Sensex closes 162 points up at 25,779 after RBI rate cut lifts sentiments, Nifty settles at 7,843

The stock markets reversed early losses after the central bank cut its key interest rate by 50 basis points versus expectations of a 25-basis-point cut. The BSE Sensex closed 161.82 points up at 25,778.66. Nifty closed 47.60 points up at 7,843.

benchmark 10-year bond surged to its highest in more than two years after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut interest rates by a bigger-than-expected 50 basis points and allowed for steady increase in foreign investment limit in government securities. The BSE Sensex closed 161.82 points up at 25,778.66. Nifty closed 47.60 points up at 7,843.

The RBI cut the repo rate from 7.25 per cent to 6.75 per cent, while it left cash reserve ratio unchanged at 4 per cent.

Brokers said the RBI’s decision to cut repo rate by 0.50 per cent to 6.75 per cent was better than market expectations and buoyed trading sentiments.

In the 50-share index, Maruti Suzuki, HDFC, Coal India, IndusInd Bank, Bank of Baroda gained between 1.80 per cent and 3.30 per cent. On the other hand, Vedanta, Bosch, BPCL, Hindalco and Tata Steel dipped between 3.10 per cent and 5.70 per cent.

Nithin Kamath, founder and chief executive officer, Zerodha said, “RBI’s decision to lower the repo rate by 50 basis points (bps) is much needed breather for the economy as a whole, this is a huge positive for the markets. Hopefully this should ease up the liquidity and trigger corporate capex cycle and earnings.”

Rate sensitive stocks remained top gainers in the BSE sectoral indices. The BSE Realty index gained the most — 1.99 per cent at 1,368.55, followed by the BSE Bankex (0.90 per cent) and BSE Auto index (0.76 per cent).
Here is Sunil Jain, Managing Editor of The Financial Express’ take on RBI rate cut:
https://youtu.be/SFP-bMNlZos

The BSE Metal index declined 1.45 per cent at 6,611.31.

Dipen Shah, head of private client group research, Kotak Securities, said, “Rate sensitive stocks rose on the back of the RBI rate cut whereas metal stocks suffered on back of continuing Chinese concerns.”

Getamber Anand, president, CREDAI, said, “The industry is welcoming RBI Governor’s announcement of rate cut by 50 basis points, this was long overdue. Not only in Real Estate, but across the manufacturing industries and businesses, everyone is feeling encouraged by this announcement.”

European shares fell for the second day in a row on Tuesday as weakness in the commodities sector hit markets, though battered miner Glencore  halted its slide after a bruising sell-off on Monday.

Markets through the day

3.30 pm: The BSE Sensex closed 161.82 points up at 25,778.66 on Tuesday. Nifty closed 47.60 points up at 7,843.

S&P BSE Sensex

3.00 pm: Meanwhile, State Bank of India (SBI) cuts benchmark lending rate by 0.4 per cent to 9.3 per cent. The share price of SBI was up 1.50 per cent at Rs 243.15. The BSE Bankex was up 1.06 per cent at 19,800. Adhil Shetty, chief executive officer, Bank Bazaar.com, said, “I expect base rate cuts by banks over next few days which will pass on the benefit to retail borrowers.”

Naveen Kukreja, managing director, Paisabazaar.com, said, “The 50 basis points cut was much than the market was expecting. This time it is a large cut by the RBI, we believe banks will surely pass the cut to retail borrowers on immediate basis. I expect banks will pass the cut between 30 basis points to 40 basis points to borrowers.”

2.47 pm: Sensex was up 270 points at 25,886. In the 30-share index, HDFC, Maruti and Mahindra & Mahindra were up 4.19 per cent, 3.63 per cent and 3.03 per cent, respectively.

2.25 pm: The BSE Midcap index and BSE Smallcap index were up 0.60 per cent and 0.18 per cent at 10,636 and 10,936, respectively. Sensex was up 371 points at 25,988.

