Key benchmark indices continued to hover in the negative terrain in mid-morning trade as weakness in Asian stocks weighed on sentiment adversely. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 127.72 points or 0.68%, up about 60 points from the day's low and off almost equal points from the day's high. Index heavyweight and cigarette maker ITC hovered in red. Another index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) also edged lower. The market breadth was weak. Except the BSE Auto index and the BSE HealthCare index, all the other sectoral indices on BSE were in the red. IT stocks fell on negative economic data in US, the biggest outsourcing market for the Indian IT firms. Some pharma stocks rose on defensive buying in weak market.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories rose after the company announced the launch of Zoledronic Acid Injection (5mg/100ml), a therapeutic equivalent generic version of Reclast injection 5mg/100ml in the US market.
The market edged lower in early trade. The Sensex and the 50-unit CNX Nifty hit their lowest level in a week. Weakness continued on the bourses in morning trade. The Sensex continued to hover in the negative terrain in mid-morning trade.
The market sentiment was also affected adversely by data showing that foreign funds remained net sellers of Indian stocks on Wednesday, 3 April 2013. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 368.39 crore on Wednesday, 3 April 2013, as per provisional data from the stock exchanges.
At 11:20 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 127.72 points or 0.68% to 18,673.92. The index fell 189.32 points at the day's low of 18,612.32 in early trade, its lowest level since 28 March 2013. The index declined 68.02 points at the day's high of 18,733.62 in early trade.
The CNX Nifty was down 48.35 points or 0.85% to 5,624.55. The index hit a low of 5,606.80 in intraday trade, its lowest level since 28 March 2013. The index hit a high of 5,643.45 in intraday trade.
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The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was weak. On BSE, 1,314 shares fell and 699 shares rose. A total of 89 shares were unchanged.
Among the 30-share Sensex pack, 18 stocks declined while rest of them rose.
Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) fell 0.73% at Rs 771.15. The scrip hit high of Rs 774 and a low of Rs 765.90 so far during the day. Shares of Reliance Communications rose 1.24%, with the stock gaining for the third straight day. Reliance Jio Infocomm and Reliance Communications (RCom) on Tuesday, 2 April 2013, announced the signing of a definitive agreement for approximately Rs 1200 crore as one time indefeasible right to use (IRU) fees for sharing RCom's nationwide inter-city fiber optic network infrastructure. Reliance Jio Infocomm will utilize multiple fiber pairs across RCom's 1.2 lakh kilometres inter-city fiber optic network to provide a robust and future proof backbone for rolling out its state-of-the-art 4G services. As per the agreement, RCom will in turn have reciprocal access to optic fiber infrastructure to be built by Reliance Jio Infocomm in the future.
The agreement provides for joint working arrangements to be put in place immediately for upgradation of the optic fiber network, to ensure seamless delivery of next generation services.
Index heavyweight and cigarette major ITC declined 0.7% to Rs 305.70 on profit booking. The scrip hit high of Rs 308.90 and a low of Rs 304.50 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 310.75 on 4 February 2013. The government 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, which was unveiled on 28 February 2013.
IT stocks fell on negative economic data in US, the biggest outsourcing market for the Indian IT firms. Infosys dropped 1.95%. Infosys announces Q4 results on 12 April 2013. Infosys said during market hours Tuesday, 2 April 2013, that it has signed an agreement with RWE Supply & Trading (RWEST), a leading European energy trading house to provide technology services to transform RWEST's trading operations to create business efficiencies and drive growth from new markets and commodities.
Infosys on 15 March 2013 announced that it has been selected by India Post to implement and manage a platform that will transform its rural operations. With this new agreement, Infosys will facilitate India Post's Rural Systems Integration (RSI) program.
Software major TCS fell 1.64%. The company on 26 March 2013 said that it has bagged a contract from Southern Water to implement a customer services and revenue transformation programme for the latter. The programme will combine front and back-end technology deployments with internal process redevelopment. Southern Water will benefit from enhanced customer service capabilities, improved cash collection and debt management, and will see a reduction in operating expenditure, TCS said a statement.
HCL Technologies declined 1.5%. The company said during market hours Wednesday, 3 April 2013, that the company is collaborating with North Carolina New Schools -- a statewide public-private catalyst for education innovation -- to create and promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs and get college students ready for the 21st century workforce. HCL will design an online technology hub which will serve as a central gathering place for featured content and discussion between teachers, principals, school staff, students, counselors, college liaisons, district office superintendents and NC New Schools administration staff. NC New Schools will leverage HCL's services for content creation and management of its collaborative, online community offering access to tools and resources required to accelerate systemic, sustainable innovation in schools. NC New Schools will move approximately 3,000 NC New Schools intranet users to the new technology hub.
Wipro fell 0.59%. In relation to media report that Polaris Financial Technology has approached Wipro to sell its services unit, Wipro after market hours Monday, 1 April 2013 clarified that it does not comment on market speculation. The company further said that as a part of the company's strategy, it is constantly in discussion and consultations with various parties for acquisitions, deals etc.
Some pharma stocks rose on defensive buying in weak market. Cipla, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Lupin and Aurobindo Pharma gained by 0.4% to 2.17%.
Dr Reddy's Laboratories rose 2% after the company announced during market hours today, 4 April 2013 that it has launched Zoledronic Acid Injection (5mg/100ml), a therapeutic equivalent generic version of Reclast injection 5mg/100ml in the US market on 3 April 2013, following the approval by the USFDA of the company's ANDA for Zoledronic Acid Injection (5mg/100ml). The Reclast brand had total US sales of approximately $355 million for the twelve months ended February 2013, according to IMS Health data.
