Monetary policy stance to depend on inflation data
As per the latest data compiled by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of Indiabi, the net investments by Foreign Institutional Investors into Indian equity markets stood at Rs 51,433 crore (Rs 514.33 billion) this year so far, while the same for debt markets was at Rs 52,115 crore (Rs 521.15 billion) taking the total to Rs 1,03,548 crore ($17 billion).
The reduction in holdings comes at a time when technology firms are facing cross currency headwinds due to volatility in the global financial markets
Facing opposition fire for exit polls allegedly being used for stock market manipulation, Axis My India's chief Pradeep Gupta has said he is open to facing all kinds of investigations and it would help do business in a much better way if the government frames specific regulations for pollsters.
Attributing the fall in stock markets in the past few days to selling by FIIs, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee asserted on Wednesday that the fundamentals are strong and the economy will clock 8.5 per cent growth in the current financial year.
Foreign inflows into the equity market appear to be chasing the prospect of a supposed game-changing BJP election victory, with the party's strong performance in recent state elections boosting these hopes
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty hit their all-time high levels on Friday helped by impressive GDP data and fresh foreign fund inflows. Also, a rally in global markets added to the positive momentum in the equity markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 1,139.04 points to 73,639.34 -- its all-time peak -- in the late afternoon trade.
An analysis of shareholding patterns of three-listed airlines showed that foreign institutional investors have reduced their stakes in Kingfisher and SpiceJet while hiking their holdings in Jet Airways in three months ended December 2011.
Investors' wealth eroded by Rs 3.46 lakh crore on Wednesday as equity markets took a sharp tumble amid weak global trends and foreign fund outflows. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell by 676.53 points or 1.02 per cent to settle at 65,782.78. During the day, it plunged 1,027.63 points or 1.54 per cent to 65,431.68. In line with the weak trend in equities, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms eroded by Rs 3,46,947.54 crore to Rs 3,03,33,258.69 crore.
Any sustainable increase in FII flows into the Indian markets would rest on the expectations of sustained improvement in the Indian economy.
The markets ended lower on FII outflows and concerns over rising inflation.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may consider measures to deal with foreign institutional investor (FII) inflows, which are emerging as a potential threat, said the central bank's Deputy Governor, Subir Gokarn, in Mumbai on Tuesday. His comments came a day after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said there was no need for restrictions on foreign inflows, in an interview with a television channel.
FIIs' stake in Naresh Goyal-owned Jet Airways stood at 7.10 per cent during the three months through September, compared to 6.38 per cent during the first quarter of this financial year.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty settled with marginal gains on Thursday in a highly volatile trade amid the scheduled monthly derivatives expiry and muted trend in the US markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex closed 86.53 points or 0.13 per cent higher at 66,988.44, registering its third day of gains. During the day, it hit a high of 67,069.89 and a low of 66,610.35.
According to market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India's regulations, FIIs are required to post collaterals for their transactions in the cash segment of the market.
Overseas investors have made net investments of $1.2 billion in the Indian equity market during the first week of the month, taking the total for 2012 so far to a whopping $21 billion.
Among the Sensex firms, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Bank, Nestle, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finance, Maruti and HDFC Bank were the major laggards.
Rashesh Shah, MD, Edelwiss Capital, said apart from participating in mega public offers, ADRs, and FCCB conversions, FIIs have started investing in the secondary markets over the last few weeks.
Even as foreign institutional investors are rushing out of the Indian equity markets, there are fresh indications that their selling may accelerate in the coming weeks.
Foreign investors have pumped in over Rs 1 lakh crore in the Indian securities market since Narendra Modi was announced as the prime ministerial candidate by Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in September last year.
In a major development on taxation of FII income, the Authority on Advance Ruling has ruled that income will now be taxed as capital gains and not business income.
Among the Sensex firms, Asian Paints, Titan, Larsen & Toubro, JSW Steel, ITC, Hindustan Unilever, Maruti and Reliance Industries were the major gainers. ICICI Bank, NTPC, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards.
Among the Sensex firms, Bajaj Finance fell by nearly 3 per cent, the most among the 30 frontline companies. Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, NTPC, ICICI Bank and IndusInd Bank were the other major laggards. In contrast, Tata Motors, Sun Pharma, Maruti and Mahindra & Mahindra were the gainers.
Tata Steel fell the most by 4.21 per cent. NTPC, Tata Motors, HCL Technologies, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Power Grid, Tech Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro and JSW Steel also declined. HDFC Bank was the only gainer from the pack. In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong settled in the positive territory while Shanghai ended lower.
The liquidity-driven market rally since September, which has seen about $2 billion of inflows into the Indian equity markets, has propelled the benchmark the S&P BSE Sensex to a new high after about six years.
Among the Sensex firms, Power Grid, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, ITC, Bharti Airtel, Nestle, NTPC, Bajaj Finance, Reliance Industries, Infosys and HDFC Bank were the major gainers.
Larsen & Toubro was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 2.35 per cent, followed by Titan, Tata Consultancy Services, Maruti, Mahindra & Mahindra, Infosys, ICICI Bank and Asian Paints. In contrast, Power Grid, Nestle, NTPC, HCL Technologies and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards.
India attracted $1.4 billion FIIs in November, says a report by HSBC.