Key benchmark indices hovered in a small range amid positive bias in mid-afternoon trade. At 14:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 53.23 points or 0.18% at 29,389.80. The Nifty 50 index was up 19.70 points or 0.22% at 9,123.20. Small gains were witnessed on the bourses after Nifty recorded five straight day of losses while Sensex barely managed to snap four-day losing streak yesterday, 19 April 2017.
Domestic bourses made a positive start to the session on higher Asian stocks. After trading with small gains in early trade, key indices steadily added on to the gains and hit fresh high in early afternoon trade. Indices traded with small gains in afternoon trade amid lack of clear direction from global stocks.
The Sensex gained 116.49 points or 0.39% at the day's high of 29,453.06 in early afternoon trade, its highest level since 18 April 2017. The index rose 5.11 points or 0.01% at the day's low of 29,341.68 at the onset of the session. The Nifty gained 40.40 points or 0.44% at the day's high of 9,143.90 in early afternoon trade, its highest level since 18 April 2017. The index fell 0.85 points at the day's low of 9,102.65 at the onset of the session.
The BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.5%. The BSE Small-Cap index was up 1%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.
The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 1,776 shares rose and 1,004 shares fell. A total of 169 shares were unchanged.
FMCG stocks gained. Jyothy Laboratories (up 1.04%), Bajaj Corp (up 1.14%), Godrej Consumer Products (up 2.26%), GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare (up 0.17%), Colgate-Palmolive (India) (up 0.68%), Dabur India (up 0.69%), Hindustan Unilever (up 0.1%), Marico (up 0.23%), Nestle India (up 0.07%), Tata Global Beverages (up 1.23%) rose. Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care (down 0.28%) and Britannia Industries (down 1.14%) fell.
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Metal and mining stocks saw mixed trend. Steel Authority of India (Sail) (up 0.33%), National Aluminium Company (up 0.74%), Hindustan Zinc (up 1.86%), Hindalco Industries (up 0.05%), NMDC (up 0.32%), Hindustan Copper (up 1.15%) edged higher. Vedanta (down 0.75%), JSW Steel (down 2.44%), Tata Steel (down 0.14%), Jindal Steel & Power (down 2.44%) edged lower.
Copper edged higher in the global commodities market. High Grade Copper for May 2017 delivery was currently up 0.69% at $2.5525 per pound on the COMEX.
National Aluminium Company rose 0.74% to Rs 68.25 as the government's two-day offer for sale for offloading a total of 10% stake in the company began yesterday, 19 April 2017. The GoI held 74.58% stake in Nalco as per the shareholding pattern as on 31 March 2017. The floor price for the OFS was fixed at Rs 67 per share. Retail investors will be allocated offer shares at a discount of 5% to the cut off price.
On the second day of the bidding for OFS today, 20 April 2017, as at 14:25 IST, bids were received for 5.68 crore shares from the retail investors, representing a subscription of 159.62%. The OFS received good response from non-retail investors' category yesterday, 19 April 2017, with an oversubscription of 184.25%. Shares of Nalco had tumbled 7.76% to settle at Rs 67.75 yesterday, 19 April 2017.
National Aluminium Company's (Nalco) promoter, the Government of India (GoI) is selling upto 9.66 crore equity shares of the company, representing 5% stake with an additional option to sell up to 5% stake in the company in two trading sessions via offer for sale (OFS). The OFS for non-retail investors completed yesterday, 19 April 2017 and for retail investors and non-retail investors who chose to carry forward their un-allotted bids, the OFS is taking place today, 20 April 2017. The two-day OFS is through a separate, designated window on the stock exchanges.
Indian Hume Pipe Company was up 1.56% after the company said it has secured a work order worth Rs 122.86 crore from Madhya Pradesh Jal Nigam Maryadit, Bhopal for Bankpura Multi Village Rural Water Supply Scheme for 120 villages of Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh. The project is to be completed within 24 months from the date of issue of letter of acceptance. The agreement will be signed in due course. The announcement was made during market hours today, 20 April 2017.
Overseas, most European stocks were trading higher. Asian stock markets were trading on a mixed note. On the macro front, Japanese exports grew at the fastest rate in more than two years in March, supporting the bullish view in the debate over the health of the global economy.
Among US stocks, the Dow industrials and the S&P 500 ended lower yesterday, 19 April 2017 as a drop in oil prices fueled a selloff in energy shares while a drop in International Business Machines Corp. was responsible for half the session's losses in the blue-chip average. On the other hand, the Nasdaq Composite rose with big gains from shares of Intuitive Surgical Inc. and Lam Research Corp.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve's Beige Book report showed the US economy continued to expand steadily and Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer painted a picture of brightening global growth that can better manage the spillover of gradual monetary tightening.
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