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Bank shares extend Friday's decline

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Last Updated : Sep 23 2013 | 11:55 PM IST

Fourteen bank shares fell by 2.26% to 5.84% at 10:35 IST on BSE, extending Friday's fall as the Reserve Bank of India, in a surprise decision, raised its key policy rate after a monetary policy review on Friday, 20 September 2013.

ICICI Bank (down 3.98%), HDFC Bank (down 3.27%), State Bank of India (down 3.73%), Union Bank of India (down 5.84%), Punjab National Bank (down 4.26%), Bank of Baroda (down 5.29%), Canara Bank (down 4.29%), Bank of India (down 5.24%), IndusInd Bank (down 3.29%), Yes Bank (down 3.02%), Federal Bank (down 2.26%), Axis Bank (down 3.55%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (down 2.75%) and IDBI Bank (down 2.91%) edged lower.

The S&P BSE Bankex lost 3.56% at 11,733.34 and was the top loser among sectoral indices on BSE. It underperformed the S&P BSE Sensex, which was down 1.16% at 20,029.51. The S&P BSE Bankex had declined 4.18% to 12,166.86 on Friday, 20 September 2013.

The S&P BSE Bankex had outperformed the market over the past one month till 20 September 2013, rising 15.75% compared with the Sensex's 11.06% rise. The index, however, underperformed the market in past one quarter, falling 6.52% as against Sensex's 8.25% rise.

Bank stocks extended Friday's losses as the Reserve Bank of India, in a surprise decision, raised its key policy rate viz. the repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 7.5% from 7.25% after a monetary policy review on Friday, 20 September 2013, and as the central bank retained hawkish tone at the latest monetary policy review.

Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of India, said in a statement on Friday, 20 September 2013, that the calibrated withdrawal of the exceptional measures that the RBI had taken since mid-July to tighten liquidity with a view to dampening volatility in the foreign exchange market will provide a boost to growth, reduce the financing distortions that are emerging in the market and reduce the strain on corporate and bank balance sheets. In an attempt to tame high inflation, which is partly fueled by the currency's recent slump against the dollar, the RBI raised its policy rate viz. the repo rate after a monetary policy review on Friday, 20 September 2013. The central bank, however, eased some of the liquidity-tightening measures it had taken to prop up the rupee. The RBI reduced the rate at which it lends funds to banks through its marginal standing facility, by three quarters of a percentage point, to 9.5%. The marginal standing facility is an emergency funding facility for banks. On net, the RBI's latest measures will reduce the cost of bank financing substantially while allowing the RBI to take an appropriately precautionary stance on inflation, Dr. Rajan said on Friday, 20 September 2013.

The minimum daily maintenance of the CRR prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been brought down from 99% of the requirement to 95% from the fortnight beginning 21 September 2013. The timing and direction of further actions on exceptional measures will be contingent upon exchange market stability, and can be two-way, the RBI said after a monetary policy review. However, any further change in the minimum daily maintenance of the CRR is not contemplated, the RBI said. The RBI kept the cash reserve ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4%.

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"Over the next few weeks, together with the government, we will take a close look at corporate distress and bank NPAs to see how we can accelerate the process of resolution", Dr. Rajan said. The RBI Governor said that the RBI has implemented the full liberalization of bank branching, with some safeguards to encourage inclusion.

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First Published: Sep 23 2013 | 10:47 AM IST

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