Friday 1 February 2019

Nifty, Sensex May Head Higher – Weekly closing report -The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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01 February 2019

I had mentioned in last week’s closing report that Nifty, Sensex were looking weak. The major indices of the Indian stock markets staged a small rally over the week and closed with gains on Friday over last Friday’s close. The trends of the major indices in the course of the week’s trading are given in the table below: 

Selling pressure in banking, automobile, healthcare and consumer durables stocks pulled the Indian equity market lower by around 1% on Monday. However, global cues such as positive Asian markets aided in arresting the downward spiral. 

Tata Steel said its step-down subsidiary, T.S. Global Holdings Pte Ltd (TSGH), has signed definitive agreements with China's HBIS Group to divest a majority stake in its South East Asia (SEA) business. Tata Steel also said the consideration received from such sale would be "$327 million and equity stake of 30% in the entity held by HBIS Group and TSGH on 70-30 basis". The Chinese group was established on June 30, 2008, by the merger of Tangshan Iron and Steel Group and Handan Iron and Steel Group of Hebei province.
 
Larsen and Toubro (L&T) on Friday reported a 33.8% increase in its standalone net profit for the October-December quarter of the financial year 2018-19. Its standalone net profit stood at Rs1,634.78 crore, up from Rs1,221.95 crore reported during the third quarter of the last financial year, the company said in a regulatory filing to the BSE. The company's total income during the period under review was Rs23,229.98 crore, 27.9% higher than Rs18,164.29 crore earned during the corresponding period of FY18. 

Sensex and Nifty traded lower following the Asian stocks on Tuesday. The financials, IT (information technology) and metal sectors on the BSE were in the red while the telecom and metal stocks gained. The laggards were Yes Bank, Reliance Industries, Power Grid, Infosys and HDFC declining up to 2%. 

State-owned lender Bank of India's net loss widened during the quarter ended December 31, 2018 due to higher provisioning for non-performing assets (NPAs). According to the state-run lender, its net loss in the three months through December 2018 widened to Rs4,738 crore from a net loss of Rs2,341 crore reported for the same period of the last fiscal year. However, the lender's net interest income increased by 33.23% to Rs3,332 crore in the quarter under review from Rs2,501 crore in Q3FY18. The bank made provision worth Rs9,179.48 crore for NPAs during the quarter under review from Rs4,373.06 crore made during the previous corresponding quarter of 2017-18. 

Diversified conglomerate Piramal Enterprises Ltd (PEL) reported a rise of 23% in its consolidated net profit during the third quarter of 2018-19. According to the company, its net profit during the quarter under review rose to Rs603 crore, up from Rs490 crore reported for the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. Besides, the total income shot up 23% from Rs2,922 crore in the year-ago-quarter to Rs3,592 crore in the third quarter of this fiscal. 

Sensex gained on Wednesday, while the Nifty was marginally higher with gains made by the financial stocks. FMCG (fast moving consumer goods), oil and gas and realty stocks slipped in the red but the key finance and banking stocks gained.

Yes Bank said its two promoter groups -- Madhu Kapur Group and Rana Kapoor Group -- have agreed to nominate one representative director each on the Bank's Board. The bank, in a regulatory filing also said that it has sought the Reserve Bank of India's approval to appoint a temporary MD and CEO from February 1, 2019, till Ravneet Singh Gill takes over as the next full-time MD and CEO on March 1. 

Drug maker Strides Pharma Science Ltd said its Canadian subsidiary acquired 80% equity stake in Canada-based generics frim Pharamapar for $3 million (Rs21 crore). "The acquisition will enable us to build our operations, as the pharmaceutical market in Canada is estimated to be $21 billion with a major share of generics through retail pharmacies," said the city-based Strides in a statement here. The two-decade old $8-million Pharmapar specialises in generic medication to insured individuals in Canada. It is also a leading partner to Quebec pharmacies and covers about 1,000 pharmacies with access to 12 banners and 100 products. Quebec accounts for 25% of the Canadian generics market and is private. 

In a related development, the company's board has approved sale of its Australian business Strides Pharma Global to the Arrow-Apotex merged entity for Australian dollar 394 million ($281 million or Rs20 crore). "We will enter into a 10-year preferred supply agreement with the merged entity to result in potential annual Ebitda of Australian $15-20 million," said the company in a release. 

