Asian stocks ended subdued while European equities were under pressure on Wednesday as investors assessed economic recovery and the risk of a shift in the Fed’s dovish policy projections. Treasury yields held near highest levels in over a year.
Sensex, Nifty end in the red ahead of F&O expiry, Fed outcome
Taking cues from global peers and ahead of the outcome of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy review meeting, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex ended at 49,802, down a massive 562 points or 1.12%, while the Nifty50 settled at 14,721, down 189 points or 1.27%.
On the Sensex, 26 of 30 stocks tanked, while and 48 of 50 Nifty constituents fell.
Smallcap and midcap indices also declined, falling over 2% each. All sectoral indices ended in the red, with the Nifty PSU Bank slumping 4%, followed by Nifty Realty, Nifty Metal, Nifty Pharma, Nifty Auto and Nifty IT.
On the Nifty, BPCL, ONGC, Tata Motors, Adani Ports & SEZ and Coal India fell the most, while ITC, TCS, Infosys and HDFC gained.
Kalyan Jewellers IPO subscribed 87% so far on Day 2; retail portion booked 1.51 times
Apparel retailers to see recovery to FY20 levels in FY22, says report
India’s organised apparel market is looking at a better business outlook for FY22 as improved consumer confidence, pick-up in store expansion and prospects of wider vaccine rollout help the sector rebound.
Recovery in apparel segment has seen quarter-on-quarter improvement with sales returning to near 80% of the pre-covid levels during 3QFY21, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) said in an apparel retail outlook note released on Wednesday.
Apparel retailers are expected to close the current fiscal with a 40-45% dip in business. However, they are set to reach FY20 levels in FY22, the agency said.
Gainers/losers on Sensex at this hour
ICICI Pru MF launches new fund of funds: PTI
ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund is launching a new exchange-traded fund of funds, targeted at the 30 least volatile stocks from the Nifty 100 index.
The new fund will open on 23 March and close on 6 April, the AMC said on Wednesday.
ICICI Prudential Nifty Low Volatility 30 index is an open-ended fund of funds that will invest in these stocks, and the underlying ETF replicates the Nifty 100 low volatility 30 index, the fund house said.
It will invest in a portfolio of 30 least volatile large-cap stocks in the Nifty 100 index.
Trai January subscriber data
Domestic telecom companies added 9.6 million subscribers in January. Bharti Airtel added 5.89 million users, Vodafone Idea added 1.71 million and Reliance Jio added 1.95 million subscribers.
PM Modi calls for ramping up testing in smaller towns, cautions against spread of coronavirus in villages: PTI
Need to have a 70% RT-PCR test rate in states, the prime minister added.
European markets flat ahead of US Fed outcome
Market check
Most active stocks on Sensex
Web: New AT1 norms could lead to higher recap burden for government, says Icra
Although the government is expected to provide requisite capital support to public sector banks in FY22, the new investment regulations for additional tier 1 (AT1) bonds could lead to a higher recapitalisation burden, rating agency Icra said on Wednesday.
A Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) circular issued last week capped mutual fund (MF) investment in bonds with special features to 10% of scheme assets and 5% for a single issuer. This includes additional tier-1 (AT1) bonds as well as tier-2 bonds issued by banks under Basel III norms. The regulator also laid down valuation norms for such bonds, mandating that AT1 bonds should be valued as if they have a maturity of 100 years.
RIL, Asian Paints lead losses on Sensex
Apollo Tyres launches new product, Apterra Cross, for compact and midsize SUVs
Craftsman Automation IPO subscribed 1.37 times so far on final day of bidding
Nifty Metal among worst hit sectoral indices
Oil prices rise: Bloomberg
Oil rose ahead of reports that will provide a snapshot on global demand and the health of the U.S. economy, rebounding after a sustained slide that dragged prices below $65 a barrel.
Futures in New York added 0.7% after losing 1.9% over the past three sessions. A monthly report from the International Energy Agency and a Federal Reserve policy statement are due Wednesday and will follow industry data that showed a drop in U.S. crude stockpiles last week. If confirmed by government figures, it would be the first inventory draw since mid-February.
Franklin Templeton MF's six shut schemes generate ₹15,272 crore: PTI
Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund has said its six shut schemes have received Rs15,272 crore from maturities, coupons and pre-payments since closing down in April 2020.
The fund house had shut six debt mutual fund schemes on April 23 last year, citing redemption pressures and lack of liquidity in the bond market.
The schemes -- Franklin India Low Duration Fund, Franklin India Dynamic Accrual Fund, Franklin India Credit Risk Fund, Franklin India Short Term Income Plan, Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund, and Franklin India Income Opportunities Fund -- together had an estimated ₹25,000 crore as AUM.
India, the Philippines most vulnerable to rising US yields: S&P
India and the Philippines are most vulnerable to rising yields in the US, which could trigger disorderly capital outflows from Asia’s emerging markets, rating agency S&P Global Ratings cautioned on Wednesday.
"The effect of $1.9 trillion in stimulus on U.S. inflation and rates remains uncertain. Markets can react in a non-linear way if inflation expectations surge above central bank targets and imminent tightening is priced in. In this case, we may see real yields (rather than inflation expectations) jump and the U.S. dollar appreciate at the same time. In our view, this would trigger disorderly capital outflows from Asia's emerging markets. India and the Philippines are the most vulnerable at the current juncture," the rating agency said in a report.
Subscribers under NPS, APY schemes rise 22% to 4.15 crore as of Feb-end: PTI
Subscribers of flagship NPS and APY pension schemes grew nearly 22% year-on-year to 4.15 crore as of end of February, government data showed on Wednesday.
"The number of subscribers in various schemes rose to 414.70 lakh by end-February 2021 from 340.34 lakh in February 2020, showing a year- on- year increase of 21.85 per cent," PFRDA said in a release.
The subscribers under National Pension System (NPS) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) were over 3.43 crore a year ago.
Nifty technical view: Sameet Chavan, chief analyst-Technical and Derivatives, Angel Broking
For the near term, 15050-15100 will be seen as immediate resistance while support is placed in the range of 14750-14700. Until we see any breakout from this consolidation phase, traders are advised to avoid any aggressive trades and look for stock specific opportunities on both sides.
Shakti Pumps receives order worth $3.5 million from Uganda
The company has been awarded a contract from the Ugandan government, represented by the Ministry of Water and Environment, for supply of solar powered water pumping systems at a contract price of $3,53,00,000.
New SMS regulations resume today; Trai relaxes rules
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has directed operators to resume new SMS regulations from Wednesday, having suspended them for seven days as implementation of the norms on 8 March caused massive disruption in several online transactions.
The regulator has, however, asked telcos to deliver all messages to avoid any failed delivery of SMS or one-time passwords (OTP) even as the SMS scrubber function will restart.
Nazara Tech IPO: Angel Broking
Nazara Technologies is present in the fast growing segment of interactive gaming, eSports and gamified early learning solutions. After posting a degrowth of 1.4% in FY2019, the company posted strong revenue growth of 45.9% in FY2020 at Rs47.5 cr.
It has has reported a revenue of Rs200 crore in H1FY2021. The company has been reporting losses as they have increased their spending significantly on advertising and promotion from FY2020 onwards which will help drive strong topline growth for the company.
At current levels the stock is trading at EV/Sales of 11.6xFY20 revenues and we recommend a "SUBSCRIBE" rating to the IPO given strong growth potential for the company.
Retail portion of Nazara Technologies IPO gets fully subscribed on Day 1
The retail portion of the Nazara Technologies Ltd's initial public offering (IPO) was fully subscribed within the first hour of the issue opening. Overall, the issue got subscribed 50%.
The IPO received 1.65 million bids against the issue size of 2.92 million shares, according to data from stock exchanges. Retail investors placed 1.04 million bids against 0.53 million shares on offer, while the portion reserved for non-institutional investors was subscribed 0.07 times. Qualified institutional bidders were yet to place their bids.
The issue price has been fixed at Rs1,100-1,101 apiece and the offer closes on 19 March.
The firm has raised Rs262 crore from 24 anchor investors.
Will second wave of covid hit India’s macro growth?
With fresh cases of covid-19 being reported in states other than Maharashtra, the risk of a second wave in India has risen materially. Economists at Nomura believe that the second wave of the pandemic in India can lead to near-term growth concerns and delay the timing of policy normalisation.
“However, we expect only marginal negative growth effects, because government restrictions are less stringent, the goods sector continues to chug along and households and businesses have adjusted to the new normal," Sonal Varma and Aurodeep Nandi, economists, Nomura said in a note on 16 March.
Amid Carlyle group firm stake sale, SBI Card investors hope premium valuations stick
Shares of SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd are 50% higher than their listing price a year ago, enabling US private equity firm CA Rovers Holdings to earn an exponential return on its investment made four years ago. The firm, a subsidiary of private equity fund Carlyle will sell 4% in the company through block deals.
The price band is expected to be Rs981.80-1022.10 per share which would value the firm at roughly Rs96,000 crore. The private equity firm will make a return of whopping nine times over its initial investment. While outsized returns cannot be predicted from here on, the company has managed to tide over the pandemic and this should comfort investors.
To its credit, the blow on asset quality has been manageable and SBI Card has kept up its growth rate albeit far lower than what would have been in the absence of a pandemic. (Read here)
ICRA upgrades Muthoot Finance rating
Nifty IT index turns positive led by TCS, Tech Mahindra
TCS top gainer among Sensex stocks
Suryoday Small Finance Bank IPO: Jyoti Roy, DVP- Equity Strategist, Angel Broking
Suryoday Small Finance Bank is among the leading SFBs in India in terms of net interest margins, return on assets, yields and deposit growth and had the lowest cost-to-income ratio among SFBs in India in fiscal 2020.
It has over a decade's experience in serving customers in unbanked and under-banked segments in India and promoting financial inclusion. Over the years, it has diversified its loan portfolio to include non-micro banking loans thereby reducing dependence on micro banking business.
Suryoday SFB has posted strong growth in NII of 72.1% CAGR between FY18-20 though 9MFY2021 numbers were hit due to covid-19 pandemic.
At the higher end of the price band the stock would be trading at P/BV of 2.25x fully diluted post issue book value of Rs136 per share. While we believe that valuations are reasonable asset quality will be an issue in the near to medium term and hence have a NEUTRAL rating on the issue.
All Nifty sectoral indices in the red
Nazara Tech IPO opens today. It comes with risks and promises of high returns
Nazara Technologies is India’s first online gaming company to list on the bourses, and that in itself should be enough to see its initial public offering (IPO) sail through. “Since companies such as Dream11 (backed by Tencent) are not listed, Nazara will get a scarcity premium," said an analyst with a multinational broking firm, requesting anonymity.
The Nazara IPO is an offer for sale, wherein existing shareholders are selling shares worth about ₹580 crore. (Read here)
Inflation is now the top risk to markets, not Covid, shows BofA survey
Global Institutional investors are well past worrying about the coronavirus pandemic. The latest survey of global fund managers by BofA Securities showed that for the first time since February last year, covid-19 is no longer the biggest tail risk for the markets.
Higher than expected inflation is the top most concern, majority of the respondents said. A net 93% of fund managers expect higher inflation in the next 12 months, up 7% from the prior month’s survey and an all-time high, said the survey report. That was followed by a tantrum in the bond market.
However, some market experts feel that concerns about inflation making a massive comebackare overdone, at least for now.
Dalmia Bharat stock up post SC order on its mutual fund units
Shares of Dalmia Bharat Ltd rose in early deals on Wednesday as investors cheered positive development related to its mutual fund units. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court passed an interim order directing restoration of mutual
fund units to Dalmia Bharat from the depository and clearing agent IL&FS Securities Services.
Investors would reckon that in financial year 2019, certain mutual fund units of Dalmia Bharat were fraudulently transferred by its broker Allied Financial Services to its own account. These units, which were valued at Rs344 crore, were then used by Allied and its directors as margin with IL&FS Securities Services for F&O trades.
Indian rupee opened at 72.58 per dollar on Wednesday vs previous close of 72.55
Markets under pressure, Nifty broader market indices in the red
SBI Card down, Carlyle to sell stake worth Rs3,730 crore in company
Reliance Entertainment, Mahesh Bhupathi launch merchandise for cricket saga ’83
BPCL announces Rs5 interim dividend
Market view: Manish Hathiramani, proprietary index trader and technical analyst, Deen Dayal Investments
The markets are still in a sideways patch. We need to either get past 15300 on the upside or break 14700 on the downside. Until then, we will witness choppy trading and lacklustre sessions. Traders need to exercise extreme caution in these times as the risk reward ratio is skewed in favor of risk.
Gainers/losers on Nifty
Sensex stocks in early deals
Tata Communications extends losses, OFS opens for retail investors
Nifty at open
Sensex in opening deals
Nifty at pre-open
Market check at pre-open
India plans to cut Saudi oil import as stand-off escalates
Indian state refiners are planning to cut oil imports from Saudi Arabia by about a quarter in May, in an escalating stand-off with Riyadh following OPEC's decision to ignore calls from New Delhi to help the global economy with higher supply.
Two sources familiar with the discussions said the move was part of the government's drive to cut dependence on crude from the Middle East.
Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp., Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd are preparing to lift about 10.8 million barrels in May, the sources said on condition of anonymity. (Read here)
Vedanta Resources raises open offer price for Indian unit to Rs235/share
Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Resources Plc on Tuesday raised the open offer price for buying shares in its flagship Indian firm to Rs235 per share. In January, Vedanta Resources had offered to buy up to 10% in Vedanta Ltd at Rs160 apiece.
It also raised the offer size to 651 million shares representing 17.5% stake in Vedanta Ltd, the company said in a filing to the Singapore stock exchange.
If successful, the transaction will cost Rs15,298.5 crore.
The price announced is at a nearly 4% premium to Tuesday's closing of Rs226.55 on the BSE.
Markets may consolidate, as all eyes on Fed meet; banks, Vedanta, BPCL in focus
MUMBAI: Indian stock markets will likely consolidate further on Wednesday, with trends in SGX Nifty suggesting a flat start to domestic benchmark indices. On Tuesday, the BSE Sensex ended at 50,363.96, down 31.12 points or 0.06%. The Nifty closed at 14,910.45, down 19.05 points or 0.13%.
Asian stocks were mostly lower on Wednesday following a sell-off in US stocks, as investors await the outcome of the Federal Reserve’s meeting on whether the central bank will maintain near-zero interest rates amid the economy’s post-pandemic recovery.
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