Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Most analysts hated this stock, yet it gained 1,500% in 5 years!

Stock investors are greedy people; nominal returns are not enough, only multibagger returns appeal to them. But more often than not, such a trade comes to light only after the stock has run the race.

Worse still, there is this rare occasion when most analysts are negative on a stock and yet it keeps rallying!

We all knew TVS Motor, but rarely talked about it as it was way down the order in the two-wheeler space. Look back and you realise this stock has delivered something like a 1,500 per cent returns in five years.

Missed opportunity? Ah, that can’t really give solace.

Shares of TVS Motor has zoomed 1,500 per cent in last five years (from Rs 33 level to Rs 535 level), compared with a 60 per cent rally in LML, 94.49 per cent jump in Bajaj Auto and 105 per cent surge in Hero MotoCorp.

Most analysts failed to see this stock surging. But they now believe while the company is on a firm footing, valuations are not comfortable enough for any significant upside potential from the current level.

“TVS’ numbers have been consistently very good. They have been performing very well. The company had some issues with the motorcycle volumes, but it was able to make up for it with scooters. I must admit that our call on TVS has gone wrong consistently, because from Rs 270 onwards, we kept a sell rating on TVS,” said Daljeet Singh Kohli of IndiaNivesh.

The stock was trading at Rs 535 on Tuesday.

Kohli said his thesis for the ‘sell’ rating was based on the fact that the stock was trading at twice the multiple of Hero Honda and Bajaj, whereas margin profile was half of theirs. Even return ratios were half of theirs. “Going by valuation theory and on pure fundamentals, it does not make sense to go for a company that is making half the margins to trade at double the valuation of its peer,” Kohli said.

The company reported 16 per cent YoY growth in two-wheeler sales in May at 2,82,007 units, against a 10 per cent drop in sales for Bajaj Auto and 9 per cent rise in sales for Hero MotoCorp.

P Phani Sekhar, Fund Manager, PMS at Karvy Stock Broking says Royal Enfield maker Eicher was more glamorous than TVS.

“The central problem with TVS was that it had a 6 per cent market share with 6 per cent Ebitda margin. Till it improved market share, margins could not have improved,” Sekhar said.

Kohli of IndiaNivesh said the market was probably looking at the volume numbers only, and the likely launch of a BMW bike (G310R).

That again is kind of a trigger for them.

“The stock is highly overvalued. We have been keeping a sell rating on it, and we will continue with that. We prefer Hero Moto to TVS and I think we will continue with that,” Kohli said.

Brokerage Sharekhan likes TVS Motor, as it believes in the company’s ability to gain market share consistently, propelled by new launches and its focus on the forthcoming high-margin premium motorcycle segment can help it improve margins.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Exotic-leaf paintings, tiger-print rugs, fern wallpapers ­ a green home gets a new meaning with the Jungalow trend

Welcome to the jungle




Exotic-leaf paintings, tiger-print rugs, fern wallpapers ­ a green home gets a new meaning with the Jungalow trend
To weather the super-hot summer ahead, turn your home into a cool forest. Don't think bungalow but Jungalow ­ the hot new décor trend. It's all about exotic escapism. LA-based designer and blogger Justina Blakeney coined the term “Jungalow“ ­ a portmanteau of jungle and bungalow. And soon it spread faster than a summer forest fire, with over 150,000 posts on #jungalow hashtag on Instagram. This trend is all about having nature's greens indoors to revive, restore and renew your energy.

LIVING ROOM SAFARI

To jump on the `Jungalow' safari, think leaf prints, animal photos and green and khaki colours. Get inspired by your zoology and botany classes. Think cushions printed with gorillas and monkeys, go for woven baskets or bamboo fruit baskets to bring in natural elements home.If you don't want to go overboard, just turn one corner of your home into a foresty space. Blakeney writes in her Jungalow blog: “Use abundance of colour and mix them with happy hues and vibrant combinations. Go for tropical printed wallpapers and use the busy foresty look which will make your home fresh and exciting.“

THE JUNGLE LIFE

Use indoor plants creatively to make your own indoor jun gle. How to do it? Use layers of lush-green potted plants in varying heights to create an illusion of a jungle. Hang plants from the roof or place them on windows. This also works as your natural air filter and prevents pollutants from coming into your home. From forest ferns to jute pots, bring anything rustic indoors.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

A quick guide on smart homes


As a rule, smart homes have various elements at physical, emotional and technical levels. They are sustainable, money-saving, adaptable, reinventable and tech-savvy.