2.11 pm: Sensex jumped 421 points at 26,038. S Naren, CIO, ICICI Prudential AMC, said, “We believe there was substantial scope for interest rates to come down in India as a result of developments in commodities prices across the world. Hence, a 50 basis points rate cut is a step in the right direction to improve the long-term growth of the economy. Going forward the key factors required for driving growth would be Goods and Services Tax (GST), resolution of non-performing loans (NPL) problems and ease of doing business. Over a period of time, we expect further moderation in interest rates from current levels and investors should continue to invest in duration with an aim to benefit from the same.”

2.08 pm: Sensex was up 390 points at 26,007. Nifty was up 113.85 points at 7,909.  Arun Singh, senior economist, Dun & Bradstreet India, said, “While it has been largely expected that the RBI should cut the repo rate, the front-loading of the rate cut has been more than anticipated. However, this will give room to the RBI to tinker the policy rate when the US FED hikes the policy rate. Till now, a cumulative 125 basis point reduction in the repo rate has not been adequately transmitted via the banking system. The onus now shifts to the banking system and the government for flow of funds to the productive system of the economy.”

1.52 pm: NSE Nifty was up 81 points at 7,877. Sahil Kapoor, chief market strategist, Edelweiss Financial Services, said, “The 50 basis points repo cut by RBI and the corresponding measures are indicative of a change in stance from being a strong inflation hawk to a data dependent dove. RBI has repeatedly indicated that its accommodative stance on monetary policy continued to be in place and the current policy statement indicates a renewed commitment towards growth. We believe this interest rate cut would support equity markets, lead bond yields lower and continue to support currency markets as growth focus attracts investments.”

1.46 pm: The top gainers on the Sensex were HDFC up by 3.76 per cent, M&M (up 3.09 per cent), State Bank of India (up 2.15 per cent), Larsen & Toubro (up 1.90 per cent). On the flip side, Vedanta down by 4.55 per cent, Hindalco (down 2.55 per cent) and Tata Steel (down 2.48 per cent) were the top losers. Sensex was up 275 points at 25,892.

1.07 pm: Shares of Lanco Infratech on Tuesday surged nearly 11 per cent following reports that the company may sell power projects having a capacity of 3,000 MW from 2018 onwards and expects to get Rs 25,000 crore, which would help pare debt and also infuse fresh capital into the group. The scrip was trading 9.87 per cent up at Rs 4.12 in the afternoon trade. Sensex was up 205 points at 25,822. Nifty was up 62 points at 7,858.

12.55 pm: Wiping off its initial losses, the benchmark BSE Sensex jumped by 172 points and the NSE Nifty regained the 7,800-level as rate-sensitive stocks rallied after the Reserve Bank cut interest rate by 0.5 per cent today. Sensex was up 0.68 per cent at 25,790. Nifty was up 0.59 per cent at 7,841.

12.06 pm: Meanwhile, Navneet Munot, chief investment officer, SBI Funds Management, said, “A cut of this magnitude was warranted and this will have positive ramifications on growth and markets. We should test 7.50 percent on 10-year yield with potential to go even lower. The linkage of real rates to 1-year treasury bill opens up room for further rate cuts.” Sensex was down 20 points at 25,596.

11.18 am: Home loans are set to become cheaper after the Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday in its monetary policy review announced to cut repo rate by 50 basis points to 6.75 per cent. Shares of SBI, IndusInd Bank and HDFC Bank were up 0.15 per cent, 0.62 per cent and 0.68 per cent.

11.11 am: Post rate cut interest sensitive banking and realty stocks turned green. The BSE Bankex and BSE Realty index were up 0.38 per cent and 0.93 per cent at 19,668 and 1,354. BSE Auto index was down 0.16 per cent at 16,989.

11.08 am: RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan surprised market analysts on Tuesday. A Reuters poll last week showed only one out of 51 economists had expected a 50 basis points rate cut, while 45 had expected a 25 bps cut. Sensex and Nifty were up 6 points and 10 points at 25,622 and 7,805.

Within minutes of RBI policy announcement, Andhra Bank cut its benchmark lending rates by 0.25 per cent. The other banks are likely to follow suit.

11.02 am: Sensex was up 86.54 points at 25703.38. Shares of HDFC was up over 2 per cent at Rs 1,199.70.

