A look at the headlines in the sector right now:

  1. India rises to second place in global business optimism index: The Grant Thornton International Business Report for the July-September quarter has attributed the rise to the GST regime and other policy reforms.
  2. Godrej Consumer Products records near 44% rise in Q2 profits: The company’s total income rose by 11% to Rs 2,439.35 crore from Rs 2,197.28 crore during the corresponding period last year.
  3. Sensex ends 185 points up, Nifty closes 63 points higher after four days of losses: The rise in markets came on the back of the FBI clearing presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for using a private email server during her term as US secretary of state.
  4. Reliance LYF smartphone explodes, company promises thorough investigation: Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he will not use his handset anytime soon after his aide’s family had a ‘narrow escape’.
  5. Hiring by Indian IT companies in September quarter fell by 43%, says report: Kotak Institutional Equities said the decline was ‘consistent with slowdown in growth rates’ and the sector’s efforts to increase productivity.
  6. Niti Aayog CEO accuses western economies of ‘protectionist’ policies while promoting free trade: Amitabh Kant’s remarks at an India-UK summit came days after the British government announced new visa rules for immigrant workers.
  7. Assocham survey says smog levels across NCR affecting employee productivity: The one-week study also found that companies were facing staff shortages of up to 10% because of several workers calling in sick.