Sensex ends 330 pts higher, Nifty above 10,550; IT, pharma, realty gain

All that happened in the markets today.

12:41 PM

Buying bitcoins? Cryptocurrencies are like ponzi schemes: World Bank chief

 

The head of the World Bank compared cryptocurrencies to “Ponzi schemes,” the latest financial voice to raise questions about the legitimacy of digital currencies such as Bitcoin.

 

“In terms of using Bitcoin or some of the cryptocurrencies, we are also looking at it, but I’m told the vast majority of cryptocurrencies are basically Ponzi schemes,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said Wednesday at an event in Washington. “It’s still not really clear how it’s going to work.” READ MORE

12:23 PM

New Sebi norms to bar MFs from dumping investors with 'NAV management' fee

 

The chief of a large fund house sits late afternoon every day and dutifully pours over the net asset values (NAVs) of his schemes. After scrutinising the returns for the day, he decides on the expense ratios that need to be charged and deducted for each category.

 

The executive is not alone. In fact, many fund houses, especially those that handle significant institutional money, dabble in what some call "NAV management", which involves adjusting the expenses based on the returns made on the particular day.

 

The Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) diktat asking fund houses to disclose the total expense ratio (TER) of their schemes daily, however, may put an end to this practice. READ MORE

12:06 PM

Market rout weighs on net asset values of most mutual fund schemes

 

The top 10 holdings of equity MFs were not spared in the ongoing market carnage. Barring ITC, all other stocks with highest exposure have seen a drop in their stock prices between 4% and 9% this month. The top 10 stocks account for nearly a fifth of the total equity assets under management (AUM).

 

The correction has weighed on the net asset values (NAVs) of most MF schemes. Mortgage firm HDFC has declined the most this month, followed by Reliance Industries. These two accounted for Rs 255 billion of equity MF AUM as of December 2017. Kotak Mahindra Bank and HDFC Bank, too, have seen their stock prices erode by nearly 7% each. In comparison, the Sensex is down 5.2% this month. ITC and Infosys are the only two stocks in the top 10 that have managed to outperform the market this month. READ MORE

11:51 AM

Ashok Leyland, Shakti Pumps, Zydus Wellness, Jubilant Life hit 52-week high

 

Ashok Leyland, Shakti Pumps, Zyndus Wellness, Excel Industries, FDC, Jubilant Life Sciences, Polaris Consulting & Services, Hinduja Global Solutions and Inox Leisure have hit their respective 52-week highs on BSE on Thursday.

 

These stocks have trading higher by up to 19% today, extending their gain after reported a strong set of numbers for the quarter ended December 2017 (Q3FY18). READ MORE

11:36 AM

Stock market correction: Investors should opt for large-cap and debt funds

 

We were in the midst of a global bull market wherein some indices, such as the Dow Jones, gained nearly 1,000 points in about ten to fifteen days. Indian markets, too, saw the best rally one month prior to the budget presentation in over a decade with the indices gaining around 6% in January 2018. Clearly, global markets have been overbought as of January.

 

The current correction seen in Indian equities is largely owing to the correction in global markets. That said, India remains a great structural story for the next 10 years. READ MORE

11:22 AM

Market check

S&P BSE Sensex	34,536.69		1.33%
Nifty 50	10,591.40		1.09%
S&P BSE 200	4,627.30		1.35%
Nifty 500	9,318.75		1.22%
S&P BSE Mid-Cap	16,589.41		1.46%
S&P BSE Small-Cap	18,114.59		2.16%

11:17 AM

BS Insurance Round Table 2018: Are IPOs the new game-changer for insurance industry? Watch Live

insurance

11:13 AM

FDC hits 52-week high as board approves buyback; strong Q3 results

 

FDC hits a 52-week high of Rs 280, up 10% on BSE in early morning trade, extending its previous days 6% surge, after the company said that its board has approved the buyback proposal at a price of Rs 350 per equity share through tender offer.

 

“The board approved the buyback of 3.43 million equity shares of the Company at a price of Rs 350 per equity share for an aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 1,200 million from the equity shareholders of the Company on a proportionate basis through the "Tender Offer" route,” FDC said in a regulatory filing. READ MORE

10:54 AM

Sensex losers and gainers

10:42 AM

Budget 2018 to aid growth, but with higher inflation, weaker fiscal balance

 

With eight state elections in 2018 and the national election to follow by spring 2019, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s fifth Budget had to balance economic priorities against political imperatives. As a result (as Amartya Sen once commented on a paper decades ago), it has some good points and some not-so-good points. READ MORE

10:33 AM

Galaxy Surfactants gains 13% against issue price after quiet debut

 

Galaxy Surfactants has moved higher to Rs 1,674, up 10% against its issue price of Rs 1,480 after making a quiet debut on the bourses.

 

The stock opened 3% higher at Rs 1,520 on BSE and at Rs 1,525 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

 

The Rs 9,370 million initial public offer (IPO) of speciality chemicals manufacturer Galaxy Surfactants received strong response and subscribed 20 times, the BSE data shows. READ MORE

10:16 AM

Insolvency rules tweaked to maximise bid value, period of restructuring cut

 

The insolvency regulator has amended rules to prevent low bidding for stressed assets being restructured through the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). Through a notification, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India also virtually shortened the period for resolution professionals to present a resolution plan to NCLT from the present 270 days to 255 days.

 

To prevent low bids, the regulator said two valuers will determine the liquidation value and the fair value of a company being restructured.

 

Earlier, in one of the resolution cases, it was found that the valuation done by the valuer was incorrect. As a result, the resolution professional was changed and he appointed a new valuer. READ MORE

10:01 AM

Cipla gains 7% on healthy operational performance in Q3

 

Cipla has surged 7% to Rs 608 on BSE in early morning trade after the company reported a healthy performance in December quarter (Q3FY18) with EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) margins improved 230 bps to 20.9% from 18.6% in year ago quarter and 19.7% in previous quarter.

 

EBITDA margins have been improving continuously driven by cost optimization across all spend lines despite R&D getting stepped up to 7.6% of sales during the quarter, Cipla said in a press release. READ MORE

9:45 AM

Get ready for most cryptocurrencies to hit zero, says Goldman Sachs

 

The tumble in cryptocurrencies that erased nearly $500 billion of market value over the past month could get a lot worse, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc’s global head of investment research.

 

Most digital currencies are unlikely to survive in their current form, and investors should prepare for coins to lose all their value as they’re replaced by a small set of future competitors, Goldman’s Steve Strongin said in a report dated February 5. While he didn’t posit a timeframe for losses in existing coins, he said recent price swings indicated a bubble and that the tendency for different tokens to move in lockstep wasn’t rational for a “few-winners-take-most” market. CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

9:34 AM

Sebi permission for mutual funds, PMS in commodity derivatives soon

 

The new managing director and chief executive officer of the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), Vijay Kumar, has assumed office at a time when the commodities market is set to enter a phase of heightened activity.

 

Two weeks after his taking over, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Budget, in which he stressed the importance of commodity futures and options and developing an institutional mechanism for farmers to benefit from them and warehousing. READ MORE