Indian Stock News by Experts

Good volumes a positive sign

<DIV> <TABLE align='"center"'> <TBODY> <TR> <TD align='"center"'></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The markets opened on a cautious note and ended the session with strong gains as the RBI announcement was greeted well by the market players. The erstwhile unwinding bias at higher levels reversed for a change as buying support emerged in force. The traded volumes were sharply higher and coming on an uptick session, are harbingers of hope. The market breadth was positive as the combined exchange figures were 2324:1588. The capitalisation of the figures on a commensurate basis was positive as the numbers were Rs 20362 crore:Rs 4499 crore. The indices have closed at the upper end of the intraday range and that too with positive market internals - indicating the possibility of cheerful times ahead in the absolute short term. The 5045/5135 range advocated for Tuesday was easily overcome as the Nifty closed significantly higher than this threshold. The coming session is likely to witness a range of 5115 on declines and 5275 on advances. As long as the Nifty remains above the 5150 mark, the outlook is bullish. The market internals indicate a higher turnover as the participation levels rose sharply. The number of trades increased and the average ticket size was higher, indicating a buying bias by stronger hands. The outlook for the markets on Wednesday is that of continued optimism as long as the overseas cues are positive. via Business Standard</DIV>

Good volumes a positive sign

The markets opened on a cautious note and ended the session with strong gains as the RBI announcement was greeted well by the ...

A dull day for precious metals

<DIV> <TABLE align='"center"'> <TBODY> <TR> <TD align='"center"'></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Slipping crude price and strength in dollar dampen appetite for commodities Bullion metals registered sharp drop today, Tuesday, 29 April, 2008 after crude oil prices eased by more than $3/barrel and after the dollar rallied against its rivals. Last week, dollar rose strongly against its rivals thereby putting pressure on precious metal prices. On the other hand, rising energy cost affects prices of bullion metals as a hedge against inflation. Silver prices also fell for the day. Comex Gold for June delivery fell $18.7 (2.1%) to close at $876.8 ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price earlier touched $873.60, the lowest for a most-active contract in almost last three months. Last week, gold prices lost $20(2.8%) against previous week's close. On 17 March, 2008 prices had skyrocketed to a high of $1,034/ounce. This year, gold prices have gained 5% for the till date against a 8.5% drop for the dollar against the euro. For first quarter prices gained 10.7%. In January, prices gained 11%, the highest monthly gain since April 2006. For February, it gained 6%. But in March, prices succumbed and fell by 5.5%. Comex Silver futures for July delivery fell 48.3 cents (2.8%) to $16.64 an ounce. Silver has gained 10.8% in 2008 till date. Silver gained 16% in Q1. In January this year itself, prices climbed 14%. In February, it gained another 15%. For March, it ended lower by 13%. The metal had climbed 16% in FY 2007. The metal also has gained for seven straight years. In the energy market today, crude oil fell more than $3 a barrel, the biggest decline in four weeks, after BP restarted a North Sea oil pipeline and the dollar strengthened, reducing the appeal of commodities to investors. In the currency market today, the U.S. currency headed for its first monthly advance this year against the euro as traders increased bets the Fed will stop lowering bank-borrowing costs after cutting the benchmark federal funds rate by 25 basis points tomorrow. The Federal Reserve's interest-rate meeting begins Tuesday afternoon. The statement will be released on Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. E.T. The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, gained 0.3% to 72.83. Generally, a stronger dollar pressures demand for dollar-denominated commodities, such as crude oil and gold, which become more expensive for holders of other currencies. On the other hand, a lower dollar pushes up precious metal prices as their demand lessens as it becomes cheaper for traders holding other currencies. Gold, as a dollar-denominated commodity, suffers from dollar strength. On the contrary, gold prices rise with falling dollar as inflationary concerns boosts the metal's appeal as an inflation hedge. The Fed has reduced its benchmark interest rate by 3 percentage points to 2.25 percent since last September as a housing slump and credit squeeze threatened to push the economy into a recession. Since last September, Fed has axed interest rates six times. The ECB has kept rates unchanged at 4% since June. Traders are looking forward to Fed's decision on interest rates in its next forthcoming meeting tomorrow. Gold witnessed the greatest annual gain in twenty eight years by gaining $200/ounce (31%) in FY 2007 as lower interest rates had sent the dollar tumbling, and crude-oil prices rose to a record. The Fed reduced federal funds rate three times in FY 2007. In 2006, silver had jumped 46% while gold gained 23%. Gold has tripled in five years as investment demand has soared and mine supplies have remained low. At the MCX, gold prices for June delivery closed lower by Rs 136 (1.2%) at Rs 11,479 per 10 grams. Prices rose to a high of Rs 11,612 per 10 grams and fell to a low of Rs 11,465 per 10 grams during the day's trading. At the MCX, silver prices for May delivery closed Rs 321 (1.4%) lower at Rs 22,142/Kg. Prices opened at Rs 22,385/kg and fell to a low of Rs 22,051/Kg during the day's trading.</DIV>