11.00 am: RBI cuts repo rate by 50 basis points. Sensex wiped off some its losses and was down 133 points 25,483. Repo rate is now at 6.75 per cent. Jyoti Vaswani, chief investment officer, Future Generali Life Insurance, said, “Repo rate cut of 50 bps by RBI is a positive surprise. On the back of a slowing private investment, RBI has delivered what industry wanted with an aggressive rate cut. Also, more importantly RBI will continue its accommodative stance and work with Government towards transmission of bulk of the 125 bps cut which augurs well for revival of capex cycle. The increase in the FPI limit for investment in central govt. securities and introduction of a separate limit for SDLs would go a long way in ensuring increased FII participation in the Indian Debt markets. It also indicates RBI’s comfort with the improving macro-economic scenario in India. Today’s policy actions should be accepted positively by both equity and debt markets.”

What is Repo Rate: Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country lends money to commercial banks in the event of any shortfall of funds.

10.54 am: All the major sectoral indices in the BSE were trading in the red as the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices lost 1.3 per cent and 1.2 per cent, respectively. Sensex down over 300 points at 25,312. Nifty was down 94 points at 7,701.

10.27 am: Interest sensitive stocks are in focus ahead of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) fourth bi-monthly monetary policy which is scheduled around 11 am on Tuesday. Most of markets are predicting that the RBI may go for a 25 basis points rate cut this time. In the early trade on Tuesday, the 30-share index was down around 1 per cent at 25,373 at 10 am. BSE Bankex, BSE Auto and BSE Realty were down 1.76 per cent, 1.71 per cent and 1.18 per cent, respectively. Nifty was down 85 points at 7,711.

10.02 am: The rupee fell sharply by 32 paise at 66.37 against the US dollar in early trade today at the Interbank Foreign Exchange due to month-end demand for the American currency from importers. Sensex was down 246 points at 25,370. Nifty was down 79 points at 7,716.

9.27 am: Sensex was down 286 points at 25330. Nifty was down 79 points at 7,716. Nitasha Shankar, vice president, research, YES Securities, said, “The global investors are back to being cautious with worries related to China and overall growth of the global economy. In such a scenario all eyes are turned towards the RBI. Expectations are for a rate cut in the policy meet scheduled to be held today. These expectations were visible in the run up seen in the rate sensitive sectors in the previous trading session.”

9.16 am: Sensex was down over 300 points at 25,307.94. Nifty was down over 1 per cent at 7,712. Vedanta, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, Hindalco and Tata Steel declined over 2 per cent in the early trade.

Domestic equity markets opened lower on Tuesday tracking weak global cues. Sensex opened 120.46 points down at 25,496.38. Nifty opened 70 points down at 7,725.70.

Interest sensitive stocks are likely to be in focus ahead of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) monetary policy review, which is scheduled around at 11 am. The RBI had kept its benchmark lending rate – the repo rate unchanged at 7.25 per cent in its monetary policy review on August 4.

• How has the market reacted to the three previous RBI monetary policy decisions?

On Monday, Sensex closed 246.66 points down at 25,616.84 while Nifty closed 72.80 points down at 7,795.70. Vinod Nair, head, fundamental research, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, said, “We are in a wait and watch scenario ahead the RBI policy meet on Tuesday. We believe that the market has already considered a rate cut of 25 basis points, hence the commentary will be more important. Given the volatility in the global currency and the likelihood of a US rate hike by Dec-15, the commentary is likely to be hawkish and may not be taken positively by the market.”

