State Bank of India (SBI) may carry out a planned Rs 10,000 crore sale of infrastructure bonds in the market this week, with the securities likely to be of 15-year maturity, sources told Business Standard. SBI, the country's largest bank, had last week said its board had approved the issuance of infrastructure bonds in the current fiscal year. It, however, had not mentioned the maturity of the bonds or when the sale would take place.
'We created war rooms -- from an IT perspective and also a customer war room -- to address any challenges that come up.'
The Bharatiya Janata Party has released its manifesto for the upcoming Nagaland assembly elections, promising a special package for the eastern part of the state and establishment of a board for the holistic development of the region if the party returns to power for the second time in a row.
Housing sales are likely to be hit, especially in affordable and mid-income categories, following the RBI's decision to hike repo rate, according to real estate developers and consultants. However, the impact of RBI's decision to raise the benchmark lending rate by 50 basis points to 5.40 per cent is expected to be for a short term, they added. This is the third consecutive rate hike after a 40 basis points and 50 basis points increase in May and June, respectively.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday raised the personal income tax rebate limit, doled out sops on small savings and announced one of the biggest hikes in capital spending in the past decade as she did a tight rope walk in the Budget between staying fiscally prudent and meeting public expectations in the year before general elections.
'Marginal rates will definitely affect the consumer's decision in entering a new transaction, but in reality, they don't affect much because banks/financial institutions have come up with step-up EMIs: 50% of home loans which exceed 15 years in India are prepaid, within 7-8 years.' 'This doesn't happen anywhere in the world.'
Notwithstanding expectations of a pick-up in construction activity during a seasonally strong January-March quarter (fourth quarter) of 2022-23 (FY23), analysts are cautiously optimistic about the building material sector - encompassing paints, pipes, wood panels, tiles, metals, and cement - as volatile input costs, coupled with fears of a global slowdown, are making demand projections uncertain. Against this backdrop, analysts suggest investors stay selective and pick stocks of companies with stronger brand recall, expanding distribution network, diversified product profile, healthier balance sheet, and sustainable cash flow. "The government's various proposals under Budget 2023-24 (FY24) may lead to the building material segment growing between 8 per cent and 12 per cent for the next five years.
The country's largest housing finance company HDFC Ltd will merge with the country's largest private sector lender HDFC Bank, according to a regulatory filing. The scheme of amalgamation will be subject to various regulatory approvals, including from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), HDFC Bank said in the filing on Monday.
A 5% increase is expected due to additional interest on approval costs.
From real estate to metals, what Sitharaman's Budget has in store.
The Indian real estate market is on an upward cycle and residential housing continues to be the star of the sector, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh said on Thursday. He added that unlike many other Western countries, the demand for housing in India is from genuine homebuyers and is not speculative in nature. "The India real estate market is on an upward cycle which bodes well for all of us. "The big star of the real estate sector continues to remain residential housing in India. "I hardly need to reiterate that demand for housing in India continues to remain robust," Parekh said while addressing the CII Real Estate event.
Sitharaman also listed out various welfare schemes like affordable housing, direct benefit transfer and Ayushman Bharat.
"An important aspect of this budget is the welfare of the poor," Modi said.
A person in the 30% income tax bracket with a Rs 40 lakh home loan at 9% interest rate would, under the Rs 3.5 lakh interest exemption, will save Rs 105,000 in tax in the first year, against Rs 60,000 under the previous interest exemption of Rs 2 lakh.
The real estate market has seen a decline in affordability due to the recent rise in median loan rates as a result of the 50 basis points (bps) hike in repo rates by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). A cumulative increase of 0.95 per cent in median home loan rate has impacted the purchase affordability and purchase decisions of homebuyers, according to the Affordability Index by Knight Frank. The Affordability Index tracks the EMI (equated-monthly instalment) to income ratio for an average household.
Tax benefit on WFH expenses, regulatory clarity on cryptos figure high on their wish list.
The Delhi police has been allocated Rs 10,355.29 crore in the Union Budget for 2022-23, an increase of Rs 1,701.03 crore from the last fiscal, officials said on Tuesday.
'India has formed tremendous resilience and still a strong growth.'
There was no relief for existing home buyers who are stuck in stalled projects and are paying both rent and EMI on their home loans.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced allocation of whopping Rs 48,000 crore for completion of 80 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), both rural and urban, during the next fiscal year. In her budget speech, the minister said: "In 2022-23, 80 lakh houses will be completed for the identified eligible beneficiaries of PM Awas Yojana, both rural and urban. Rs 48,000 crore is allocated for this purpose." The Centre would work with states for reduction of time required for all land and construction related approvals, for promoting affordable housing for middle-class and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in urban areas, she said.
Knight Frank and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in their report said that 10 million homes will be delivered by 2022 as targeted by the government.
The difference between what the banks play in the US and India is not that of soccer and football but rugby and football. SVB also has a unique character. But when risks are mispriced, the fallout could be very similar, points out Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
'The inflection point that really happened in the sector was during the pandemic when buyers' perception changed towards consumption and that gave a trigger to pent-up demand with the increased affordability.'
Improved credit profile may make you eligible to transfer your existing home loan to another lender at a much lower rate.
Are you worried about your relationship with your partner or friends or colleagues? Ask Dr Ashish Sehgal for advice.
With funds more readily available, Fitch expects a portion of stalled housing projects to resume construction, and this will feed into its forecasts for India's buildings sector growth in the short term.
Messi's image is everywhere, adorning the sides of buildings.
The key demand drivers -- such as low home loan rates and income tax sops, particularly for affordable housing -- that supported the recovery in H2 FY2021, remain in place and will spur recovery again, feel experts.
Several income tax proposals, including 30 per cent tax on income from trade in cryptocurrencies will come into effect from Friday. Also, the revised norms for levy of 1 per cent TDS (tax deducted at source) on sale of immovable property exceeding Rs 50 lakh will come into effect from April 1, the beginning of the new financial year. As per the revised norms, TDS of 1 per cent shall be deducted on consideration or stamp duty value, which ever is higher, as against the earlier provision of consideration.
The council also cut GST rates on affordable housing to 1 per cent from the current 8 per cent.
One of Mumbai's biggest real estate redevelopment projects of Bombay Development Directorate's (BDD's) chawls (large buildings divided into many separate tenements, offering cheap, basic accommodation) has taken off in Central Mumbai, opening up a Rs 20,000-crore opportunity for real estate companies. It is expected to drive down real estate prices in Central Mumbai by up to 25 per cent, forecast real estate experts. Spread over 92 acres in Central Mumbai's prime localities of Worli, Lower Parel, and Dadar and consisting 195 four-storey houses, the BDD chawls were constructed in the 1920s.
Tata Steel was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, zooming 7.57 per cent, followed by Sun Pharma, IndusInd Bank, L&T, ITC and HCL Tech.
As PM talks of lower lending rates, housing companies prepare to cash in.
The Piramal Group on Friday said it is planning to move the Supreme Court to appeal against an order by insolvency appellate tribunal NCLAT, which sent back its winning bid for DHFL to the debt-laden finance company's lenders for reconsidering the valuation. Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Ltd in a statement said that "the Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL) acquisition by Piramal Group remains unaffected and the business integration continues as envisaged". The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Thursday, while delivering a judgement on 63 Moons Technologies petition had directed the lenders of DHFL to reconsider their decision regarding the valuation of the financial firm's avoidable transactions, while approving the insolvency resolution plan submitted by Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Ltd.
While she primed up spending on infrastructure to create jobs and boost economic activity, Sitharaman did not tinker with income tax slabs or tax rates. Her Budget for the fiscal year beginning April 2022 proposed a massive 35 per cent jump in capital expenditure to Rs 7.5 lakh crore, coupled with rationalisation of customs duty, an extension of time for setting up new manufacturing companies and plans for starting a digital currency and tax crypto assets.
Talks of a merger between HDFC Bank and parent HDFC Ltd had gained steam nearly eight years ago, when the Reserve Bank of India allowed banks to issue long-term bonds to fund infrastructure and affordable housing. At that time, key executives at both entities denied any such proposal. And today, the merger has been officially announced by the two players.
The GST Council had given the option to real estate companies to either opt for old rates of 12% (for residential) and 8 per cent (affordable housing) with ITC benefits or the new tax rates of 5% for residential units and 1% for affordable housing without the benefit of adjusting the credit on inputs used during construction.
In the 2017 budget, the government accorded infrastructure status for affordable projects to help such projects raise loans at lower rates
In an email interview with Ranju Sarkar, International Finance Corporation's South Asia director Mengistu Alemayehu explains why the firm is bullish on building affordable homes in India.
Ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala on Thursday said real estate developers are afflicted with very low return on capital as compared to bluechip stocks. Jhunjhunwala, who runs RARE Enterprises and is set to be a major shareholder in an upcoming airliner, said only the affordable housing developers can look at listing because of the volumes which they can deliver. It can be noted that very few developers like Macrotech Developers formerly Lodha, and DLF are listed on the bourses. Jhunjhunwala cited the case of DLF, saying the stock price plummeted to Rs 80 from Rs 1,300 per piece to illustrate the risks associated.