Life Insurance Corporation of India, which is among the largest property owners in India, is planning to acquire land worth Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) this year to develop commercial and residential complexes. This will be in addition to the Rs 1,100 crore (Rs 11 billion) it spent last year for purchasing lands across the country.
SBI's move may not have moved the farmers, who had stopped paying their monthly installments ever since Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced a Rs 60,000-debt waiver plan, but it did create a furore in political circles. Finally, Chidambaram, by his own admission, had to intervene and get SBI to roll back the move. For the 57-year-old SBI chief, who has earned an unprecedented five-year term, it proved to be a rare instance of being 'misunderstood'.
Conservative industry estimates place the cash component of mutual fund houses at Rs 25,000 crore (Rs 250 billion). Fund houses had up to 15 per cent in cash, as per the April 30 figures. The cash component exceeded 15 per cent in as many as 30 diversified equity growth funds.
Leading Indian public sector banks State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Syndicate Bank are close to committing a part of the $3 billion bridge loan that Tata Motors has to raise to finance the acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford.
Though the Reserve Bank of India decided to reduce the risk weight for home loans between Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million) and Rs 30 lakh (Rs 3 million) to 50 per cent, the possible benefit for banks seems to be more than neutralised by 75 basis point rise in cash reserve ratio and increase in the cost of resources, which is linked to yields on government bonds and competition, bankers said.
Index funds - the so-called passively-managed funds - are no longer a low-cost affair.
With little clarity on the list of companies that have mark-to-market losses on derivatives transactions, banks are now asking their corporate banking departments to scan the books of borrowers and also seek details of their foreign exchange exposure. Within this pie, banks are segregating companies with turnover of Rs 30-40 crore (Rs 300-400 million) to Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) and those which are above this threshold.
A host of public sector banks had cut interest rates in the earlier part of this year following an advisory from Finance Minister P Chidambaram in January. Private and smaller state-owned banks, however, did not cut rates.
Basel-II mandates banks to set aside more capital for advances to unrated companies. From Apr 09, the problem will grow bigger since all loans above Rs 20 cr will require similar treatment unless companies get themselves rated. Basel-II is the 2nd of the global banking accords that provide banks with guidelines to measure various types of risk they take. Indian banks have to be Basel-II-compliant from this fiscal. Banks will have to assign 20% risk weight to AAA-rated firms.
The growth in the first year premium (FYP), particularly in unit-linked insurance policies (ULIPs), of life insurance players, has been largely unaffected by the unprecedented stock market volatility in the last quarter. Sources at the Life Insurance Corporation indicated that the market conditions have not impacted the sale of ULIP products and the business growth was absolutely in sync with expectations. SBI Life registered a growth of around 90-95% in the quarter ended Mar
Lenders ask RBI to ensure cheaper credit for infrastructure sector. Banks say while hardening of rates may be required to combat inflation, even a 50 basis point rise could render many projects unviable. In a meeting with RBI, bankers factored in the impact of higher interest rates on most sectors as a part of the inflation management drive but indicated that the government & the central bank should take steps to ensure cheaper credit for building roads, power plants & ports.
While banks are busy firming up business plans for 2008-09, some of them have already conveyed to the Reserve Bank of India about prospects of a moderation in the credit growth. In March, many banks held talks with RBI on resource conditions and growth prospects. In fact, Bank of India has already scaled down the estimate for the current financial year to 17-18 per cent compared with the 24 per cent rise it had targeted in the just-concluded financial year.
The move is under consideration as the cash transaction reports just from commercial banks have shot up from 2.2 million to nearly 6 million for FY08. The number could go up further since data for the full financial year is still being compiled. Similarly, last year, the agency received more than 2,500 suspicious transaction reports from various entities in the financial sector, as compared with 817 in FY07.
Mutual fund houses are bullish on the financial sector, notwithstanding the recent beating at the stock market. Fund houses like Kotak Mahindra AMC, Sundaram BNP Paribas & LIC Mutual Fund have drawn up plans to introduce products aimed at the financial services sector. Bank stocks for long had been one of the favourite picks for many fund managers. There was a slowdown in valuations of financial sector stocks but Indian corporate entities still continue to remain attractive.
The move, if implemented, could change the way banks transact business. For starters, the loyal public sector bank customers could be the biggest gainers, with the Pay Commission recommending that government offices should stay closed only on the three national holidays -- Republic Day (January 26), Independence Day (August 15) and Gandhi Jayanti (October 2). All cheque clearances are expected to be faster and make money available in your accounts earlier than at present.
The mutual fund industry is certain that the Sensex, which plunged to below 16,000-level on Friday, has hit rock bottom and there is only one way the market would move from here, which is upward. The move to provide more disposable income in the hands of individuals is also good for the markets. The Asset Management Companies are of the opinion that the India growth story is definitely on as far as the medium-to-long-term future is concerned.
LIC will kickstart its credit card business in September 2008.
As volatility continues to plague the emerging markets, India has been the worst performer after Vietnam this year. The US credit crisis and fears of a recession in the world's largest economy is compelling the foreign funds to dump stocks.
Although the recent turmoil in the market is viewed as a correction by the large fund houses, they are yet to foresee any good news, at least for the time being.
Rejects proposals by Bank of India, IndusInd, Kotak Mahindra and HDFC.
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