The Indian economy is facing a temporary downturn, and average rates of economic growth above 8% are possible in the medium term, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said at the CII National Conference and Annual General Meeting, in New Delhi Wednesday, 3 April 2013.
Growth in services sector eased last month to its slowest since October 2011 as order books filled at a slower pace, a business survey showed on Wednesday, 3 April 2013. The HSBC services Purchasing Managers' Index, based on a survey of around 400 companies, fell to a 17-month low of 51.4 in March from 54.2 in February. Services make up nearly 60% of India's output. While the headline PMI fell for the second straight month, it has held above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction since late 2011.
The Q4 March 2013 corporate earnings season will begin around mid-April 2013. Infosys announces Q4 results on 12 April 2013. IndusInd Bank announces Q2 results on 18 April 2013. Cairn India announces Q4 results on 22 April 2013. HDFC Bank announces Q4 results on 23 April 2013. Axis Bank will announce its Q4 March 2013 results on 24 April 2013. ICICI Bank announces Q4 results on 26 April 2013.
On the political front, the DMK on 19 March 2013 withdrew support to the Congress led UPA government at the Centre citing differences on the issue of atrocities on Tamils in Sri Lanka. After the withdrawal of support by the DMK to the UPA government on 19 March 2013, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on 20 March 2013 said the government was not a lame duck government and was stable. He said that no party has challenged the government for a floor test.
The UPA has already been reduced to a minority government after Trinamool Congress withdrew support to the government in September last year. The Samajwadi Party (SP) along with its regional rival in Uttar Pradesh Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) provide outside support to the UPA government. SP has 22 MPs in Lok Sabha and BSP has 21 MPs.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will announce the Monetary Policy Statement 2013-14 on 3 May 2013. The RBI cut its key policy rate viz. the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5% after a mid-quarter monetary policy review on 19 March 2013. The key macroeconomic priorities are to raise the growth rate, restrain inflation pressures and mitigate the vulnerability of the external sector, RBI said at that time. Even as the policy stance emphasises addressing the growth risks, the headroom for further monetary easing remains quite limited, the RBI said. The RBI said it will continue to actively manage liquidity through various instruments, including open market operations (OMO), so as to ensure adequate flow of credit to productive sectors of the economy.
The upside on the bourses may be capped as reduction of promoter stake to meet the Securities & Exchange Board of India (Sebi) mandated minimum public shareholding of 25% for private companies and 10% for state-run firms will result in supply of equity in the market over the next few months. As per the Sebi mandated minimum public shareholding rule, private-sector companies must cut founders' stake to adhere to the rules by 30 June 2013, while the deadline for state-run firms is 31 August 2013. PSU divestment will also add to share sale glut in FY 2014. The government has set a target of Rs 40000 crore from divestment of government stake in state-run firms and Rs 14000 crore from divestment of stake in non-government companies for FY 2014.
The India Meteorological Department will issue its first forecast of 2013 southwest monsoon in this month.
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.
The second half of the Budget session of the Parliament begins on 22 April 2013. The Budget Session of the Parliament ends on 10 May 2013. The government has lined up a number of key bills for consideration and passing during the Budget session of the parliament, which include The Forward Contracts (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2010, The Pension Fund Regulator and Development Authority Bill, 2011, The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, The National Food Security Bill, 2011 and The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008.
Assembly elections will be held in Karnataka on 5 May 2013 and the counting of votes and results of the election will be declared on 8 May 2013.
Asian markets traded lower on Thursday, tracking a negative lead from Wall Street overnight. Key benchmark indices in Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea fell by 0.29% to 1.33%. Japan's Nikkei Average rose 0.58%. Stock markets in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were shut for holidays.
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) will end its two-day policy meeting today, 4 April 2013, the first under the new governor Haruhiko Kuroda. Market expectations have been running high for Kuroda to announce at his inaugural policy meeting an increase in bond purchases and a lengthening in the maturities of bonds the BOJ intends to buy.
Stronger manufacturing and services output in China helped lift emerging market business confidence in March, masking slower growth in Brazil, Russia and India, a monthly purchasing managers' survey showed. The HSBC Emerging Market Index (EMI) survey, which collects data from purchasing managers at about 7,500 firms in 16 emerging markets, showed on Thursday that strong manufacturing output from China helped boost growth in neighbouring south-east Asian economies including Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
HSBC's composite manufacturing and services PMI for the world's second-largest economy increased in March to 53.7 from 51.4 the previous month. That helped lift the HSBC EMI index to 52.6, from 52.4 the previous month.
North Korea barred entry to a joint industrial complex it shares with the South for a second day on Thursday, telling the association of companies that operate factories in the Kaesong industrial zone to complete pull out by April 10.
The United States said on Wednesday it would soon send a missile defense system to Guam to defend it from North Korea, as the US military adjusts to what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has called a "real and clear" danger from Pyongyang.
Trading in US index futures indicated that the Dow could gain 24 points at the opening bell on Thursday, 4 April 2013. US stocks fell on Wednesday following lower-than-expected readings on the US non-manufacturing sector and private-sector jobs growth. Private-payrolls processor ADP reported private-sector job growth of 158,000 in March, below expectations of 215,000 and versus an upwardly revised gain of 237,000 in February. US services sector, with the Institute for Supply Management's non manufacturing index in March fell to 54.4 from 56 the month before.
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