Investors with a horizon of 6-12 months can consider following scrips for their investment. These companies have potential to give higher returns than index over a long term.

TATA Steel has achieved its target of 708

RPG Group firm KEC International Ltd has won three new orders collectively worth Rs 379 crore. Two of the orders are from Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) in the transmission segment and the third is from NMDC Ltd in the Balance of Plant segment.

State-run Allahabad Bank plans to increase its branches by 25% in the next few quarters to raise deposits and loans in a sector where profit margins are under pressure. The bank plans to add 600 branches and 1,800 automated teller machines (ATMs) to dispense cash that will help it expand in smaller cities which are growing faster than the metros as incomes rise. It has 2,400 branches and 212 ATMs now.

Berger Paints Ltd is planning to set up 300 exclusive franchises in one year. The company would set up such shops in the first phase in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat after test marketing in Tamil Nadu.

Amrutanjan, makers of traditional pharmaceutical products, has entered into an agreement with US-based Austin Chemical firm to form a joint venture for strengthening its chemical business.

Economy Highlights

Declining for the second week in a row, food inflation fell to 15.52 per cent for the week ended January 8, though vegetable prices, especially that of onion, continued to remain high. The decline in food inflation is mainly due to falling prices of pulses, wheat and potato, according to the official data released today. Food inflation, having touched 18.32 per cent for the week ended December 25, had declined to 16.91 per cent on January 1.