Sensible planning 
Starting from the layout of walls and circulation to placement of every furniture and artefacts, sensible planning would be honouring the sensibilities of the occupier as finally it's his home and habitat. Proper utilization of light and ventilation so that the habitat's response to the environment is eco-friendly as this would mean less use of lights and air conditioning for sustainability. Sensible planning of services like electrical and plumbing can mean a user friendly life for years to come.

Minimising wastage
Minimising wastage of spaces in long corridors can be done by utilising the small offsets/ niches and alcoves. The floor of a small room can be made up by utilising the waste of all marbles from various rooms. Minimise wastage of time and resources from project inception can be done by proper scheduling, coordination and PMC.

Automation 
Even a small yet significant usage of a sensor that merely costs Rs 7000 per piece but can cause convenient function of turning on the light of a toilet at night when you walk in. Smart and complete integration of lighting, air conditioning, dimming and television all from your smart phone. Automation is concealed with hidden speakers, television in the form of mirrors, concealed set up boxes plus surveillance and security systems using fingerprints for access. Resources Does every wall need a panel? Or cladding? The answer is surely NO. Smart distribution of these expensive resources limited only to iconic and more viewed walls can help save a lot of resources.

Time-technology
Does the technology own your home or you? Are automation systems complicating the daily functioning? If yes then reinvent it. Proper planning of cables can help change automation from time to time with changing needs. If today, mood lighting for your den is a dim wall side wall washer; tomorrow as you age, it would be full bright lights, then you can change it. Provide for a centralized server room where all distribution boxes can be hidden and changed as per need from time to time.

Friday, June 2, 2017

Exploring why we value human, and avian celibacy

Who gives sex a bad name? Exploring why we value human, and avian celibacy, so very much

The primary reason for disgust is the close proximity between the sexual and excretory organs in the human body People revere celibacy as it represents the ability to control urges in order to achieve rewards and pleasures A retired high court judge from Rajasthan, Mahesh Chandra Sharma, broke the internet on Wednesday when he gave us a new lesson in avian biology - peacocks are celibate and peahens get pregnant by drinking the male bird's tears.

DIRTY TRUTH
Hilarious, but curious. Why are we culturally conditioned to see sex as something dirty (and even Western)? Why is sexual pleasure so unseemly and crude to us? And why is procreative sex the only sanctioned form? “The primary reason for disgust is the close proximity between the sexual and excretory organs in the human body,” says counseling psychologist Deepak Kashyap. He sees many patients who are unable to accept their sexuality as a normal part of their lives. “But on another level, we revere celibacy as it represents the ability to control ‘lower order' urges and impulses in order to achieve ‘higher order' rewards and pleasures,” he explains.

Kashyap also says that lack of a balanced approach to finding happiness and our limited self-awareness lead us to associate sex with shame and guilt. “We feel shame when we are unable to meet social standards and guilt when we fail to meet personal expectations,” he says explaining why people feel uncomfortable about the very idea of sexual pleasure.

Author Kiran Manral has another take on the matter. She feels it has more to do with how the female is perceived as a reproductive tool in a patriarchal society and how any feminine role beyond that is just a ploy to lead the male astray. “Women have been perennially depicted and castigated as the temptresses in even our mythology. Look at the many apsaras who were sent down from heaven to make the holy men break their meditation and not threaten the Gods,” says Manral explaining how misogyny is the basis for our obsession with celibacy. “Brahmacharya, if a choice, is always valid. What is not valid is distorting biology and basic reproduction facts,” she says questioning the rationale behind justice Sharma's remarks on peacock sex.

Wonder what peacocks have to say on the matter.

Importing formulated foods now easy



Patients suffering from rare metabolic disorders will now have to submit only a signed declaration

More than 500 inherited metabolic diseases are known in India. Some of the inherited metabolic diseases include galactosemia (carbohydrate metabolism disorder), Glycogen Storage Disease, phenylketonuria (amino acid metabolism disorder), methylmalonic acidemias (organic acid metabolism) etc. Patients suffering from such disorders are prescribed specially formulated foods by doctors, some of which may not be available in India.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS
New Delhi: For patients suffering from rare diseases, particularly metabolic disorders, procuring specially formulated foods from abroad has finally been made easy. On Wednesday, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an order to simplify the procedure of importing such special foods. The apex food regulator has said that now a signed declaration would be enough for bringing in these items to India from any other country.

