Amid decelerating economic growth and falling industrial output, India's services sector has shown signs of promise in May recording the fastest pace of growth in the past three months, says an HSBC survey.
British banking major HSBC on Thursday announced a consolidation exercise under which it will almost halve the number of branches in the country to 26, which will lead to 300 job losses.
Though fiscal deficit is a concern, the country needed spending to boost the economy hit by financial crisis, she said. Going by the bank's research, Kidwai said India is likely to grow at 8 per cent in next fiscal 2010-11.
Naina Lal Kidwai, group general manager and country head for HSBC India, does not seem to be too perturbed about the slowdown or the rising delinquency levels.
HSBC on Thursday said the Indian economy, which is projected to grow at 5.7 per cent this fiscal, is likely to grow at a faster pace next fiscal at 6.9 per centfollowing the recent spate of policy reforms.
Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has emerged as the most risk-averse city, according to a survey, conducted by HSBC India.
The headline HSBC India Purchasing Managers' Index -- a composite gauge designed to give a single-figure snapshot of manufacturing business conditions -- stood at 53.3 in November significantly higher from 51.6 in October.
Even as concerns grow over the residential real estate market reaching its peak, the outlook for office real estate remains strong, with listed real estate investment trusts (Reits) standing to benefit from sustained demand in the segment.
The initial public offer of Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the Indian arm of South Korean automaker Hyundai, received an 18 per cent subscription on the first day of bidding on Tuesday. The Rs 27,870 crore initial share sale received bids for 1,77,89,457 shares against 9,97,69,810 shares on offer, as per NSE data. The IPO received over 9 lakh applications on the first day.
The HSBC/Markit purchasing managers index for the services industry inched up to 47.1 in October from 44.6 in September, the fourth successive monthly contraction of service sector output across India.
The HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers Index for the services industry inched up to 47.2 in November from 47.1 in October, the fifth sub-50.0 reading and indicated an output contraction across the Indian service economy.
The government's capex spend is expected to rise and much of this is likely to be focussed on rural India, particularly for housing, roads and irrigation.
From the Sensex pack, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, Adani Ports, Maruti Suzuki India, Axis Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Asian Paints were among the laggards. Reliance Industries fell the most by 2.38 per cent to close at Rs 1,171.10 apiece.
According to the report, the demand for materials needed for infrastructure projects like metals, minerals, buildings and transport equipment is expected to increase as the country invests in building its civil infrastructure.
Real estate developers are hoping that the slew of tax concessions announced in Union Budget 2025, set to take effect this financial year, will spur demand for affordable and mid-segment housing, even as the broader housing market shows signs of fatigue.
Strong new business growth was the primary factor.
From the Sensex basket, Power Grid, Asian Paints, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, NTPC, Sun Pharma, Mahindra & Mahindra, HDFC Bank, Tata Consultancy Services and JSW Steel were among the major gainers. Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, Wipro, ICICI Bank and IndusInd Bank were among the laggards.
Among the Sensex firms, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Hindustan Unilever, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and Wipro were the major gainers. Nestle India, Asian Paints, JSW Steel, Kotak Mahindra Bank and HDFC Bank were among the losers.
The HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers Index for the services industry fell to 46.7 in December from 47.2 in November, registering the sixth consecutive monthly drop in output levels, the longest period of continuous reduction since the 2008/2009 global financial crisis.
On price rise, HSBC said that the rate of cost inflation decelerated sharply while output prices were unchanged.
According to official figures, retail inflation in June touched its lowest mark at 7.31 per cent since January 2012.
Probe found that HSBC's Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Department was highly inadequately staffed.
HSBC Holdings Plc will shut its private banking business in India, a spokesman said
From the Sensex basket, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HCL Technologies, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Larsen & Toubro were the major laggards. Mahindra & Mahindra, Nestle, Tata Motors and IndusInd Bank were among the gainers.
The HSBC India Composite Output Index, which maps both services and manufacturing activity, fell to 48.4 in July, down from 50.9 in June, indicating an overall contraction.
The entire HSBC list features names of 1,668 Indians
L&T Housing Finance on Thursday announced selling L&T Investment Management (LTIM) to HSBC Asset Management (India) at $425 million. LTIM is the investment manager of the mutual fund business of L&T. The divestment of the mutual fund business is in line with the strategic objective of L&T Finance Holdings of unlocking value from its subsidiaries to strengthen its balance sheet, it stated in a press release. The data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) shows L&T Mutual Fund (MF) has average assets under management (AAUM) worth Rs 78,273.80 crore, while HSBC MF has AAUM of Rs 11,314.32 crore as in the July-September quarter.
The government expects the economy to grow by 7-7.75 per cent in the current fiscal.
In the latter half of the year, there would be some economic recovery and return to normal business conditions.
Data for the four largest emerging economies showed contrasting activity trends in November. China registered growth for the seventh month running, while India posted the fastest growth since June.
Funds raised by India Inc. through offshore loan syndication hit a 15-year high in 2023 with companies and banks raising $21.4 billion, the highest since 2007. The momentum is expected to continue in 2024 as well with over $4 billion fund raising expected in the first three months of this year. Companies raise funds, both onshore and offshore, depending on interest rates and activities. Funds raised offshore can be deployed in overseas activities.
According to the global financial services major, FII flows in May were mixed, with investors being more selective.
After lagging behind benchmarks and broader indices over the past five years, real estate investment trusts (Reits) have outperformed them since the start of 2024. The four listed Reits have posted an average return of 16 per cent year-to-date, compared to 9.9 per cent for the S&P BSE Sensex and 11 per cent for the National Stock Exchange Nifty.
India will equal China's 4.9 per cent share of world GDP in 2005 by the middle of next decade.
China posted the sharpest increase in output for 15 months, while India saw the steepest expansion since February 2013.
India's services sector growth rate saw a slight fall in July but remained in the positive terrain for the ninth month in a row, amid rise in new orders and employment levels holding up, an HSBC survey says.
'We expect the bull-market phase to still persist, but now led by large-caps which offer better valuation and benefit from FII inflows.'
'We expect continued pressure on midcaps, but any sharp correction looks unlikely from here on.'
HSBC on Monday lowered India's GDP forecast for the current financial year to 4 per cent from 5.5 per cent earlier saying economic uncertainty is likely to weigh on the growth forecast in the coming months.
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