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Last Updated : Nov 19 2014 | 7:01 PM IST

Key benchmark indices edged lower after a sudden slide in mid-afternoon trade. The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market turned negative from positive. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, regained the psychological 28,000 level after falling below level. The Sensex was currently off 134.53 points or 0.48% at 28,028.76. Shares of select non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) rose. Steel stocks declined. European stocks edged lower in early trade. Asian stocks were mixed.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 101.98 crore yesterday, 18 November 2014, as per provisional data. Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan yesterday, 18 November 2014, said that there is a lot of work to be done to get India back on a strong growth path. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) today, 19 November 2014, said the Indian economy is showing signs of a turnaround and that new reforms, some of which are included in the package presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, need to be implemented to put the country on a path to strong, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Earlier, the Sensex and the 50-unit CNX Nifty had pared gains after both these indices hit record high at the onset of trading session.

In overseas markets, European stocks declined on Wednesday as investors awaited the release of minutes from the Bank of England and Federal Reserve policy meetings. Asian stocks were mixed. US stocks edged higher yesterday, 18 November 2014, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500, both, attaining record closing high as upbeat US housing data, as well as news of a snap election in Japan and better-than-expected data from Germany boosted investor sentiment.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar as key equity benchmark indices dropped.

Brent crude oil futures dropped after data showed Saudi Arabia increased crude exports in September despite signs of an oversupplied market and producers appeared divided ahead of an OPEC meeting to discuss output.

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At 14:20 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 134.53 points or 0.48% at 28,028.76. The index fell 164.07 points at the day's low of 27,999.22 in mid-afternoon trade, its lowest level since 17 November 2014. The index jumped 130.72 points at the day's high of 28,294.01 at onset of the trading session, a record high for the index.

The CNX Nifty was down 55.75 points or 0.66% at 8,370.15. The index hit a low of 8,367.65 in intraday trade, lowest level since 17 November 2014. The index hit a high of 8,455.65 in intraday trade, its record high level.

The BSE Mid-Cap index was off 64.60 points or 0.63% at 10,210.70, underperforming the Sensex. The BSE Small-Cap index was off 50.06 points or 0.44% at 11,393.10, outperforming the Sensex.

The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market turned negative from positive in mid-afternoon trade. On BSE, 1,722 shares fell and 1,213 shares rose. A total of 108 shares were unchanged.

Among the 30 Sensex shares, 19 declined and the remaining shares rose. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (down 1.76%), Tata Motors (down 1.73%), Mahindra & Mahindra (down 1.48%), Cipla (down 1.43%), Coal India (down 1.42%), ONGC (down 1.25%), GAIL (India) (down 1.22%), NTPC (down 0.89%), Axis Bank (down 0.81%) and Reliance Industries (down 0.68%) edged lower from the Sensex pack.

Hindalco Industries (up 1.90%), Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (up 1.55%), Hindustan Unilever (up 1.49%), Larsen & Toubro (up 1.42%), Bharti Airtel (up 1.13%), Bajaj Auto (up 1.08%), ITC (up 1%), Tata Power Company (up 0.90%) and ICICI Bank (up 0.86%), edged higher from the Sensex pack.

Shares of select non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) rose. IIFL Holdings (up 4.14%), Manappuram Finance (up 4.20%), Magma Fincorp (up 3.56%), Shriram Transport Finance Company (up 2.38%), Muthoot Finance (up 0.49%) and Bajaj Finserv (up 0.46%), edged higher.

Crompton Greaves fell 1.85%. The company announced during trading hours today, 19 Novemebr 2014, that it will be opening a new facility in Grenoble in France to produce, test and calibrate over 2 million ZIV smart meters per year. Crompton Greaves said it has chosen Grenoble to open this new facility, so as to cover the demand for Linky meters in France, and thereby provide local support to ERDF. The company recently won an order from ERDF to participate in the supply of three million Linky smart meters, in the first phase of its 35 million unit rollout plan for 2021. The facility will house the Centre of Excellence for G3-PLC technology, be fully equipped to manufacture ZIV single and three phase Linky G1 and G3 meters, and will be ready to produce the first units by the second quarter of 2015, the company said in a statement.

Steel stocks declined. JSW Steel (down 2.16%), Steel Authority of India (Sail) (down 1.89%), Tata Steel (down 1.88%) and Jindal Steel & Power (down 1.40%), edged lower.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar as key equity benchmark indices dropped. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 61.8525, compared with its close of 61.745 during the previous trading session.

Brent crude oil futures dropped after data showed Saudi Arabia increased crude exports in September despite signs of an oversupplied market and producers appeared divided ahead of an OPEC meeting to discuss output. Brent for January settlement was currently off 9 cents at $78.38 a barrel. The contract had lost 84 cents to settle at $78.47 a barrel yesterday, 18 November 2014.

Oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are scheduled to meet in Vienna on 27 November 2014 to consider whether to adjust their output target of 30 million barrels per day (bpd) for early 2015.

Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan yesterday, 18 November 2014, said that there is a lot of work to be done to get India back on a strong growth path. India will focus on sustainable economic growth and developed economies should do the same, Rajan told reporters in Mauritius yesterday, 18 November 2014, according to reports. "Lots of work to do to get India back on a strong growth path. The government has been putting together a series of reforms which I think cumulatively amount to big reforms. The central bank is putting together reforms. My sense is we will do what it takes," Rajan said.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) next undertakes monetary policy review on 2 December 2014. The central bank aims to limit consumer-price gains to 8% by January 2015 and 6% by January 2016. Over the longer term, the RBI aims to limit consumer-price gains to 4%, within a 2% band. The annual rate of inflation based on the combined consumer price index (CPI) for urban and rural India eased to 5.52% in October 2014 from 6.46% in September 2014, data released by the government on 12 November 2014 showed.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) today, 19 November 2014, said the Indian economy is showing signs of a turnaround. New reforms, some of which are included in the package presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, need to be implemented to put the country on a path to strong, sustainable and inclusive growth, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of India. According to the survey, India's GDP should grow by more than 6.5% annually in the coming years.

Investment and exports are driving the rebound, but growth will be sustained at a stronger pace if further steps are taken, the OECD said. In the near term, stable and lower inflation and smaller deficits are needed, it said. Structural improvements to the business climate are crucial for medium term growth, and in the longer-term, health improvements and increased female participation in the labour market will sustain strong and inclusive growth, the OCED said.

The OECD said that India should formally adopt a flexible inflation-targeting framework, which will help contain inflation expectations and provide support for saving and investment. It also suggested implementing a broad national value-added tax goods and services tax (GST) and cutting energy subsidies, as part of wider efforts to put public finances on a stronger footing. Reducing barriers to manufacturing growth, which has contributed relatively little to growth of GDP or exports, will be critical, the OECD said.

India's reform agenda should also seek to increase women's economic participation rates, which are often drastically below those of men. Over a long-term, more and better jobs for women would raise equity and boost growth by over 2 percentage points annually, the OECD said.

European stocks edged lower today, 19 November 2014, as investors awaited the release of minutes from the Bank of England and Federal Reserve policy meetings. Key benchmark indices in UK, France and Germany were down by 0.09% to 0.22%.

Asian stocks were mixed today, 19 November 2014. Key benchmark indices in Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan were up 0.37% to 1.18%. Key benchmark indices in China, Hong Kong and South Korea were off 0.01% to 0.66%.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Average lost 0.32%. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) after a monetary policy review today, 19 November 2014, decided to maintain its large-scale easing policy and stick to its upbeat assessment of the economy despite dismal growth figures released earlier this week that prompted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to delay a tax increase and call early elections. While government data released early this showed the world's third-biggest economy unexpectedly fell into a recession, the BOJ maintained the view that a moderate recovery trend has taken hold, suggesting that the downturn sparked by a tax increase earlier in the year will be short-lived.

The relatively optimistic view contrasts with the judgment by Mr. Abe that the economy isn't strong enough to go ahead with a second increase in the sales tax planned for next year. The prime minister said yesterday, 18 November 2014, that the rise in the tax rate would be delayed by 18 months and that he would seek a popular mandate for the postponement and his economic policy platform known as Abenomics in an election next month.

Trading in US index futures indicated that the Dow could fall 20 points at the opening bell today, 19 November 2014. US stocks edged higher yesterday, 18 November 2014, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500, both, attaining record closing high as upbeat US housing data, as well as news of a snap election in Japan and better-than-expected data from Germany boosted investor sentiment.

The US Federal Reserve will release the minutes of its policy meeting held on 28-29 October 2014 later in the global day today, 19 November 2014. The US central bank ended its bond-buying program last month amid an improving labor market.

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First Published: Nov 19 2014 | 2:21 PM IST

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