The financial position of India's public sector banks (PSBs) has deteriorated sharply over the past financial year.
Customers using e-commerce websites are young and techno-savvy.
The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) latest order on unsecured loans is set to hit the banking sector's growth in the near-term, cautioned analysts, as they see banks slowing down on aggressive retail lending. Besides, cost of funds for non-banking finance companies (NBFC) is expected to inch up as banks will pass on higher capital charge to NBFCs. "We believe the fallout of the RBI action will be mainly on growth, given the rising dependence on unsecured retail loans and lending to NBFCs for growth.
'It is human nature to get angry and annoyed when you are inconvenienced.' 'But we were able to enroll a few of our customers as 'bank mitras', who with my staff made sure that the queues were orderly and coupons were given to all the customers who wanted to withdraw or deposit money.'
The government is open to providing more capital than that announced in the Budget.
Jefferies has identified 11 stocks set to benefit from long-term macro trends like capital expenditures, government manufacturing initiatives, and financialisation.
What the RBI should ensure is that its rules are appropriately framed and uniformly implemented with transparency, fairness and correctness
The agency said that over the next two years new NPL formation rates would witness a gradual decline.
Among the Sensex firms, Axis Bank, Power Grid, Maruti, State Bank of India, Tata Motors, ITC, Nestle and Mahindra & Mahindra were the major gainers. Bajaj Finance and Larsen & Toubro were the laggards.
Traditionally, most PSUs have been cash-rich, which added to their value. However, the government has been tapping regularly into their cash resources to boost revenue for the exchequer
He advised banks to facilitate appropriate credit expansion.
It is imperative to check the basics of a company before investing in it
'The CM kept his cool, but his adviser was liberal with filthy language.' Tamal Bandyopadhyay recreates the diary of a general manager in a public sector bank, providing a glimpse of how they balance their work and life.
Unlike any other national asset, which is typically sold to the highest bidder, the profile of the bidder is the most important criterion for a licence to bank, and even for acquiring more than 5 per cent stake, explains Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The divestment process, however, will not be an easy affair as there are multiple stakeholders, including the employee unions, whose concerns will have to be addressed.
PowerGrid was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 6 per cent, followed by Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Titan, L&T, NTPC and ICICI Bank.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Friday said he has asked PSU banks to provide loans at lower interest rates to workmen, like cobblers and washermen, and brushed aside apprehensions of possible repayment delays by them. Chidambaram said he had directed that all branches of PSU banks, numbering over 70,000, should provide Rs 5,000 loans at four per cent interest to workmen. He also wanted shepherds and fishermen to be added to the list of workers who could be given the loans.
The performance has been a clear contrast to the movement in the first two months of 2014, when the S&P BSE PSU index massively underperformed the S&P BSE Sensex (down 0.2 per cent) by slipping nearly seven per cent.
Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan had said recently that there was "no need" to set up a separate bad bank to deal with stressed assets of public sector lenders.
ITC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tumbling over 5 per cent, followed by ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, Axis Bank, SBI and HDFC Bank. NSE Nifty sinks 354 points to 17,857.25.
In the year to date, 61 PSUs have lost an average of 22 per cent, with five companies losing more than half their share value. The BSE PSU index is down 10.6 per cent.
Since March 2020, when the Nifty50 plummeted to 7,511 following the announcement of a nationwide lockdown, the stock market has been on an upward trajectory. Over the next four years, the major market index has delivered a remarkable compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 31.5 per cent. In the past year alone, the Nifty50 has gained by 27 per cent, hitting a succession of record highs.
Move can also bring a huge change in the way business is done in India, where firms use multiple current accounts, often for even individual projects, making them difficult to monitor.
IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, jumping nearly 5 per cent, followed by Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech, Reliance Industries, Titan and Asian Paints.
The government is set to initiate consultations with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to devise a new security clearance framework for screening potential bidders of public sector banks (PSBs) as it kick-starts the privatisation process, beginning with the strategic divestment of IDBI Bank. As the government is moving ahead with strategic divestment of IDBI Bank and is looking to privatise two PSBs, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) is looking to put in place an appropriate framework as the potential buyers will have to meet the RBI's fit and proper criteria, said an official. The process of bank privatisation would be different from the sale of any other public sector undertaking (PSU), and more restrictions and measures will have to be put in place, the official said.
With short-term rates firming up due to tight liquidity conditions, Indian corporates are opting to borrow long term to take advantage of the attractive rates by locking them in these uncertain times. The banking system has a liquidity deficit of over Rs 2 trillion. According to market participants, engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) raised Rs 1,500 crore through 10-year bonds in December 2024.
These firms offer job security and lucrative salries.
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.
Welcoming the launch of the Bharatiya Mahila Bank, India Inc on Wednesday said the initiative will propel women's financial inclusion, encourage female entrepreneurs and empower women in the country.
Major gainers in the Sensex pack were Wipro, Kotak Bank, Infosys, Maruti, Tata Motors, L&T, IndusInd Bank, Hero MotoCorp, M&M, SBI, ONGC, HDFC Bank and HUL, rising up to 3 per cent.
HDFC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding nearly 2 per cent, followed by Kotak Bank, Asian Paints, UltraTech Cement, HDFC Bank, HUL and Tech Mahindra.
Banking services across the country were hit on Wednesday by the day-long strike by 10 central trade unions and 14 bank unions, but workers of largest lender SBI and a few other banks stayed off the agitation.
'The financial sector will be hit even harder than the overall market.' 'The banking sector will eventually be rescued.' 'But it may go into a long downwards spiral before things turn around.' 'Threat or buying opportunity?' asks Devangshu Datta.
'They are ideal for short-term financial goals like children's education or a down payment for a house.' 'They are also useful for transitional savings, such as during job switches or while starting a business.'
Tata Steel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, plunging over 8 per cent, followed by SBI, Dr Reddy's, Kotak Bank, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Auto and L&T. NSE Nifty declined 118.35 points or 0.71 per cent to 16,450.50.
He said the Finance Minister assured the delegation that the Financial Services Secretary would look into the matter and the settlement process would be expedited.
RBI may revise remuneration for banks.
Fund managers are withdrawing after a two-year long run in public sector bank (PSB) stocks. Domestic mutual funds (MFs) were net sellers of PSB stocks for the first time in nine quarters, offloading shares worth Rs 1,800 crore in the March quarter, said a report by ICICI Securities. In the previous eight quarters, fund houses had invested more than Rs 10,000 in PSBs amid deep discounts in valuation vis--vis their private sector peers.
Despite unprecedented levels of uncertainty in Samvat 2077, investors have little to complain about on the returns front. The BSE Sensex delivered returns of 38 per cent in this period, while the Nifty registered a return of over 40 per cent. As is the case in bull markets, companies in the small- and mid-capitalisation basket outperformed the benchmarks, with returns almost twice those of frontliners.
