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Showing posts from November 9, 2020

Retail investment in firms at 11-year high

 The Hindustan Times, November  09, 2020 Retail investors boosted their shareholdings in Indian companies to an 11-year high in September with first-time investors continuing to pump in more money into equities. Stocks have rallied in the September quarter as the unlocking of businesses and uptick in economic activity led to a recovery in the overall economy. Shareholding of retail investors in 1,605 listed companies hit an 11-year high of 7.01% in the September quarter, according to Prime Database. This compares with 6.74% in the June quarter and 6.46% in the September quarter last year. In value terms, retail holding in these companies hit ₹10.58 lakh crore at the end of September for the first time compared to ₹9.15 lakh crore at the end of the preceding three months. Investors opened 3.4 million new demat accounts in the September quarter, according to Sebi data. In September, 1.3 million demat accounts were opened—the highest in the year so far. A demat account is opened by an inv

13 pc increase in COVID infections in Delhi due to air pollution; masks, air purifiers may not be enough: IMA Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/13-pc-increase-in-covid-infections-in-delhi-due-to-air-pollution-masks-air-purifiers-may-not-be-enough-ima/articleshow/79102584.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

 The Times of India, November 07, 2020  Delhi has reported more than 6,000 COVID-19 cases daily in the past few days and 13 per cent of this increase has been estimated to be due to air pollution, the Indian Medical Association said on Saturday. Stating that N-95 masks and air puriers may not provide full time protection, the doctors' body stressed on the implementation of long-term measures to bring down pollution levels. Air pollution damages the inner lining of the lungs and hence increases the severity of COVID-19 infection. "Increased air pollution leads to increased inammatory response.  In the last few days, Delhi has reported more than 6000 COVID-19 cases per day. 13 per cent of the increase has been estimated to be due to pollution," the IMA said. In the last 10 days, the national capital and its neighbouring areas have seen a sharp spike in air pollution levels. The Air Quality Inde (AQI) in Delhi on Saturday remained above 350 while safe limit is 0-50. The WHO&

FPIs invest over Rs 8000 crore in Indian markets in 5 trading sessions of November

 The Hindustan Times, November 08, 2020 Foreign portfolio investors (FPI) have put in a net Rs 8381 crore into Indian markets in first five trading sessions of November, with participants growing more confident in view of resumption of business activities and better than expected quarterly numbers, among others. As per depositories data, FPIs invested a net Rs 6564 crore into equities and Rs 1817 in the debt segment, taking the total net inflow to Rs 8381 crore during November 2-6. In October, overseas investors were net buyers with Rs 22033 crore investment in Indian markets. Himanshu Srivastava, Associate Director - Manager Research, Morningstar India, said opening of the economy, resumption of business activities and better than expected quarterly results have kept investor interest intact. The fall in the Covid-19 cases in India and weak US dollar also augured well, he added. For investment in the debt segment, Srivastava said, among other factors, expectation of the yield softenin

Curbing Covid-19 pandemic swiftly was vital in China’s ongoing economic recovery

 The Hindustan Times, November 08, 2020 China’s economy continues to recover from its contraction earlier this year, showing the economic benefits from swift control of the pandemic and a rapid resumption of manufacturing. While Europe and the US face renewed surges of Covid-19 infections, in China factories are capitalizing on a global rush for medical equipment and work-from-home technology. That trend was underlined in trade data released Saturday. Inflation and credit reports for October due this week should also signal stable underlying demand. China’s recovery on the back of successful virus control to date is indicative of the wider picture in Asia Pacific. Taiwan has seen its economy rebound, benefiting from stable domestic demand and buoyant exports to the US and China. South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are all, for now, recovering after seeing infection rates drop. That contrasts with the current outlook in Europe, where the largest economies are locking down once

Four security forces personnel, three militants killed during gun battle in J&K's Machil

 First Post, November 08, 2020 Four security forces personnel, including an Army officer, and three militants were killed during a failed infiltration bid by the ultras along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Machil sector on Sunday, officials said. The militants made an abortive bid during the night to infiltrate into the Indian side of the LoC in Machil sector in north Kashmir's Kupwara district, they added. The infiltrators were challenged and three of them were killed, the officials said. However, three Army soldiers, including an officer, and a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan were also killed during the operation, they added. Meanwhile, Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that at about 1 am, a BSF patrol noticed suspicious movement near the Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System (LoC fence), about 3.5 km from the LoC. The BSF personnel challenged the infiltrators and a gun battle ensued, in which a militant was killed, he said. "A

