Hindustan Unilever, the FMCG major, has posted disappointing numbers for the December quarter on weak consumer sentiment, specially in discretionary categories.
Equity indices nursed losses for the second consecutive session on Tuesday as investors continued to dump IT, banking and FMCG stocks amid a bearish trend in global markets. Unabated foreign fund outflows and the rupee dropping to another record low against the US dollar added to the woes, traders said. Participants were also in wait-and watch mode ahead of release of retail inflation and factory output data.
Wrapped in blue and orange wax paper, it's a familiar sight on the shelves of kirana stores across the country. Given how well travelled and mobile it is - starting its journey in Chennai, then turning to Singapore and now landing in Mexico - you could say it lives up to its name: Modern. Modern Food Enterprises, the company that manufactures and sells the bread in question as well as other bakery products under the "Modern" brand name, has recently been sold to the world's largest baking company, Grupo Bimbo, for an undisclosed amount. This latest transaction is the second change of guard at Modern within five years and third since the government divested the company at the turn of the century. At a time, when the National Democratic Alliance government has decided to privatise, or shut down, public sector enterprises except for those deemed strategic, Modern makes for a promising case study of how divestment led to the brand's growth, both in revenue and reach.
The BSE Sensex maintained its winning run for the fourth session on the trot on Wednesday to reclaim the 60,000-level after a gap of over four months as investors remained upbeat amid softening crude oil prices and persistent foreign fund inflows. A strengthening rupee and positive Asian markets further bolstered sentiment, traders said. The 30-share BSE benchmark jumped 417.92 points or 0.70 per cent to settle at 60,260.13 -- closing above the psychologically key 60,000-mark for the first time since April 5 this year.
Extending its losses for the fourth straight session, equity benchmark Sensex slumped 427 points on Friday, tracking weakness in Bajaj Finserv, L&T and Infosys amid a widespread sell-off in global markets. Relentless foreign fund outflows further weighed on the bourses, traders said. The 30-share BSE index ended 427.44 points or 0.72 per cent lower at 59,037.18. Similarly, the NSE Nifty plunged 139.85 points or 0.79 per cent to 17,617.15.
TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the other firms in the top-10 list which witnessed a rise in their market capitalisation. On the other hand, HUL, HDFC, Bharti Airtel, ITC and ICICI Bank finished with losses.
After a turnaround in performance by Indian equity markets since July that has seen the S&P BSE Sensex and the Nifty50 wipe out the year-to-date losses, analysts suggest investors start nibbling into stocks that are focused on the domestic economy. While they say intermittent corrections, led by policies of global central banks and other economic data, cannot be ruled out, analysts expect India's relative outperformance among global equity markets to continue as it looks better placed with a healthy economic recovery, and remains one of the fastest growing major economies. In this backdrop, Neeraj Chadawar, head of quantitative equity strategy at Axis Securities, believes that amid global slowdown, aggressive tightening by the central banks, and preference for domestic interests first (by the local government), export-oriented themes are likely to be muted or will deliver conservative returns in the near-term.
However, the government's draft policy on e-commerce companies has forced consumer companies to also adapt to the changes. For Dabur India, e-commerce channel continues to be a key driver of growth in urban India. The contribution of online sales to its entire portfolio is at six per cent compared to 1.5 per cent before the pandemic.
ITC has been one of the best performing large-cap stock at the bourses thus far in calendar year 2022 (CY22), rallying nearly 52 per cent during this period and outperforming the sector benchmark - the S&P BSE FMCG index - by a wide margin that moved up around 17 per cent during this period. However, the counter has lost over 5 per cent from its recent high of Rs 346.25 hit on September 23, 2022 and has underperformed the S&P BSE Sensex, which has lost nearly 2 per cent since then. So, is the rally in the stock coming to an end, and is this a good time to book profit?
