Equity benchmark Sensex slumped over 1,000 points to sink below the 55,000-level on Friday, tracking deep losses in IT, finance, banking and energy stocks amid widespread selling in the global markets. A weak rupee, surging crude prices and relentless foreign capital outflows further weighed on sentiment, traders said. The 30-share BSE index ended 1,016.84 points or 1.84 per cent lower at 54,303.44.
Broader market outperformed the headline indices with BSE Midcap and Smallcap finishing the day 1.22%, and 1.54% higher, respectively
'The Indian government is better prepared this time and has reached out to all contenders and not putting all eggs in one basket.'
Among top losers that dragged down key indices were Infosys, TCS, Reliance, SBI, Tata Steel and ITC, falling up to 2.15 per cent.
Close on heels of the launch of Gift Nifty (earlier SGX Nifty), domestic exchanges are pushing for extension of trading hours for the onshore derivatives market, said sources. Bourses are waiting for a final approval from market regulator Sebi on the proposal to keep the derivatives market open for longer hours, they said. The move is aimed at attracting more trading members for onshore futures and options (F&O) contracts amid risk that global investors could prefer trading at Gift City given the tax benefits.
Fiscal deficit, a measure that tells if the government is spending within its means, was to come down to 2.5 per cent of GDP this fiscal, but would now be wide off the target at 6 per cent because of a fall in tax revenues, owing to the global financial meltdown, and measures to stimulate the economy.
Many promoters still consider the cash in the company as their money and are averse to sharing this pie with minority investors, points out Akash Prakash.
The Indian entrepreneurship success story will soon see one more company debuting on the public markets. Ola Electric, the electric vehicle (EV) company, has become the first such firm that has filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India for its initial public offering (IPO). This is a fresh issue of equity shares of up to Rs 5,500 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of more than 95 million equity shares at a face value of Rs 10.
Nifty PSU Bank index gained 1% led by Allahabad Bank, Andhra Bank, Syndicate Bank and IDBI Bank
Most Asian markets ended with gains.
HDFC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging around 5 per cent, followed by Kotak Bank, ICICI Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank. On the other hand, Titan, Nestle India, Ultratech Cement and Sun Pharma were among the laggards. NSE Nifty surged 128.05 points to its all-time peak of 16,246.85.
Exports had recovered in November to grow at 0.59 per cent from a 12 per cent contraction in October.
The rupee on Wednesday appreciated by 11 paise to 55.53 against the US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange, following a higher opening on the stock market amid selling of the American currency by exporters.
India is expected to ramp up its purchase of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the coming months following discussions between the two countries on the sidelines of the ongoing COP28 summit in Dubai, multiple sources in the know said. The UAE has historically been India's third-largest source of crude. It has suffered the largest drop in shipments since Indian refiners began to binge on Russian crude in 2022.
With the new Indian government showing signs of economic reforms and brings in transparency in governance, the World Bank feels that the world's third-largest economy could achieve a growth rate of 5.5 per cent this year as compared to 4.7 per cent last year.
The broader NSE Nifty gained 17.35 points or 0.16 per cent to end at 10,997.35.
Its 11MFY24 production is around 40.2 mt. In FY25, it could hit 50 mt and it may reach 55 mt by FY26. The PSU has capex plans for multiple projects, which should improve the product mix and augment capacity to 100 mt for FY30.
Silver, however, held steady at Rs 37,100 per kg
The Indian services sector activity fell to a six-month low in September, as new business inflows rose at the slowest rates since March, amid inflationary pressures and competitive conditions, a monthly survey said. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global India Services PMI Business Activity Index fell to 54.3 in September, from 57.2 in August, highlighting the weakest rate of expansion since March. For the fourteenth straight month, the services sector witnessed an expansion in output. In Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) parlance, a print above 50 means expansion, while a score below 50 denotes contraction.
The Nifty shut shop at 5270, up 17 points. The market breadth was marginally positive at close. Out of 2998 stocks traded on the BSE, there were 1680 advancing stocks as against 1217 declines.
The global smartphone market experienced its strongest ever growth since 2007 with sales of about 55.2 million units in January-March 2010.
Investors will keenly watch out for the Futures & Options expiry for July on Thursday
Losses at state-owned Indian Airlines Ltd, the country's largest domestic carrier, rose by half in the past financial year to March from the previous year as a global decline in tourism after September 11 hurt traffic.
