Equity benchmark Sensex slumped 400 points on Wednesday tracking losses in index majors HDFC twins, Kotak Bank and TCS amid a weak trend in global markets.
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.
ONGC has written to the government numerous times saying the state-run banks on getting assured business act in cartel, offering interest rates lower than even that on retail deposits.
Two public sector banks, Union Bank of India and United Bank of India (UBI), on Monday cut lending rates by 25-50 basis points (bps) ahead of Finance Minister P Chidambaram's meeting with PSU bank chiefs.
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.
A tribunal on Monday halted a $75-million settlement due to be paid by Diageo Plc to Mallya.
Bajaj Finance was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, skidding over 2 per cent, followed by Kotak Bank, Nestle India, HDFC, M&M and ICICI Bank. ONGC was the top gainer, rallying around 8 per cent. NTPC, Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra, PowerGrid and IndusInd Bank were among the other winners.
Banks are likely to cut rates even further, say finance minister Arun Jaitley.
Indian Bank plans an initial public offer in July 2004 to raise capital for funding its expansions, its chairman Ranjana Kumar said on Tuesday.
Bharti Airtel was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 4 per cent, followed by Tech Mahindra, HDFC, Kotak Bank, M&M and HCL Tech. NSE Nifty advanced 21.85 points to 16,280.10.
Banking sector veteran N C Vaghul says that the finance minister's step is neither positive nor regressive. He feels that banks and the finance ministry need to find a middle path. \n
Cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines owed over Rs 5,600 crore (Rs 56 billion) to public sector banks as on February this year.
Banks are in need of government support to manage the stressed assets
Following the footsteps of its peers, the Kolkata-based UCO Bank has priced its Rs 240 crore initial public offer at an attractive Rs 12 a share to woo retail investors.
The Sensex jumped nearly 900 points and the Nifty rallied over 272 points on Friday, bouncing back from the previous day's fall, following a positive trend in global equities and fresh foreign fund inflows. The BSE Sensex rallied 899.62 points or 1.53 per cent to end at 59,808.97 after starting the trade on a positive note. During the day, it jumped 1,057.69 points or 1.79 per cent to 59,967.04.
The Finance Ministry has invited private sector bankers.
On the Sensex chart, IndusInd Bank, SBI, Dr Reddy's, NTPC, ICICI Bank, HCL Tech and Bajaj FinServ emerged as major laggards.
The 30-share BSE gauge climbed 465.14 points or 0.80 per cent to finish at 58,853.07. During the day, it jumped 546.97 points or 0.93 per cent to 58,934.90.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram asked banks on Monday to even out their loan portfolios to ensure adequate credit to productive sectors, while prescribing deposit mobilisation to head-off liquidity crunch. \n\n
Punjab National Bank is believed to have clinched the deal for taking over the ailing Industrial Finance Corporation of India.
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.
Taking advantage of the robust financial health of public-sector banks, the government has asked them to pay interim dividends, as part of efforts to contain fiscal deficit within 5.6 per cent of the GDP.
Recovering from an order dry-up and change in market conditions, Gurgaon-based Rites is looking to bid aggressively in global export and consultancy tenders and run with a volume-led approach, its chairman and managing director (CMD) Rahul Mithal said. Rites is a railway consultancy public sector undertaking (PSU) under the aegis of the Ministry of Railways. "We started the year with two huge challenges - the export order book, where no new orders had happened, and the opening up of Indian Railways quality assurance works to four players.
Top gainers in the Sensex pack included Tata Steel, Kotak Bank, NTPC, HDFC twins, PowerGrid and ONGC, rising up to 4.60 per cent.
The government on Wednesday pulled up some of the PSU banks for not meeting the agriculture loan targets, but praised for a hefty 37 per cent rise in the operating profits aggregating at over Rs 21,000 crore (Rs 210 billion).
Public sector banks together may take a hit of about Rs 2,200 crore (Rs 22 billion) annually if Indian Banking Association succumbs to trade unions' pressure and agrees to hike salaries of staff by 11 per cent this fiscal.
Sensex, Nifty end the day in red on unfavourable cues from global markets.
Credit rating agency ICRA has said that mergers are one of the best options for growth of Indian banks but warned that it may not solve some "basic problems" of Indian banks plagued by inferior asset quality, poor management and lack of autonomy.\n\n\n\n
IDBI ranked as the 2nd most trust PSU bank.
Among Sensex components, shares of Reliance Industries, India's largest company by market value, stole the show by surging 1.61 per cent to their highest in over three months.
Though most experts remain bullish on the banking space, they suggest investors buy only those banks whose NPAs are at a manageable level of 3% to 4% and there is credit growth or earnings visibility.
Recpaitalising banks through taxpayers' money will not solve the NPA problem.
Moody's said the asset quality of the banks will remain under pressure.
'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.
Most of the buses run by Telangana State Road Transport Organisation are also off the roads
Analysts, however, said the timing of the infusion was good.
Bank loan defaults rose to Rs 74,685 crore (Rs 746.85 billion) at the end of March 2010, with non-performing assets of public sector banks reaching Rs 57,301 crore (Rs 573.01 billion), Parliament was informed on Tuesday.
Many PSU banks had recently cut interest rate on loans for two-wheelers and consumer durables.
Let all the stakeholders, especially the government, remember that if the Make in India lion needs to roar and rise again, it won't happen unless India Inc rises too, points out Shekaar Subramanian.
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