“Patients with certain life-threatening diseases are sometimes prescribed by doctors special food formulations that are not manufactured in India, and are required to be brought in from other countries. It has come to the notice of the FSSAI that patients find it difficult to get these special food formulations due to lack of knowledge of import rules,” SK Yadav, Director (imports), FSSAI said in his order. “To make things easy, a signed declaration form to authorised officer of FSSAI/Customs submitted either personally or through email will be sufficient to import specially formulated foods for personal use,” he said in the order.

FSSAI has written to the Director (Customs), Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, and all officials of Customs Department working as Authorised Officers to circulate the order.

The order brings in hope to several patients and their families. Pooja Mehta, who lost her nine-month-old daughter Nanki to a metabolism and genetic disorder Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD), said that she welcomed the move.

“In India, we don not have suitable alternatives. We would have to import Nanki's food from the United States, which was a troublesome task. The move will help such patients,” said Mehta. The 28-year-old is also associated with Metabolic Errors and Rare Diseases organisation of India (MERD) India. The NGO has appealed to the government for making specially formulated foods available in India at nominal prices to make them within everyone's reach.

Siri Speaker will take on Google, Amazon




Apple's Siri speaker may use sensors that detect a room's acoustics Besides using virtual surround sound, the speakers are said to be louder and clearer. Apple is likely to allowthird party services like WhatsApp, Uber to build products for the speaker. The iPhone-maker has started manufacturing a long-in-the-works Siri-controlled smart speaker, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple could debut the speaker as soon as its annual developer conference in June, but the device will not be ready to ship until later in the year, the people said. The device will differ from Amazon.com Inc.'s Echo and Alphabet Inc.'s Google Home speakers by offering virtual surround sound technology and deep integration with Apple's product lineup, sources said requesting anonymity.

SOUND OF MUSIC
Introducing a speaker would serve two main purposes: providing a hub to automate appliances and lights via Apple's HomeKit system, and establishing a bulwark inside the home to lock customers more tightly into Apple's network of services. That would help combat the competitive threat from Google's and Amazon's connected speakers: the Home and Echo mostly don't support services from Apple. “This will be a platform for developing Apple's services,” says Gene Munster, a co-founder of Loup Ventures and former Apple analyst. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller declined to comment. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has emphasized Apple's services businesses over the past 18 months as iPhone sales slowed. He expects service revenue to double by 2020 from last year's $24 billion. A speaker may help keep customers loyal to service products such as Apple Music, a subscription music streaming offering that costs $10 per month. The speakers are likely be tucked into Apple's “Other Products” category, which currently includes devices like the Apple Watch, Apple TV and AirPods. That set of products generated $11 billion in sales last year. Inventec Corp., the Taipei manufacturer that already makes the AirPod wireless headphones, will add the speaker to its Apple repertoire, the people said. Apple employees have been secretly testing the device in their homes for several months, they said. The Siri speaker reached an advanced prototype stage late last year, Bloomberg News reported at the time. An Inventec representative didn't respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours in Taiwan. 

See it, shoot it, print it: Top four instant cameras




Instant cameras are a growing trend and can capture the moment instantly with hard copy photo prints, whether at parties or on a vacation! This year has seen instant cameras make a major comeback. These spur-of-the-moment snappers are often referred to as “Polaroid” cameras, after the brand that brought them to mainstream fame in the 1980s, but several brands have models available.

Fujifilm InstaxSquare SQ10
Fujifilm's latest instant camera is also the first hybrid square-format shooter. It has a digital sensor and new built-in image processing technologies. These help capture sharp and color-rich photos and maintain brightness levels in low light, as well as helping the autofocus track moving subjects. . The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ10 is out now priced Rs 18038. A 10-sheet pack of film costs Rs 1095.

