Author: Nikhil

Bata: shoemaker to the world

Bata is synonymous with school shoes and Bata pricing (Rs. 99 pricing)  in India. However, not many know that company’s roots actually lie in Eastern Europe – in fact, the Indian operations were actually set up by chance. Czech pioneers arrived in India in the 1920s to source raw materials but decided to stay because … Continue reading Bata: shoemaker to the world

Is India the next manufacturing champion?

China is lightyears ahead of India, or any other nation, in manufacturing. China’s manufacturing sector is 10x that of India and total exports are 7.5x.  The current COVID-19 crisis has sparked debate about global corporations moving their manufacturing base away from China. The most obvious benefitter for this would be India, so much so that … Continue reading Is India the next manufacturing champion?

Cheap stocks for grabs (Indian stock market)

The stock markets have been shaken up by the COVID-19 outbreak. While the crisis is devastating, it does present some excellent investing opportunities. Here are 3 stocks on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India that in my opinion are well priced for the value they offer: Raymond (NSE: RAYMOND) Raymond is a quintessential Indian … Continue reading Cheap stocks for grabs (Indian stock market)

COVID-19 Chronicles: Survival of the fittest

The COVID-19 crisis is the biggest health crisis in over a century. The world is under lockdown, taking away the one thing that no business can live without – clients. While most companies are trying to make ends meet and hoping this passes away soon, some have pivoted their business models to embrace the change. … Continue reading COVID-19 Chronicles: Survival of the fittest

COVID-19 Chronicles: Oil prices in the red. Get paid to fill up our car tanks?

We woke up to a shocker today – the COVID-19 crisis has led to negative oil prices for the 1st time in history. Yes, that is right, producers are paying buyers to buy their oil. Here’s a quick primer on what’s going on for people who are new to the oil world. WTI crude futures … Continue reading COVID-19 Chronicles: Oil prices in the red. Get paid to fill up our car tanks?

Book Review: The Warren Buffett Stock Portfolio

The Warren Buffett Stock Portfolio was published in 2011. It aims to give readers an insight into the investment strategy pursued by arguably the world’s most savvy investor. About the authors: The book is written by Mary Buffett and David Clark. Mary Buffett is a best selling author and an expert on all things finance. … Continue reading Book Review: The Warren Buffett Stock Portfolio

Book Review: The Third Pillar

The Third Pillar, written by Dr. Raghuram Rajan, was published in 2019. The book has received praise for highlighting the role of communities  from distinguished members of the economics community, such as Dr. Amartya Sen. About the author:  Dr. Raghuram Rajan is a renowned economist who has held numerous important positions in the past, including … Continue reading Book Review: The Third Pillar

Banking wars!

There is no denying that technology is taking the world by storm. Instead of just being a support function, technology has become the product itself - especially in finance. The evolution of FinTech is creating new challenges for banks to overcome and new business models are emerging. Neo banks and Challenger banks are cases in … Continue reading Banking wars!

Happy New Year!

New Year 2019 is extremely special for me because I get to write a New Year’s blog post. I want to diverge from history and talk about ‘Calendar Effects’ – an informal treatise on stock price behavior corresponding to calendar events. We start off the year with the ‘January Effect’, which is a surge in … Continue reading Happy New Year!

Stock Jobbing in the 17th century

Advances in technology and subsequent emergence of complex derivative products are often blamed for instabilities in the financial markets. But is it the case? Could the 2008 crash and many others be avoided had there been no derivative products? had A dive into the late seventeenth century shows us how the creation of the stock … Continue reading Stock Jobbing in the 17th century