Tag Archives: fall

Signature Global’s Q3 Sales Bookings Fall 27% Despite Festive-Season Demand

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Gurugram-based real estate developer Signature Global reported a sharp year-on-year decline in sales bookings for the October–December quarter, a period typically marked by robust housing demand due to the festive season.

In a regulatory filing on Sunday, the company said sales bookings fell 27 per cent to ₹2,020 crore in the December quarter, compared with ₹2,770 crore in the corresponding period of the previous financial year. The number of housing units sold during the quarter plunged to 408, from 1,518 units a year earlier.

Measured by area, sales bookings declined to 1.44 million sq ft, down from 2.49 million sq ft in the year-ago quarter.

The October–December period is traditionally considered one of the strongest quarters for residential real estate sales, driven by festival-related buying. However, the company did not spell out any specific reason for the slowdown in its exchange filing.

Rolls Out New Projects

Industry observers point to the timing of new launches as a possible factor. Signature Global rolled out a major housing project on the Dwarka Expressway only toward the end of December, which may have curtailed sales momentum during the quarter.

For the first nine months of the current financial year, the company’s sales bookings declined 23 per cent to ₹6,680 crore, from ₹8,670 crore in the same period last year. Unit sales during this period also more than halved to 1,746 units, compared with 3,539 units a year ago.

Commenting on the performance, Chairman Pradeep Kumar Aggarwal said the company had delivered a healthy showing in the first nine months of FY26, supported by steady demand across its key micro-markets. He added that the launch of the wellness-focused premium project, Sarvam at DXP Estate on the Dwarka Expressway, had received an encouraging response, underlining evolving buyer preferences.

Signature Global had posted sales bookings of ₹10,290 crore in the previous financial year, ranking it as the fifth-largest listed real estate developer by sales. For the current 2025–26 fiscal, the company has guided for sales bookings of ₹12,500 crore, implying that it will need to clock close to ₹6,000 crore in sales in the ongoing quarter to meet its annual target.

Despite the fall of Assad, the illicit drug trade in Syria is far from over

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Despite the current government’s hostility to the trade, the country remains a hub for the production and distribution of the drug.

During the country’s long-running civil war, the Assad regime was hit by sanctions and diplomatic isolation, and the trade in Captagon is believed to have brought in billions of dollars for the dictator and his allies.

The country’s attitude towards the trade changed markedly after the fall of Assad in December 2024, and the rise to power of a transitional government led by members of the Islamist group HTS and comprising members of many of Syria’s ethnic groups. The current administration has pledged to disrupt the supply chain and has demonstrated this by publicly destroying large quantities of seized Captagon.

Thousands of people gathered in Damascus on Friday to celebrate the fall of the Assad regime.

However, the most recent edition of the World Drugs Report, released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on 26 June, warns that Syria remains a major hub for the drug, despite the crackdown.

Ahead of the launch, Angela Me, the head of social affairs at UNODC, talked to UN News about the continued use of Captagon in the region,

Angela Me: Captagon is a stimulant, similar to methamphetamine, which is taken as a pill, and for many years it has been the main drug of concern in the Gulf state and parts of North Africa.

It was called the “Jihadi pill” after it was found that the perpetrators of some terrorist attacks had used it. On the battlefield it helps to maintain energy, which is one reason it is so widespread. But users quickly become dependent, and it causes physical and mental health problems.

UN News: The transitional government of Syria has indicated that they do not tolerate this trade, but your report shows that Syria is still a big hub for Captagon. Who is producing and selling?

Angela Me: There is a lot of uncertainty around that. We see a lot of large shipments going from Syria through, for example, Jordan. There are probably still stocks of the substance being shipped out, but we’re looking at where the production may be shifting to. We’re also seeing that the trafficking is expanding regionally, and we’ve discovered labs in Libya.

UN News: Given the large amounts of money generated by drugs, are there still groups in Syria that would like to carry on the trade in the parts of the country they control?

Angela Me: Definitely, and not only in Syria, but also in the wider region. These groups have been managing Captagon for a long time, and production is not going to stop in a matter of days or weeks.

We are helping countries to tackle the problem from an organised crime perspective, to understand the criminal groups involved, so that they can design responses and solutions: our research shows that there is not one single response to dismantle the groups.

We also help law enforcement to connect with their peers in the region, because this is not a national problem. It’s clearly a transnational problem which goes beyond the Middle East; we have been seeing Captagon traffic through Europe, for example.

Another way we can support is by addressing the health-related issues, sharing evidence-based treatment that can really help people to recover from their dependence on the drug.

Indian Rupee to Touch 70 Per US$ in 2017: Reuters Poll

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After demonetisation, all calculations and projections have been turning red and even on forex front, the Indian rupee is seen dwindling further in value to about 70 per US dollar in 2017, said a poll-based survey by Reuters.

“The rupee is expected to fall further against the US dollar this year to a record low, hit by rising global bond yields and an economic blow from New Delhi’s dramatic currency crackdown launched two months ago,” said the Reuters poll.

“It is expected to fall further to 69.50 by year-end. That 12-month consensus is the weakest for several years and would mark a record low,” it said. Quoting a poll conducted three months ago, Reuters Polling team said three months back the view in a Reuters poll was for the rupee to trade at 67.73 in 2017.

In the year 2016, the rupee remained stronger with variance at below 2 percent, which was better than most of the regional peers making the India’s economy the fastest-growing in Asia. But the election of Donald Trump in the US presidential election and the effect of demonetisation by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have reversed the expections, said the report.

“We see a less rosy scenario in the capital account and current account front in the coming two years, with global bond yields and money flowing back to the US,” said Bhupesh Bameta, head of FX research at Edelweiss Financial Services in Mumbai, participating in the poll.

Since demonetization has roughed up many savings avenues, the attraction for gold may come back again, he added.