Ecommerce: Flipkart ‘Big Billion Sale’ starts 

Oct 13; lures with discounts across 

70+ categories

Flipkart Big Billion Sale will offer exciting offers and unbeatable discounts across 70+ product categories for customers to shop from, the company said.Homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart today announced the second edition of “Big Billion Sale,” to be held between October 13 and 17.An app-only shopping event, Big Billion Days, will offer exciting offers and unbeatable discounts across 70+ product categories for customers to shop from, the company said.Celebrating the start of festive season, Big Billion Days will be the ultimate shopping event for customers to shop for gifts and other items for friends and family, it said.Stating that customers can shop across a range of categories during the five-day long shopping festival, Flipkart said Myntra will also be a part of Big Billion Days and will be presenting a curated selection from iconic fashion brands at never-before offers.Flipkart had last year apologised for the glitches encountered during the ‘Big Billion Day’ sale, admitting its “failure” in living up to the expectations of its customers.“India shops the most during this time of the year. With over 75 per cent of traffic coming via mobile, we expect this app only sale to be the biggest shopping event of the year. Bigger and better as compared to last year, we have worked towards ensuring a seamless shopping experience for our customers,” Flipkart Head of Commerce Mukesh Bansal said.Pointing out that the company has ramped up its technology and supply chain support to ensure all our 50 million customers have the best ever mobile shopping experience, he said “In fact, to cater to the massive customer demand; we have opened new fulfillment centers across the country to guarantee efficient delivery.”“Considering the sale will feature fantastic deals across millions of products in all categories from over 40,000 sellers, our aim is to give our consumers nothing less than 5 days to shop to their hearts content,” he added.The company has also roped in its partner banks to give Flipkart customers exclusive offers during ‘Big Billion Days'.

PepperTap raises $36 million from Snapdeal, 

others

E-commerce major Snapdeal today said it has picked up minority stake in hyper-local grocery delivery service, PepperTap, leading a USD 36 million funding round...E-commerce major Snapdeal today said it has picked up minority stake in hyper-local grocery delivery service, PepperTap, leading a USD 36 million funding round.The funding will be used to expand PepperTap’s presence to 75 cities from the current 18 cities, customer and talent acquisition, PepperTap Co-Founder and CEO Navneet Singh told reporters here.PepperTap, which is looking to raise up to USD 20 million more in 2-3 weeks, said the current round of funding saw participation from existing investors -– Sequoia India and SAIF Partners — as well as new investors like Ru-net, JAFCO, and BeeNext.“We have worked with Navneet and his team that also runs a logistics firm (Nuvo Logistics). Grocery is about 59 per cent of retail GDP in India and we are excited to be entering into a strategic partnership with PepperTap to tap this market,” Snapdeal CEO Kunal Bahl said.Snapdeal has been on an acquisition spree, beefing up its presence as it takes on players like Flipkart and Amazon in the burgeoning Indian e-commerce industry.This year alone, Snapdeal has acquired payments and mobile recharge startup Freecharge in a cash-and-stock deal (estimated at USD 400-450 million), MartMobi, Letsgomo Labs and Reduce Data.It has also picked up stakes in digital financial services platform RupeePower and logistics venture GoJavas.Founded in 2010, Snapdeal has over 90 million registered users (Freecharge included) and over two lakh business sellers.Snapdeal, which counts Japan’s SoftBank, Foxconn, Alibaba and eBay among its investors, has been scouting for acquisitions in mobile technology and supply chain space.“We will work towards accelerating growth at PepperTap. Grocery is going to be a big driver for online retail in India and we want to play a leading role in building a conducive ecosystem for further growth of e-commerce in the country,” Bahl added.PepperTap allows customers to choose from over 15,000 products across categories like daily use items, bath and hygiene products, fruits and vegetables, etc. It generates about 20,000 average transactions per day.PepperTap raised seed round of US 1.2 million from Sequoia India in November 2014 and Series A of USD 10 million from SAIF Partners and Sequoia India.“From less than USD 1 million GMV run rate at the start of fiscal 2015-16, we are solidly on track to end the year with a GMV run-rate of over USD 250 million.“Using the investments, we are looking at expanding our footprint to 75 cities in the next six months. We will also double our head-count from the current 3,000 in the same time frame,” Singh said.

AirAsia’s ‘Big Sale’ offer prices tickets at Rs 1,390; ‘free seats’ also available

Tony Fernandes' AirAsia has unveiled one of the biggest sale offers ever, putting up for sale 3 mn (30 lakh) seats, which includes...

Tony Fernandes’ AirAsia has unveiled one of the biggest sale offers ever, slashing airfares on as many as 3 mn (30 lakh) seats, which includes destinations in India and are priced as low as Rs 1,390.

As part of this mega sale offer, AirAsia has rolled out airfares for the Visakhapatnam-Kuala Lumpur flight for Rs 3,399 and for travel on Kochi-Kuala Lumpur sector the price of the ticket is Rs 3,699, the airline said here.

The bookings for the seven-days-Big Sale offer begins today for travel period from September 1 to May 31 next year, AirAsia said.

The highest fares under the sale bonanza have been offered for travel from Kolkata and Bengaluru to Kuala Lumpur at Rs 6,999 for (each sector) while the ticket price for Trichy and Hyderabad have been pegged at Rs 4,699, according to the airline.

Besides, the airline’s domestic subsidiary AirAsia India too has rolled out an all inclusive one-way fare starting from as low as Rs 1,390 for flights from Bengaluru to Kochi, Rs 1,690 from Bengaluru to Goa, Rs 3,290 from Bengaluru to Jaipur and Rs 3,490 from Bengaluru to Chandigarh and vice versa, the release said.

“Our amazing Big Sale will allow guests to plan their travel in advance with low fares. We are excited with the immense support and positive response we have received from our guests. At AirAsia India, we are constantly working towards making air travel affordable for every Indian,” AirAsia India chief executive Mittu Chandilya said.

In conjunction to the big sale promotion, free seats with zero base fares are also up for grabs for AirAsia Berhad flights from Kuala Lumpur to various destinations across the airline’s extensive network, such as Langkawi, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok, Bali, Hong Kong, Kalibo (gateway to Boracay), Melbourne, Seoul, Sapporo (transit via Bangkok), Taiwan and many others, the release said.

AirAsia India currently flies from six domestic airports – Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Pune.

Google Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X smartphones with ‘Marshmallow’ android unveiled

The Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X unveiled Tuesday are the first smartphones that will be sold with an Android upgrade called ''Marshmallow.''

GOOGLE is countering the release of Apple’s latest iPhones with two devices, Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X, running on a new version of Android software ”Marshmallow” designed to steer and document even more of its users’ lives.
The Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X unveiled Tuesday are the first smartphones that will be sold with an Android upgrade called ”Marshmallow.” It features changes that will give Android’s personal assistant, Google Now, expanded powers to explore the information that people call up in the mobile applications.
Google uses its Nexus line of phones to showcase how the company would like Android to be set up. Most phone makers, though, still take advantage of the freedom that Google gives them to alter Android.
Prices for the Nexus 6P start at $499 and at $379 for the 5X.

Apple Mac operating system update: 6 noteworthy features

The name of Apple's new Mac operating system 'El Capitan' says a lot about what to expect.

The name of Apple’s new Mac operating system says a lot about what to expect. ”El Capitan” won’t offer dramatic changes, but rather refinements and enhancements to the current Mac system, called Yosemite.

In real life, El Capitan is a rock formation in Yosemite National Park. It’s as though the new Mac system isn’t big enough to leave Yosemite.

Nonetheless, it’s an upgrade worth having after it’s out Wednesday, especially as it’s free. Though you’re not getting a lot of new functionality, El Capitan is packed with goodies that will shave off seconds here and there. Those seconds will add up.

Just back up your system before upgrading, and make sure any apps you use frequently will work with the new system. Sometimes, it takes app makers weeks or months to catch up, especially for non-Apple apps. Once you get El Capitan, here are six features worth checking out:

PINNING WEBSITES

A pin is like a bookmark on Apple’s Safari browser, except the website you’re pinning is always open and refreshing in the background. If you visit another website and come back, pins remember where you left off – as long as you don’t close the browser.

You might say this sounds like browser tabs. A key difference is when you click on an external link and leave a pinned site, the browser opens a new tab, so you don’t lose your place on the pinned site. With tabs, the new site sometimes replaces the site you were on.

MUTING AUDIO

As websites get aggressive at delivering video ads and content, audio might play automatically. This gets annoying if you’re watching video in another window. Safari now has a speaker icon to instantly mute all audio playing in the browser, without affecting audio elsewhere. With the computer’s mute button, it’s all or nothing.

If the video you’re watching is playing in the same browser, the audio for that will mute, too. It works better when playing video in a stand-alone app, such as iTunes. Or you can install a separate browser, such as Google’s Chrome, and play your Netflix or Hulu video there.