BSE benchmark Sensex nursed losses on Friday as investors pocketed gains after a five-session winning streak amid a bearish trend overseas. A depreciating rupee and foreign fund outflows further soured risk sentiment, traders said. The 30-share gauge, which had started the trade on a firm note, soon gave up all the gains and finally ended 651.85 points or 1.08 per cent lower at 59,646.15. The broader NSE Nifty snapped its eight-day rally to close at 17,758.45, down 198.05 points or 1.10 per cent.
IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising over 4 per cent, followed by HCL Tech, Bajaj Auto, Tech Mahindra, L&T and Kotak Bank.
Bharti Airtel was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, tanking around 8 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, PowerGrid, ONGC and TCS. On the other hand, Axis Bank, HUL, Infosys, Nestle India and HDFC Bank were among the gainers.
Stock market barometers Sensex and Nifty ended marginally higher on Monday as rise in wholesale inflation capped early gains despite a positive trend in global markets. The 30-share index settled 32.02 points or 0.05 per cent higher at 60,718.71 with half of its constituents ending in green. The broad based Nifty edged up 6.70 points or 0.04 per cent to close at 18,109.45.
Asian Paints, HUL, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Industries, UltraTech Cement were among the top laggards in the Sensex pack.
Bajaj Finserv was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 9 per cent, followed by Titan, Bajaj Finance, Kotak Bank, Bharti Airtel, Nestle India and NTPC. On the other hand, Reliance Industries, IndusInd Bank, Sun Pharma, Axis Bank, ONGC and HUL were among the laggards.
Nestle India was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2 per cent, followed by SBI, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, HUL and Dr Reddy's. NSE Nifty slipped 20.10 points to 15,670.25.
IndusInd Bank, L&T, ITC, HUL, Reliance Industries and Sun Pharma were among the gainers. On the other hand, HCL Tech, Axis Bank, Asian Paints, UltraTech Cement and Infosys were among the laggards.
ITC was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, shedding around 3 per cent, followed by Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, HUL and HCL Tech. On the other hand, PowerGrid, Bharti Airtel, ONGC and UltraTech Cement were among the gainers. NSE Nifty fell 53.25 points to 14,146.25.
ONGC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, jumping over 5 per cent, followed by Bajaj Auto, ITC, Sun Pharma, Nestle India, L&T, Maruti, UltraTech Cement and HUL. On the other hand, Infosys, Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, TCS and Titan were among the laggards.
IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 2 per cent, followed by Axis Bank, HDFC, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Bank and SBI. On the other hand, ONGC, Tech Mahindra, NTPC, Sun Pharma and TCS were among the laggards.
Infosys fell the most among Sensex stocks, declining by 2.85 per cent. Among other IT stocks, TCS fell by 1.87 per cent, Wipro by 1.52 per cent, and HCL Tech by 1.70 per cent. NSE Nifty plunged by 174.65 points to close at 17,938.40.
Quick service restaurant Pizza Hut on Wednesday said it has partnered with Hindustan Unilever to add the FMCG firm's Kwality Wall's ice cream and desserts to its dine-in as well as the delivery and takeaway menu. With this partnership, Pizza Hut expects to increase its average order value by 10 per cent for orders that have Kwality Wall's ice cream and desserts, a joint statement said.
Bajaj Finance was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging around 5 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, HDFC, Tech Mahindra, HDFC Bank, UltraTech Cement and Tata Steel. On the other hand, HUL, Nestle India, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, SBI, TCS and ITC were among the laggards.
Move comes at a time when the $50-billion Unilever is looking to double its turnover in 10 years.
Tata Steel was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, spurting around 4 per cent, followed by Titan, Bajaj Finance, Nestle India and Tech Mahindra. NSE Nifty surged 143 points to 18,268.40.
Bharti Airtel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 4 per cent, followed by Maruti, Bajaj Finance, HUL, ICICI Bank and Kotak Bank. On the other hand, Tata Steel, NTPC, Sun Pharma, Nestle India, Reliance Industries and TCS were among the gainers.
Investors' wealth has swelled by over Rs 13.16 lakh crore as benchmark indices continued their northward march for the fifth session on the trot on Monday. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 935.72 points or 1.68 per cent to settle at 56,486.02 on Monday. In the past five trading sessions, the benchmark has zoomed 3,643.27 points or 6.89 per cent. Propelled by the optimism in equities, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms jumped by Rs 13,16,944.74 crore in five trading sessions to Rs 2,54,27,775.78 crore.
