Two-wheeler exports from India fell by 17.8 per cent to 3.65 million units in 2022-23 (FY23), according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) on Thursday. This decline is due to a rise in global inflation and the weakening of economies and currencies in key export markets of Africa, Latin America (LatAm), and South Asia. In contrast to FY23, two-wheeler exports from India jumped 35.4 per cent to 4.44 million units in 2021-22 (FY22).
Bharti Airtel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, slipping around 1 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, HDFC Bank, Infosys, HDFC, Bajaj Auto and PowerGrid.
The stock exchange on which they are traded boasts higher profits than most of the companies whose shares are hitting new highs. Only 37 of approximately 2,000 listed companies with comparable data for 2022-23 (FY23) reported higher profits, while the rest had lower profits. Despite rising corporate profitability, the universe of companies that outperform the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in terms of profitability has been shrinking of late, according to an analysis of companies with comparable data over the past seven years.
For the younger Bajaj sibling, life after Bajaj Auto is all about revving up the financial services business.
The K-shaped economic recovery in India from the pandemic slowdown shows in corporate results as well. The automobile sector, which represents big-ticket consumption, continues to do well and has increased its share in corporate revenues and profits while fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies that sell low-ticket consumer goods are struggling with poor sales and earnings growth. The share of the automobile sector, including makers of auto ancillaries, in corporate net sales rose to a 10-quarter high of 10.05 per cent during July-September 2023 (Q2FY24) from 8.94 per cent a year earlier and 9.75 per cent in Q1FY24.
The two-wheeler sector has been underperforming its peers on the volumes front for over five quarters now. Even in the March quarter, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp posted a 17-24 per cent YoY decline in volumes, the sharpest in the listed auto universe. The ongoing impact of frequent price hikes, all-time high fuel prices, and muted rural sentiment has led to the lacklustre showing by two-wheeler makers. What has aggravated the situation for two-wheeler companies, which get almost all their sales from the internal combustion engine or ICE-based units, is the traction for electric two-wheelers (EV).
Tata Steel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 4 per cent, followed by Kotak Bank, Bajaj Auto, M&M, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Industries, IndusInd Bank and Maruti. NSE Nifty declined 70.75 points to close at 16,983.20.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), the country's second-largest two-wheeler manufacturer, is planning to launch its first electric vehicle (EV) here by March next year, said CEO & MD Atsushi Ogata on Monday. The company would also enter the low-end motorcycle market in March by launching a 100cc engine bike at a price that will "positively shock" customers, he said while speaking with reporters, after launching the Activa with Honda Smart Key. HMSI's first EV, an electric scooter, will have a fixed battery and the second model will have two swappable batteries, Ogata explained.
Bajaj Finance was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 5 per cent, followed by IndusInd Bank, Tata Steel, ITC, Bajaj Finserv, Tech Mahindra and Infosys. On the other hand, Maruti, Bajaj Auto, Nestle India, PowerGrid and Axis Bank were among the laggards.
PowerGrid was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 4 per cent, followed by NTPC, Tata Steel, Bharti Airtel, Sun Pharma and Bajaj Finserv. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, Asian Paints, Infosys, Bajaj Auto and Maruti fell up to 2.59 per cent.
Nifty50's earnings growth, estimated at 20 per cent by global research and brokerage firm Jefferies for financial year 2023-24 (FY24), will be amongst the top three in the Asian region, and is likely to outperform peers. Asean 40 index with 29.1 per cent estimated earnings growth and Straits Times Index (STI) with 29.1 per cent estimated earnings growth are the only two other indices in the Asian region that are likely to outperform India, suggests the recent Jefferies report, coauthored by Mahesh Nandurkar, their managing director along with Abhinav Sinha and Nishant Poddar.
Kotak Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 1 per cent, followed by ICICI Bank, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Auto, Mahindra and Mahindra, SBI and Axis Bank. NSE Nifty tumbled 66.25 points to 15,748.45.
