IndianMaze

Public sentiment moves in extremes, were the prophetic words used in my induction to the world of PR. Ever since, I have seen very few departures from the words of wisdom. But once in a while, there is a voice that describes the situation as it is rather than as it is believed to be. In this particular incidence I am referring to the economic condition prevailing in India. Stock market crashed by more than 70% from its peak. Neither the peak was justified nor, I think, was the trough. Yes, there may still be a few skeletons in some cupboards but those are unlikely to impact either the whole industry or the whole economy in any significant manner. Banks also seem to have got some better sense prevailing and the practice "have money, will not lend" being given a go bye. Inflation is down (should go down further very significantly as POL corrections are brought in line with prevailing prices) and so are interest rates. Manufacturers are reducing prices by large fractions as inpu...

Truth prevails is an old adage that seems to be losing its relevance in the current sentiments. Still I am confident that "Truth shall prevail". Hopefully, sooner than later. The case in point is the investor confidence in the stock market. Indian markets are aping the performance of the stock markets of developed world. In fact, the possible loss in indices is reasonably predictable in the last few weeks based on what happened on the previous day in Europe and US. Are the situations similar? Are Indian businesses facing the same situation as companies in western world? Are Indian corporate giants going bust like crackers in Diwali? Have companies of great repute and history in India have filed for bankruptcy? Has any company in India reported loss of sales (top line) in double digits and evaporation of profits? Slowdown yes. How bad is India? Is it comparable to West? It has baffled me as to how convenient has it been to be infected with "western sentiments" virus ...