Tag: Business news

Flipkart’s Big Shopping Days sale: The top deals on gadgets

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Walmart-owned Flipkart’s Big Shopping Days sale launched yesterday offering heavy discounts and deals on smartphones, laptops, TVs and other electronic devices.

With Amazon’s Prime Day 2019 sale coming to a close tonight, the Big Shopping Days sale will end on Thursday, July 18. Ecommerce giant Flipkart has partnered with the State Bank of India to offer a 10 percent instant discount (up to Rs 1,750) to the bank’s credit card users.

While Amazon’s annual global sale is available exclusively to Prime members, anyone can avail the offers on Flipkart’s Big Shopping Days sale.

Here are some of the best deals and discounts on electronics:

Redmi Note 7S: Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 7S (3GB, 32GB) is now selling at “the lowest price ever” at Rs 9,999 (MRP Rs 10,999) during Flipkart’s Big Shopping Days sale. The Redmi Note 7S features a 6.3-inch full-HD+ display. It comes with a dual-camera setup at the rear with a 48-megapixel primary camera sensor along with a 13-megapixel front-facing camera. Redmi Note 7S is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 SoC. It comes with a 4,000mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 4.0.

Asus ZenBook 13: Flipkart is selling the Asus ZenBook 13 (UX331UAL) at a heavily discounted price of Rs 44,490 (MRP Rs 78,990) during its Big Shopping Days sale. With a 13.3-inch full-HD display, anti-glare coating, the laptop is powered by the 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor and supported by 8GBf RAM.

Google Home Mini: The Google Home Mini smart speaker costs Rs 2,499 (MRP Rs 4,999) on Flipkart right now. Powered by Google Assistant, the speaker can be used to stream music, ask questions and set a reminder. The Google Home Mini is a viable alternative to Amazon’s Echo Dot (also selling at Rs 2,499) during Amazon’s Prime Day 2019 sale.

Oppo K1: From an original MRP of Rs 18,990, the Oppo K1 is now selling at just Rs 12,990 on Flipkart for its annual sale. With an in-display fingerprint sensor, the smartphone has  64 GB of internal storage. Oppo K1 also boasts of the dual primary camera of 16 + 2 megapixel and 25 megapixel front Camera.

Google Pixel 3: The Google Pixel 3 (64GB) is priced at Rs 49,999, bumped down from an original MRP of Rs 71,000 during Flipkart Big Shopping Days sale this week. The bundled exchange offer promises a maximum additional discount worth Rs 17,900. If you buy the Pixel 3, you can also grab a Google Home Mini at 50 percent discount during the sale. Google’s Pixel 3 features a 5.5-inch full-HD+ display and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 SoC, supported by 4GB of RAM.

Vivo V9 Youth: The Vivo V9 Youth costs just Rs 9,990 (MRP Rs 19,990) during the Flipkart Big Shopping Days sale. Vivo V9 Youth (4GB, 32GB) features a 6.3-inch full-HD+ display and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 450 SoC. The smartphone includes a 3,260mAh battery along with a dual rear camera setup.

Apple Watch Series 4: The 40mm variant of the Apple Watch Series 4 is currently selling at Rs 34,900 (MRP Rs 40,900) during the Big Shopping Days sale this week. The Apple Watch Series 4 features a larger display compared to its predecessor and also includes a built-in GPS and is powered by Apple’s S4 chipset.

Acer Nitro 5 Spin 15.6-inch laptop: Acer’s Nitro 5 Spin laptop is priced attractively at Rs 50,990 (MRP Rs 76,445) on Flipkart during the Big Shopping Days sale this week. The hybrid laptop features a 15.6-inch display and is powered by the 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Amazon Prime Day 2019 Sale: The best deals on electronics you can still grab on the last day

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With Amazon’s annual Prime Day 2019 sale coming to a close tonight, there is still a wide range of deals still available on smartphones, TVs, laptops and other electronics at “rock bottom prices”. The mega sale ends at midnight today and is available exclusively to Prime subscribers. The e-commerce giant’s two-day global sale is running across 18 countries offering some of the best deals on fashion, furniture, lifestyle as well as electronic products.

Here are the best deals on electronics that you can still avail today:

Boat Airdopes 311 true wireless earbuds: These wireless earbuds are the best alternative to Apple’s airpods. With an MRP of Rs. 6,999, the Boat Airdopes 311 are priced at just Rs. 2,299 for Amazon’s Prime Day 2019 sale. With a 500mAh charging case, these earbuds are an exclusive new product launch during Prime Day 2019.

Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick bundle with Syska smart bulb: This combination of Amazon’s voice-controlled smart speakers Echo Dot, the digital media streamer Fire TV stick along with the Alexa-compatible Syska smart bulb originally costs Rs. 10,297. The Prime Day 2019 sale offers this combination at less than half the price at just Rs. 4,999!

Amazon Kindle: For Prime Day, Amazon’s new 10th generation Kindle e-book reader with 4GB memory and Wi-Fi connectivity is down to Rs. 6,249 from its original MRP of Rs. 7,999. The higher-end 10th generation Kindle Paperwhite with waterproofing is selling at Rs. 10,249 (MRP Rs. 12,999) for the sale.

LG 55-inch 4K Smart LED TV: Down from a hefty price of Rs. 89,990 to Rs. 59,999, the LG 55-inch 4K Smart LED TV includes one of the best deals on LED TVs during the Prime Day 2019 sale. With LG’s new Ai ThinQ features as well as 3 HDMI ports and two USB ports, the Smart TV comes with a standard 1-year manufacturer warranty.

Apple iPad: Apple’s 128 GB iPad in silver colour with Wi-Fi connectivity during the Prime Day sale lets you save 23 percent at a low price of Rs. 35,450.00 (MRP Rs. 46,300).

Bose SoundLink Revolve: The wireless speakers are available to Prime members in a Lightning Deal with the price bumped down to Rs. 13,930 from the original MRP of Rs. 19,900. Boasting a 360-degree sound experience, these speakers come with an IPX4 rating and have a battery life of up to 12 hours on a single charge.

Apple Watch Series 3: The 42 mm Series 3 Apple Watch is now available at Rs. 26,900 (MRP Rs. 31,900) allowing you to save Rs. 5,000. With in-built GPS, optical heart sensor and a dual core processor, the Apple Watch is a great deal.

Bosch 7 kg Fully-Automatic Front Loading Washing Machine: At a 23 percent discount, the Bosch 7 kg automatic front-loading washing machine is now selling at Rs. 28,390 (MRP Rs. 36,850) on the special occasion. With a 1200 RPM spin speed, this washing machine comes with a 2 year warranty.

Samsung Galaxy M30: The Samsung Galaxy M30 is now available at Rs 13,990 (MRP Rs. 16,490) to Amazon’s Prime subscribers. With 6.4-inch full-HD+ display, triple camera setup at the rear along with a 16-megapixel front-facing camera, the Galaxy M30 features a massive 5,000mAh battery and supports fast charging.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Amazon Prime Day 2019 sale: Top 10 best deals on smartphones, TVs, electronic gadgets

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Amazon’s Prime Day 2019 sale is finally here and will be open till midnight on July 16. The biggest Amazon sale yet, Prime Day 2019 will be running across 18 countries for 48 hours, offering attractive discounts on smartphones, TVs, laptops, and other electronic gadgets.

The Prime Day sale is available exclusively to Amazon Prime subscribers. While the annual subscription for Amazon Prime costs Rs 999, a monthly subscription can be availed at just Rs 129. Additionally, Amazon has collaborated with HDFC Bank to offer 10 percent instant discount (up to Rs. 1,750) to the bank’s credit and debit card users for Prime Day 2019.

Here are the top 10 best discounts and deals offered on gadgets during Prime Day 2019:

1. Apple iPhone XR: Apple’s iPhone XR (64GB) is now available at a discounted price of Rs 49,999. With an MRP of Rs. 76,900, this deal is the lowest price that has been seen online for the iPhone XR. You can save up to Rs.  26,901 with the 35 percent discount offered during Prime Day.

2. Samsung Galaxy M30: The Samsung Galaxy M30 is now available at Rs 13,990 (MRP Rs. 16,490) to Amazon’s Prime subscribers. With 6.4-inch full-HD+ display, triple camera setup at the rear along with a 16-megapixel front-facing camera, the Galaxy M30 features a massive 5,000mAh battery and supports fast charging.

3. Nokia 6.1 Plus: The Nokia 6.1 Plus now costs Rs. 11,999 (MRP Rs. 18,499) during Amazon’s Prime Day sale in India.  It comes with 5.8-inch IPS LCD display having a resolution of 1,080 x 2,280 pixels and a sharp pixel density of 435 ppi that will deliver a crisp view.

4. Amazon Fire TV Stick: The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K with All-New Alexa Voice Remote is a Digital HD media streamer that can be used to view photos & videos in HD quality. During Prime Day, the Fire TV stick will be available at Rs. 2799 (MRP Rs. 3999). This model can be connected to compatible devices via Bluetooth, USB, or Wi-Fi interface.

