Top headlines: Car makers eye pre-Covid profits, Air India's market share

The festival season, which started on Monday with Navratri and ends with Diwali on October 24, is expected to bring cheer for passenger-vehicle (PV) makers in more ways than one. Optical fibre cable (OFC) manufacturers are bracing to meet a multifold increase in fiberisation, aggressively tap global markets to power 5G services. Read more on these in our top headlines.

Car makers on road to pre-Covid profit as festival season sales soar

The festival season, which started on Monday with Navratri and ends with Diwali on October 24, is expected to bring cheer for passenger-vehicle (PV) makers in more ways than one. Not only is it expected to be a record in terms of volumes, it will also see a swift recovery in the profitability of PV makers and take it closer to pre-Covid levels as the overall sales mix gets a boost from higher sales of top-end trims and a softening of commodity prices. Read more

Powering 5G services: Telcos may spend up to $2.5 billion on optical fibres

Optical fibre cable (OFC) manufacturers are bracing to meet a multifold increase in fiberisation, aggressively tap global markets to power 5G services, and cope with demand from fibre-to-the home (FTTH) fixed broadband. Telcos estimate that they will be spending anything between $1.5- 2.5 billion in India on OFC in the next three to four years.  Read more

Indian economy showing resilience and recovery, says CEA Nageswaran

Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran on Monday said the Indian economy was on the path to recovery but cautioned that foreign investors may remain cautious because of geopolitical challenges. He said all sectors of the economy such as agriculture, manufacturing and construction are "doing well". "The Indian economy is showing resilience and on the path to recovery. Private demand and the services sector are doing better than expected," he said. Read more

Air India's future market share depends on aviation sector's probabilities
 

Air India’s plan to increase its domestic market share from 8.5 per cent currently to 30 per cent in the next five years is contingent on various factors — including probable merger of all Tata Group’s airlines, speed of airport infrastructure growth, load factors in forward cabins, and growth of new airline Akasa Air and revamped Jet Airways. The Tata Group took control of Air India on January 27. Read more

Centre looking to phase out codeine-based cough syrups, select FDCs

The Centre has moved to phase out codeine-based cough syrups and some fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs that are deemed ‘irrational’. The fate of 19 FDCs and several codeine-based cough syrups is yet to be decided and the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) is discussing the matter. The industry is divided on the issue of phasing out codeine-based cough syrups, which are used by many as intoxicants. Read more