Steel and cement prices have appreciated over the last six months and led to runaway inflation. The government has alleged that companies in these sectors have formed cartels to keep prices high. How justified is the government angst? Or rather, is it a combination of factors that have conspired to push up prices? BT’s Arnab Mitra and N. Madhavan find out.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap heat in the atmosphere. While some of these gases occur naturally and are emitted through natural processes, other GHGs are created and emitted solely through human activities. Higher proportion of such GHGs in the atmosphere leads to climate change. A course correction is needed. Big question: Who will take the lead?

These are extraordinary times, not just for India but the whole world. At no time before in world history has inflation and economic downturn combined to create a “caught-between-ice-and-fire” situation. In India, rising inflation coupled with a moderating economy does signal a cyclical slowdown, but the country’s long-term growth story is still intact. An analysis by BT's Shalini S. Dagar.

Shyam S. Bhartia is pursuing his MNC dreams with a vengeance. Last week, the Chairman & Managing Director of the Rs 1,610-crore Jubilant Organosys snapped up Canada’s Draxis Health for $225 million (Rs 900 crore) to bolster his group’s presence in the lucrative North America region.

Business Today’s league of extraordinary managers—25 young guns, aged 40 or under, who are blazing a trail up the corporate ladder.

Feel like flying? Go right ahead.

Despite its best efforts at keeping prices down, the government is faced with an inflation fire that refuses to die out. The inflation rate based on the wholesale price index shot up to a 13-month high of 6.68 per cent for the week ended March 15.

The government is in a generous mood. Close on the heels of the Rs 60,000-crore farm loan waiver package announced in the 2008-09 Union Budget comes the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, which are likely to be accepted.

The fortnight’s burning question. Is the Indian Economy heading for a slowdown?

Rs 52,000 crore: The amount spent every year by about 450,000 Indian students on higher education abroad

Few months ago, things were looking good in the markets. But in barely 10 weeks, the financial landscape has changed, and the bears have got an upper hand in the stock market.

Say hello to the brash new kids on Dalal Street. Flush with funds, thanks to till-recently booming primary and secondary markets as well as generous infusions by venture capital and private equity majors, most of these single-service houses (primarily stockbroking) are now planning to get into areas that have been traditionally the preserve of dyed-in-the-wool deal makers. BT's Mahesh Nayak reports.

Never before, probably, has the sensex moved as wildly as it has in the past three months. During this short period, the bellwether index of the Indian stock market has shed more than 30 per cent off its January 10 peak of 21,206.77 (on March 17, it closed at 14,809.50).

Hindustan Unilever is on a roll again. That HUL has been finally able to stoke up the growth embers, improve profitability, regain market shares, and grow fledgling markets in the past three years, are significant indicators of its business success. But that doesn't make new CEO Nitin Paranjpe's mandate—to pump up HUL's mojo in highly competitive markets—any easier. Business Today's Brian Carvalho reports.

Global food prices are on a boil as biofuels and freak weather play havoc with the demand-supply equation. Food prices in India too have been inching upwards. How vulnerable are we to food price shocks? 

The recent gyrations of the BSE sensex will make a yoyo look like a model of stability. On average, the swings between the day’s highs and lows have increased to 3.24 per cent, compared to 1.8 per cent in 2007. Volatility is at an all-time high; this means it’s time for caution.

Gold has been flirting with the $1,000 per troy ounce mark in the international markets. Will it continue to shine?

Jain Irrigation Systems is the second-largest drip irrigation company in the world and one of the largest suppliers of ducting to telcos globally. The stock of Jain Irrigation Systems rose from Rs 411.10 on February 28, 2007, when Chidambaram presented his first “pro-farmer” Budget, to Rs 612.8 on March 13, 2008, a fortnight after the second such Budget. Now, it’s eyeing revenues of $1 billion. BT's Krishna Gopalan reports.

From wind turbines to X-ray machines to new-age locomotives, innovations are hardly new to GE’s John F. Welch Technology Centre in Bangalore. In its decade-long existence, JFWTC’s engineers have been at the forefront of introducing new ideas and methods for GE’s business units. Rahul Sachitanand finds out how the centre has shaped up over the years. 

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