SCREENS AND SPACES

The Mac has long let you run multiple apps in separate windows, but you’ve been limited to one app when it’s in full-screen mode. This changes with El Capitan’s Split View, a feature Microsoft has had since Window 8’s release in 2012. Although you can come close to split screens by resizing two windows and placing them side by side, you now just need to press and hold the green button on the top left of an app’s window.

The introduction of split screens also uncovers a little-known feature called Spaces. If your desktop feels cluttered, you can spread your apps out in groups, or Spaces. One Space might be for your productivity apps, such as spreadsheets. Another might be for goofing off. If you’re on a laptop, it’s easy to switch by swiping three fingers on the touchpad left or right. That’s perfect for when your boss suddenly walks by.

BETTER NOTES
The Notes app has traditionally been little more than a word-processing app. Now, it’s possible to drag in photos, add map locations and create checklists. It’s also easier to sift through Web links and attachments you’ve added. The Notes app on iPhones and iPads got a comparable update, and your notes sync across Apple devices. You can also access them on Windows computers through icloud.com. Android users are out of luck.

SMARTER SEARCH

You can search for old documents using natural language, such as ”find me spreadsheets from March 2013.” The search tool also retrieves more types of information, including weather and stock quotes.

SHAKY CURSOR

No doubt you’ve had times you’ve needed to select text or move a window, but you have no idea where the cursor went. Now, just move the mouse back and forth rapidly, or swipe your finger back and forth on the touchpad if it’s a laptop. The cursor turns into a giant arrow for better visibility.

It might remind you of those giant foam fingers at parades and sports arenas. Freaky, but useful.

10 Things You Can Do To Keep Your Laptop Healthy..

A laptop is a beautiful piece of gadget. Compact, elegant and efficient, it packs the power of a big-guy-desktop in a small frame. Yes, a laptop is the Tyrion Lannister of the computing world, and it has to have a long life!

It is also a significant piece of investment, because, unlike desktops, spare parts are not easily replaceable, because they are so compactly set in the laptop chassis. This makes your laptop even more valuable.

Here are some tips to prolong Tyrion Lannister’s (AKA your laptop) life.

1. Don’t overcharge your battery

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Technically, overcharging a battery is not exactly possible with the new models that uselithium ion batteries. But, the circuit that protects the battery from overcharging may malfunction, which may lead to the battery heating up and subsequently, damaging it.

Lithium batteries perform the longest when they are 50 – 80% charged.

2. Clean your exhaust vents

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I know your seller advised you not to open your laptop, but you are not exactly doing anything other that cleaning the vents. Over time, a lot of dust is accumulated, which hampers the cooling of your processors. This, in turn, degrades them.

Learn to clean the cooling vents, and clear them from time to time.

3. Do not use a laptop charger that is not made by the original manufacturers

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A laptop battery charger made by the original manufacturers have to pass through strict quality checks to ensure that the electricity supplied does not harm your laptop in any way. The chargers that are not manufactured by the original manufacturers might not have undergone these checks, and could supply voltage that may harm your laptop.

4. Do not eat and drink near a laptop

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I know it’s awesome to eat snacks and watch a movie on your laptop or drink Red Bull when you are gaming, but what you are doing is incredibly risky. Assuming you do not own a laptop that is spill-proof, that Red Bull will definitely fry your computer to oblivion.

Even if it is spill-proof, there’s a good chance that the liquid made its way inside. Remember, it is spill-proof, not water-proof.

Keep food and drinks away from your laptop.

5. Keep it away from pets, and ants, and cockroaches

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Cockroaches eat anything. Literally anything. If they do not find conventional food to eat, they might just eat the insides of your laptop. Also, ants have been known to destroy electronics, chewing through the wires and causing shorts in the internal circuits.

-Another reason to start cleaning the inside of your laptop and not drop any food on it.

6. When adjusting the screen angle, do so by holding the middle of the screen edge

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Laptop screens are delicate. They are thin and light, and not that strong. And because the laptop has to be light too, its exterior is made from composite polymer, and not metal. Which means, the laptop screen is not made of something really strong either.

Most of the people I have encountered adjust screen angles by holding one of the top corners.

