch in 1985, the brand is a huge dominant one in the market. Almost synonymous with the category. Companies would envy such a dominance. Over the years many innovations were brought about like iodine enriched, dermatologically tested and many more. 'Shilpa' bindis. An amazing story of a dominant brand that solves a real problem through acute observation. Would love to know of more such stories. #bindingmachine   #observation   #consumerneed   #businessmaze   #indianmaze 204-1-20
Post a Comment
Read more

The biggest concerns - how we tackle?

These days, there are two topics of discussion. One about the national security and issues related to it and second, economic scenario and its impacts on individuals (own and in the organisations they work in). Jobs are difficult to come by. Packages are not as great as they used to be. How do students in B schools etc tackle it: - toppers are more worried about how much money will they make - others are looking at beyond placement cells - companies that were shooed away till last year are being treated with great honour - some students have resorted to contacting their freinds, long lost uncles, relatives etc to seek a favour On talking to a few CXOs, it was clear that making contacts to seek favours actually works to the detriment of the candidate. They all agreed that people is the key concern for them to run a business. They clarify quickly that it is all about RIGHT PEOPLE. How many students are actually writing to the organisations specifically demonstrating how they can add val...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mass market opportunities in India

Are there no opportunities in mass market in India? A friend asked me after reading my post on niche opportunities. And the answer is a good news. A large part of consumption in India is still at a commodity and hence, unbranded level. Early enough, brands like Paras in fertilizers (by then HLL) and Parachute in coconut oil (by then Bombay Oil) brought about rhe change by a packaging differentiation/innovation. In hindsight it might appear to be too mundane. Over the years many categories have created brands worth thousands of crores in edible oils, wheat flour (still in early stages), sugar (in infancy) and many others. One such category ripe for disruption is jaggery. Are you ready for it? Both as a consumer and as a business person? #massmarket   #indiabusiness   #indianmaze   #jaggery   #businessmaze   #branding   #hul   #marico 199-1-20
Post a Comment
Read more