Sensex ends 236 pts down, Nifty slips below 10,400 levels as PSU banks fall

All that happened in the markets today.

The benchmark indices ended 0.7% lower on Monday led by a steep fall in the key banking stocks. The Nifty PSU Bank index ended 2.5% down with Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India and Syndicate Bank being the top losers.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 33,775, down 236 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,378, down 74 points.

Asian shares gained on Monday, joining a global recovery for equity markets as sentiment improved gradually from a recent shakeout that was sparked by fears of creeping inflation and higher borrowing costs.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.5 per cent, having recovered more than 40 per cent of its losses from late January to last week's low.

Trading was slower than usual due to market holidays in the United States as well as Greater China.

Japan's Nikkei gained 2.0 per cent while US stock futures climbed gained 0.4 per cent in Asia on Monday.
 

(with wire inputs)

3:57 PM

MARKET COMMENT: Jayant Manglik, President, Religare Broking

 

Nifty started the F&O expiry week on feeble note and breached its crucial support at 10400. The overhang of banking fraud at PNB continued to haunt the PSU banking pack which later joined by others as well. However, recovery in the last hour of the trade pared some losses.

 

Markets are seeing excessive volatility at present, citing local issues and the upcoming derivatives expiry will further fuel the same. We advise keeping stock specific trading approach and maintaining strict risk management rules to avoid unmanageable losses

3:40 PM

Market watch (Image source: BSE)

3:37 PM

Top Sectoral loser: Nifty PSU Bank cracks nearly 3%

3:35 PM

Sectoral Trend

3:34 PM

Sensex top losers and gainers

3:32 PM

Market at close

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 33,775, down 236 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,378, down 74 points.

3:24 PM

PNB fraud: Who's liable and why multiple audits failed to raise an alarm?

 

Punjab National Bank in an FIR filed with the Central Bureau of Investigation submitted that its in-house investigation had not found any role of chartered accountants, the statutory auditors and empanelled valuers in the alleged scam. That would be music to the ears of the five statutory auditors of the New Delhi-headquartered bank. However, it remains unanswered as to why multiple levels of audit failed to raise an alarm in the system. READ MORE

3:14 PM

Two-year oil price curve likely to influence timing of Saudi Aramco IPO

It's the burning question in the oil industry: when will Saudi Arabia pull the trigger on the Aramco stock market listing?

 

Many industry experts are focusing on the current level of oil prices. However another key consideration for Saudi officials in floating up to 5 per cent of the state oil producer is where they see prices in one to two years' time, two sources close to the IPO said. CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

3:03 PM

Financial conditions deteriorate in Jan-Mar, says CII-IBA index

An index mapping the country’s short-term financial conditions has plunged over 12 points for the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year ending March 31, as compared to the previous quarter.
 

The CII-IBA Financial Conditions Index stood at 53.2 for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2017-18 as against 65.3 in the October-December period. READ MORE

2:56 PM

Market Check

S&P BSE Sensex	33,724.45		-0.84%
Nifty 50	10,342.40		-1.05%
S&P BSE 200	4,528.32		-1.01%
Nifty 500	9,126.10		-1.19%
S&P BSE Mid-Cap	16,373.41		-1.38%
S&P BSE Small-Cap	17,798.40		-1.32%

2:54 PM

PNB fraud: What does it take to set up a high-performance RBI?

A certain minimal state capacity in bank regulation and supervision is required, and we are repeatedly discovering this is absent. Some people see this as a question of public versus private banking. Private banks in India also have major difficulties with non-performing assets (NPAs), which suggests that the common factor of banking regulation is the root cause. READ MORE

2:51 PM

Edelweiss on Torrent Pharma

 

We revise FY18/FY19E EPS down 16%/30% and maintain our 20x target multiple on FY20E EPS. With limited upside from current level, we downgrade to ‘HOLD’ with a revised target price of Rs 1,333 (Rs 1,390 earlier)

2:31 PM

Jewellery shares fall; Rajesh Exports, Renaissance Jewellery down over 6%

Shares of diamond, gems and jewellery companies under pressure falling by up to 10%, extending their past three days decline after the recent detection of a massive financial fraud in which diamond merchant Nirav Modi allegedly acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking (LoUs) from a branch of Punjab National Bank (PNB). READ MORE

2:15 PM

MUST READ PNB fraud: Why India's banking system is flawed and how we can fix it

To the collective dismay of the public, there is one more bank scam, which, not surprisingly, involves a public sector bank (PSB) — Punjab National Bank.

 

Nirav Modi, a flamboyant jeweller, and his uncle Mehul Choksi (a one-time favourite of foreign institutional investors) have allegedly pulled off a daring heist of over Rs 110 billion and run away to the US, leaving the country astounded by the audacity of the duo and the stupidity of bankers.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

1:54 PM

Sectoral Watch: Nifty PSU Bank cracks 5%