The previous two sessions have seen benchmark indices, the BSE Sensex and Nifty presenting signs of fatigue, reaching closer to its all-time highs level. Both indices are down approximately 1 per cent from recent highs and 2 per cent away from reaching a new peak. This has led to confusion on the street about its ability to reach another milestone. The present bullish trend in the leading indices; which has displayed smart recovery since late March this year, remains intact as the market breadth continues to stay elevated.
IndusInd Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 3 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, Bajaj Auto, HCL Tech, Sun Pharma and Tech Mahindra. On the other hand, HDFC twins and Bajaj Finance were the gainers.
Tata Steel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, plunging over 8 per cent, followed by SBI, Dr Reddy's, Kotak Bank, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Auto and L&T. NSE Nifty declined 118.35 points or 0.71 per cent to 16,450.50.
Titan was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 5 per cent, followed by Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Finserv, SBI, Nestle India, ITC, Axis Bank and Tata Steel. Nifty rose 46 points to its fresh closing peak of 17,991.95.
Nestle was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 2 per cent, followed by Maruti, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Auto, TCS and L&T. NSE Nifty slipped 8.60 points to 17,353.50.
Automobile manufacturers are likely to report strong numbers for the September quarter of Financial Year 2023-24 (Q2 FY24), riding on growth across segments and offset by a marginal drop in overall two-wheeler (2W) volumes. Higher average selling price (ASP) year-on-year (YoY), which was necessitated by price hikes taken by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and an improved product mix will also aid revenues and margins. Moreover, commodity prices are down on a YoY basis, leading to higher margins in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda).
PowerGrid was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 3 per cent, followed by Asian Paints, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Auto, SBI and M&M.
Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai reported single-digit sales growth in July with the sports utility segment continuing to drive overall demand in the market. Mahindra & Mahindra witnessed a 29 per cent increase in passenger vehicle dispatches while Tata Motors saw a marginal increase in the wholesales last month. Maruti Suzuki on Tuesday said its total domestic passenger vehicle sales stood at 152,126 units last month as compared to 142,850 units in the year-ago month, a growth of 6 per cent.
Even though electric two wheeler (e2W) companies saw a slight recovery in July of 12 per cent with 49,518 registrations - after a wash out in June because the government slashed the FAME 2 subsidy by a third - registrations are still lower for the second month in a row compared to April FY24. The slow pace has raised doubts about whether the registrations will reach anywhere near either Niti Aayog's ambitious target of 2.4 million vehicles in FY24 or whether they will be closer to the trimmed down industry expectation of around one million. In June, e2W registrations plunged to a mere 44,253, the worst month in more than a year, as companies hiked scooter prices.
What has hit sentiment further is a draft proposal by the government to increase vehicle insurance premiums for financial year 2022-23 (FY23). Third-party motor insurance premiums have not been increased over the last two years and if this is approved, insurance costs for specific segments could rise by a fifth. The worst impacted is the 350cc and above two-wheeler segment, where premiums are up 21 per cent. Royal Enfield (Eicher Motor) is the market leader in the segment. The premiums in the 150-350cc two-wheeler category are also being inc
Bajaj Finserv was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 2 per cent, followed by Infosys, Tech Mahindra, UltraTech Cement and IndusInd Bank. On the other hand, Dr Reddy's, Bajaj Auto, Sun Pharma, Asian Paints and NTPC were among the gainers. NSE Nifty lost 41.50 points to end at 15,680.
ONGC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 4 per cent, followed by NTPC, PowerGrid, M&M, Nestle India, SBI and HCL Tech. On the other hand, HUL, Bajaj Auto, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finserv were among the gainers.
Maruti was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 6 per cent, followed by M&M, Bajaj Auto, NTPC, Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank. NSE Nifty advanced 1.90 points to record 17,855.10.
The previous May peak was observed in 2018 when the domestic PV wholesales stood at 301,238 units.
In 1989 when Bajaj came out with their legendary and elegant Hamara Bajaj campaign, that looked more at apna India, rather than the scooter, and at all hues of scootered Indians, it drew millions of eyeballs and was brilliantly successful.
L&T was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2 per cent, followed by Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, SBI, Maruti, Axis Bank and Bajaj Auto.
