Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint, your weekday newscast that brings you five major stories from the world of business. It's Wednesday, November 6, 2024. This is Nelson John, let’s get started.
The NSE is likely to see a drop in its trading activity. This is because the market regulator, Sebi, has decided that starting November 20th, the exchange can only offer one type of weekly trading option, focusing on the Nifty series instead of the more popular Bank Nifty series. Ram Sahgal reports on the decision which is part of Sebi’s efforts to calm down trading activities and reduce losses for individual investors. Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD and CEO of NSE, said on Tuesday that this change might lead to a decrease in trading volumes, and some of the activity that used to happen every week might just vanish as traders adjust to the new rules.
Data from RBI has revealed that state-owned banks have been raising their deposit interest rates to the highest levels in almost eight years, trying to attract more people to save money with them. This increase, reaching 7% in September for public sector banks, is in response to their high credit-deposit ratios, indicating a high use of deposits for lending. The push by PSBs to offer more competitive rates aims to attract more deposits as their loan growth outpaces deposit accumulation. Shayan Ghosh spoke to top public bankers who suggest that deposit rates may have peaked, which could help stabilize their margins.
Last month saw a sudden rise in hoax calls that targeted airlines and hotels. These hoax calls were usually bomb threats made by anonymous people on the internet. Shouvik Das writes that these are the latest form of scam calls that use virtual networks and VPNs to hide the caller's digital footprint. India experiences an average of 5 million scam and hoax calls a day. Cyber security experts are investigating the incidents, but have to work through the sophisticated techniques used by perpetrators. Additionally, cross-border regulations complicate matters further. Tracing calls to foreign origins requires cooperation from other nations, and substantial evidence isn't always available.
Consumer and e-commerce firms faced subdued sales during the festive season. This could affect year-end bonuses for employees, who could see a potential 15% reduction. Companies typically pay bonuses during the festive season and at the fiscal year's end, with additional performance-linked payouts, Sowmya Ramasbramanian, Shouvik Das and Devina Sengupta report. However, due to less spending by consumers who are cautious due to high prices and relying more on EMIs, overall sales haven't met expectations. This downturn in sales means bonuses tied to sales targets and company performance could be lower. While some sectors, like quick commerce, saw decent festive sales, overall, the scenario remains challenging, impacting how much companies can afford in terms of bonuses this year.
India's mattress market has long had stalwarts like Kurlon and Sleepwell. A few years ago, some startups came and disrupted this space. One of them was Wakefit. Fuelled by a steady stream of venture capital funding, Wakefit has increased its revenue by 12x over the last five years. This revenue in excess of ₹1,000 crore has already exceeded that of Kurlon. Samiksha Goel writes about Wakefit's journey and strategy to set itself apart in India's mattress market by using cheaper pricing and strategies such as a 100 day trial period.That’s all for today.
