A rollercoaster ride in the markets, German reprieve for the EU bailout, and a lot of stock-specific action…there was no shortage of talking points in the week gone by. Here's some of the buzz from the studio:

Aditi: It was a bull versus bear tug-of-war. Up one day, down the next all through the week. At the end of the roller-coaster ride and despite a sharp dip on Friday, the Sensex closed the week higher by around 292 points.

Vikram: Little consolation though, if you consider that this was the markets' worst quarterly performance since the financial crisis in late 2008. Till things stabilise on the global economic front, the markets may remain edgy.

Aditi: Agreed! No doubt the German parliament's approval for an increase in the EU bailout fund provides breathing space for countries such as Greece. But there is still a long way to go before Europe comes out of the woods. Besides, the economic travails of the US are far from over.

Vikram: Not to forget, our own set of troubles continues unabated. Despite all those rate hikes, latest numbers show food inflation at a high 9.13 per cent. Also, with the disinvestment programme coming unstuck and tax collections being lacklustre, the Government is set to borrow an additional Rs 53,000 crore this year. Clearly, all is not well.

Aditi: ‘All is well', claimed the Government after the supposed patch-up between P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee. The note by the latter's ministry containing not-so-kind words about Chidambaram's role in the 2G spectrum allocation raised a storm. Despite the contrived hug-and-make up, egos seem to have been bruised in the corridors of power.

Vikram: Bruised also were many stocks. Kingfisher Airlines, for instance. Markets seem to be thoroughly unconvinced that the company's move to do away with its low-fare Kingfisher Red will help it get out of the red. The stock has been hammered more than 20 per cent .

Aditi: Add to the list Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group stocks. After news surfaced that ADAG executives arrested in the 2G case may turn approvers, the group's scrips lost heavily. Reliance Capital was among the worst affected losing over 12 per cent on Friday.

Vikram: Mining stocks were also whipped, after the Cabinet nod for the new mining bill which envisages profit sharing of 26 per cent by coal companies and an amount equal to royalty by other miners. Coal India lost more than 5 per cent on Friday.

Aditi: Hey, there were some gainers too! Koutons Retail rose around 10 per cent after news that its debt recast plan was approved. And after its free fall last week, the rupee put up a fight and gained a modest 0.9 per cent against the dollar, though its still not within the comfort levels of most importers.

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