This is a wrong practice, because the opposite corner is not being pulled upon, so basically you are just bending your screen, which may damage it over time.

Hold the screen in the middle when adjusting the viewing angle.

7. Do not keep heavy objects on it

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Again, a laptop is a functioning piece of delicate machinery. It is not a book, on which you can keep many other books.

A heavy load on the wrong part may just damage it.

8. Use a cooling pad

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Unless you live in a place with sub-zero temperatures, the cooler your laptop is, the better. And if you live in India, or if you have an AMD processor, you are basically fucked in the summers.

Heat is bad for your laptop in the sense that it degrades the chips over time. The computer will not function at its optimum. Buy a cooling pad, and a good one at that. It transfers the heat efficiently away from the laptop’s surface, keeping it cooler.

9. When using it, do not accidentally cover the vent

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Due to the portability of the laptops today, many of us carry our laptops to our beds and watch a movie, or work on something snuggly. What we do not notice is that our blanket may be obstructing the exhaust vents.

Exhaust vents are what keep your laptop’s processor cool. It throws out the heat emanating from the processor. If you block this, your processor might overheat and your laptop may just turn off abruptly.

10. Keep the laptop in a place with good ambient temperature

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Again, heat is bad for your laptop. Cool is good. Keep your laptop in a cool place, away from direct sunlight.

Take care of your laptop. Like with everything in our lives, please do not take it for granted. Because like with everything in our lives, we will be sad only after we have lost it.

India climbs 16 places in WEF’s Global Competitiveness Index

In a rather dramatic turnaround, India has climbed a spectacular 16 places to the 55th position among 140 economies in this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index...

In a rather dramatic turnaround, India has climbed a spectacular 16 places to the 55th position among 140 economies in this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index, ending five years of decline.

The list was topped by Switzerland, followed by Singapore, the US, Germany and the Netherlands. Among the larger emerging markets, South Africa progressed seven places to 49th place, while China held steady at 28, Indonesia was 37th (down three) and Brazil was 75th, the WEF said.

India’s dramatic reversal is largely attributable to the momentum initiated by the election of Narendra Modi, whose pro-business, pro-growth and anti-corruption stance has improved the business community’s sentiment toward the government. The quality of India’s institutions is judged more favourably (60th, up 10), although business leaders still consider corruption to be the biggest obstacle to doing business in the country.

In a bid to help India leapfrog into the top 50 in the World Bank’s ease of doing business rankings by 2017 from the low 142nd (out of 189 countries), the Modi government, with the help of the bank, has carried out a state-wise assessment of implementation of business reforms. The sub-national exercise was also aimed at improving the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism to, in turn, push up India’s ranking.

According to the WEF, India’s performance in the macroeconomic stability pillar has improved, although the situation remains worrisome (91st, up 10). Thanks to lower commodity prices, inflation eased to 6% in 2014, down from near double-digit levels the previous year. The government’s budget deficit has gradually dropped since its 2008 peak, though it still amounted to 7% of GDP in 2014, one of the world’s highest (131st). Infrastructure has improved (81st, up six) but remains a major growth bottleneck — electricity supply in particular (91st).

The fact that the most notable improvements are in the basic drivers of competitiveness bodes well for the future, especially the development of the manufacturing sector. But other areas also deserve attention, including technological readiness. India remains one of the least digitally connected countries in the world (120th, up one), surprisingly for a country which is reckoned internationally as an IT powerhouse. Fewer than one in five Indians access the internet on a regular basis, and fewer than two in five are estimated to own even a basic cell phone.

Elsewhere in the world, the WEF report found worrying signs that a “new normal” of suppressed economic and productivity growth and persistently high unemployment is damaging resilience and leaving the world vulnerable to another protracted slump.

At a time when the government is pushing the ‘Skill India’ initiative on mission mode to help the country take advantage of the demographic dividend, the report has showed that India was ranked a poor 90th in higher education and training. In labour market efficiency, too, India is at a lowly 103rd, indicating the need for further labour reforms. Restrictive labour regulations, poor work ethics in labour force, inadequately educated workforce, insufficient capacity to innovate, complexity of tax regulations, inefficient bureaucracy, high tax rates, foreign currency regulations and difficulties in access to financing were also highlighted by the report as the most problematic factors for doing business in India.