Sensex and Nifty logged strong gains on Thursday amid a surge in global markets as the US Federal Reserve decided to keep the interest rates unchanged. Shares of IT (information technology) companies led the gains as BSE IT index rose close to 2%. Key sectors banking, finance as well as oil and gas stocks also surged over 1%. US Fed's decision to keep the interest rates unchanged is good for the emerging markets. Investors are also upbeat owing to the Q3 results by large caps, according to market analysts. Also, the short covering ahead of the F&O expiry due later in the day gave a push to the markets. 

Stocks of Dewan Housing Finance Corp (DHFL) plunged further after reports emerged that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) may probe allegation of a Rs31,000 crore scam. Stock exchanges have also sought clarification from the company over reports of the likely probe. Around 10.20 a.m., the share price of DHFL on the National Stock Exchange slumped nearly 20% to touch an intra-day low of Rs129.50. On Tuesday, the investigative media organisation Cobrapost alleged that DHFL promoters routed around Rs31,000 crore through dubious companies and parked it outside India to acquire assets. The company on Tuesday rejected the allegations. DHFL said it had met all its obligations to its lenders by paying them back over Rs17,000 crore in the last three months. 

The major indices of the Indian stock markets were volatile and closed higher on Friday. Interim Budget announcements of higher tax exemption limit and key measures for the rural economy and SME sector buoyed the Indian equity market on Friday. However, Sensex and NSE Nifty50 ceded some of the day's gains as key finance and banking stocks ended lower. Auto stocks gained over 2% while the metal stocks lost 3%. Index-wise, the Sensex closed 212.74 points or 0.59% higher at 36,469.43 points after hitting a high of 36,778.14, while the Nifty ended the Budget day's trade at 10,893.65, up 62.70 points.

Budget carrier SpiceJet on Friday said that it will launch eight new direct flights and frequencies connecting metros and non-metros on domestic routes from March 2019. According to the airline, the new domestic flights will reinforce its network strength in southern region. "The new flights will strengthen SpiceJet's network in the Southern region and reiterates its focus on augmenting connectivity between metro and non-metro cities," the company said in a statement. "Flights on all the routes will be operational daily except Tuesdays. SpiceJet will deploy its Bombardier Q400s on all these routes." SpiceJet shares closed at Rs80.25, down 0.37% on the BSE.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
Weekly Indices (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)

Budget 2019: Government steps up farm support, gives tax relief in pre-election budget-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


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01 February 2019
 
Budget (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)


India’s government pledged 750 billion rupees ($10.56 billion) to support poor farmers and reduced the tax burden for the middle class on Friday, as it looked to rally support from voters with the final budget before a general election.

Heading into polls that must be held by May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing discontent over depressed farm incomes and doubts over whether his policies are creating enough jobs.

And with opinion polls suggesting that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could lose its parliamentary majority, the government delivered a budget to shore up support in the countryside, where two-thirds of Indians live, and among the urban, salary-earning middle class.

The interim budget for 2019/2020 offered direct cash support of 6,000 rupees to 120 million poor farmers and allocated more funds for a rural jobs guarantee scheme and rural development, like building roads and homes.

Vying with an opposition that has also trumpeted budget-straining populist measures to support from poorer voters, the government said it would launch a pension scheme for workers in the unorganised sector, which employs some 420 million people.

The budget proposals also reduced the burden for the lower middle class, by exempting people earning up to 500,000 rupees from income tax from an earlier cap of 250,000 rupees.

Still, the measures announced on Friday were aimed at putting money into pockets quickly.

“This is not just an interim budget, this is a vehicle for the developmental transformation of the nation,” Acting Finance Minister Piyush Goyal told the lower house of parliament, as BJP lawmakers thumped their desks and chanted “Modi, Modi”.

“India is solidly back on track and marching towards growth and prosperity,” said Goyal, who delivered the budget in place of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was in the United States for medical treatment.

India was expected to expand 7.2 percent this fiscal year, Goyal said, keeping its slot as one of the world’s fastest growing major economies.

But a report in the Business Standard daily the previous day belied the government bullishness over the economy. It said that the government has been withholding an official survey that showed India’s unemployment rate at its highest in decades.
Garima Kapoor, an economist at Elara Capital investment bank in Mumbai, said the budget favoured farmers, older voters, workers in the unorganised sector, small and medium sized businesses and middle class families.

“The budget is clearly farm-focused, with the elections in mind,” Kapoor said.
The interim budget for 2019/20 allocated 600 billion rupees for a rural jobs programme and 190 billion for building of roads in the countryside.
The big giveaways resulted in fiscal slippage, for a government that has been seeking to drag down its deficit.