State-owned companies have been set stiff targets to increase accountability as they get ready for divestment. Nikunj Ohri explains why meeting them will be challenging.
Maruti Suzuki, SBI, HDFC, Hero MotoCorp and Infosys too gained up to 2.55 per cent.
Among the Sensex firms, IndusInd Bank, Power Grid, Tata Motors, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, Nestle and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the major gainers. Infosys, State Bank of India, Tata Steel, Hindustan Unilever and Titan were the major laggards.
Big test for India, Eng; minnows likely to shake applecart
Ultratech Cement, TCS, Kotak Mahindra, M&M, Maruti, IndusInd Bank and Bajaj Auto were the prominent gainers. On the other hand, ICICI Bank, Nestle, Asian Paints, ONGC and ITC ended in the red.
The rupee on Friday again breached the 56-mark by losing 31 paise to 56.15 against the US dollar in early trade to hit a fresh one-week low, due to strong demand for the American currency from banks and importers.
Titan was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 3 per cent, followed by M&M, HUL, Maruti, Asian Paints and IndusInd Bank. Nifty fell 91 points to 17,157.40.
Moody's Ratings on Thursday raised India's GDP growth forecast for FY24 to around 8 per cent from 6.6 per cent on the back of strong domestic consumption and capital expenditure. The estimate comes a day after RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the economic growth in the current financial year could be close to 8 per cent in view of the third quarter GDP data released by the government. The latest estimate of Moody's is about 140 basis points higher than the earlier projection of 6.6 per cent made in November 2023.
After opening on a weak note, the 30-share BSE index settled 226.79 points, or 0.55 per cent, higher at 41,613.19 -- hitting an intra-day high of 41,697.03 and a low of 41,275.60. Likewise, the broader NSE Nifty closed 67.90 points, or 0.56 per cent, up at 12,248.25.
They will grow at 5.8 per cent a year.
IndusInd Bank was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 7.46 per cent, followed by SBI, Tata Motors, M&M, Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank and Infosys. In contrast, Tech Mahindra was the only winner.
India's services sector lost momentum in July as demand was curtailed by competitive pressures, elevated inflation and unfavourable weather, a monthly survey said on Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global India Services PMI Business Activity Index fell from 59.2 in June to 55.5 in July, pointing to the slowest rate of growth in four months. For the 12th straight month, the services sector witnessed an expansion in output. In Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) parlance, a print above 50 means expansion while a score below 50 denotes contraction.
Investors' wealth tumbled Rs 86,741.74 crore on Wednesday, mirroring weakness in the global equity markets amid escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The BSE benchmark Sensex slumped 1,227.18 points to 55,020.10 during the day in line with a global selloff. It finally settled at 55,468.90, lower by 778.38 points or 1.38 per cent. Surging crude prices and foreign capital outflows also weighed on investor sentiment.
Among the Sensex firms, Power Grid, UltraTech Cement, Titan, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, ITC and HDFC Bank were the major laggards. HCL Technologies, IndusInd Bank, Wipro, Nestle, Maruti, Larsen & Toubro and Asian Paints were among the gainers.
Among the Sensex firms, Reliance Industries, Maruti, Sun Pharma, State Bank of India, UltraTech Cement, Infosys, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Hindustan Unilever, ITC and HDFC Bank were the biggest gainers. Shares of Reliance Industries climbed 1.54 per cent, the most among the 30-share BSE constituents. Power Grid, Axis Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors were among the major laggards.
Top companies have grabbed a bigger pie of their sectors in the pandemic period, leading to a further rise in market concentration in many industries as measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI). The HHI score, which indicates competitive intensity in an industry (or a lack of it), reached a new high in FY21 as bigger firms raised their revenue market shares either organically or through mergers and acquisitions. A higher HHI score indicates a rise in market concentration in favour of a few firms while a lower score means that the industry's revenue is more evenly divided among many companies
The rupee weakened by 14 paise to close at a new lifetime low of 79.59 against the US dollar on Tuesday as a strong greenback overseas and persistent foreign fund outflows continued to weigh on investor sentiment. This comes a day after the RBI announced measures for international trade settlement in rupees. At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened weak at 79.55 against the greenback and witnessed an intra-day high of 79.53 and a low of 79.66.
