Business confidence remained positive in August and was driven by upbeat forecasts of sales, an expected improvement in demand and promotional activities
The improvement in business conditions promoted job creation, while confidence towards the year-ahead outlook for activity was at a four-month high during March.
Currency scarcity weighed on manufacturing performance where growth of new work flows slowed
India's services sector activity expanded at a slower pace in December as rates of growth in sales eased to a three-month low and staff hiring came to a halt amid weak business optimism, a monthly survey said on Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted India Services Business Activity Index fell from 53.7 in November to 52.3 in December. The index was above the critical 50 mark that separates growth from contraction for the third month in a row during December, but pointed to the slowest pace of expansion in the three-month sequence.
The Nikkei India Services Purchasing Managers' Index, which tracks services sector companies on a monthly basis, stood at 52 in September, down from August's 43-month high of 54.7, pointing to a slower and moderate rate of expansion.
The recovery in the Indian services sector was sustained in November as new work orders supported business activity growth and the first rise in employment in nine months, a monthly survey said on Thursday.
ICICI Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2 per cent, followed by Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank and PowerGrid. NSE Nifty closed 7.55 points or 0.07 per cent down at 11,527.45.
NSE Nifty finished higher by 46.05 points, or 0.39 per cent, at 11,707.90. Asian Paints was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying 6.32 per cent, followed by Nestle India, HUL, Bajaj Auto, IndusInd Bank, Tata Steel, Maruti and PowerGrid.
Bolstered by improved domestic demand, India's services sector expanded for the fourth consecutive month in January as business activities quickened and rising business optimism is set to sustain the growth momentum, a monthly survey said on Wednesday. The seasonally-adjusted India Services Business Activity Index rose from 52.3 in December to 52.8 in January, pointing to a quicker expansion in output. The index was above the critical 50 mark that separates growth from contraction for the fourth month in a row during January.
This is the ninth consecutive month that the manufacturing PMI remained above the 50-point-mark.
Titan was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising over 3 per cent, followed by M&M, Reliance Industries, Axis Bank, TCS, Maruti and Infosys. NSE Nifty surged 122.10 points to 15,885.15.
Forex traders said a stronger dollar also dragged the rupee down.
The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) stood at 47.9 in July, down from 50.9 in June, its lowest mark since February 2009, and highlighted the first deterioration in business conditions in 2017 so far.
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