Figure Watch

Pat on the backAtilde;?In the private sector, it was mainly the foreign companies or MNCs that saw a substantial rise in profit after tax in the second half of 1998-99 and in the first quarter of the current fiscal. This sector saw a 74 per cent rise in PAT in second half of 1998-99 and 33 per cent in the first quarter to 1999-2000.

According to figures provided by the latest monthly review of the CMIE, the PAT of manufacturing companies rose by 4 per cent in the first quarter of the current financial year, as compared to -17.3 per cent in the second half of fiscal 1999.

Interestingly, the PAT of the top 50 houses in the private sector dropped by 23 per cent. The government sector performed better with a 3 per cent rise in PAT.