The budget would put the fiscal deficit for the year ending on March 31 at 3.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), slightly higher than the targeted 3.3 percent.
Goyal set a deficit target of 3.4 percent for 2019/20, instead of the earlier target of 3.1 percent, but he went onto project the deficit would come down to 3 percent in both of the following two years.
“Overall, the government presented an expansionary budget and prioritised populism over fiscal prudence,” analysts at investment bank Nomura said in a note, calling it an election budget.

India’s fiscal slippage also drew a warning from credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service.

“Taken together, it doesn’t really bode well for their medium-term fiscal consolidation targets,” said Gene Fang, associate managing director at Moody’s sovereign risk group. “From that perspective we would say, on balance, it’s credit negative.”

But Fang said the budget announcements did not change the rating agency’s stance on India. Moody’s rates India at “Baa2” with a “stable” outlook.

Analysts were skeptical about the government’s ability to even meet its upwardly revised fiscal deficit targets for the ongoing and upcoming fiscal year, noting that the government’s revenue projections, especially from the goods and services tax (GST) seem optimistic.

“Their revenue estimates seem to be optimistic, particularly on the GST front, which the government is budgeting at about 18 percent growth rate,” said Shashank Mendiratta an economist with IBM in New Delhi, adding that forecast looked “very aggressive.”

India’s bond yields spiked amid worries over the fiscal slippage and the government’s borrowing plans. The benchmark 10-year bond yield rose 14 basis points to 7.62 percent, while the rupee traded at 71.26 against the U.S. dollar, about 17 paisa weaker than its close on Thursday.

The country’s stock markets gained, however, on expectations that the budget would boost consumption. The broader NSE index closed up 0.6 percent at 10893.65.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


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01 February 2019
 
Direct tax collection (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)


Direct tax collection for current fiscal exceeded the budgeted target by Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 12 lakh crore, while FY20 fiscal the mop-up has been pegged at Rs 13.80 lakh crore.

The government had originally budgeted to collect Rs 11.50 lakh crore in current financial year from direct taxes, which include corporate tax and personal income tax (PIT). As per the 2019-20 Budget estimates, out of the Rs 13.80 lakh crore direct taxes, the Government aims to raise Rs 7.60 lakh crore from corporate tax and Rs 6.20 lakh crore.

This is higher than Rs 6.71 lakh crore estimated to be collected from corporate tax and Rs 5.29 lakh crore from PIT in the current fiscal ending March 2019. On the indirect tax front, customs collection in the current fiscal too surpassed the budgeted estimate of Rs 1.12 lakh crore to touch Rs 1.30 lakh crore. In 2019-20, mop up from customs are expected to be higher at Rs 1.45 lakh crore.

Excise duty collections in 2019-20 is budgeted at similar levels for 2018-19 at Rs 2.59 lakh crore. GST collections, however, is expected to rise to Rs 7.61 lakh crore in next fiscal. In the current fiscal, GST collections is pegged at Rs 6.43 lakh crore , which is lower than the targeted Rs 7.43 lakh crore. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

SBI expects asset quality to improve further after quarterly profit beats estimates-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


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01 February 2019
 
State Bank of India (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)


State Bank of India (SBI) on Friday said it expects non-performing asset levels to come down in the short term after it beat expectations with its highest quarterly profit in nearly seven years.

The strong results highlight a recovery at the country’s biggest lender by assets, where results have been depressed over the past year by higher provisioning after the central bank tightened rules to tackle record levels of bad debt.

SBI, which accounts for more than a fifth of India’s banking assets, saw its gross bad loans as a percentage of total loans ease to 8.71 percent at end-December, from 9.95 percent in the previous quarter and 10.35 percent in the year-ago period.

For an interactive graphic on the bad loans ratio at some Indian public-sector lenders,In absolute terms, its gross bad loans eased from the previous quarter to 1.88 trillion rupees, helped by a slowdown in slippages.

“We are working in the direction of bringing down the net NPA, and with some luck we should be below 3 percent by the end of March 2019,” said SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar.

As of the end of December, net NPA was at 3.95 percent, down from 4.84 percent in the previous quarter.

Net profit came in at 39.55 billion rupees ($556 million) for the third quarter ended Dec. 31, versus a loss of 24.16 billion rupees a year ago, and far ahead of analysts’ expectations for a profit of 32.08 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv data.

The results were helped by a 21.3 percent drop in bad loan provisions, a write-back on provisions made for mark-to-market losses, and higher net interest income on the back of healthy growth in loans.

This is the bank’s biggest quarterly profit since it reported 40.50 billion rupees in the March quarter of 2012.

Kumar also said the resolution of eight accounts, which is in the “very advanced stage”, could generate 340 billion rupees.

