Sterlite to discuss share buyback
The board of Sterlite Industries has notified the BSE that it will meet on October 31 to consider a share buy-back. The board will also approve the unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended September 30, 2000.

Devonshire to pick Times Guaranty stake
The Devonshire Capital Group will acquire a 74.92 per cent stake in Times Guaranty Ltd, a company promoted by Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd. Devonshire Capital Group is a privately-owned investment and merchant banker which has an integrated network of offices located in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

CBI match-fixing report on Oct 25
The CBI report on match-fixing being submitted to government on Wednesday names five Indian players and a former cricket official, agencies said. The report, which will contain statements of several cricketers, administrators and bookies, will be submitted on October 25.

IDBI norms for funding films in 60 days
IDBI will finalise its norms for funding the entertainment industry including exploring possibilities of venture capital support within the next two months. "Entertainment industry is a high risk business...we will identify the areas and formulate guidelines within two months", CMD GP Gupta said.

Aptech third quarter net up 68%
Aptech Ltd's global revenue has shown a 41.3 per cent growth to Rs 188.16 crore for the third quarter ended September 30, 2000 from Rs 133.2 crore in the similar quarter of the previous year. The company's net profit is up 68.6 per cent to Rs 25.35 crore in the current third quarter from Rs 15.03 crore against that of the previous year. Gross profit after interest but before depreciation and tax has shown a 61 per cent growth to Rs 38.61 crore in the third quarter against Rs 23.98 crore of the third quarter of previous year.

Asian Paints net rises 28%
Asian Paints net profit has risen 27.7 per cent to Rs 30.46 crore in the second quarter ended September 30, 2000, against Rs 23.86 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. Net profit for the first six months stood at Rs 49.01 crore, a 24 per cent jump as compared to Rs 39.51 crore for the same half last year.

EID Parry H1 turnover rises to Rs 651 cr
EID Parry (India) Ltd, the flagship company of the Chennai-based Rs 3,800-crore Murugappa Group has reported a marginal growth of 6 per cent in turnover, clocking Rs 651 crore for the first half year ended September 30, 2000.

Honda Siel, MUL top JD Power survey
Honda Siel and Maruti Udyog rank among the highest at 115 in the customer satisfaction survey, four index points better than the industry average, according to the JD Power 2000 India Customer Satisfaction Index announced on Monday.

FII sales pulls down market
Sentiment in the stock markets remained lacklustre on the opening day of the week as fresh FIIs selling pulled down the Sensex by 73 points.