Polaroid Snap Touch
No pick of instant cameras would be complete without a model from the format's pioneer, Polaroid, which is still present in the market with the Snap Touch. This compact camera fits comfortably in the hand and has a 13-Megapixel sensor and a 3.5-inch touchscreen, which is handy for cropping photos or applying filters. The Polaroid Snap Touch is priced Rs 11595. A 50-sheet pack of film costs about Rs 1610.

LomographyLomo'Instant Wide 
The Lomo'Instant Wide is a large-format instant camera. It has a range of interchangeable lenses (from ultra-wide-angle to close-up options) for shooting creative photos in all circumstances. The Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide sells for Rs 12820 with a 20-sheet pack of film available from about Rs 1095.

Prynt Pocket 
This isn't a camera but a portable photo printer to hook up to an iPhone. This accessory can print any photo, anywhere, anytime, directly from an Apple smartphone via the Lightning connector. A model for Android smartphones is expected soon. The Prynt Pocket is available for preorder priced Rs 9664. A 40-sheet pack of printer paper costs Rs 1288. 

Nokia 3310 back in stock in India

 HMD Global, makers of the new brand, just confirmed the iconic phone is available for buyers


HMD Global officially launched the iconic Nokia 3310 in India in May for a price of Rs 3,310. However, due to high demand, the Nokia 3310 was out of stock in a short period. Many users took to social media to vent out their disappointment. But now, HMD Global has officially confirmed that the device is back in stock in the country.

According to a report, HMD Global spokesperson said, “Since we first announced the Nokia 3310 we have experienced phenomenal demand. We thank all of our fans for the amazing response and want to let you know that it is currently in stock in top mobile stores across the country.” HMD Global may have raised a few eyebrows with its decision to resurrect one of the most iconic mobile phones in history, the Nokia 3310, but the demand for the feature phone has taken even the handset maker by surprise.

HMD hopes that its 22 hours of talk time and up to one month of standby time will heighten its appeal for customers looking for a break from smartphone overload or a reliable device for lively nights out.

Recently, Nokia also relaunched its classic 3310 phone in its home market of Finland, hoping a wave of nostalgia may boost the brand as it expands into newer smartphones.

‘Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh are vegetarians now'

‘Genelia and I are vegetarians now' Riteish Deshmukh talks about his and his wife's new lifestyle choice



Amitabh Bachchan, Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, and Anushka Sharma are some of B-Town's most popular vegetarians, And now joining their ranks is the Deshmukh couple - Riteish and Genelia. They have turned vegetarian in order to live a healthier lifestyle (he only eats eggs). I hate vegetables! It comes as no surprise that more and more people, including celebrities are ditching animal meat and products and going all green, but what comes as a surprise is that Riteish dislikes eating vegetables. “I hate vegetables, I can't eat them. After a long time, I've gone vegetarian. Earlier, I used to eat a lot of animal protein,” says the actor who turned vegetarian a few months ago. “Genelia is extremely great with diet, she's fantastic with nutrition. She knows all the things that you should and shouldn't eat. Every morning, I have a vegetable juice because I can't eat vegetables. All the vegetable that the body needs is blended together. That's the first thing I have... a big glass of raw vegetable juice. And in the night, before my dinner, I have a veg soup. It could be kale or any other vegetable. So that's my vegetable quota for the day.” Tough, but not impossible Wasn't it tough for a person who hates vegetables to go vegetarian? “It was tough, but it's not impossible. Both of us decided to go vegetarian because there was too much of non-veg food and you need to cleanse your body from all the toxic stuff that you're having, and it's good.” The wife is always right Riteish, who had turned vegetarian for a short time in 2011, reveals that it's Genelia who pushed him to eat healthy and be aware of nutrition. “Genelia suggested that I follow certain people on Instagram, who promote healthy eating. I realise that it's very important to be aware of what you're eating, to be aware about nutrition and eat healthy. It's great to see more and more people being aware of nutrition and leading a healthier lifestyle,” says Riteish. The 38-year-old actor who hasn't worked out in years, plans to get into the groove of working out soon.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Researchers train lens on ‘smartphone thumb'



To prevent problems, start by giving your thumbs a break, doctors said Mix up your method by using your forefinger or use your voice to dictate a message Perform daily stretching exercises with wrists and fingers that may help in preventing the condition Too much texting can give you “smartphone thumb” - a painful condition caused by repetitive movements of typing that may lead to arthritis in the thumb, according to doctors.