“If all these 8 cases get resolved and reach final conclusion within the next two months, then we are looking at a situation where the gross NPA percentage may come down below 7 and net NPA percentage may come down below 3 percent.”
SBI shares, which rose 3.1 percent after the results, reversed course to close 3.2 percent lower as bond yields gained after the government unveiled its budget. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

($1 = 71.1200 rupees)

World Stocks Edge Down Ahead Of US Jobs Report-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


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01 February 2019

Financial Markets (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)


World markets edged lower on Friday ahead of the monthly U.S. jobs report and after the U.S.-China trade talks yielded few immediate results.

KEEPING SCORE: Germany's DAX fell 0.2 percent to 11,153 and France's CAC 40 fell almost 0.1 percent to 4,991. Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 0.1 percent to 6,978. Wall Street was set for a quiet open. The future contract for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat while the S&P 500 futures shed 0.1 percent.

THE DAY IN ASIA: Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was flat at 27,930.74 while the Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.3 percent to 2,618.23. Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose less than 0.1 percent to 20,788.39 after the country's unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 2.4 percent in December from 2.5 percent the month before. South Korea's Kospi was down 0.1 percent at 2,203.46. Australia's S&P ASX 200 edged 0.1 percent lower to 5,862.80. Shares rose in the Philippines and Thailand but fell in Singapore. Markets in Taiwan were closed.

CHINA-U.S. TALKS: American and Chinese negotiators wrapped up two days of talks Thursday without a deal but with an upbeat outlook. Presidents Donald Trump said China has agreed to buy more American soybeans, but he expects to meet President Xi Jinping to seek agreement on other contentious issues. "There are some points we don't agree to, but we will agree," Trump said. "I think when Xi and I meet, every point will be agreed to." A tariffs cease-fire between the U.S. and China is set to end on March 2, and the U.S. is expected to raise import taxes from 10 percent to 25 percent for $200 billion in Chinese goods.

MANUFACTURING DATA: A private survey suggested manufacturing in China slowed in January. China's Caixin Manufacturing PMI was 48.3 points in January, down from 49.7 in December. This was its lowest reading since February 2016. Readings below 50 indicate contraction on the index's 100-point scale. Similar surveys were downbeat also for Britain, where companies are suffering from the uncertainty over Brexit, and in the eurozone.

ANALYST'S TAKE: "The terrible decline in the Caixin PMI index ... shows just how important it is for China and the U.S. to secure a trade deal. If nothing else, a deal should prevent the near-term imposition of higher tariffs," Robert Carnell of ING Bank said in commentary.

U.S. JOBS DATA: Traders are awaiting the release of jobs data later Friday. The Labor Department's monthly employment report will likely show that U.S. employers added a good amount of jobs in January, despite a partial shutdown of the government and concerns about global growth. According to data provider FactSet, analysts expect 165,000 jobs to be added and the unemployment rate to remain at a low 3.9 percent.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude dropped 2 cents to $53.77 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost 44 cents to settle at $53.79 per barrel on Thursday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rose 25 cents to $61.90 per barrel. The contract dropped 70 cents to $60.84 per barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar strengthened slightly to 108.91 yen from 108.89 yen late Thursday. The euro rose to $1.1468 from $1.1445.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Thursday 31 January 2019

Nifty, Sensex Headed Higher Still – Thursday closing report-The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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31 January 2019

I had mentioned in Wednesday’s closing report that Nifty, Sensex might rally a bit. The major indices of the Indian stock markets rallied on Thursday and closed with gains over Wednesday’s close. On the NSE, there were 998 advances, 742 declines and 318 unchanged. The trends of the major indices in the course of Thursday’s trading are given in the table below:

Sensex and Nifty logged strong gains on Thursday amid a surge in global markets as the US Federal Reserve decided to keep the interest rates unchanged. Shares of IT (information technology) companies led the gains as BSE IT index rose close to 2%. Key sectors banking, finance as well as oil and gas stocks also surged over 1%. US Fed's decision to keep the interest rates unchanged is good for the emerging markets. Investors are also upbeat owing to the healthy Q3 results by large caps, according to market analysts. Also, the short covering ahead of the F&O expiry due later in the day gave a push to the markets. 

Finance Minister Piyush Goyal will present the Interim Budget in the Lok Sabha on Friday that could virtually be a full-fledged budget of the Modi government ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in which tax sops for the middle class and the corporates could be expected along with a relief package to address agrarian distress and the stressed small scale industry sector.

