Tag: Finance

ITC: Less of a puff

ITC’s roots go back a century. It was incorporated as Imperial Tobacco Company of India in 1910 and for the first 6 decades of its existence, it was devoted to growing and consolidating its cigarette and leaf tobacco business.  From cigarettes to hotels & what not  The winds changed direction in 1975. Since then, ITC’s … Continue reading ITC: Less of a puff

Ocado: from delivering groceries to selling technology

There’s no dearth of companies trying to exploit technology to provide leaner, more personalised solutions for their customers. Thousands have gone down the automation path, but few have found enlightenment. Each year, millions of dollars are spent on developing AI and ML capabilities, but much of it is in vain. In a sea of moderately-successful … Continue reading Ocado: from delivering groceries to selling technology

McDonald’s: flipping burgers or buildings?

In 2019 your favourite (or not) fast-food chain McDonald’s reported a whopping $ 21 billion revenue. The order of magnitude is definitely not surprising for a company that’s literally omnipresent, but a further breakdown of its reported revenue and income will make you see that McDonald's does more than just flipping burgers. McDonald’s might be … Continue reading McDonald’s: flipping burgers or buildings?

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!

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