The Indian chemical industry has an output of around USD 80 billion and ranks 12th in the world while the size of the global chemical industry is in the region of USD 3 trillion.
Swift gains on Dalal Street this year have also led to a sharp surge in shares of equity market intermediaries like depositories, exchanges, and registrar and transfer Agents (RTAs). The stock prices of BSE, CDSL, CAMS, and KFin Technologies are up 24-283 per cent so far in 2023 when compared to a 9 per cent rise in the benchmark Nifty index. With the market buoyancy expected to keep up the pace, analysts believe these stocks are a good long-term bet despite the sharp rally, which can trigger an intermittent correction.
Showing signs of recovery, industrial production grew at 4.7 per cent in May, the highest since October 2012, on account of improved performance of manufacturing, mining and power sectors and higher output of capital goods.
Manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, grew at 5.5 per cent in November compared to a decline in output by 4.6 per cent earlier
...and getting GDP to measure India's data economy, recommends Ajit Balakrishnan.
The rupee on Friday rebounded from the near-80 levels to close higher by 17 paise at 79.82 against the US currency following a recovery in the domestic stocks and weakness in the greenback in overseas markets. The US dollar retreated from the two-decade high levels against a basket of six currencies which supported the rupee sentiment. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 79.95 and witnessed an intra-day high of 79.82 and a low of 79.96 against the US dollar in the day trade. ,
According to the commerce and industry ministry data, during April-February 2018-19, the eight sectors recorded a flat growth rate of 4.3 per cent over the same period previous fiscal.
The Reserve Bank of India, which mainly factors in retail inflation to decide its monetary policy, has been tasked by the government to ensure the rate of price rise remains around 4 per cent.
In order to boost growth amid some softening of inflation, RBI earlier this month cut the key interest rate by 0.25 per cent. It is scheduled to announce its mid-quarter policy review on June 17.
According to a statement available on the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation website, gross domestic product, consumer price index and index of industrial production will now be released at 5.30 in the evening.
Many life insurance companies are yet to see a sharp spike in the sale of high-value policies as was widely expected in the aftermath of the government's decision to tax income from insurance policies having an aggregate premium above Rs 5 lakh in a year.
10 non-bank and non-finance stocks from the BSE500 Index universe that offer an optimal blend of low valuation, reasonably robust revenue and earnings growth in recent quarters, a strong balance sheet, and most importantly, positive cash flow from their operations.
The deflationary trend has bolstered the case for a rate cut by RBI.
Industrial output rose to nearly three-year high of 6.4% in August.
Having seen a rapid growth in demand for frontline workers in FY22 with the economy opening up, the growth seems to have muted in FY23 due to macroeconomic challenges. According to BetterPlace's Frontline Index Report, total demand for frontline jobs decreased by 17.5 per cent. In FY23, 6.6 million frontline jobs were created in India as compared to 8 million in FY22.
The statistics ministry has proposed the new base year for GDP and IIP as 2017-18 while for CPI it will be 2018.
Capital goods, a barometer of investments, showed a sharp increase in output by 14.6 per cent in January, 2018 as against a decline of 0.6 per cent year ago.
Automotive (auto) and auto ancillary stocks have been in the fast lane thus far in 2023-24 (FY24), with the National Stock Exchange Nifty Auto Index surging nearly 27 per cent, outperforming the Nifty50, which has gained roughly 11 per cent during this period. The top-gear performance of auto stocks at the bourses, according to A K Prabhakar, head of research at IDBI Capital, has been triggered by the premiumisation of products across vehicle manufacturers, which has seen vehicle sales remaining relatively stable. "It is not about higher sales figures now, but about premiumisation.
The index of industrial production data released by the government revealed on Friday that the growth in the Rs 32,000 crore (Rs 320 billion) consumer durables was in the negative -- down 3 per cent as against 9 per cent in October 2007. On the other hand, the durables sector had contributed to the industrial output rebound in the months of July (12.3 per cent ) and September (13.1 per cent).
With natural gas and cement showing decline in production, the growth of eight core infrastructure industries slowed down to 5.3 per cent in May against 7.4 per cent a year ago.
With the Nifty50 just about 3 per cent away from its all-time closing high of 18,812 points, analysts at BofA Securities suggest investors book profit. Their reasons for the advice include risks like the possibility of a cut in corporate earnings growth forecasts, high valuation (one-year forward P/E of 19.5x), interest rates staying elevated for longer-than-expected and credit tightening. Going ahead, they expect the Nifty50 index to drop to 16,000 levels - down nearly 12 per cent from the current level of 18,255 points, which they believe would be a good time to buy.
Though the ministry is considering 2017-18 as the new base year, no decision has been taken as the committees of experts are awaiting some more data before finalising their opinion.
The Index of Industrial Production for the same month last year stood at 12 per cent. For the first half of the current fiscal (April-September 2007) too, IIP slipped to 9.2 per cent against 11.1 per cent in the corresponding period a year ago, an official release said on Monday. During September, the manufacturing sector growth decelerated to 6.6 per cent as compared to 12.7 per cent in the same month last year.
Brokerages believe that the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) stronger-than-expected showing in state elections reduces political risks for the domestic markets going into 2024. However, after the short-term excitement, the focus will soon shift to earnings, global liquidity conditions, and the interest rate trajectory. "BJP's win in the three state elections is much better than what exit polls suggested and reinforces the consensus expectations of a Modi win in the 2024 national elections with a greater likelihood of 300+ seats for the BJP.
The S&P BSE Realty Index has emerged as one of the top-performing sectors, yielding a remarkable 45 per cent return over the past six months. The three leading players, listed by market capitalisation, have substantially enriched investor wealth by 43-70 per cent during this period. If the second quarter (Q2) of 2023-24 (FY24) updates from Macrotech Developers (Lodha) and Sobha, along with industry data for the quarter, serve as any indication, the trend of strong bookings for larger players is expected to continue.
With sales of cooling products turning out dismal this summer due to unseasonal rains, the stocks of related companies are now off their March highs. Shares of fan and air conditioner makers such as Voltas, Symphony, Orient Electric, Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning and Crompton Greaves are down 5-23 per cent since March when the summer season saw a firm onset. In comparison, the BSE Sensex index is up 10 per cent.
The core industries that also include coal, electricity, cement, petroleum refinery products and finished steel, and carry 37.9 per cent weight in the Index of Industrial Production, had grown by 5.8 per cent in May last year.
During April-February, industrial output grew at 2.6 per cent compared with a growth of 2.8 per cent in the year-ago period.
The markets may be entering a consolidation phase and are expected to trade sideways for now after a good run in the last few weeks, suggest analysts. In this backdrop, they suggest investors can book profits at the current levels and enter the market again on a decline from a medium-to-long term perspective. Thus far in fiscal 2023-24 (FY24), the S&P BSE Sensex has moved up around 5 per cent to nearly 62,000 levels.
The 30-share index ended higher by 481.16 points or 1.91 per cent at 25,626.75 -- its highest closing since January 1.
The 30-share Sensex ended 209 points down at 20,282 after hitting an intra-day low of 20,262 and the 50-share Nifty ended 61 points down at 6,018 after touching an intra-day low of 6,012.
The broader markets too ended weak- BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices fell by nearly 1% each.
IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising nearly 6 per cent, followed by Axis Bank, SBI, Maruti, Tech Mahindra and Reliance Industries. NSE Nifty surged 183.70 points to close at 17,166.90.
Slow growth in the key sectors would have implications on the IIP number as these segments account for about 41 per cent of the total factory output.
India's annual industrial output grew at a slower-than-expected pace of 3.6 percent in September.
The index had registered a growth of 2.8 per cent in January 2015.
The index of industrial production -- gauge of industrial activity in terms of production -- showed a 2.4 per cent growth in May, down from 6.2 per cent a year ago.
The print media industry is on a roll, if Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data is to be believed without a pinch of salt.
Correcting the industrial output figures twice within span of a few hours, the government on Thursday said IIP grew at 2.3 per cent in April instead of 2 per cent reported on Wednesday.
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