Bajaj Auto was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2 per cent, followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Reliance Industries and Tech Mahindra. On the other hand, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finserv, Bharti Airtel and NTPC were among the gainers. NSE Nifty dropped 38.10 points to close at 15,689.80.
TVS Motor Company, on Wednesday, overtook Hero MotoCorp in terms of market value to become the sixth-largest automobile company on market capitalisation. he former's m-cap now stands at Rs 51,681 crore to the latter's Rs 50,951 crore. Bajaj Auto, with Rs 104,872 crore, is the only two-wheeler manufacturer in the top five. Shares of TVS have rallied 73 per cent this year while shares of Bajaj and Hero have risen only 3 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. While sales, net profit and market share of TVS are lower than that of Bajaj and Hero, there are multiple triggers for the company.
Trading in the domestic equity market this week will be influenced by quarterly results from TCS and Infosys, besides inflation and industrial production data as well as global trends, analysts said. Movement of the rupee, which has slumped to record lows against the US dollar, will also be tracked by investors, they added. "This week, participants will be eyeing important macroeconomic data viz IIP, CPI and WPI... Besides, the week also marks the beginning of the earnings season with IT majors like TCS, Infosys, HCL Tech and Wipro announcing their numbers along with two other heavyweights Bajaj Auto and HDFC Bank," said Ajit Mishra, VP - Research, Religare Broking Ltd. Performance of the US markets, FIIs' trend, and movement in currency and crude will also remain on their radar, Mishra added.
Bajaj Finance was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, soaring around 8 per cent, followed by IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, SBI, Bajaj Auto and HDFC Bank. NSE Nifty surged 211.50 points to 14,864.55.
Indian consumers are likely to get respite from rising prices just before the festival season. Some consumer companies, including automakers, have indicated that they are planning to pause price hikes just before demand picks up in August, while keeping a close eye on volatile raw material prices.
Reliance Industries was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, soaring over 4 per cent, followed by Titan, Tata Steel, Bajaj Auto, Maruti and Dr Reddy's. Nifty advanced 89.45 points to its all-time closing peak of 17,323.60.
On the Sensex chart, M&M, NTPC, Bajaj Auto, Tech Mahindra, TCS and Maruti emerged as top gainers. NSE Nifty climbed 157.55 points to settle at 14,919.10.
Eicher Motors is a leader in the premium motorcycle segment, where it holds market share of over 85 per cent under the Royal Enfield (RE) brand. The company's joint venture VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) with Volvo, where it holds 54.5 per cent stake, gives it a strong footing in commercial vehicles (CVs). The company had good results in FY23 and it has a strong balance sheet and good operating margins.
IndusInd Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 3 per cent, followed by Dr Reddy's, NTPC, Maruti, Axis Bank, Bajaj Auto, Bharti Airtel and HDFC. NSE Nifty declined 76.15 points to 15,691.40.
Stung by the government's punitive action on electric two-wheelers, registrations in April fell by nearly a fourth to 62,581 from 82,292 in March, according to data from VAHAN. Electric two-wheeler companies, including Okinawa, Hero Electric, Ather Energy, and TVS, have all clocked their lowest registrations in the four months of this calendar year. Ola Electric has been the only exception to this bloodbath, and has crossed its March numbers, hitting 21,560 registrations in April, which is its highest in this calendar year. As a result, there have been some interesting changes in the electric two-wheeler pecking order.
On the Sensex chart, ONGC, Sun Pharma, NTPC, Bajaj Auto and HDFC were the top losers.
The limited availability of flexible (flex)-fuel vehicles in the Indian market and the slow rollout of ethanol-blended petrol by oil-marketing companies (OMCs) remain major obstacles to achieving widespread use of biofuels in the transportation sector in India. Recently, two Union ministers have emphasised India's biofuel potential, arguing that it has the capacity and potential to lead a transition towards widespread biofuel adoption. Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari signalled that this transition is well underway and urged car manufacturers to quickly adapt and introduce new biofuel-run vehicles, lest the government resort to taxing diesel vehicles.