Top 10 biz headlines: Dip in equity flows, India's HDI ranking, and more

From Fireside Ventures' investment in start-ups to Kochhar challenging RBI's decision to terminate her, here are the top 10 business headlines for the day

Equity flows see sharpest dip in 3.5 years, slip 78% in November

Equity mutual fund (MF) schemes recorded worst inflows in three and a half years at Rs 1,311 crore for November. It was 78 per cent low compared to the preceding month. Despite the drop in equity inflows, the assets under management (AUM) for the industry soared to a record high of Rs 27 trillion, thanks to over Rs 50,000 crore of net inflows in debt schemes. Read more.

Kochhar challenges RBI decision to terminate her; HC seeks response

Chanda Kochhar, former managing director and chief executive officer of ICICI Bank, on Monday challenged the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) approval in terminating her. She said the move was illegal and had no legal base. Read more.

Amazon, Flipkart planning to help SMEs go digital and grow their businesses

American rivals Walmart and Amazon are finally walking the common line, at least while dealing with small traders and corner stores in India. Having faced the heat from domestic trader lobbies, Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart on Monday organised two separate events to spread the word that they would help small and medium enterprises go up the tech ladder and grow their business. Read more.

India set to be among top advertisement markets in 2019: GroupM and Zenith

Media agencies GroupM and Zenith on Monday said India would be among the top advertising markets in the world next year despite weak domestic economy. WPP-owned GroupM projected a 12-13 per cent growth rate for the local advertising market in 2020, in line with 2019, taking its overall size to nearly Rs 95,000 crore. Read more

Fireside Ventures to invest in 20 start-ups in superfoods, fashion segments

Expanding its portfolio across the consumer wallet, early-stage venture investment fund Fireside Ventures is looking to invest in superfoods, personalised beauty, and fashion start-ups from its second fund. The Bengaluru-based firm says these areas will be the new frontrunners in the consumer segment. Read more.

Ranked 129, India marginally improves in human development index in 2018

India's ranking in the human development index (FDI) improved marginally by a notch to 129 in 2018, showed a report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday. Read more.

Goyal says tit for tat to countries discriminating with Indian companies

Any country discriminating against Indian companies in the award of contracts would not be allowed to participate in public procurement contracts, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday. Read more.

Govt limits stock holding for onion retailers to 2 tonnes to curb hoarding

The Centre on Monday further reduced the stock holding limit for onion to 2 tonnes from 5 tonnes for retail traders as part of efforts to check hoarding and boost domestic supply of the kitchen staple. Read more.

FDI Limit in Insurance Cos may Rise to 74%

There may be an increase in the overseas investment limit in insurance to 74% in the February budget, up from 49% now, possibly paving the way for foreign control of companies, according to a report by The Economic Times.

Sebi sends show-cause notice to 10 entities for WhatsApp leaks

At least 10 entities and individuals have been sent show-cause notices by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in the case of unpublished financial results finding their way to private WhatsApp groups, according to a report by LiveMint.