5. Amazon Echo: Amazon’s smart speakers Echo Dot (3rd generation) is available for as low as Rs. 2,449 (MRP Rs. 4,499). The slightly bigger version, the Echo, is down to Rs. 5,999 (MRP Rs. 9,999)

6. Redmi Y3: Xiamo’s budget smartphone, the Redmi Y3 will be selling for Rs. 8,999 during Amazon’s Prime Day sale. With an MRP of Rs. 11,999, the Prime Day discount allows you to save Rs. 3,000.

7. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (7th generation): A discount coupon of Rs. 2,000 is applicable instantly while checking out the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, bringing down the effective price of the E-reader to Rs. 8,999 (MRP Rs. 10,999). The Kindle Paperwhite (7th generation) comes with a built-in backlight, 4GB storage, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

8. OnePlus 6T (6GB, 128GB): The OnePlus 6T (6GB, 128GB) is priced at Rs 26,999 (MRP Rs. 37,999) for Prime Day. OnePlus 6T comes with a 6.41-inch full-HD+ display. The phone features two rear cameras with OIS support along with a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. It is powered by the Snapdragon 845 SoC, supported by 6GB of RAM. The Prime Day deal on the OnePlus 6T allows you to save Rs. 11,000 on the smartphone.

9. Samsung 43-inch full-HD LED TV: During Prime Day, Amazon is offering the TV at a heavily discounted price of Rs. 28,990 (MRP Rs. 44,900). Amazon is also providing a free Fire TV stick along with the purchase. It comes with a 1-year comprehensive warranty and 1-year additional warranty on the display panel.

10. Samsung 55-inch 4K smart LED TV: Samsung’s 55-inch 4K smart LED TV (2019 model) is selling at Rs. 59,999 (MRP Rs. 1,04,900) during Amazon’s Prime Day 2019 sale. The TV comes with 2 HDMI ports and a single USB port.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Amazon invests Rs 51 crore in Quess Corp, shares surge 18% intra-day

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Quess Corp shares jumped more than 18 percent to hit an intra-day high of Rs 523 in trade on Friday.

The stock prices moved higher after e-commerce major Amazon’s investment arm Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings invested Rs 51 crore in QDigi, a subsidiary of the Bengaluru-based Quess Corp, according to an exchange filing.

QDigi is an after sales support company for electronic products.

Amazon has so far invested in a number of Indian technology startups, including digital insurance firm Acko, digital lender Capital Float and payments technology firm Tone Tag.

Quess Corp will allot 754,437 shares, at Rs 676 apiece, on a preferential basis.

At 2.08 pm, Quest Corp shares quoted at 480.65, up 9.24 percent on NSE. The stock had closed at Rs 440 on Thursday.

Quess Corp Ltd offers end-to-end business functions such as recruitment, temporary staffing, technical staffing, information technology (IT) products and  et al to companies operating across sectors.

The company is scheduled to announce its earnings for the quarter ended June later in the day.

Nine of the 11 analysts covering the stock have a “buy” or ”strong buy” rating, 1 has “hold” while 1 rates it at “strong sell”; median price target is Rs 830, according to Reuters Refinitiv data.

So far today, 4.22 million shares of the company have changed hands on the NSE, far higher than its six-month daily average of 177,489 shares.

The one-year return on the stock is negative, with the midcap scrip down by 55 percent.

Meanwhile, catch all market action and updates in Live Blog.

-with inputs from agencies

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Mahindra to increase price of vehicles by up to Rs 73,000 from April

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) Thursday said it will increase the price of its passenger and commercial vehicles by Rs 5,000 to Rs 73,000 from April to partially offset the impact of rising input costs.

The price of the company’s vehicles will go up by 0.5 percent to 2.7 percent from next month due to the price hike, the company said in a statement.

“This year has seen record high commodity price increases. Further, there are regulatory requirements effective April 1 that have also led to cost increases. While we have made efforts to reduce our costs, it has not been possible to hold back the price increase,” M&M President Automotive Sector Rajan Wadhera said in the statement.

Consequently, the company is taking a price increase from April 1, he added.

The company sells various utility vehicles ranging from newly launched compact SUV XUV300 to premium SUV Alturas G4. M&M also sells various commercial vehicles including Supro and Jeeto in the domestic market.

Earlier this week, French carmaker Renault had announced an increase in the price of Kwid range in India by up to 3 percent from April.

Last week, Tata Motors had also announced an increase in the price of its passenger vehicles by up to Rs 25,000 from April on account of rising input costs and external economic conditions.

M&M joins the likes of Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover which have also stated that they would raise the price of select models from April.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Google Pay now offering ‘digital gold’; mutual funds likely soon, says report

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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US search giant Google’s payments app Google Pay has started offering ‘digital gold’ in India from Wednesday, reported LiveMint, citing people familiar with the matter, adding that the new feature is part of a strategy to add new services to attract more customers.

