Page 2 - Open Market Operations

Many faces of OMO

The OMO sale is quite an innovative way to address the concerns around currency

Weekend Bites: More trouble in IT paradise, RBI's plans, and taxing expats

In which we munch over the week's platter of news and views

Turn and bounce

MPC needs to be extremely vigilant

Fund raised via bonds on private placement up 73% to Rs 3.3 trn in Apr-Aug

Corporates garnered Rs 3.31 lakh crore through the issuance of bonds on a private placement basis in the first five months of the ongoing fiscal, a surge of 73 per cent from the year-ago period. The funds were mopped up to strengthen balance sheets, retire existing debt and support working capital requirements, market experts said. According to data available with markets regulator Sebi, Rs 3.31 lakh crore was mopped-up through the route during the April-August period of the current fiscal. In comparison, firms raised Rs 1.91 lakh crore in the first five months of 2022-23, data showed. Market experts attributed several factors to higher fund mobilisation through private placement of corporate bonds such as increase in credit demand, soaring bank loan rates, and expensive overseas borrowing. In terms of numbers, 520 issuances took place during the period under review as compared to 508 in the year-ago period. In private placements, firms issue securities or bonds to institutional

Govt could sell wheat in open market to control price: Sanjeev Chopra

India's government could sell more wheat in open market to control price of the grain, the country's food secretary said on Monday

FCI sells 166,000 tonnes wheat, only 17,000 tonnes rice via 11th e-auction

State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) has sold 1.66 lakh tonnes of wheat and only 17,000 tonnes of rice from the central pool through 11th e-auction last week as part of the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) to control retail prices. Last month, the government announced it will offload additional 50 lakh tonnes of wheat and 25 lakh tonnes of rice from the central pool in the open market to bulk buyer to contain cereal prices. The food ministry, in a statement, said in the 11th e-auction held on September 6, a total of 2 lakh tonnes of wheat from 500 depots and 4.89 lakh tonnes of rice from 337 depots were offered from across the country. "In the e-auction, 1.66 lakh tonne of wheat and 0.17 lakh tonne of rice was sold," it said. The weighted average selling price was Rs 2,169.65 per quintal for FAQ (fair and average quality) wheat against the reserve price of Rs 2,150 per quintal pan-India, whereas weighted average selling price of URS (Under Relaxed Specifications) wheat was Rs

Lighthouse Advisors India sells 1.3% stake in Bikaji Foods for Rs 156 cr

Mumbai-based Lighthouse Advisors India on Tuesday divested a 1.3 per cent stake in Bikaji Foods International for nearly Rs 156 crore through an open market transaction. Lighthouse Advisors through its investment vehicle Lighthouse India Fund III sold the shares of Bikaner-based Bikaji Foods. According to the bulk deal data available with the BSE, Lighthouse India Fund III offloaded 32,42,070 shares, or a 1.3 per cent stake, in Bikaji. The shares were disposed of at an average price of Rs 480 apiece, taking the aggregate transaction value to Rs 155.62 crore. After the transaction, Lighthouse India Fund III's shareholding has declined to 1.4 per cent from 2.7 per cent, shareholding data with the BSE showed. Meanwhile, Plutus Wealth Management LLP acquired 13.5 lakh shares of Bikaji Foods International, while details of other buyers could not be identified. Shares of Bikaji Foods International jumped 6.12 per cent to close at Rs 511.70 apiece on the BSE. In a separate bulk deal on

JSW Investments divests 1.27% in JSW Energy for Rs 717 cr via open market

Promoter JSW Investments on Wednesday pared a 1.27 per cent stake in JSW Energy for Rs 717 crore through open market transactions. GQG Partners, Washington State Investment Board, AustralianSuper, Reliance Trust Institutional Retirement Trust Series Twelve, Witan Investment Trust Plc, and Alliance Trust Plc, among others, were the buyers of the shares of JSW Energy. According to the block deal data available with BSE, JSW Investments offloaded 2.10 crore shares, amounting to a 1.27 per cent stake in JSW Energy. The shares were disposed of at an average price of Rs 341.7 apiece, taking the aggregate transaction value to Rs 717.57 crore. Post the transaction, the shareholding of JSW Investments reduced to 18.95 per cent from a 20.22 per cent stake in JSW Energy at the end of the June quarter. Shares of JSW Energy rose 6.66 per cent to close at Rs 368.10 apiece on BSE. On Monday, GQG Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund acquired more than 1.19 crore shares of JSW Energy for Rs 411

Authum Investment sells JSW Energy shares for Rs 552 cr via open market

Authum Investment & Infrastructure on Monday offloaded shares of JSW Energy for Rs 552 crore through an open market transaction. Authum is a BSE-listed and registered NBFC in the business of investment in shares and securities. According to the bulk deal data available with the BSE, Authum Investment & Infrastructure sold 1,60,00,000 shares, amounting to a 0.97 per cent stake in JSW Energy. The shares were disposed of at an average price of Rs 345 apiece, taking the transaction size to Rs 552 crore. Meanwhile, GQG Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund acquired more than 1.19 crore shares of JSW Energy at the same price, taking the aggregate transaction value to Rs 411 crore. Details of the other buyers could not be ascertained. Shares of JSW Energy gained 1 per cent to close at Rs 345.10 apiece on the BSE. Last month, JSW Energy reported over 48 per cent decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 290 crore in the April-June quarter due to the one-time impact of non-operational ..

Govt to release buffer onion in open market to keep prices under check

The government on Friday announced it will release onion from its buffer stock in the targeted regions with immediate effect to ensure prices remain under check till the new crop arrives from October onwards. The government is exploring multiple options for disposal of onion: e-auction, e-commerce as well as through states at discounted rates via retail outlets of their consumer cooperatives and corporations, it said. The government has currently maintained 3 lakh tonnes of onion under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) to meet any exigencies, if rates go up significantly during the lean supply season. As per the government data, onion prices have started inching up slightly as all-India retail price of the key kitchen staple was available at Rs 27.90 per kilogramme on August 10, higher by a little over Rs 2 per kg in the year-ago period. "We will release onion from the buffer stock immediately," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh told PTI. The modalities for the disposa

India to offer 5 million tons wheat to bulk consumers to cool prices

The country has adequate stocks of wheat and rice which the government can release on the open market to stabilise prices, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said

Promoter of Gravita India sells 4.6% stake for Rs 181 cr through open mkt

A promoter of Gravita India on Monday divested a 4.6 per cent stake through an open market transaction for Rs 181 crore. Rajat Agrawal (promoter) of Gravita India offloaded the shares. According to the block deal data available with the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Rajat Agrawal sold 32 lakh shares, amounting to a 4.6 per cent stake in Gravita India. The shares were disposed of at an average price of Rs 565 apiece, taking the transaction value to Rs 180.80 crore. The shares were picked up by affiliates of financial company Nomura Holdings. On Monday, shares of Gravita India rose 1.45 per cent to close at Rs 578.90 per piece on the NSE. During the day, the scrip hit a 52-week high of Rs 601 apiece.

Wheat prices likely to soften by Rs 4-6 per kg over the next few weeks

But won't near MSP, which could make next procurement tough, unless there's bonus

Dynasty Acquisition pares 2.14% stake in Shriram Finance for Rs 1,040 cr

The shares were sold at an average price of Rs 1,300 per piece, taking the transaction value to Rs 1,039.59 crore

General Atlantic Singapore sells 1.21 mn KIMS shares worth Rs 151 cr

General Atlantic Singapore on Monday offloaded 12.10 lakh shares of hospital chain Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) for over Rs 151 cr through an open market transaction. According to bulk deal data available with BSE, General Atlantic Singapore Kh Pte sold 12,10,000 shares, amounting to 1.5 per cent stake in the company. The shares were disposed of at an average price of Rs 1,250 apiece, taking the transaction size to Rs 151.25 crore. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd picked up the shares at the same price. As on June quarter, General Atlantic owned 17.24 per cent stake in the company, shareholding pattern with the exchange showed. In early September, General Atlantic Singapore had disposed of 16.60 lakh shares of the company. KIMS shares closed 0.51 per cent lower at Rs 1,218.60 on BSE. In a separate transaction, promoter entity of Advanced Enzyme Technologies Ltd offloaded shares of the company for over Rs 69 crore through an open market transaction. Ad

Story behind smooth sailing of govt borrowing

Will the dream run continue in the second half of the year too, spreading cheers to the treasury floors and adding to banks' profits?

CDC Group sells 3.56% stake in IIFL Finance for Rs 453 cr via open market

CDC Group Plc, the development finance institution owned by the UK government, on Friday divested a 3.56 per cent stake in IIFL Finance Ltd for Rs 453 crore through an open market transaction. According to the bulk deal data available with the National Stock Exchange (NSE), CDC Group Plc sold 1,35,01,587 shares of the company. The shares were disposed of at an average price of Rs 335.64 apiece, valuing the transaction at Rs 453.16 crore. Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley Asia Singapore Pte picked up the shares of the company. As of the June quarter, CDC Group plc, which is one of the public shareholders of IIFL Finance, owned 1.35 crore shares, amounting to a 3.56 per cent stake in the company, the shareholding pattern showed. Shares of IIFL Finance closed 5.62 per cent lower at Rs 331.50 on NSE.

PGIM India MF, ADIA sell Newgen Software shares worth Rs 45 crore

PGIM India Mutual Fund (PGIM MF) and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) sold a total of 12.20 lakh shares of the software company, as per bulk deal data available with the National Stock Exchange

Nalanda India Equity Fund buys Jyothy Labs shares worth Rs 96 crore

Nalanda India Equity Fund Ltd on Monday bought FMCG company Jyothy Laboratories' shares worth Rs 96 crore through an open market transaction. According to bulk deal data available with BSE, Nalanda India Equity Fund Ltd purchased 62,00,000 shares at an average price of Rs 154.98 apiece, taking the transaction size to Rs 96.08 crore. Meanwhile, Emblem FII sold 60,89,056 shares at an average price of Rs 155 per piece. The scrip of Jyothy Labs closed 4.40 per cent higher at Rs 151.75 on BSE. In a separate transaction, Authum Investment & Infrastructure Ltd offloaded 10 lakh shares of snack food company ADF Foods for Rs 70 crore via an open market transaction. According to bulk deal data available with BSE, Authum Investment & Infrastructure Ltd sold 10,00,000 shares of ADF Foods at an average price of Rs 700.07 per piece, aggregating to Rs 70 crore. Sixth Sense India Opportunities III picked up 9,20,000 shares at an average price of Rs 700.67 per scrip. The shares of ADF Foods ...

Burmans scale up holding to 20.07% in Eveready via open market purchases

A disclosure to the stock exchanges on Monday showed 88,683 shares translating to 0.12 per cent were bought on April 13 by Burman Group entities