COVER STORY

Oil Prices : The Global Spillover

-- DG Prasad, Niteen Jain

With crude oil prices hovering around $100 a barrel, the developed and developing nations may be staring at challenges ranging from rising inflation and weakening of dollar to faltering growth and falling interest rates.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

COVER STORY

Energy Security : What Is Behind the Rush?

-- Amit Singh Sisodiya and Siba Prasad Pothal

Irked by the sluggish global energy production, the US, China, Japan and EU—the world's leading energy consuming nations—have started responding instantly to the increasing energy prices.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

COVER STORY

Alternative Energy : Harnessing Wind Power

-- N Janardhan Rao and V Ratna

Amidst the increasing concerns about climate change and the ever-increasing fossil fuel prices, the development of renewable energy technologies, especially wind energy, will significantly improve the nation's energy security.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

COVER STORY

Fuel Subsidies : A Costly Affair

-- N Janardhan Rao and V Ratna

The record high crude oil prices are forcing governments, especially highly oil subsidized countries, to reconsider their policy on oil subsidies. Removal of oil subsidies might cut demand in some of the world's fastest growing economies.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

COVER STORY

US CAFE Standards: Towards a Fuel-Efficient Future

-- N Janardhan Rao and PS Sarath Chandra

Amid growing concerns over energy security and mounting oil and gas prices and awareness about global warming, the US Senate has approved a landmark energy conservation bill.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

COVER STORY

Green Vehicles : Is India Ready?

-- N Janardhan Rao and PS Sharath Chandra

Green vehicles are better alternatives to conventional vehicles, for they are not only environment-friendly, but also help countries reduce their oil dependency.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

FINANCIAL MARKETS

Shariah-Compliant Mutual Funds : Investing the Islamic Way

-- Amit Singh Sisodiya and Imrana Moghul

Islamic or Shariah-compliant mutual funds are soon going to hit Indian markets as several Asset Management Companies are planning to launch such funds for both the domestic as well as offshore market. That could be great news for investors looking forward to investing in ethical funds.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

FINANCIAL MARKETS

Bond Insurance Crisis : Wall Street's Woes

-- N Janardhan Rao and Siba Prasad Pothal

The bond insurance crisis has emerged as a key challenge for the regulators and policy makers, who are trying to fend off the mess right away before it sends the whole financial system into disarray.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

FINANCIAL MARKETS

Equity-Linked FMPs : The Less Risky Option

-- Y Bala Bharathi and Sanjoy De

In yet another innovative move, fund houses like ICICI Prudential and Deutsche AMC have launched Equity-Linked Fixed Maturity Plans. Given the recent crash of Indian bourses and widespread erosion of investors' wealth, the fund is indeed noble, innovative and timely. However, the success of such funds depends largely on the discretion of the fund managers.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Advance Pricing Arrangement : The Time Is Ripe

-- R Venkatesan Iyengar

The rise in the number of cross-border inter-company transactions have forced governments world over to focus more on transfer pricing and the resultant disputes. Many governments regard advance pricing arrangement as a solution to the actual and potential transfer pricing problems.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Goods and Services Tax : So Near, Yet So Far

-- Sukumar Mukhopadhyay

Goods and Services Tax (GST) can be a success only if it is properly administered. Much will depend on its simplicity and efficient implementation, which are even more difficult in a disparate federal setup.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

M&AS

HDFC-CBoP Merger : Consolidate to Conquer

-- Y Bala Bharathi, Sanjoy De and G P Mrudhula

In the biggest ever buyout in the country's financial industry, India's second largest private bank, Housing Development and Finance Corporation (HDFC) Bank has acquired Centurion Bank of Punjab Limited (CBoP). Bucking the earlier trend of bigger banks gobbling up weaker ones, this deal involving two strong banks has signaled more consolidation in the Indian banking sector in the near future.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

PERSPECTIVE

Economic Slowdown : Can China Save the Global Economy?

-- Sunil Puliyakot

China has what it takes to reduce the severity of a global slowdown resulting from the US subprime crisis.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

BY INVITATION

Islamic MFs : Enter Shariah-Compliant Products

-- Shariq Nisar

India is one of the most Shariah-compliant countries in the world. Out of all listed stocks at NSE (over 1,300) over 400 are compliant with Shariah norms.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

CORPORATE STRATEGY

Chrysler's Shrink-to-Fit Strategy : Steering a New Course

-- N Janardhan Rao and PS Sharath Chandra

Chrysler, the ailing automaker, has adopted a newly unveiled strategy to eliminate duplicate models, avoid overlapping among brands and consolidate the bloated dealer network.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

CORPORATE STRATEGY

Motorola : Bye Bye Moto?

-- M Hanumantha Rao

Struggling with years of declining sales, Motorola, the world's third largest mobile handset maker, appears to be bracing up for a possible breakup of its troubled division.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

US Dollar and BoP Deficit : The Keynesian Cure

-- Dr. Satyendra Nayak

As long as the phenomenon of rising US trade deficit does not create inflation in the surplus nations and unemployment in the US, the Keynesian financing of the global growth is benign for the US and global economy.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

ARTS AND ARTISTS

How to Profit from Technical Analysis

-- Author: Rajiv Khatlawala Reviewed by M Hanumantha Rao

Just as there is the Karmayoga and then there is the Bhaktiyoga to take you to salvation, stock market nirvana can be attained, according to about one-third of the pundits, through fundamental analysis, and according to another one-third, through technical analysis. There are also the eclectics who believe that the best results are obtained through the use of both together. And then there are the nihilists who argue that none of these methods would work because stock price movements are random processes.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved

APOLITICAL

Budget 2008-09 : Lessened the Misery?

-- grk

In the recent past, our budget—much to the delight of many —has become less of significance and more of a ritual, a mere statement of annual accounts. Which, indeed, what it is. But this year it has become the talk of the town.

© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved