Tomato prices soar to Rs 80 per kg

New Delhi: After onion, retail prices of tomatoes have soared up to Rs 80 per kg in the national capital on lower supplies from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Mother Dairy, which has about 400 retail outlets in the national capital region, is selling tomatoes at Rs 64 per kg, while local vendors are charging Rs 70-80 per kg.

Last week, tomoato prices were ruling at Rs 40 per kg.

According to traders at Delhi's wholesale mandi at Azadpur, tomato prices have gone up sharply as arrivals from Himachal Pradesh have almost stopped with onset of winter, while supplies from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are also low.

Arrival of tomatoes have declined in Delhi to 15-20 trucks against 35-40 trucks before Diwali, they added.

Onion prices have moderated to 60 per kg, down from peak of Rs 100 kg last month.

Potato, onion and tomatoes are the three most common vegetables used in every household.

As per the government data, tomato was being sold at Rs 80 per kg in Port Blair and Rs 70 in Aizwal. It was cheapest Rs 15 per kg in Bhopal. The average for 57 cities was Rs 40 per kg.

Tomato was ruling at Rs 60 per kg in Jammu, Cuttack and Rourkela and Rs 45 in Thiruvananthapuram. The data put price ruling in Delhi at Rs 48 per kg even though retail rates were as high as Rs 80 per kg.

Besides the household demand, the commodity was being sought in greater numbers by manufacturers of tomato ketchup and purees, putting pressure on the prices

Twitter IPO set to price today

 
Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The Twitter IPO is set to price on Wednesday, with shares to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. The previous price range was $17 to $20 a share.

The new pricing would value the company at up to $13.6 billion, or about 12.5 to 13.6 times forecast 2014 revenue of $1 billion, according to eMarketer. Both Facebook and LinkedIn Corp trade at about 12 times forecast 2014 revenue.

Several equity research analysts said they expect Twitter shares to rise after they begin trading, with some setting their one-year price target as high as $52.

"We would participate within the $23-$25 range, albeit, simple math would dictate that management should price at the bottom end of the new range," BTIG's Richard Greenfield said in a note Monday after the price was raised.

Year to date, 2013 has been the strongest for IPOs since 2007 in the United States, with more than 178 companies going public, according to Thomson Reuters data. Equity markets are climbing and investor uncertainty has subsided, at least for now, over the U.S. debt ceiling crisis and political gridlock.

Shares of Container Store Group Inc doubled on their first day of trade on November 1, joining strong debuts from more than half a dozen companies, including restaurant chains Noodles & Co and Potbelly Corp and software company Benefitfocus Inc.

Twitter management has been traveling the United States over the past week, speaking with potential investors.

Google launches new commerce platform, 'Helpouts'

 
San Francisco: Google on Wednesday launched a new online service called "Helpouts," aiming to connect businesses and consumers to solve problems or get advice on a range of issues.

The service is similar to Google's "Hangouts" with live video for paid services in areas ranging from computer tech support to weight loss.

"What if getting help for a computer glitch, a leaky pipe, or a homework problem was as easy as clicking a button?" Google's Udi Manber said in a blog post announcing the new service.

"What if you could get someone knowledgeable to get you 'unstuck' when you really need it?"

Manber said some of the services now are "how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. "

But he added that "on Wednesday is just the beginning. We're starting small and in a few categories."

The categories being offered initially include art and music, computers, cooking, education and careers, fashion and beauty, fitness and nutrition, health and home and garden.

The Helpouts range from free to USD 240 or more. Some examples include chemistry tutoring and homework, learning to play guitar, yoga instruction, French language lessons, fixing computer problems or refrigerator repair.

"With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews," Manber said

Sensex reclaims 21K level on fresh buying

 
Mumbai: After a brief pause yesterday, the S&P BSE benchmark Sensex reclaimed the 21K level and was quoted at 21,012.77 in late morning trade due to fresh buying on the back of persistent foreign capital inflows.

Market also got a boost after Finance Minister P Chidambaram exuded confidence that the country's current account deficit will be contained below USD 60 billion in current financial year.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 162.53 crore yesterday as per provisional data from the stock exchanges.

The Sensex resumed higher at 21,004.54 and hovered in a range of 21,045.38 and 20,944.50 before quoting at 21,012.77 at 1030 hrs, showing a gain of 37.98 points or 0.18 percent from its last close.

The NSE-50 share Nifty also moved up by 2.20 points or 0.04 percent to 6,255.35 at 1030 hrs.

Major gainers were TCS (1.83 percent), Wipro (1.62 percent), Cipla (1.40 percent), Sun Pharma (1.36 percent), Coal India (1.35 percent), Tata Motors (1.24 percent) and ITC (1.02 percent).

Most Asian stocks reversed intra-day losses today. Key benchmark indices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and Japan rose 0.07 percent to 0.47 percent while indices in Singapore and South Korea fell 0.11 percent to 0.12 percent. China's Shanghai Composite was flat

Gold prices snaps 2-day rally, slips on reduced offtake

Gold prices on Friday snapped two days of gains, falling by Rs 10 to Rs 32,400 per 10 gram in the national capital, on reduced offtake at existing higher levels amid a weak global trend.

Weak global trend, as investors weighed speculation that the US Fed will delay a reduction in stimulus against signs of reduced demand in world's biggest consumer - China, also influenced the sentiment, traders said.

Gold in Singapore, which normally sets price trend on the domestic front, fell by 0.5 per cent to $1,340.44 an ounce and silver by 1.2 per cent to $22.42 an ounce.

On the domestic front, gold of 99.9 and 99.5 per cent purity slipped by Rs 10 each to Rs 32,400 and Rs 32,200 per ten gram, respectively. It had gained Rs 785 in last two days.

Sovereign held steady at Rs 25,300 per piece of eight gram.

Similarly, silver ready dropped by Rs 750 to Rs 49,450 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs 350 to Rs 49,650 per kg. The white metal had surged by Rs 1,190 on Wednesday.

On the other hand, silver coins continued to be asked at last level of Rs 88,000 for buying and Rs 89,000 for selling of 100 pieces.