Nifty or Shanghai - which will finish first?
Market players believe the Shanghai Composite Index and the Nifty are set for a photo finish in 2014. The Chinese benchmark index has risen 38 per cent during the year, while the Indian 50-share benchmark index is up 31 per cent.
Interestingly, till August-end, the Shanghai Composite Index was way behind the Nifty, having risen only five per cent vis-à-vis the Nifty's 26 per cent. Since then, it has caught up, rising sharply by 32 per cent, while the rise in the Nifty has been sluggish at three per cent.
Sensex slides, bonds rally
However, during the same period, the 10-year benchmark security has rallied around five per cent, with yields softening from 8.2 to 7.83 on Friday. With rate cuts expected, many experts say, the debt and equity market returns would converge in the first half of 2015.