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COVER STORY
Insurance Industry : Surging Ahead
-- Amit Singh Sisodiya and Ramana Pemmaraju
With $65 bn in annual premium volume in 2009, India's insurance sector, which ranks
12th largest insurance market worldwide, is now being reckoned as one of the most promising markets by the bigwigs of the
global insurance sector. And rightly so. Recording double-digit growth in annual premium collection, India, along
with China, has emerged as one of the leading markets which have helped the global insurance industry pull itself
out of woods post-2008 in the wake of the worldwide global economic crisis. But the big question is: Can
the domestic insurance sector sustain its growth momentum threatened by a slew of regulatory challenges
involving the much popular ULIPs, a key product for the industry, and lack of awareness? Nevertheless, the industry has
a bright future as it taps into a plethora of distribution channels, leveraging on technology and steps up efforts
to penetrate into the country's hinterland.
COMMODITY MARKETS
Commodity Slump : Threat to Global Recovery
- Naveen Mathur
Associate Director,
Commodities & Currencies,
Angel Broking, Mumbai
Since the debt worries in the Eurozone are not expected to deteriorate in the immediate future, we feel that
risk aversion could grip global financial markets during the second-half of this year.
FINANCIAL MARKETS
Private Equity : Return of the Deal Mania
- Amit Singh Sisodiya and Ramana Pemmaraju
Private equity players are back with a bang in India and are on a lookout for potential sectors from a
long-term perspective.
FINANCIAL MARKETS
Private Equity : On the Comeback Trail
- Rudra P Pradhan
Professor,
Vinod Gupta School of Management,
Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur,
India
The factors that could help revive private equity in India include innovation, high-tech
investment, corporate restructuring, infrastructure fund, privatization of fund, favorable legal framework and
stable business environment.
ASIAN ECONOMY
Asian Economies : Leading the Way
- N Janardhan Rao
While Western counterparts are languishing in the worst recession since the 1930s, emerging
economies, particularly China and India, have harnessed the global financial crisis in a better manner and have continued
to power ahead. Increasingly, emerging economies are set to become an engine of global growth.
ASIAN ECONOMY
Asian Economies : New Engines of Global Growth
- Andrew K P Leung
Chairman,
Andrew Leung International
Consultants Limited,
Hong Kong
If Asia should continue to progress and transform in tune with the changing times, as the mature and aging
West is entering into an era of at best modest growth, the next few decades of the
21st century could well turn out to be Asia's century.
ROUND TABLE
Round Table : Asia's Role in the New Economic Order
Round Table arranged by N Janardhan Rao
In the wake of the global financial crisis, Asian economies have emerged as an engine of global
growth. Without doubt that region's economic importance will only grow backed by sound economic
fundamentals. The region's continued dynamism ascribes even greater role to China and India with Japan
lagging somewhat behind. Asia has been growing in economic power, but there are some substantial
problems that need to be overcome. Critics suspect the region's growth potential depends on significant
long-term development needs, including infrastructure and education. To discuss the emerging trends in the
world new order, The Analyst invited eminent experts to share their views on the subject.
CAPITAL MARKETS
Shareholder Activism : For Better or Worse?
- N Janardhan Rao
Recent high profile bankruptcies like Lehman Brothers and Royal Bank of Scotland have once again brought
into the limelight the breakdown of regulatory norms to moderate risk and maintain shareholder value. This
has resulted in both an uptick in shareholder activism and changes in the nature of their actions. They are
now keeping a close eye on the governance of companies they invest for sustainable business practices.
OUTSOURCING
CRAMS : India, A Low-Cost Hub
- A K Prabhakar
Independent Equity Analyst,
Chennai, India.
With the global pharmaceutical landscape rapidly changing, India is being seen as an
attractive destination in the pharma space. The passing of the US healthcare bill has also added to
India's advantage.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Privatization of US Infrastructure : A Way to Curb Deficit
- Y Bala Bharathi and Sanjoy De
As the traditional ways to raise funds have dried up, one good way out to curb the fiscal deficits is to privatize
the government assets.
ARTS & ARTISTS
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy : Scholar Extraordinaire
- Nirmala PG
Tapas is not a penance, because not expiatory, but rather an anguish and a passion: a dark heat of the consciousness, a
kindling not yet a flame, or to take an analogy from Physics, a raising of potential to the sparking point.
APOLITICAL
Mergers & Acquisitions : New Norms for New India?
- grk
In a world of continuous redefinition of industry boundaries
and commingling of technologies, businesses have to
strive for `opportunity share' in future markets. To catch up
with such demands, mergers and acquisitions have become
universal tools to attain greater market share;
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Inflation Management : Balancing Act
- R Venkatesan Iyengar
With inflation-generated discontent among public giving sleepless nights to those in power and policy
makers, the question is whether the authorities would resort to quick-fix measures to stem inflation, sacrificing
long-term prospects for short-term expediency.
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Higher Education Reform Bill : A Welcome Move
- Dhiraj Mathur
Executive Director - Tax and
Regulatory Services,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Gurgaon
The introduction of higher education reform bills is a landmark in the education sector, as these bills
are probably the first major reform initiative in higher education in free India. Their potential impact will be
to tighten regulation, improve governance and transparency, create infrastructure for benchmarking
and quality rating, and lay the foundations for exposing this sector to foreign competition and eventually to
for-profit institutions.
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Chinese Economy : Signs of Overheating
-Y Bala Bharathi and Sanjoy De
The Chinese economy has been showing some ominous signs of overheating. It is very important to
the rest of the world, how well China cools its economy.
CORPORATE STRATEGY
Ford Devolves Volvo : Can Geely Turn It Around?
- Y Bala Bharathi and GP Mrudhula
An insignificant Chinese automobile firm, Geely, buys out a famous but ailing Swedish major, Volvo. Can it
pass the tough test of getting Volvo back on track ?
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