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Cars, consumer durables to cost more as rupee tumbles

August 28, 2013

New Delhi, Aug 28: As the rupee continues its freefall against the dollar, cars, TVs, washing machines and other home appliances are set to cost more with companies set to hike prices to offset impact on their margins.cars

While General Motors India has announced that it will hike the price of three of its models by up to Rs 10,000 from September first week, Godrej Appliances and Haier also said they would increase prices of their products by up seven per cent from next month.

"The sharp rupee depreciation combined with heavy discounting due to competitive pressure has adversely impacted margins. So, we have decided to raise prices in the range of Rs 2,000-10,000 from September first week," General Motors India Vice-President P Balendran told PTI.

The company will be increasing the prices of its compact car Beat, SAIL and multi-purpose vehicle Enjoy by 1.5 per cent, which translates to a range of Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000.

Consumer durables maker Haier's India President Eric Braganza said the company had no option but pass on the burden of the rupee depreciation to consumers.

"We would increase price between 4 per cent from September 1," he said, adding: "it could go up to six per cent also if the rupee slides further".

Echoing similar sentiments, Godrej Appliances Executive Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Kamal Nandi said that rupee depreciation has put an "adverse impact on the industry" and put pressure on the prices.

"Given the scenario that it has crossed 68 against the dollar now, one can expect price increase ranging from 5 to 7 per cent starting from September," he said.

The rupee today tumbled to all-time low of 68.75 against the US dollar in early trade.

Other companies like Samsung, Sony and Whirlpool have said the adverse currency fluctuation has made import of components very expensive thereby putting strain on margins.

Samsung has recently increased the price of its mobile phones and tablets up to five per cent to undo the effect is also considering the same.

"Given the sharp rupee depreciation , we are considering a price increase for our consumer electronics products as well," Samsung India senior VP - Consumer Electronics Business - Atul Jain said.

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News Network
February 19,2020

Feb 19: Pay increases across India’s organized sector will probably grow at the slowest pace since 2009 this year, according to a survey from Aon Plc.

Companies will increase average pay by 9.1% in 2020, down from 9.3% in 2019 and 9.5% the previous year, Aon said in a report published Tuesday. The small increase reflects a deep slowdown in Asia’s third-largest economy, where growing pessimism about job prospects have led many to cut down on consumption -- the main driver to growth.

India still leads the Asia-Pacific region in pay rises, but that is mainly due to higher inflation and a “war for key talent and niche skills,” Aon said.

“There is a general air of caution about the economy as we enter into 2020,” Tzeitel Fernandes, partner for rewards solutions at Aon, told reporters in New Delhi. “Low GDP projection and weak consumer sentiment are the reasons behind our lowest ever prediction.”

E-commerce companies and start-ups will probably get the biggest salary increases, projected at an above-average 10%, while financial institutions will hand out 8.5%. Unsurprisingly, the auto sector witnessed the biggest drop in growth -- down to 8.3% from 10.1% in 2018, according to Aon. The survey covered more than 1,000 companies across over 20 industries.

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Agencies
March 1,2020

Allahabad, Mar 1: Shabista Khan, wife of suspended pediatrician Dr Kafeel Khan, fears that her husband's life is in danger.

In a letter written to the chief justice of the Allahabad High Court and senior government authorities, Shabista has sought security for her husband who is lodged in Mathura jail for allegedly delivering provocative speech during anti-CAA protest at Aligarh Muslim University.

"My husband is being mentally tortured in jail and is being subjected to inhuman behaviour," Shabista wrote in her letter to the chief justice of Allahabad High Court, additional chief secretary (home) and director general (jail), among others.

She said that she apprehended that an attempt could be made on her husband's life in jail and demanded adequate security for him.

She also demanded that her husband should be kept away from active criminals and lodged with common prisoners.

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Agencies
August 6,2020

Mumbai, Aug 6: Former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan said on Thursday that overly focusing on what sovereign rating agencies think can take one's eyes off what needs to be done for the economy.

"It is also important to convince both domestic and international investors that after the crisis associated with the pandemic is over, we will return to fiscal responsibility over the medium term, and the government should do more to convince them of that," Rajan told the Global Markets Forum.

India was placed under one of the strictest lockdowns in the world in late March for more than two months to stem the spread of the coronavirus, but cases have continued to rise steadily since the government eased restrictions in June, stymieing hopes of an economic recovery.

The government has announced several initiatives to help the poor and small- and medium-size businesses, but actual cash outgo from the government's measures has been estimated at just about 1% of GDP.

Several attribute the fiscal prudence to fear of a downgrade after Moody's cut India's rating and outlook in early June followed closely by a change in outlook from Fitch.

The central bank on its part too has reduced the key lending rate by 115 basis points on top of the 135 bps last year and is widely expected to cut rates by another 25 bps later on Thursday.

"The RBI and government have certainly been cooperating, but it seems like it is elsewhere, the ball is in the government's court to do more," Rajan said.

He said the RBI needs to focus on whether credit is reaching the stressed areas of the economy and also if the viable firms were able to access credit and not the unviable ones.

"And I think that's where it has to focus its attentions, because resources, as you well know, are limited in India today."

Recently analysts, however, have cited the growing possibility the RBI may prefer to pause and cut rates only at its October meeting.

Government officials too have suggested the possibility of any more fiscal stimulus being announced, would only come in the second half of the fiscal year, once a recovery has taken root and coronavirus cases have peaked.

"What India should focus on at this point is protecting its economic capabilities, so that when it has dealt with the virus it can go resume activity in a reasonable way. That should be the focus," Rajan said.

"And if it does that, there is no reason why the rating agencies will not see that as an appropriate policy".

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