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Banking, realty stocks lead rally on rate cut hopes

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Capital Market
Last Updated : May 15 2013 | 5:00 PM IST

Key benchmark indices surged as data on Tuesday, 14 May 2013, showed a sharp fall in wholesale price inflation in April 2013, raising hopes that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may further cut policy rates to perk up economic growth. Gains in Asian and European stocks also lifted sentiment. The S&P BSE Sensex hit its highest level in over 28 months above the psychological 20,000 mark. The 50-unit CNX Nifty hit its highest level in over 28 months above the psychological 6,000 mark. The Sensex was provisionally up 493.01 points or 2.5%, up about 420 points from the day's low and off close to 25 points from the day's high. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. All the 13 sectoral indices on BSE were in the green.

Index heavyweights ITC and Reliance Industries (RIL), both, edged higher. Bank and realty stocks rose as the latest data showing a sharp fall in wholesale price inflation in April 2013 raised hopes that the RBI may further cut policy rates to perk up economic growth. Kotak Mahindra Bank and HDFC Bank hit record high. Housing finance major HDFC also scaled record high.

The market sentiment was boosted by data showing that foreign funds remained net buyers of Indian stocks on Tuesday, 14 May 2013. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 420.99 crore on Tuesday, 14 May 2013, as per provisional data from the stock exchanges.

As per provisional figures, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 493.01 points or 2.5% to 20,215.30. The index jumped 518.67 points at the day's high of 20,241.96 in late trade, its highest level since 6 January 2011. The index gained 75.89 points at the day's low of 19,798.18 in opening trade.

The CNX Nifty was up 146.85 points or 2.45% to 6,142.25, per provisional figures. The index hit a high of 6,157.10 in intraday trade, its highest level since 4 January 2011. The index hit a low of 6,018.85 in intraday trade.

The total turnover on BSE amounted to Rs 2269 crore, higher than Rs 1671.47 crore on Tuesday, 14 May 2013.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On BSE, 1,466 shares advanced and 963 shares declined. A total of 160 shares were unchanged.

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From the 30-share Sensex pack, 29 stocks rose and only one of them fell.

Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) gained 2.65% to Rs 818.80. The stock hit a high of Rs 820.25 and low of Rs 802.35.

Index heavyweight and cigarette major ITC rose 2.01% to Rs 342.65. The stock hit a high of Rs 344 and low of Rs 336. The stock had hit record high of Rs 355 in intraday trade during the special trading session held on Saturday, 11 May 2013. The Centre raised the excise duty on cigarettes by about 18% on all cigarettes except cigarettes of length not exceeding 65 mm in Union Budget 2013-14.

Tata Motors rose 2%. The company's British luxury car unit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) reported 12% increase in sales to 28,503 units in April 2013 over April 2012. During the first four months of the year, Jaguar Land Rover sold 143,974 vehicles, up 16%.

April sales were up for Jaguar Land Rover in every major region: with Asia Pacific up 37%, the UK up 32%, the China Region up 10%, North America up 6%, Europe up 2% and other overseas markets up 11% (including India which is up 6%). The same trend is reflected in the first four months of the year with sales up 21% in Asia Pacific, 20% in the UK, 18% in the China Region, 13% in North America, 8% in Europe and 22% in other overseas markets, JRL said.

Phil Popham, Jaguar Land Rover's Director of Group Sales Operations said: "This is a positive start to our second quarter sales and continues the growth trend seen in the first three months of the year. Sales of the Jaguar XF remain buoyant across many of our key markets and we are seeing the positive impact of the all new Range Rover with approaching 15,000 cars sold in the first four months of this year".

Cipla gained 2.87%. The company said during market hours today, 15 May 2013, that shareholders of Cipla Medpro South Africa have approved Cipla's cash offer to acquire 100% of Cipla Medpro through itself or through its nominated subsidiary.

Bank stocks gained as the latest data showing a sharp fall in wholesale price inflation in April 2013 raised hopes that the RBI may further cut policy rates to perk up economic growth. A rate cut would boost credit offtake.

Shares of India's biggest commercial bank in terms of branch network, State Bank of India (SBI), jumped 4.07%.

Among other PSU bank stocks, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Canara Bank, and Punjab National Bank rose by 1.99% to 7.76%.

ICICI Bank rose 3.74%. Axis Bank rose 2.84%.

Kotak Mahindra Bank galloped 5.44% to Rs 767. The stock hit record high of Rs 769.90 in intraday trade today, 15 May 2013.

HDFC Bank gained 3.72% to Rs 714.80. The stock had hit record high of Rs 716.50 in intraday trade today, 15 May 2013.

