"A few thoughts…" is a column that our CMD
Mr M.R. Jaishankar writes regularly for our house journal Brigade Insight. A few of his columns are reproduced here:

(April 2008)

Though the year 2008 started off well for the economy, the 'subprime' crisis in the United States and the short-term liquidity crisis (due to the Reliance Power stock issue) knocked the bottom out of the Indian Stock Market. This resulted in the sudden drop of Sensex by 30 per cent, as if to confirm the reality of globalisation and inter-dependence of the economies. The old adage—'If America catches cold, the whole world sneezes'—appears to still be true.

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Unfortunately, realty stocks were one of the worst hit and Brigade Enterprises' stocks were no exception. Only sustained, good performance can change the perception of the industry.

Although the Indian economy is doing well by and large, and a growth rate of 7+ per cent may still be possible during 2008, its inherent strength is under question.

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High economic growth results in higher inflation. Although some amount of inflation is acceptable, there is no consensus among economists on the acceptable percentage. In an election year, inflation is a touchy subject. Isn't moderate inflation better than stagflation?

In the law of averages, details get hidden. While the general inflation may be 7 per cent, in certain sectors like construction industry, it is much more. The recent unprecedented 50-60 per cent jump in steel prices was a shocker. So also the salary jumps in the sector, which has overtaken the rates of software industry (this might make more students opt for civil engineering field, instead of the fancied computer science). All this is making the developer community think of introducing an escalation clause in the agreements, with a formula linked to the wholesale price index of the RBI. Otherwise, it will be impossible to absorb the cost increases during a typical 18-36 months' project period, that too after giving hefty discounts for pre-launch and introductory bookings.

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Election fever in Karnataka is on a high! Kannadigas certainly deserve a single-party government and a better deal. The negative effect of the coalition government is there for all to see. Bangalore is losing its pre-eminent status as the best city in the country. One should pray that a single party will come to power in assembly elections in May. (But God helps those who help themselves). It is important that citizens should exercise their franchise by voting for the right party/candidate.

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Brigade has posted fairly good results for the year ended 31 March 2008. We will be launching a few medium-sized projects in the months ahead, and are gearing up to launch a few large projects in Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore. It is high time the master plan for the Inter-national Airport Planning Area is released by the government. Otherwise, it will lead to unplanned growth and unauthorised structures. No point in 'locking the stables after the horses have bolted'.

April 2009
December 2008
September 2008
December 2007