Stocks of Dewan Housing Finance Corp (DHFL) plunged further on Thursday after reports emerged that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) may probe allegation of a Rs31,000 crore scam. Stock exchanges have also sought clarification from the company over reports of the likely probe. Around 10.20 a.m., the share price of DHFL on the National Stock Exchange slumped nearly 20% to touch an intra-day low of Rs129.50. On Tuesday, the investigative media organisation Cobrapost alleged that DHFL promoters routed around Rs31,000 crore through dubious companies and parked it outside India to acquire assets. The company on Tuesday rejected the allegations. DHFL said it had met all its obligations to its lenders by paying them back over Rs17,000 crore in the last three months. Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited shares closed at Rs134.95, down 16.41% on the NSE.

Thermax Limited, a leading energy and environment solutions provider, on Thursday inaugurated its new manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh's Sri City. The facility will manufacture a wide range of vapour absorption machines comprising chillers, heat pumps and heaters in its first phase, the company said in a release. Thermax shares closed at Rs1,092.35, down 1.69% on the NSE.

US stocks closed higher after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 434.90 points, or 1.77%, to 25,014.86. The S&P 500 was up 41.05 points, or 1.55%, to 2,681.05. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 154.79 points, or 2.20%, to 7,183.08. The US central bank said in a statement that the Federal Open Market Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 2.25% to 2.5% in support of the goals to foster maximum employment and price stability. Major indexes surged after Fed released its statement. 

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:


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

Core sector output growth slows to 2.6% in December 2018 -The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


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31 January 2019
 
Economy (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)


Growth in the eight core sectors of the economy dipped further 2.6% in December after hitting a 16- month low of 3.5 per cent in November.

 The decline was aided by a dip in the production of crude oil, chemical fertilisers and sluggish performance in petroleumrefinery output. Electricity generation, however, increased by 4.0 per cent in December 2018 over December 2017.

The combined Index of Eight Core Industries NSE 1.32 % stood at 132.1 in December, 2018, which was 2.6 per cent higher as compared to the index of December, 2017. Its cumulative growth during April to December, 2018-19 was 4.8 per cent.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


Fitch warns of fiscal slippage if government goes for populist interim budget -The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


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31 January 2019
 
Growth (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)


Ahead of BJP-led NDA government presenting the final budget of its tenure, Fitch Ratings Thursday warned of a second consecutive year of fiscal slippage in the event of Finance Minister Piyush Goyal resorting to populist spending to win over lost vote base. The interim budget to be presented Friday could give some indication of the government's commitment to fiscal consolidation, which is one of the main sensitivities in the sovereign ratings, Fitch said.

"Pressure for new expenditure to attract votes, particularly among rural and small-business owner voters, has increased as polls have shown the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is becoming less assured of victory in the general elections. "The BJP has reportedly lost votes in some recent state elections due to rural distress and public concerns over job creation. Targeted cash programmes appear the most likely form of support, as they would avoid downside risks of alternatives, such as the farm loan waivers that undermined the loan repayment culture in the past," it said.

Populist spending, it said, would aggravate fiscal pressures, which are already building due to revenue shortfalls. "Higher pre-election spending could risk a second consecutive year of fiscal slippage relative to the government's targets and would further delay plans to reduce the high general government fiscal deficit and debt burden," it said.

Fitch said longer-term trends are more important to the sovereign rating profile. "We believe the central government may still be able to meet its fiscal deficit target of 3.3 per cent of GDP for FY19, which would help support its fiscal credibility, although this may be achieved by deferring capital expenditure and postponing bill payments until after March," it said.

 The final budget for the fiscal year ending in March 2020 (FY20) will be presented soon after the next government takes office following general elections, which are due by May 2019. Revenue from the new GST is well below target, Fitch said citing it as an reason for revenue falling short of the target so far in the current fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2019. "Officially, the government still aims to adhere to a debt ceiling of 60 per cent of GDP by March 2025, as adopted under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act.

However, this would require significant and politically difficult fiscal consolidation. The newly elected government's final budget, likely to be presented around July, should provide more meaningful guidance on the medium-term fiscal outlook," it said. Fitch's base-case scenario is that general government debt will remain close to 70 per cent of GDP in the next few years, and will constrain India's sovereign rating (BBB-/Stable). Indian budgets normally offers guidance on plans for structural reforms and tax changes

"The current government could choose in its interim budget to signal the reform direction it would adopt in a possible second term, but we believe it is more likely to include such plans in the final budget...," it said.

The government's reform efforts have led to a strong improvement in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business ranking in recent years, but FDI inflows have remained roughly stable as a percentage of GDP over the past five years, as there are lingering difficulties, such as in enforcing contracts and the functioning of the labour market.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions