Agonising Dullness


integrity and a sense of civic obligations. Social responsibility of business is not something to be just talked about from platforms and in seminars or something to be forgotten after framing so-called codes of conduct; it needs to be honestly discharged in practice. To prove its bonafides, management should begin with a drastic reduction in its remuneration and perquisites by, say, at least 50 per cent. As it is, the MARKETS IT has been one more week of agonising dullness for stock markets though trading has not been altogether without some bright spots. With the temporary 'freezing' of over Rs 20 crores of investible funds in the new issues, a decline in turnover on the stock exchanges was not unexpected. This apart, there was very little in the week's news which could give the market a big push either side. Corporate news, though encouraging on the whole, provided a mixed fare. Most of the time equities drifted aimlessly with a subdued tone it was only near the weekend that the market turned steadier on selective support, with LIC named us one of the buyers. However, despite the weekend rally, net changes over the week showed a mixed pattern, reflecting the prevailing mood of indecision.