HDFC jumped 4.7% to Rs 909.80. The stock hit record high of Rs 915 in intraday trade today, 15 May 2013.

Realty stocks rose as the latest data showing a sharp fall in wholesale price inflation in April 2013 raised hopes that the RBI may further cut policy rates to perk up economic growth. Lower interest rates may help revive demand for properties. Purchases of both residential and commercial property are largely driven by finance. HDIL, Unitech and D B Realty rose by 4.53% to 6.46%.

Realty major DLF jumped 4.93% to Rs 241.65 after the company received strong investor response for its institutional placement programme. Investors bid for a total quantity of 14.81 crore DLF shares under the institutional placement programme through the stock exchanges mechanism held during a single day on Tuesday, 14 May 2013. The company will issue up to 8.1 crore shares to eligible qualified institutional buyers. The floor price for the qualified institutional placement was set at Rs 222 per equity share, with price band of Rs 222 to Rs 233 per share.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor H.R. Khan on Tuesday said that the RBI has allowed companies building low-cost housing projects to raise overseas loans.

The focus of the market is on Q4 results. Bajaj Auto announces Q4 results tomorrow, 16 May 2013. ITC unveils Q4 results on Friday, 17 May 2013. Coal India unveils standalone FY 2013 results on 20 May 2013. L&T unveils Q4 results on 22 May 2013. Tata Steel, State Bank of India and Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel) unveil Q4 results on 23 May 2013. Coal India unveils consolidated FY 2013 results on 27 May 2013. Sun Pharma, GAIL (India) and Hindalco Industries unveil Q4 results on 28 May 2013. Tata Motors, ONGC, NMDC and BPCL unveil Q4 results on 29 May 2013. M&M and Tata Power unveil Q4 results on 30 May 2013.

The annual rate of inflation, based on monthly wholesale price index (WPI), eased sharply to 4.89% in April 2013, from 5.96% in March 2013, data released by the government on Tuesday, 14 May 2013, showed. Core inflation or non-food manufacturing inflation declined further to 2.74% in April 2013 from 3.41% in March 2013.

Meanwhile, WPI inflation for February 2013 was revised upwards to 7.28% from 6.84% reported earlier.

The consumer price inflation fell below the 10% mark in April 2013. The combined consumer price inflation for rural and urban India eased to 9.39% in April 2013 from 10.39% in March 2013, data released by the government on Monday, 13 May 2013, showed.

Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao on Tuesday, 14 May 2013, said that the central bank will take note of falling inflation when discussing potential interest rate cuts.

The RBI on 3 May 2013 cut its key policy rate viz. the repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 7.25% and kept the cash reserve ratio (CRR) for banks unchanged at 4% after a monetary policy review. RBI said that the balance of risks stemming from its assessment of the growth-inflation dynamic provides little space for further monetary easing. The central bank said that with upside risks to inflation still significant in the near term in view of sectoral demand supply imbalances, ongoing correction in administered prices and pressures stemming from MSP increases, monetary policy cannot afford to lower its guard against the possibility of resurgence of inflation pressures. The RBI said it will endeavour to condition the evolution of inflation to a level of 5% by March 2014, using all instruments at its command.

The finance ministry in October 2012 announced a five-year plan to cut fiscal deficit. The government hopes to reduce the fiscal deficit to 3% by March 2017.

European stock markets were mostly higher on Wednesday as Bank of England Governor Mervyn King predicted that a recovery for the UK economy is within sight. Key benchmark indices in Germany and France rose by 0.18% to 0.19%. UK's FTSE 100 was flat.

Germany's Gross-domestic-product just narrowly avoided contraction in the first quarter. Germany's economy rose less than expected 0.1% during the first quarter. Another data released on Wednesday showed the French economy slid into a recession, with its gross domestic product slipping 0.2% in the first quarter from the three month period ended 31 December 2012.

UK unemployment rose in the first quarter and the number of people in work fell as the pressure on wages increased, adding to signs that the labor market is slowing. Joblessness as measured by International Labour Organisation methods rose 15,000 in the three months through March to 2.52 million, a rate of 7.8%, the Office for National Statistics said today in London.

Asian shares rose on Wednesday, with Japan's Nikkei Average surging to a fresh 5-1/2 year high on the back of a weaker yen and strengthening expectations for earnings growth of Japanese firms. Key benchmark indices in Indonesia, Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore rose by 0.12% to 2.29%.

Trading in US index futures indicated a flat opening of US stocks on Wednesday, 15 May 2013. US stocks rallied to record highs on Tuesday, continuing an ascent driven by the Federal Reserve's easy monetary policy, though investors' focus has turned to when the Fed may start to rein in its bond-purchase programme.

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First Published: May 15 2013 | 3:42 PM IST

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