The BSE Sensex slumped 456 points on Wednesday, tracking losses in index majors Reliance Industries, Infosys and ICICI Bank as market participants continued to book profits at high levels.
In the Sensex pack, major gainers were Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Bajaj Finserv, Infosys, SBI and PowerGrid. NSE Nifty rallied 237.90 points to 17,339
Nearly all FMCG companies like Marico, HUL, ITC and the rest have been indicating that the operating environment has been challenging, with drop in consumption, especially in rural areas, severe crunch in market liquidity conditions, and disruptions and floods in several parts of the country. To overcome this, they are boosting their direct reach in the countryside.
By toxic, the reference is to material that whips up hatred, is discriminatory in nature and has explicit sexual and pornographic content.
Investors have lost a hefty Rs 11,45,267.43 crore in two days as the domestic equity market continued to face severe drubbing amid a global selloff. The BSE benchmark Sensex plunged 1,189.73 points or 2.09 per cent to close at 55,822.01 on Monday. During the day, it tanked 1,879.06 points to 55,132.68.
Equity indices frittered away a good start to close with modest losses on Monday, pressured by heavy selling in metal stocks after the government imposed export duties on steel-making raw materials to curb soaring prices. The 30-share BSE Sensex opened strong and gained momentum as the session progressed, but came under severe selling pressure in afternoon trade to close 37.78 points or 0.07 per cent lower at 54,288.61. On similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 51.45 points or 0.32 per cent to end at 16,214.70.
Consumer-focused companies have been left with few options but to increase the prices of their products as input costs mount because of various factors, including supply chain disruptions. This has been affecting monthly household budgets. Prices of scores of items -- from spices to soaps to rice -- have increased in the past year.
HUL was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 2 per cent, followed by TCS, ITC, Asian Paints, HDFC, HCL Tech and Nestle India.
Other prominent gainers included Tata Steel, Sun Pharma, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, IndusInd Bank, HCL Tech, ICICI Bank, HUL and HDFC Bank. NSE Nifty rose 86.40 points or 0.76 per cent to close at 11,503.35.
Sunil Chhetri was once again the man of the moment as he struck a brace to inspire India to a 2-0 win over Cambodia in the third round of qualifying for next year's Asian Cup.
Six of the top 10 most valued Indian firms added a cumulative Rs 86,683.71 crore in market valuation last week, with HDFC twins emerging as the biggest gainers. On the top 10 chart, HDFC Bank, HDFC, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bharti Airtel and HCL Technologies were gainers. While, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) and Infosys saw erosion in their market valuation.
The stock market's momentum will be guided by the ongoing quarterly earnings season, with Reliance Industries, HUL and Bajaj Finance among those scheduled to announce their results this week, analysts said. Focus would also remain on the COVID situation, global stock markets, investment pattern of foreign institutional investors (FIIs), rupee-dollar trend and Brent crude, they added. "The earnings season would gain pace this week and participants will be closely eyeing the results of some of the top names like Reliance, Ultratech Cement, Bajaj Auto, JSW Steel, Bajaj Finance, Asian Paints, Hindustan Unilever among others. "Before that, markets will first react to the earnings of two heavyweights -- HCL Technologies and HDFC Bank in early trade on Monday," said Ajit Mishra, VP Research, Religare Broking.
The top-10 valued companies added a whopping Rs 2.72 lakh crore to their market valuation last week, as the domestic equity benchmarks witnessed heavy buying tracking an overall bullish trend in global equities. The benchmark indices made strong gains in the holiday-truncated week. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 2,313.63 points or 4.16 per cent, while the NSE Nifty advanced 656.60 points or 3.95 per cent. Mirroring the bullish trend in the broader market, the combined market capitalisation (m-cap) of the country's top-10 firms zoomed by Rs 2,72,184.67 crore during last week.
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