Domestic shares ended with heavy losses on Thursday, mirroring weakness in global stock markets. Rising COVID-19 cases in India also dented sentiment. The barometer S&P BSE Sensex slumped 708.68 points or 2.07% at 33,538.37. The Nifty 50 index tumbled 214.15 points or 2.12% at 9,902.
The Nifty opened lower at 10,094.10 and traded in a narrow range in morning trade. Selling pressure build up in mid-morning trade which dragged the index lower as the session progressed. The Nifty hit the day's low of 9,885.05 in late trade.
In the broader market, the BSE Mid-Cap index fell 1.41% and the BSE Small-Cap index lost 1.04%.
The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,018 shares rose and 1,533 shares fell. A total of 154 shares were unchanged.
COVID-19 update:
Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 73,60,239 far with 4,16,201 deaths. India reported 1,37,448 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 8,102 deaths, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
Economy:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has kept India's growth at -3.7% for the ongoing fiscal and warned that growth could drop further to -7.3% in the event of a second COVID-19 outbreak, according to its Economic Outlook (EO) released on Wednesday. This was in sharp contrast to the 5.1% growth it had projected for FY21 in the interim EO in March. The latest report forecast a strong recovery in the coming fiscal to 7.9% in the 'single-hit' scenario versus an 8.1% rebound in the 'double-hit' COVID-19 scenario, stated the OECD.
Meanwhile, Standard & Poor's retained India's sovereign credit rating at BBB- with stable outlook. The ratings agency said, "While risks to India's long-term growth rate are rising, ongoing economic reforms, if executed well, should keep the country's growth rate ahead of peers." S&P has forecast India's economy to shrink by 5% this fiscal.
Numbers to Watch:
The yield on 10-year benchmark federal paper rose to 5.788% as compared with 5.772% at close in the previous trading session.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 75.79, compared with its close of 75.5975 during the previous trading session.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for August 2020 settlement fell $1.04 at $40.69 a barrel. The contract rose 55 cents, or 1.34% to settle at $41.73 a barrel in the previous trading session.
Foreign Markets:
The US Dow index futures were down 549 points on Thursday as investors took some money off the table following a relentless comeback rally. Shares in Europe and Asia also corrected after the US Fed said it expects the US economy to contract by 6.5% in 2020 before expanding by 5% in 2021.
In US, stocks finished mostly lower Wednesday even though the Federal Reserve pledged to hold interest rates unchanged at near zero through 2022, while keeping up at least its current pace of bond buying to support credit markets through the pandemic.
The Dow and S&P 500 closed lower for a second day, while the Nasdaq Composite booked its first finish above the 10,000 level and set a new intra-day record, led by gains in Amazon, Apple, Alphabet and Netflix.
The US Federal Reserve held interest rates near zero on Wednesday after a two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting. Most policymakers expect historically low rates to last through 2022. The central bank also set a floor for its asset purchases, pledging to take in at least $80 billion in Treasury every month and $40 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities. The US central bank expects the US economy to contract by 6.5% in 2020 before expanding by 5% in 2021.
Chairman Jerome Powell said that delays in rolling out the Fed's $600 billion Main Street Lending Program were used to make 'very positive' changes. The chair added that yield-curve control remained a potential next step for keeping borrowing costs low through the long economic recovery.
"To support the flow of credit to households and businesses, over coming months the Federal Reserve will increase its holdings of Treasury securities and agency residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities at least at the current pace to sustain smooth market functioning, thereby fostering effective transmission of monetary policy to broader financial conditions," the Fed said.
Buzzing Indian Segments:
The Nifty Auto index declined 1.98% to 6,373.60. The index has slumped 3.85% in four days.
Tata Motors (down 4.89%), Maruti Suzuki India (down 4.18%), Eicher Motors (down 3.91%), TVS Motor Company (down 3.17%), Ashok Leyland (down 3.04%), Escorts (down 2.37%) and Bajaj Auto (down 0.09%) declined.
M&M (up 0.33%) and Hero MotoCorp (up 0.73%) advanced.
Automobile stocks were in spotlight after registration of vehicles across India fell 88.9% year-on-year in May as the COVID-19 lockdown remained in place across large parts of the country, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said. Total registration of vehicles across India slumped 88.87% to 2,02,697 units in May 2020 from 18,21,650 units in May 2019. On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, all vehicle categories register unprecedented de-growth: registration in the two-wheeler fell by 88.8%, three-wheeler by 96.34%, commercial vehicles by 96.63%, passenger vehicles by 86.97% and tractors by 75.58%, respectively.
Telecom stocks declined after the Supreme Court on Thursday (11 June) reportedly adjourned the hearing on the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) issue till 18 June 2020.
Bharti Airtel fell 2.76% and Vodafone Idea slumped 13.22%.
Reliance Industries, which owns Reliance Jio, fell 2.19% to 1537.50. Reliance Jio is the only telco that does not have any major dues.
The media reported that the Justice Arun Mishra-led bench heard the argument of several telecom firms - Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices, Vodafone Idea - regarding the payment of AGR dues worth Rs 1.43 lakh crore.
The SC reportedly asked telecom operators to file affidavits in five days regarding the roadmap they are proposing to clear the dues. Telecos are required to provide details with respect to timeline of payment, and security they can provide to guarantee payment.
Earnings Impact:
Shriram Transport Finance Company rose 0.37%. The automobile financier reported 70.1% slump in consolidated net profit to Rs 223.38 crore on 7.5% increase in total income to Rs 4,173.04 crore in Q4 March 2020 over Q4 March 2019. Total assets under management (AUM) as on 31 March 2020 stands at Rs 1,09,749.24 crore as compared to Rs 1,04,482.28 crore as on 31 March 2019. The company said business has picked up in the rural market due to harvest season and subsequent activities of Kharif sowing has started. In spite of the moratorium, the company has been able to collect from 84%, 23% and 52% borrowers in the months of March, April and May 2020 respectively. The company had liquidity buffer of Rs 10,422 crore and SLR investments of Rs 1,824 crore as on 31 March 2020.
Mahanagar Gas rallied 4.24% after the company reported 24.8% jump in net profit to Rs 166.59 crore despite a 5% fall in net sales to Rs 686.55 crore in Q4 FY20 over Q4 FY19. The company's profitability was aided by lower total expenditure (down 13% Y-o-Y) and lower tax expense (down 4.7% Y-o-Y) as they stood at Rs 442.72 crore and Rs 57.68 crore in the fourth quarter. The term 'Y-o-Y' indicates year-on-year comparison.
Indian Hotels Company slipped 1.94% after consolidated net profit dropped 35.4% to Rs 74.32 crore on 14.6% decline in net sales to Rs 1,062.98 crore in Q4 March 2020 over Q4 March 2019. Other income for the quarter Rs 24.67 crore towards gain on sale of residential flats. Consolidated EBITDA declined 24% to Rs 246 crore from Rs 322 crore posted in the same period last year.
Century Textiles & Industries skid 6.75% after consolidated net profit dropped 32.1% to Rs 82.11 crore on an 8.7% fall in net sales to Rs 770.03 crore in Q4 March 2020 over Q4 March 2019. The company's interest cost surged 65.4% to Rs 25.16 crore while the depreciation costs rose 22.2% to Rs 58.14 crore in the fourth quarter as compared to the same period last year. The company said the COVID-19 pandemic in the last month of the FY 2020 has affected all the businesses of Century Textiles and Industries, impacting the overall revenue adversely. Though the scenario is grim currently, it is expected to show signs of revival from the second half of this financial year across the businesses.
Stocks in Spotlight:
State Bank of India (SBI) fell 5.64%. SBI's board on Thursday approved long-term fund raising of upto $1.5 billion through public offer or private placement of senior unsecured notes during FY 2020-21.
Oil India fell 0.11% after two fire service officers of state-run Oil India lost their lives on Tuesday, when a gas well at Baghjan in Tinsukia district of Assam caught fire. The blowout well caught fire around 1:14 PM on 9 June 2020, Oil India said in a statement on 10 June 2020. Four persons (two from Oil India, one from ONGC and one from contractor) sustained minor injury and have been given immediate medical help. Currently, Fire Tenders are spraying water to contain fire from spreading in the surrounding areas. Arrangement for additional water for fire control is in progress
Shree Cement fell 1.08%. The cement maker said that CARE Ratings has reaffirmed rating for the company's commercial paper worth Rs 600 crore at A1+.
ONGC declined 1.47% after Moody's Investors Service downgraded long term issuer ratings of the company from Baa2 to Baa3.
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