STOCK PRICES - An Economic Indicator

The stock prices of a company are determined by supply and demand. Supply is number of shares a company has issued and demand is the want/need of people to buy those shares from investors who own them. If more people want to buy the stock than sell it, then the price shoots up. Supply of stock is limited and hence now to be able to buy a stock, someone has to sell the stock. But if the people are not ready to sell the stocks at the current prices, then the prices rise and keep rising until the tendency to sell the stock comes. When the price goes very high that a buyer no longer wants to posses the stock, the price starts falling.

On the other hand if the supply(selling) increases than demand(buying), the price of stock falls. Beyond the factor of mere demand supply chain in the stock market, the price of the stock is majorly influenced by the earnings of the company. Earnings of a company are the profit/loss the company earns at the end of a financial year. A good high earning for the company (i.e.profits), breaking the estimates of the analysts, the stock prices of the company rises.


Also, prediction of a company's earnings in the near future can influence the stock prices. Rise in the earnings in the future could increase the price of stocks and vice-versa. A company future earnings growth/fall is determined through P/E Ratio by the investors.


             P/E Ratio = Market Value per Share / Earnings per Share (EPS)



Higher P/E suggests growth in the earnings of the company than a company with low P/E.


Indicators of an economy are the ones that undergo changes before the entire economy changes. Stock markets have been the leading indicator of future economy of the nation. Decline in stock market indicates a low economy in the future, whereas, rising stock markets promise a growing/recovering economy. Fall in the stock prices indicate that the business is making less money, rise in unemployment, and fall in the purchasing power of the public leading us towards an economic downfall in the nation.

                                 Mobile Healthcare in India

The practice or the process of utilizing health and medical facilities through mobile devices is called as Mobile Healthcare(mHealth). This technology has taken it's place largely in nations like Africa, America, China and Bangladesh. mHealth is not only available through mobiles, but also through any wireless like Tablets, Laptops, PDAs  monitors for any health service to be provided or for any health related information to be gained. This technology though was introduced for developed nations, is more highly now used by many developing nations due to the rapid growth of cellphone usage that has increased even in low-income nations.
 In India, though there are various advanced technologies used in the Health sector, the accessibility to the technology is low. A nation with more of middle and low-income people, the mobile healthcare has been a step towards the betterment of primary health care in rural and urban slums. In 2005, upon a partnership with UK, India introduced a mHealth technology where a person's vital signals including complex ECG could be transferred to any clinic or hospital nearby through mobile phones. This project has been taken into a serious account and has already started its way to further implication across the nation. Now, at a time where such developments are taking place increasing the ratio of gap in patient-doctor interaction, how much can India benefit through this advance technology in the fields of health and technology?
  Considering the fact that the mHealth has a major drawback when it comes to authenticity of the information provided, (for example, connecting phone to Bluetooth for healthcare information will lead one to chaos and confusion), India is another country with the highest usage of mobile and mobile services/apps. The accessibility to medical services/information through mHealth will be wide, provided the information given is original. Introduction of mHealth has had a negative impact on the doctor-patient relationship in recent years, urban D-P ratio is 1:8 and in rural the ratio is very steep. Any emergency situation can be easily handled now with a medicare app in mobile instead of waiting for the ambulance to arrive fighting the heavy traffic on Indian roads. Mobile healthcare facility is not only used to provide health services  but also to inform and keep the public alert about any initiative in the medical field across the nation. The introduction Doctor SMS is Kerala where information regarding polio drops given by government are passed through this app to every mobile, is one such example.

 mHealth's future in India can be analysed to have a growth in the upcoming years as the users of smart phones and smart apps is increasing at a rapid pace in the nation. With the changing lifestyle of India, public is more conscious about health and fitness today, people today prefer to get effective information as quick as possible instead of waiting to fix an appointment with doctors in clinic on a fine Sunday morning. With the use of mHealth not only has it been able to provide immediate services but also has successfully been able to keep the society aware of any new illness and its remedies.