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IT stocks decline on firm rupee

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Capital Market
Last Updated : Sep 16 2013 | 11:56 PM IST

Key benchmark indices trimmed initial gains and hit fresh intraday low in morning trade. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was currently below the psychological 20,000 level, having regained that mark in early trade. The rupee surged past 63 against the dollar. The Sensex was up 265.85 points or 1.35%, off about 90 points from the day's high and up close to 40 points from the day's low. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong.

Indian stocks surged today, 16 September 2013, after the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), late on Friday, 13 September 2013, named Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate for the general elections in 2014. Gains in Asian stocks also supported the domestic bourses.

Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) reversed initial gains. Shares of three public sector oil marketing companies rose after raising petrol price. Pharma major Ranbaxy Laboratories tumbled after the US Food and Drug Administration issued an import alert against company's Mohali plant. ICICI Bank extended intraday gain. IT stocks declined as the rupee surged against the dollar.

The market surged in early trade after the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), late on Friday, 13 September 2013, named Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate for the general elections in 2014. The market trimmed initial gains and hit fresh intraday low in morning trade.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee surged against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 62.69, sharply higher than its close of 63.49/50 on Friday, 13 September 2013.

In a major development on political front, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi was crowned as the candidate for prime minister's post by India's main opposition -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- late on Friday, 13 September 2013. BJP said that Modi's pro-business stance can revive India's stumbling economy. Parliamentary polls are due by next May. "At this time, when corruption and rising prices have become a big problem for the country, I hope the people will support our call for development and good governance," Mr. Modi said at a news conference in New Delhi on Friday, 13 September 2013.

The stock market cheered Modi's appointment as BJP's prime ministerial candidate given Modi's pro-business record as chief minister of Gujarat.

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At 10:20 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 265.85 points or 1.35% to 19,998.61. The index surged 353.67 points at the day's high of 20,086.43 in early trade, its highest level since 25 July 2013. The index rose 223.75 points at the day's low of 19,956.51 in morning trade.

The CNX Nifty was up 76.80 points or 1.31% to 5,927.40. The index hit a high of 5,957.25 in intraday trade, its highest level since 25 July 2013. The index hit a low of 5,914.90 in intraday trade.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On BSE, 1,078 shares gained and 513 shares fell. A total of 73 shares were unchanged.

Among the 30-share Sensex pack, 25 stocks gained and five declined. L&T (up 2.47%), Maruti Suzuki India (up 2.98%) and ONGC (up 2.23%), gained.

Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) fell 0.05%, with the stock reversing intraday gain.

ICICI Bank rose 4.09%, with the stock extending intraday gain.

Pharma major Ranbaxy Laboratories tumbled 26.92% to Rs 334.15 after the US Food and Drug Administration issued an import alert against company's Mohali plant. The FDA issued the alert on Friday, 13 September 2013. Ranbaxy Laboratories' plant in Mohali manufactures oral solids for export to the US, the European Union and other geographies. In May 2013, Ranbaxy Laboratories agreed to pay $500 million penalty to the US government to settle criminal and civil charges related to drug safety.

IT stocks declined as the rupee surged against the dollar. A firm rupee adversely affects operating profit margins of IT firms as the sector derives a lion's share of revenue from exports.

Wipro lost 1.39%. TCS shed 0.69%. Infosys lost 0.44%. HCL Technologies declined 2.52%.

Shares of public sector oil marketing companies (PSU OMCs) rose after raising petrol prices. HPCL (up 2.03%), Indian Oil Corporation (up 1.03%) and BPCL (up 1.9%), edged higher. Petrol prices were hiked by Rs 1.63 a litre with effect from Saturday, 14 September 2013, the seventh increase since June 2013, on rising oil rates and falling rupee. The increase excludes local sales tax or VAT.

PSU OMCs suffer under recoveries on domestic sale of diesel, LPG and kerosene at controlled prices. In January 2013, the government allowed PSU OMCs to raise diesel prices in small measures at regular intervals while completely deregulating diesel prices sold to institutional or bulk buyers. The government has already freed pricing of petrol.

On the macro front, the government unveils data of inflation based on the wholesale price index (WPI) for August 2013 today, 16 September 2013. WPI inflation is seen accelerating to 5.9% in August 2013 from 5.79% in July 2013, as per the median estimates of a poll of economists carried out by Capital Market. WPI inflation had accelerated to 5.79% in July 2013, from 4.86% in June 2013.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said on Friday, 13 September 2013, that FIIs/QFIs shall hereafter be permitted to invest in government debt without purchasing debt limits till the overall investment reaches 90%. Once this 90% limit is reached, auction mechanism shall be initiated for allocation of the remaining limits, as currently in place for FII investments in corporate debt. Presently FIIs/QFIs have to purchase the debt limits through the auction mechanism.

Asian stocks rose on Monday, 16 September 2013, after Lawrence Summers withdrew from consideration to be the next Federal Reserve chairman, paving the way for Janet Yellen, who some investors say may favor a slower reduction in US stimulus. Key benchmark indices in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Indonesia rose by 0.53% to 1.83%. China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.24%. Japanese stock markets were closed for a holiday.

Trading in US index futures indicated that the Dow could jump 170 points at the opening bell on Monday, 16 September 2013. US stocks on Friday scored modest gains despite a mediocre retail sales report and a disappointing read on consumer sentiment. US retail sales, a closely watched benchmark of economic health, rose just 0.2% in August. The consumer sentiment reading in September issued by Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan was 76.8, down from the 82.1 reading in August.

Summers withdrew his nomination to lead the Fed, before a two-day policy meeting starting tomorrow, 17 September 2013. Summers, 58, was one of three names that US President Barack Obama had mentioned as possible replacements for Bernanke, whose term as Fed chairman ends on 31 January 2014. Janet Yellen, 67, the current Fed vice chairman, was also on Obama's candidate list along with Donald Kohn, 70, a former Fed vice chairman, the president said earlier.

Investors across the globe are eyeing the next policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) scheduled this week, considered by many to provide an indication on the timing and size of the Fed's cutbacks in its bond-purchase program. The FOMC holds a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday 17 September and Wednesday 18 September 2013 to decide on interest rates in the United States. The US central bank currently buys $85 billion a month in US debt and mortgage-backed securities in a bid to hold interest rates low and encourage economic growth. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has on several occasions stressed that the tapering process is dependent on an improvement in data. Fed's bond-buying program has kept global markets flush with liquidity in recent years.

The US and Russia announced a deal on Saturday, 14 September 2013, for Syria to destroy its chemical-weapons stockpile by the middle of 2014. The agreement halted preparation for a possible US attack on Syrian government targets in retaliation for the apparent use of chemical agents on civilians last month. Meanwhile, the United Nations said Sunday that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had received a report from weapons inspectors on their probe into the use of chemical weapons in Syria, with the report to be published on the UN's website later on Monday morning, according to media reports.

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First Published: Sep 16 2013 | 10:19 AM IST

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