10 Things You Can Do To Keep Your Laptop Healthy.!!!!!

A laptop is a beautiful piece of gadget. Compact, elegant and efficient, it packs the power of a big-guy-desktop in a small frame. Yes, a laptop is the Tyrion Lannister of the computing world, and it has to have a long life!

It is also a significant piece of investment, because, unlike desktops, spare parts are not easily replaceable, because they are so compactly set in the laptop chassis. This makes your laptop even more valuable.Here are some tips to prolong Tyrion Lannister’s (AKA your laptop) life.

1. Don’t overcharge your battery

Technically, overcharging a battery is not exactly possible with the new models that use lithium ion batteries. But, the circuit that protects the battery from overcharging may malfunction, which may lead to the battery heating up and subsequently, damaging it.

Lithium batteries perform the longest when they are 50 – 80% charged.

2. Clean your exhaust vents

I know your seller advised you not to open your laptop, but you are not exactly doing anything other that cleaning the vents. Over time, a lot of dust is accumulated, which hampers the cooling of your processors. This, in turn, degrades them.Learn to clean the cooling vents, and clear them from time to time. 

3. Do not use a laptop charger that is not made by the original manufacturers

A laptop battery charger made by the original manufacturers have to pass through strict quality checks to ensure that the electricity supplied does not harm your laptop in any way. The chargers that are not manufactured by the original manufacturers might not have undergone these checks, and could supply voltage that may harm your laptop.

 4. Do not eat and drink near a laptop

I know it’s awesome to eat snacks and watch a movie on your laptop or drink Red Bull when you are gaming, but what you are doing is incredibly risky. Assuming you do not own a laptop that is spill-proof, that Red Bull will definitely fry your computer to oblivion.

Even if it is spill-proof, there’s a good chance that the liquid made its way inside. Remember, it is spill-proof, not water-proof.

Keep food and drinks away from your laptop. 

5. Keep it away from pets, and ants, and cockroaches

Cockroaches eat anything. Literally anything. If they do not find conventional food to eat, they might just eat the insides of your laptop. Also, ants have been known to destroy electronics, chewing through the wires and causing shorts in the internal circuits.Another reason to start cleaning the inside of your laptop and not drop any food on it.

 6. When adjusting the screen angle, do so by holding the middle of the screen edge

Laptop screens are delicate. They are thin and light, and not that strong. And because the laptop has to be light too, its exterior is made from composite polymer, and not metal. Which means, the laptop screen is not made of something really strong either.

Most of the people I have encountered adjust screen angles by holding one of the top corners.This is a wrong practice, because the opposite corner is not being pulled upon, so basically you are just bending your screen, which may damage it over time.Hold the screen in the middle when adjusting the viewing angle.

 7. Do not keep heavy objects on it

Again, a laptop is a functioning piece of delicate machinery. It is not a book, on which you can keep many other books.A heavy load on the wrong part may just damage it.

 8. Use a cooling pad

Unless you live in a place with sub-zero temperatures, the cooler your laptop is, the better. And if you live in India, or if you have an AMD processor, you are basically fucked in the summers.

Heat is bad for your laptop in the sense that it degrades the chips over time. The computer will not function at its optimum. Buy a cooling pad, and a good one at that. It transfers the heat efficiently away from the laptop’s surface, keeping it cooler.

 9. When using it, do not accidentally cover the vent

Due to the portability of the laptops today, many of us carry our laptops to our beds and watch a movie, or work on something snuggly. What we do not notice is that our blanket may be obstructing the exhaust vents.

Exhaust vents are what keep your laptop’s processor cool. It throws out the heat emanating from the processor. If you block this, your processor might overheat and your laptop may just turn off abruptly.

 10. Keep the laptop in a place with good ambient temperature

Again, heat is bad for your laptop. Cool is good. Keep your laptop in a cool place, away from direct sunlight.

Take care of your laptop. Like with everything in our lives, please do not take it for granted. Because like with everything in our lives, we will be sad only after we have lost it.