Further, the close sources said that the firm will soon offer other wealth management features including mutual funds.

“Google’s biggest focus this year is to further establish its payments platform Google Pay … the company is adding more use cases to the platform and is tinkering with the idea of adding mutual funds, insurance, etc,” one of the sources was quoted as saying in the report.

However, when contacted by the paper, the company declined to comment.

According to the report, Google Pay has also partnered with point-of-sale companies Pine Labs and Innoviti Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd to strengthen its offline presence.

Through this, the report said, it aims to establish a network of 2,00,000 stores across 3,500 towns and cities in India over the next few months, beginning with grocery chains Reliance Fresh and Vishal Mega Mart.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

RBI likely to bring back ‘exotic currency derivatives,’ says report

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to lift the ban on ‘exotic currency derivatives,’ reported The Economic Times.

The decision to lift the ban comes a decade after the product left a trail of destruction in 2007-08 when bets by corporates backfired following the surge in the value of euro, Yen and Swiss franc, the report said.

Exotic currencies are thinly traded currencies, illiquid and trade at low volumes.

Top RBI officials have held multiple meetings with bankers to discuss ways to allow these products along with safeguards, the report said.

“There is the mixed reaction among bankers. Some are excited by the possibility of extra margins from the sale of exotic instruments while others who took the hit and were dragged to court are apprehensive… particularly, the compliance guys. But everyone is surprised by RBI’s plan to open up the market,” a senior banker who attended the meeting was quoted as saying in the report.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Government planning to buy back shares of loss-making PSUs, says report

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The government is looking to buy back loss-making public sector companies’ shares and delist them, reported The Economic Times, adding that the plan could bring relief to retail investors.

According to the report, a top government official said that at least six PSUs including HMT and State Trading Corporation (STC) are likely to be delisted as part of this as they are not able to comply with the minimum public shareholding (MPS) norms. Sebi has ordered that the companies must comply with the public shareholding norms by October 2020.

If executed, the plan would be a big relief to over 18,000 retail investors in HMT, who saw the share value fall from Rs 104 in 2008 to Rs 20, now, said the report.

“We don’t want to seek any further extension from Sebi. In most of the companies, we are comfortable since there is strong investor appetite…However, we want to wind up the loss-making entities from public markets since it is difficult to find investors for divestment,”  an official was quoted as saying in the report.

According to the report, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (Dipam) will soon prepare the roadmap for the delisting of these companies.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Reliance Industries, ITC shares gain on report of Rs 150-crore John Players deal

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Shares of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) gained over 1 percent on Tuesday, while ITC traded marginally up on report the cigarette major has sold its men’s apparel brand John Players to RIL.

The Economic Times reported that Reliance Trends, the retail arm of RIL, and ajio.com will buy John Players from ITC in a deal worth Rs 150 crore.

Reliance Retail could add about Rs 350 crore to its retail sales with the acquisition of John Players, the report said citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The acquisition includes the brand distribution rights of John Players through 750 stores, including 65 exclusive franchise outlets, the ET report added.

At 9.42 am, RIL shares quoted at Rs 1341.50, up 1.23 percent, after opening at Rs 1330. RIL shares had closed at Rs 1325.25 on Monday.

ITC shares were at Rs 296.05, up marginally by 0.29 percent at 9.43 am.

Benchmark Sensex was higher by 105 points at 37,914, while the Nifty50 added 34 points, trading at 11,388.

Also, catch all the action and updates in our Market Live blog.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Fitch assigns investment grade rating to NTPC’s proposed notes

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Fitch Ratings Friday said that it has assigned BBB-(EXP), an investment grade rating, to NTPC’s proposed senior unsecured notes.

The proposed notes are to be issued out of the company’s $ 6 billion medium-term note programme and are rated at the same level as the NTPC’s senior unsecured rating, as they will constitute its direct, unconditional, unsubordinated and unsecured obligations, a Fitch Ratings statement said.

According to the statement, the final rating is contingent upon the receipt of final documents conforming to information already received.

The NTPC’s Issuer Default Rating reflects its standalone credit profile of ‘BBB-‘. Fitch will rate the company using a top-down approach based on a strong likelihood of state support if the company’s standalone profile weakens but stays within three notches of the Indian sovereign rating (BBB-/Stable) under the agency’s government-related entities (GRE) rating criteria, it added.

The NTPC’s ratings benefit from the company’s dominant market position in the country’s power-generation industry and regulated business model, which provides cash flow certainty.

The company has managed its counter-party risk well, with 100 percent collection efficiency for the past 15 years despite the weak financial position of many of its customers. The NTPC’s high capex requirements are likely to lead to negative free cash flow over the next few years, the statement said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow