Tuesday 11 April 2017

Nifty, Sensex in no-man’s land – Tuesday closing report-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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11 April 2017

I had mentioned in Monday’s closing report Nifty, Sensex continues to struggle in the short-term. The major indices of the Indian stock markets ended with gains on Tuesday, backed by solid gains in FMCG, IT and banking stocks. The trends of the major indices in the course of Tuesday’s trading are given in the table below: The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
 
Major Indices (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)
Breaking the three day falling streak, markets close in green, with S & P BSE Sensex rising by 213 points and Nifty ending above the 9200 mark.  ITC was the leading contributor to the gains of both Sensex and Nifty, rising by over 3%, followed by Infosys, ICICI bank and Power Grid Corporation of India. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Goodluck India rose 4.11% after the company announced that it is coming up with new manufacturing facility for its existing line of business in Gujarat. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 10 April 2017.The company's existing manufacturing capacity of steel tubes, pipes and precision tubes is 2.30 lakh MTPA and it is running at optimal capacity utilization. The proposed manufacturing facility will add about 72,000 MTPA to the company's total production capacity, Goodluck India said.

Among public sector banks, Punjab National Bank (up 3.94%), Bank of India (up 2.71%), Bank of Baroda (up 2.11%), State Bank of India (up 1.63%), IDBI Bank (up 1.26%) and Indian Bank (up 1.18%) moved higher.  Among private sector banks, ICICI Bank (up 1.89%), Yes Bank (up 0.85%), Axis Bank (up 0.57%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (up 0.55%) and HDFC Bank (up 0.38%) edged higher. RBL Bank (down 2.29%) and IndusInd Bank (down 0.13%) edged lower.

The shares of Reliance Power was up 1% as the company signed agreements with Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDP) for phase I of 750 MW LNG based combined cycle power project at Meghnaghat near Dhaka in Bangladesh. Suzlon Energy rose 1.55% after the company said it has won a repeat order of 50.40 megawatts (MW) wind power project in Karnataka from a leading independent power producer (IPP) company. The project will be completed by June 2017. Suzlon will execute the entire project on a turnkey basis and will also provide operation and maintenance services. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 10 April 2017. Shares of Tata Power and Adani Power came under heavy selling pressure on Tuesday after Supreme Court set aside Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) order of compensatory tariff to these companies. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

The appreciation in the rupee is likely to continue for some time and it is expected to average at 66.2 against the US dollar in the current financial year. Since the start of this year, the rupee has had a steady appreciation in line with other emerging market currencies, Kotak Institutional Equities said in a research note.It said the India rupee (INR) has outperformed most of the emerging market pack as, in addition to global ones, domestic factors like strong political mandate for BJP in UP elections, passage of GST bill and a hawkish RBI stance have boosted the rupee. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Riddled with crippling debt and a tough operating environment, telecom companies have been laying off employees over the last six months. While bigger players like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India are managing to cut losses through consolidation, it is the smaller companies that are suffering the most. According to CNBC-TV18 report, nearly 3400 job losses have been reported in the last six months by telcos to cut down on costs and support falling margins.The head-finance of Asian Granito, Himanshu Shah, in an interview spoke that the promoters of the company has acquired 5% stake in open market in the fourth quarter. The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:
 
Top Gainer (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)
The BSE was breadth was bullish today, there were 1724 advances, 1153 declines and 144 unchanged. On NSE, there were 936 advances, 554 declines and 58 unchanged. 

Overseas, European and Asian stocks declined as rising tensions in the Middle East and political uncertainty in Europe kept investors on edge, underpinning safe assets such as the yen, gold and treasuries. The upcoming French presidential election and the heightened tensions in the Middle East following the US strikes on Syria have left investors nervous even as a raft of global data over recent months have pointed to a steadily improving global economy.


The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below: The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
Asian Indices (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)

Passenger vehicles sale rises 9.96% in March-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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11 April 2017

The domestic passenger vehicles sales rose by 9.96 per cent in March, industry data showed on Tuesday. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), sales of passenger vehicles, including the off-take in cars, utility vehicles and vans, surged to 282,519 units from 256,920 sold in March 2016. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

On the sub-segment basis, sales of passenger cars rose by 8.17 per cent in the month under review to 190,065 units from 175,709 units in March 2016.


The utility vehicles' off-take zoomed in the month under review by 20.91 per cent to 77,689 units. However, van sales plunged by 12.94 per cent to 14,765 units.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

CBDT allots PAN and TAN in a day for ease of doing business-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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11 April 2017

In another move to improve ease of doing business in India, the Income Tax Department has tied up with the Corporate Affairs Ministry (MCA) to issue Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) and Tax Deduction Account Numbers (TAN) within a day, an official said on Tuesday.

"The Central Board of Direct Taxes has tied up with MCA to issue Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Tax Deduction Account Number (TAN) in one day," a Finance Ministry statement said here. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

"Applicant companies submit a common application form SPICe (INC 32) on the MCA portal and once the data of incorporation is sent to the Central Board of Direct Taxes by MCA, the PAN and TAN are issued immediately without any further intervention from the applicant," it said. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

During the last fiscal ended March 31, "19,704 newly incorporated companies were allotted PAN in this manner," it added. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

During March 2017, of the 10,894 newly incorporated companies, PAN was allotted within four hours in 95.63 per cent of the cases and within one day in all cases. 

Similarly, TAN was allotted to all such companies within four hours in 94.7 per cent cases, and within one day in 99.73 per cent cases, the Ministry said.


The Income Tax Department has also introduced the electronic PAN Card (E-PAN), which is sent by e-mail, in addition to the issue of the physical PAN Card, to all applicants, including to the individuals who have been allotted PAN, the statement added. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Centre to block accounts sans FATCA self-certification-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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11 April 2017

The central government on Tuesday announced its decision to block accounts of those individuals who do not provide self-certification by April 30.

This would be done in order to comply with the provisions of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

"This would mean that the financial institution would prohibit the account holder from effecting any transaction with respect to such accounts," a Finance Ministry statement said here.

"The transactions by the account holder in such blocked accounts may, thereafter, be permitted once the self-certification is obtained and due diligence completed," it added. 

An inter-governmental agreement between India and the US was signed in August 2015 for the implementation of FATCA, to ensure tax is paid on the income generated from abroad. 

Under Indian income tax rules, financial institutions have to obtain self-certification and carry out due diligence in respect of all individual and entity accounts opened between July 1, 2014, and August 31, 2015. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


This was required to have been done by August 31, 2016, failing which the accounts were supposed to be closed.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Markets Right Now: US Stocks Open Modestly Lower-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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11 April 2017

The latest on developments in financial markets (All times local):
9:35 a.m.
Stocks are opening modestly lower on Wall Street, led by declines in banks and energy companies.
Fifth Third Bancorp fell 1.2 percent and Capital One Financial also lost 1.2 percent. Chesapeake Energy fell 2.4 percent. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
In earnings news, MTS Systems plunged 9 percent after reporting earnings that fell short of analysts' estimates. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 5 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,352.
The Dow Jones industrial average lost 24 points, or 0.1 percent, to 20,629. The Nasdaq composite gave up 14 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,866. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.33 percent.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Monday 10 April 2017

Nifty, Sensex continues to struggle in the short-term – Monday closing report-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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10 April 2017

I have mentioned in Friday’s closing report that Nifty, Sensex may remain under pressure. The major indices of the Indian stock markets were range-bound and made minor loses over Friday’s close. The trends of the major indices in the course of Monday’s trading are given in the table below: The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
 
Major Indices (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)
Indian Equity markets on Monday, closed in red for the third consecutive session due to lack of any major triggers and apprehensions about the March quarter results. The S & P BSE Sensex ended 131 points lower, at 29575.74, with Infosys (-2.88%), Reliance Industries (-1.74%) and HDFC being the major contributors to the fall. The broader Nifty 50 Index closed below the 9200 levels, at 9181.45. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Tata Motors rose 1.51% after the company said group global wholesales including Jaguar Land Rover rose 9% at 1.29 lakh units in March 2017 over March 2016. Global wholesales of all Tata Motors' commercial vehicles and Tata Daewoo range fell 6% at 42,596 units in March 2017 over March 2016. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Global wholesales of all passenger vehicles rose 19% at 87,355 units in March 2017 over March 2016. Global wholesales for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) were 71,609 vehicles. (JLR number for
March 17 includes CJLR volumes of 7,158 units). Jaguar wholesales for the month were 20,492 vehicles while Land Rover wholesales for the month were 51,117 vehicles. The announcement was made during market hours today, 10 April 2017.

United Spirits, Radico Khaitan, GM Breweries, Globus Spirits, Tilaknagar Industries and United Breweries were down 3-7 percent after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan decided to shut down all liquor across the state in a phased manner. Marksans Pharma spiked 7% after the US FDA issued four observations, which are procedural in nature, for Goa unit inspected from April 3-7. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Infosys dropped 2.88% at Rs 952.95 on expectations of single digit growth in top line in Q4 March 2017. The reasons for continuing with a single digit growth are H1B visa restrictions by US President Trump administration, and company's business transition to digital and cloud, as per reports. The bottlenecks in growth would be the pricing pressure, delay in revenue contribution from newly transited business, and more employee expenses from domestic hiring, reports suggested. The company will announce Q4 results on Thursday, 13 April 2017.

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:
 
Top Gainer (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)

Meanwhile, European markets were under pressure amid increased geopolitical risks as investors digested the US missile attack in Syria last week. Asia ended mixed. The BSE market breadth was marginally was bullish with 1735 advances, 1178 decline and 156 unchanged. Similarly, on NSE, there were 998 advances, 681 declines and 95 unchanged. The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below:The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
Asian Indices (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)

Lok Sabha passes Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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10 April 2017

A draft legislation to amend the Motor Vehicles Act to impose stiffer penalties on traffic rules violations and to protect the Good Samaritans from legal harassment was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

The bill proposes hefty penalties for various traffic offences, three-year jail term for parents of minors caught driving and causing fatal accidents, and a ten-fold increase in compensation for the families of accident victims, among other things.

The changes in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016, were approved by the Union cabinet on March 31. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha last August and was referred to a parliamentary standing committee, whose suggestions have been endorsed by the Union Cabinet.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Flipkart raises $1.4 bn from Tencent, eBay, MicrosoftThe Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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10 April 2017

E-commerce major Flipkart on Monday said it has raised a total of $1.4 billion from Tencent, eBay and Microsoft. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

The latest funding round, at a post-transaction valuation of $11.6 billion, is the largest in Flipkart's 10-year history as well as in the Indian internet sector and comes as Flipkart gears up to drive the next phase of e-commerce growth in India, a company statement said. 

This investment adds to an existing group of investors that include Tiger Global Management, Naspers Group, Accel Partners and DST Global.

"This is a landmark deal for Flipkart and for India as it endorses our tech prowess, our innovative mindset and the potential we have to disrupt traditional markets. It is a resounding acknowledgement that the homegrown tech ecosystem is indeed thriving and succeeding in solving genuine problems in people's daily lives across all of India," said Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, founders of Flipkart, in a statement. 

"This deal reaffirms our resolve to hasten the transformation of commerce in India through technology," they added. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

The investment by eBay is accompanied by a strategic commercial agreement with Flipkart. In exchange for an equity stake in Flipkart, eBay is making a cash investment in and selling its eBay.in business to Flipkart. eBay.in will continue to operate as an independent entity as a part of Flipkart, the statement said. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Flipkart and eBay have also signed an exclusive cross-border trade agreement. As a result of the partnership between Flipkart and eBay, customers of Flipkart will gain access to the wide array of global inventory on eBay, while eBay's customers will have access to more unique Indian inventory provided by Flipkart sellers.

"The combination of eBay's position as a leading global e-commerce company and Flipkart's market stature will allow us to accelerate and maximize the opportunity for both companies in India," said Devin Wenig, President and CEO of eBay Inc.

"eBay is committed to winning in India in partnership with Flipkart. Our exclusive global trade partnership will allow eBay and Flipkart to reach even more consumers around the world," he added. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Tencent has joined the investment deal as a strategic investor, bringing experience in linking social networking and e-commerce. As a leading provider of internet value-added services in China, it has been at the centre of innovation in social, payments and other areas. 

"Flipkart is a leader in e-commerce in India, with strong operational expertise and a deep understanding of user behaviour. This strategic partnership enables Tencent to participate in the exciting opportunities in e-commerce and payments in India. 

"We look forward to helping Flipkart to deliver compelling experiences to users throughout India, and to contribute to the development of the internet ecosystem there," said Tencent President Martin Lau. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


Launched in 2007, the Flipkart Group includes well-known Indian brands such as Myntra, Jabong, PhonePe and Ekart, besides the parent company. The company offers over 80 million products across 80 plus categories.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Markets Right Now: Energy Stocks Lead Early Gains In US-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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10 April 2017

Stocks are opening modestly higher on Wall Street, led by gains in energy and industrial companies.
Oil companies were rising along with the price of crude early Monday. Hess rose 2.2 percent and rig operator Transocean increased 1.4 percent. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
Among industrial companies, transportation company Ryder System 1.7 percent.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 5 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,360.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 36 points, or 0.2 percent, to 20,693. The Nasdaq composite climbed 16 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,894.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Indian IT sector growth to be muted in Q4: Jefferies-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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10 April 2017 

Seasonal weakness is likely to keep the growth of the Indian IT industry muted in the fourth quarter (January-March) of 2016-17, said global investment banking firm Jefferies LLC on Monday. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

"Cross currency will be favourable on dollar revenue and margins stable," said the US-based securities firm in a statement from New York ahead of the Indian IT majors declaring their financial results for the quarter (Q4) under review and fiscal 2016-17 this month.

Though the focus of results will be on the revenue outlook for the new fiscal 2017-18, capital allocation (buyback of shares), progress in digital and pricing will also merit attention in view of constructive guidance and commentary from their US listed peers.

"As growth outlook for fiscal 2017-18 will be the focal point of results, we expect Infosys to guide for a 7-9 per cent YoY growth in constant currency (cc) terms," said Jefferies in the statement. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

The city-based global software major will declare its results for Q4 and fiscal 2016-17 on April 13 in this tech hub. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

For the fourth quarter (Q4), consolidated revenue growth of Infosys is likely to be 1.2 per cent sequentially, 0.9 per cent in cc and 5.5 per cent YoY.

"Margins will decline 40bps (basis points) sequentially due to rupee depreciation in the quarter (Q4) and higher variable pay-outs over the previous quarter," it said.

Market has been expecting Infosys to announce a significant buyback and capital allocation strategy, which will be important from its stock price perspective.

In case of bellwether Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Jefferies estimates 1.5 per cent quarterly or sequential growth in dollar terms, 1.1 per cent in constant currency (cc) and 5.8 per cent YoY.

"The focus of TCS results will be on stable performance, attention on its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) commentary," pointed out the statement.

Senior executive and former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Rajesh Gopinathan took over as the new CEO of TCS on February 21 following the appointment of its incumbent N. Chandrasekaran as Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd of the Indian multinational Tata Group.

Margins of the outsourcing firm are expected to be flat sequentially, with operational improvements and cross currency benefits offsetting the negative impact act of rupee appreciation. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

"TCS could increase its payout ratio to 50 per cent given its healthy cash generation profile. Commentary on growth outlook for FY2018, order book, growth in digital, pricing trends and impact of potential visa reforms on the business will be critical," asserted the analyst's statement.

Software major Wipro will have a slow start to the new fiscal with a 1.8 per cent sequential revenue growth, 1.4 per cent in cc and 3 per cent YoY, in line with its guidance of 1.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) growth. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

"Majority of the growth would have been contributed by the integration of its Appirio acquisition. We expect Wipro to guide to a 1-2 per cent QoQ growth for the first quarter (April-June) quarter of new fiscal (FY 2018)," pointed out the statement.

Jefferies expects Wipro's margins to contract 20 bps sequentially in Q4 owing to rupee appreciation and the integration of Appirio.

"Investors will focus on progress on initiatives taken by the new CEO and improvement in large client profile," said the statement. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Wipro acquired the US-based the cloud-based consulting firm Appirio for $500 million (Rs.3,350 crore) in October 2016 to consolidate its foothold in cloud transformation services.

Jefferies expects revenue growth of HCL Technologies to be 3.8 per cent QoQ and 14.2 per cent YoY, with most of it coming from its acquisitions during the quarter (Q4) of FY 2017.

"We expect HCL Tech to guide to 10-12 per cent YoY growth, including acquisition/alliances) for FY 2018," said the statement. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Margins for Q4 will remain flat QoQ with negative impact of rupee depreciation being offset by the incremental contribution from the IP (Intellectual Property) deal with IBM.

Slowdown due to rationalisation and deal termination is expected to the limit Tech Mahindra's revenue growth in Q4 to 1.1 per cent, 0.4 per cent in cc and 10.2 per cent YoY in rupee terms.

"The company's telecom business is likely to remain flat QoQ, with core growth and Comviva seasonality being offset by the rationalisation of its ALCC (Lightbridge Communications Corporation) business and the termination of base contract," said the statement.

Mahindra bought the US-based LCC for $240 million (Rs.1,486 crore) in March 2015 in an all-cash deal to strengthen its presence in the growing telecom and enterprises network market.

The NCR-based company also bought 51 per cent majority stake in mobile- value added services provider Comviva Technologies Ltd of Bharti Group for Rs.260 crore in September 2012.


"Margins of Tech Mahindra could decline 20bps QoQ and take some impairment in its LCC business in Q4," added the statement.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions