The stock market registered modest gains as bargain hunting emerged on the bourses after seven straight sessions of losses. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 332.16 points or 0.97% at 34,414.87, as per the provisional closing data. The Nifty 50 index advanced 101.85 points or 0.97% at 10,578.55, as per the provisional closing data. Pharma stocks advanced. Cement major ACC surged after reporting strong Q4 results. Bhel advanced after strong Q3 earnings.
Key indices opened on a higher note and extended gains in mid-morning trade. Later, indices traded within a narrow range with strong gains till afternoon trade. Indices trimmed some gains in mid-afternoon trade and closed with modest gains with a bit of volatility seen in the last hour of trading.
Stocks advanced as bargain hunting emerged after seven straight sessions of sell-off in the domestic equities in the wake of a combination of domestic and global factors. Lesser hawkish stance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its monetary policy meeting concluded yesterday, 7 February 2018 also supported the gains on the bourses. The central bank had kept key policy rates on hold, reiterating its intention to keep an eye on the inflation figures going forward and to support growth.
Earlier, the key indices had declined for seven sessions in a row after the Government announced re-introduction of long term capital gains (LTCG) tax on equities exceeding Rs 1 lakh at 10% in Budget 2018, surging interest rates on sovereign debt in US, and amid rising global crude oil and commodity prices.
Back to today's trade, among secondary indices, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index provisionally rose 1.82%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index provisionally advanced 2.25%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.
The breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was quite strong. There were more than three gainers for every loser on BSE. 2,173 shares advanced and 639 shares declined. A total of 118 shares were unchanged.
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The total turnover on BSE amounted to Rs 5547.07 crore, compared with the turnover of Rs 4395.53 crore registered during the previous trading session.
Pharma stocks advanced. Cipla (up 8.06%), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (up 6.18%), Dr Reddy's Laboratories (up 2.9%), Divi's Laboratories (up 1.95%) and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals (up 1.45%) gained.
Aurobindo Pharma dropped 2.39%. The company's consolidated net profit rose 2.8% to Rs 595.01 crore on 11% growth in net sales to Rs 4268.99 crore in Q3 December 2017 over Q3 December 2016. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 7 February 2018.
N. Govindarajan, Managing Director, Aurobindo Pharma, said that all key markets continue to perform well and have shown a healthy growth trend. Considering the one off US tax charge, the profitability is in line with expectations. The company continues to invest in enhancing specialty and complex generics pipeline, for a sustainable growth.
Pharma major Lupin advanced 0.84% after the company announced the launch of its Clonidine Hydrochloride extended-release tablets, 0.1mg, having received an approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) earlier. It is indicated for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy to stimulant medications. The announcement was made during market hours today, 8 February 2018.
Cement major ACC surged 6.31% after consolidated net profit jumped 126.37% to Rs 206 crore on 30.17% growth in net sales to Rs 3417 crore in Q4 December 2017 over Q4 December 2016. The result was announced during market hours today, 8 February 2018.
Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel) advanced 1.44% after net profit surged 63.76% to Rs 153.19 crore on 0.35% growth in total revenue from operations to Rs 6626.35 crore in Q3 December 2017 over Q3 December 2016. The result was announced during market hours today, 8 February 2018.
On the macro front, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in a notification dated 7 February 2018, announced relief measures for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) registered under Goods and Services Tax (GST). Presently, banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) in India generally classify a loan account as non-performing asset (NPA) based on 90 day and 120 day delinquency norms, respectively. The formalisation of business through registration under GST had adversely impacted the cash flows of the smaller entities during the transition phase with consequent difficulties in meeting their repayment obligations to banks and NBFCs.
As a measure of support to these entities in their transition to a formalised business environment, it has been decided that the exposure of banks and NBFCs to a borrower classified as MSME under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006, shall continue to be classified as a standard asset in the books of banks and NBFCs, subject to a set of conditions, the central bank said.
Overseas, European stocks edged lower as investors waded through the latest batch of corporate earnings, ahead of a central bank decision in the UK. Asian stocks were mixed. China's trade surplus shrank in January on huge imports surge, data released today, 8 February 2018 showed. Trade surplus for January, in Yuan terms, came in at CNY 135.80 billion.
US stocks declined yesterday, 7 February 2018, after trading in a wide range again, as interest rates climbed back toward multi-year highs.
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