Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed with losses in a choppy trade on Thursday as investors preferred a cautious approach ahead of inflation and industrial production data to be released later in the day. Unabated foreign fund outflows also hit the investor sentiment. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined by 147.47 points or 0.25 per cent to settle at 59,958.03.
India's largest private cellular operator Bharti Airtel on Tuesday posted a net profit of Rs 1,215 crore (Rs 12.15 billion) for the quarter ending December 31 -- a whopping 123 per cent increase from last year.
The man: Manoj Kohli, the affable CEO of Bharti Airtel's international business. The challenge: Replicate Bharti's low-cost operational model so successful in India across 16 diverse African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Congo.
Equity benchmarks bounced back to end in the positive territory after trading lower for most part of the session on Thursday. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 223.60 points or 0.37 per cent to settle at 61,133.88. During the day, it had declined 431.22 points or 0.70 per cent to 60,479.06.
Domestic stock markets would be driven by inflation numbers, global trends, and the last batch of Q4 earnings this week, analysts said. Markets will also react to industrial production data and consumer inflation numbers that were released after market hours on Friday. "Participants will react to macroeconomic data viz. IIP and CPI first, which were released post-market hours on Friday.
Reliance Jio's decision to acquire 700 MHz in combination with the possible use of an advanced standalone (SA) 5G network could give it an edge over its rivals, according to most analysts. The dissenters argue that the stiff price tag touching Rs 40,000 crore to grab 10 MHz of spectrum in 700 to provide coverage for its SA 5G network which offers ultra-low latency (unlike non-standalone or NSA), has a long way to go in India in terms of finding use cases that can be monetised. Globally, 700 MHz is a pivotal band which provides huge coverage, indoor penetration (especially useful in India where walls are thick) and is already considered by the European Union to be the 'pioneer band' for 5G, with 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz, both of which were auctioned in India recently.
India's leading private sector telecom services provider, Bharti Airtel on Friday reported a whopping 98 per cent net profit at Rs 1,353 crore (Rs 13.53 billion) for the fourth quarter ended March 31, compared to the same period last year.