25 countries offering best business environment

Most reports on sustainability focus on environmental issues, but a country's sustainability depends on much more than just environmental factors, according to RobecoSAM, a Switzerland-based investment group.
It says that for a nation to safeguard its future it needs to focus on several issues, including social, economy and governance. RobecoSAM has recently released a report that ranks countries based on three factors: Environmental, social and governance. Here's how it explains them:
Environmental dimension: Nations that depend heavily on fossil fuel import are susceptible to price fluctuations and/or shortage. Natural calamities, such as floods, also add to the risk factor.
Social dimension: Strikes or unrest by workers pose a big risk to investment.
Governance dimension: Rate of corruption, internal conflict and regulations are other factors that can have an adverse impact on businesses.
Let's have a look and see where India ranks among countries offering best business and life environment.
NOTE: Each country receives a total score ranging from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.
Source: robecosam.com
Click NEXT to see India's rank among 59 nations studied by the Swiss firm...

Image: People enjoy skiing during the first spring day in the southern mountain town of Nowy Targ, some 400km south of Warsaw in Poland.
Photographs: Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters

HSBC cuts FY14 growth forecast to 4%

HSBC on Monday lowered India's GDP forecast for the current financial year to 4 per cent from 5.5 per cent earlier saying economic uncertainty is likely to weigh on the growth forecast in the coming months. According to the global financial services major, growth is likely to slow in the near term due to tighter financial conditions and higher macroeconomic uncertainty.
"In light of this, we revise down our GDP growth forecasts to 4.0 per cent (5.5 per cent) for FY2014 and to 5.5 per cent (from 6.6 per cent) for FY2015," HSBC said in a research note on Monday.
According to official figures, the country's economic growth in the April-June quarter slid to 4.4 per cent, the lowest in past several years, pulled down by drop in mining and manufacturing output.
This prompted the industry to demand co-ordinated action by the government and the RBI to boost the economy.
HSBC, however, believes the slowdown has further to go, saying leading indicators suggest the country's growth momentum could ease further during the July-September quarter in both manufacturing and services sector.
Moreover, factors like RBI's currency stabilisation measures and heightened macroeconomic uncertainty is making consumers and businesses more cautious about spending, HSBC said.
The pressure on growth momentum is likely to pose greater challenges for policy makers as they try to stabilise the falling currency, which had touched an all time low of 68.80 to dollar on August 28 and is currently hovering around the 66/USD mark in a highly volatile trade.
"In terms of the quarterly profile, we expect growth to slow in the July-September quarter of 2013 and dip below 4 per cent," HSBC said adding that growth will show "faint" signs of recovery during the final quarter of the fiscal year as macroeconomic uncertainties recede somewhat and confidence reluctantly recovers.
Moreover, CCI expedited and other investment projects are likely to slowly kick in around that time, the report said.
According to HSBC, "the outlook for India is still tainted with downside risks given the lingering macroeconomic uncertainties and the possibility that politics could get in the way of meaningful progress on structural reform".

Sensex gains 250 points, blue-chips rise

Markets extended gains in the afternoon session this Monday on back of buying witnessed in metal and mining stocks after robust China’s manufacturing data.
At 2 PM, the 30-share Sensex gained 244 points at 18,864 and the 50-share Nifty added 67 points at 5,537 levels.
China’s economy is strengthening after a two-quarter slowdown, with a manufacturing gauge rising to a 16-month high in August
Investors are now anxiously waiting for any fresh measures with Raghuram Rajan taking over the reins of RBI as the new governor on September 5.
The broader markets were firm with mid-caps and small-caps gaining 1 per cent on the BSE.
The market breadth was positive. Out of 2,168 stocks traded, 1,252 stocks advanced while 787 stocks declined on the BSE.
RUPEE
The rupee dropped against the dollar in late trades. At 2PM, the partially convertible rupee was trading at 66.21 per dollar against the Friday’s close of 65.71 against the dollar on the Interbank Foreign Exchange.
GLOBAL MARKETS
Asian stocks rose for a third day, copper gained and the Australian dollar strengthened as Chinese manufacturing expanded. U.S. stock-index futures advanced and crude fell as prospects of an imminent strike on Syria faded.
Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.3% to 13,572, Singapore’s Straits Times gained 0.8% to 3,053, China’s Shanghai Composite index was flat  at 2,098 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 2 % to 22,175 today.
European markets also opened positive. France’s CAC gained 1.5% to 3,993, Germany’s DAX rose 1.5% to 8,225 while UK’s FTSE was up 1.2% to 6,495.
STOCK MOVERS
Domestically, all the key sectoral indices gained with PSU, FMCG, Capita l Goods, consumer durables, oil and gas and bankex leading the gain on the BSE.
The gainers included counters such as Tata Steel gaining 4%, ITC rose 4.2%, Reliance Industries gained 2.7%, Jindal Steel added 2.6%, Hero MotoCorp gained 2.6%, ICICI Bank gained 2% on the BSE.
The laggards were NTPC falling 0.6%, Dr Reddy’s declined 0.5%, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors were down 2% and 0.7% on the BSE.
The key notable movers included counters such as Atul Auto has soared 9% to Rs 163 after reporting a 38% year-on-year (yoy) growth at 3,204 units for the month of August 2013. The country's fastest growing manufacturer of three wheeler had sold 2,322 units in the same month year ago.
Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) Financial Services has rallied 6% to Rs 267, extending its Friday’s over 8% surge on inclusion in the MSCI India Index with effect from today.

These 6 people are responsible for India's economic crisis

T N Ninan

These six people have created a political climate more difficult for business, indeed more hostile to business, than at any time since the mid-1980s, says T N Ninan.
Kapil Sibal said in Parliament the other day that politicians are the most accountable among all categories of people.

So, how accountable do six people, who between them have run the economy these past five years, feel as they survey the mess around them? All but one of them spoke this past week.

Sonia Gandhi told Parliament that if there was no money for the “food security” programme, then money would have to be found - but she did not care to suggest how. She also said that if the public distribution system had its defects, they would have to be fixed - again, the details were beneath her.

If the isolation at 10 Janpath is not like living on Mars, the Congress president must know that the economy faces urgent challenges, and that the last things it needs are irresponsible laws; so she must tell us whether she really thinks that two-thirds of Indians go to bed hungry. Accountability, Mr Sibal?
Click NEXT to read more...

Image: Sonia Gandhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Photographs: Reuters

Related News: Mr Sibal , Sonia Gandhi , Kapil Sibal , Congress , Parliament

BSE Sensex tumbles by 600 points to slip below 18,000

The BSE Sensex nosedived over 613 points to slip below the psychological 18,000-level in afternoon trade on Tuesday on increased capital outflow as the rupee hit a new record low against the US dollar, amid concerns of the government's rising subsidy burden.

Brokers said the foreign funds remained net seller which gathered momentum sparked by the rupee hitting new record low levels. They said the passage of the Food Security Bill in Parliament raised fears the government might face more subsidy burden, leading to widening of the current account deficit (CAD).

The 30-share index of the Bombay Stock Exchange plunged 613.99 points, or 3.31 per cent, to 17,944.14 at 2.10 pm, as the rupee breached the 66-mark against the US dollar in afternoon trade. The Indian currency also touched a new low of 102.45 against the British Pound.

On similar lines, 50-share National Stock Exchange index Nifty dropped a whopping 185.15 points, or 3.38 per cent to slip below the 5,300-level to 5,291.35, led by stocks of banking and capital goods sector.