SAVE YOURSELF THE PAIN
The condition formally known as tendinitis was earlier only seen in factory workers. It causes the tendon that bends and flexes the thumb to become inflamed.

More and more people are complaining about this type of pain in their thumb each year, doctors said.

According to Kristin Zhao, Mayo Clinic in the US, “One of the hypotheses is that the joints get loose and lax, and because of that, the bones kind of move differently than they would in a normal situation.” Zhao and her team have been studying “smartphone thumb” for the last seven years.

They employed a dynamic imaging technique in 2010 to watch the bones of a healthy patient move so they could document what is normal and compare it with what is not.

Their observations: The movements we require our thumbs to make as we hold our phones are awkward. “It's also a movement that requires some force through the thumbs. It's not just free movement in space,” she explained.

“Our hypothesis is that abnormal motion of bones in the thumb could be causing pain onset and eventual osteoarthritis,” Zhao was quoted as saying by the ‘CBS Minnesota'.

Android co-founder Andy Rubin unveils ‘Essential' to cost Rs.45k

The smartphone is tougher than aluminium, and is available for pre-order from the company's official website

Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Android has introduced a new high-end smartphone called ‘Essential', which will compete with the Apple iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S8. The device was revealed by The Verge. The Essential is priced at $699 (approximately Rs 45,200). It will be available in Black Moon, Steller Grey, Pure White, and Ocean Depths colour variants. Additionally, the company has also unveiled a 360-degree camera and a wireless dock, which can be attached to the smartphone via a magnetic connector. The Essential is now available for pre-order from the company's official website.

The device is built around a titanium frame and the company claims that it is tougher than aluminum and also sports a ceramic back. However, there is no 3.5mm audio jack. The main USP of the device is the magnetic connector, which is placed on the top-right corner of the rear panel.

In terms of specifications, the device features a 5.7-inch QHD bezel-less display with a 2560×1312 pixel resolution. The screen also has a 19:10 aspect ratio. It sports Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The device will run Ambient OS, based on Android.

It comes equipped with a 13 MP dual RGB+ mono camera with image fusion technology, f/1.85 lens, and 4K video recording, along with an 8 MP front-facing camera with 16:9 aspect ratio and f/2.20 fixed hyperfocal lens. Connectivity features include Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with MIMO, NFC, 4G LTE, USB Type-C, and a fingerprint sensor. A 3040mAh battery completes the package.

Upcoming iPhone 8 to feature new display format



iPhone 8 to adopt new shape amd sport a different display, with 18:5:9 aspect ratio. New iPhone may have an optical fingerprint reader placed at the back of the device. We're already aware that Apple's upcoming iPhone will be radically different. A new report has now stated that the new device will be nothing like previous iPhones because it will adopt a new shape.

CHANGES GALORE
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has indicated a few design changes and new applications of the forthcoming iPhone. According to Forbes, Apple's next iPhone will not be similar in display like the previous devices and will sport a 18.5:9 aspect ratio like the LG G6 or the Samsung Galaxy S8.

The report added that the new aspect ratio allows manufacturers to increase the size of a smartphone display while keeping it narrow enough to hold one-handed and still use the keyboard comfortably. Additionally, the new iPhone will include a bold new design featuring an OLED display without a bezel. Apple might move the fingerprint reader to the back of the phone too. Apple will also bring ‘True Color iPad Pro' screen technology to its smartphones for the first time that uses advanced four-channel ambient light sensors to automatically adapt the colour and intensity of the display to match the light in your environment.

Apart from this leak, DigiTimes stated that the company will use an optical fingerprint sensor to enable authentication directly on the screen.

Here's how to avail Rs.1,500 discount on a OnePlus 3T


Soon after OnePlus announced that it would cut support for the OnePlus 3T to make way for the OnePlus 5, the company has introduced a new cash-back offer on the device. Those interested can purchase the OnePlus 3T (64GB variant) and receive Rs 1,500 off when using SBI credit card. The offer is available on the OnePlus online store.

According to the company, the offer is valid till June 4, and the cash-back amount will be credited to their account by August 31, 2017 respectively. At the moment, the smartphone is available at a price of Rs 29,999. After the offer, it will be priced at Rs 28,499.