World Business News

France handed the presidency to leftist Francois Hollande, a champion of government stimulus programs who says the state should protect the downtrodden -- a victory that could deal a death blow to the drive for austerity that has been the hallmark of Europe in recent years.

Equities have emerged as the least preferred asset class lately, and this is not without reason. Equity markets have not given any returns since September 2007 when the Sensex first touched 17,000, which is the level even today, although corporate earnings have grown by almost 40 per cent over the last four years.

Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies appeared to have sustained their sales momentum in the quarter ended March 31, at a time when inflationary pressures were high.

The Telecom Commission, the highest policy-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has asked sector regulator Trai if there is an alternative option for fixing the reserve price of spectrum for auction.