BCG shots can give relief to breathless Covid patients

 The Times of India, November 08  A single shot of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine could resolve breathlessness and prevent severity in moderately ill Covid-19 patients, researchers of a trial by Parel’s Haffkine Research Institute and BJ Medical College, Pune, said. It is probably the first study on the use of the century-old vaccine, typically given to children against tuberculosis, as treatment for Covid-19 unlike trials that have studied BCG’s role in prevention. Conducted in 60 Covid-19 patients hospitalised with breathlessness and pneumonia, half of whom received the vaccine dose, the researchers claimed to have found reduction in oxygen requirement from the third or fourth day and improved x-rays and CT scan from day 7-15. There were no deaths in the arm that received the vaccine shot while there were two deaths in the group that got standard line of care. The one ICU patient in BCG group recovered, whereas of the four ICU admissions in the non-vaccinated group, one s

After 4 years of demonetisation, PM Modi says it helped reduce black money

 Livemint, November 08, 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the fourth year of implementing demonetisation, which is aimed at flushing out money hidden from the taxman, known as black money, said "Demonetisation has helped reduce black money, increase tax compliance and formalization and given a boost to transparency." In a tweet explaining the growth since demonetisation came into force, the Prime Minister also said "These outcomes have been greatly beneficial towards national progress." Echoing PM's thought, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said demonetisation led to better tax compliance and a major push towards digital economy. Underlining the merits of demonetisation, in a series of tweets, Sitharaman said: “To fulfill its promise of freeing India from corruption, the Modi govt implemented Demonetisation 4 years ago on this day, today. The move that was an unprecedented attack on Black Money also led to better tax compliance and a major push to digital

Satyendar Jain says third wave of COVID-19 in Delhi worst so far, claims cases to come down soon

 Press Trust of India, November 08, 2020  Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said the National Capital has hit the peak of the third wave of COVID-19 and the number of cases suggests it has been the worst so far. The government has increased the number of beds for COVID-19 patients in hospitals in Delhi, but there is no plan to rope in hotels and banquet halls, the minister said. "The third wave of COVID-19 is at its peak in Delhi. The number of cases suggests it is the worst wave so far. But the cases will come down soon," Jain said. The minister attributed the increase in the number of cases to aggressive testing and contact-tracing. He, however, said laxity on the part of the people has been a major reason behind the spike in new cases. "Some people think nothing will happen to them if they don't wear a mask. They are wrong. Mask is the only medicine for COVID-19 till a vaccine is developed," Jain added. Link- https://www.firstpost.com/india/satye

PM Modi sends congrats, relief in Delhi as known India ally is back

Indian Express,  Shubhajit Roy  November 8, 2020  Setting the stage for a new chapter in Indo-US ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Saturday night, soon after the elections in US were called in their favour. In a Twitter post, Modi congratulated Biden on his “spectacular victory” and said, “As the VP, your contribution to strengthening Indo-US relations was critical and invaluable. I look forward to working closely together once again to take India-US relations to greater heights.” “I look forward to working closely together once again to take India-US relations to greater heights,” he added. Written by Shubhajit Roy | New Delhi | Updated: November 8, 2020 7:22:34 am joe biden kamala harris us elections, pm modi joe biden, us president elect,us elections 2020, us presidential elections Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President-elect Joe Biden (File Photo/Source: narendramodi) Setting the stage for a new chapter in Indo-US ties, Prime Minister

GST authorities will soon be able to intercept transactions by dubious firms

Livemint, November 08, 2020  The government’s efforts to check evasion of Goods and Service Tax (GST) and step up the indirect tax system’s efficiency is set to reach the next level soon with officials being able to intercept suspicious transactions on a real time basis and pre-empt fraud.  The idea is to enable tax officials to block generation of electronic invoice at the time of the transaction in the case of companies against which red flags have been raised in the system.  Electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) is the system of validating transaction details real time in a portal run be National Informatics Centre on real time basis, which has been made compulsory for companies with sales more than ₹500 crore from 1 October and will be further expanded to cover all businesses. The current plan is to make e-invoicing facility available to businesses with ₹100 crore sales from 1 January and to everyone from 1 April, said a government official. The data included in the e-invoice—details