A dull day for precious metals

Slipping crude price and strength in dollar dampen appetite for commodities Bullion metals registered sharp drop today, Tuesda...

Crude witnesses a deep plunge

<DIV> Prices slip by more than $3 as supply related concerns ease Crude prices dropped by more than $3 today, Tuesday, 29 April, as supply concerns eased. BP restarted a North Sea oil pipeline and the dollar strengthened, reducing the appeal of commodities to investors. Gloomy economic news in the U.S. and forecasts that U.S. crude inventories have gained for a second week also weighed on Tuesday's oil prices. Yesterday, prices had touched an all time high of $119.93 during intra day trading. Crude-oil futures for light sweet crude for June delivery closed at $115.63/barrel (lower by $3.12/barrel or 2.6%) on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell to an intraday low of $114.95 earlier. For the year, crude is up by 19.4% till date. Oil increased 77% in the past year as supply failed to keep up with surging demand in China, India and the Middle East. As per BP, it expects to resume normal throughput at its 700,000 barrel-a-day Forties crude oil pipeline system in the North Sea within several days. The company closed the Forties Pipeline System, carrying 40% of the U.K.'s oil production, after a strike at the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland cut power supplies. In the currency market today, the U.S. currency headed for its first monthly advance this year against the euro as traders increased bets the Fed will stop lowering bank-borrowing costs after cutting the benchmark federal funds rate by 25 basis points tomorrow. The Federal Reserve's interest-rate meeting begins Tuesday afternoon. The statement will be released on Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. E.T. The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, gained 0.3% to 72.83. Brent crude oil for June settlement today fell $3.31 (2.8%) to $113.43 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The London benchmark rose 54% in FY 2007, the most since 1999 when prices more than doubled. Natural gas advances 45% this year Natural gas declined as crude oil fell from a record and the dollar strengthened against the euro. Gas for June delivery fell 48.7 cents (4.3%) to settle at $10.842 per million British thermal units, Against this backdrop, June reformulated gasoline fell 9.15 cents to $2.9392 a gallon and June heating oil dropped 5.23 cents to $3.2465 a gallon. Traders anticipated today that an Energy Department report tomorrow will probably show that U.S. crude-oil supplies advanced 950,000 barrels in the week ended 25 April. At the pump at USA, retail regular gas averaged $3.607 a gallon, a new record high. Average gas prices in San Francisco surpassed $4 a gallon for the first time. Crude had ended FY 2007 substantially higher by $35 or 57%. It was crude's biggest yearly gain in five years. At the MCX, crude oil for May delivery closed at Rs 4,664/barrel, lower by Rs 94 (1.9%) against previous day's close. Natural gas for July delivery closed at Rs 441.2/mmbtu, lower by Rs 16.4/mmbtu (3.6%).</DIV>

Crude witnesses a deep plunge

Prices slip by more than $3 as supply related concerns ease Crude prices dropped by more than $3 today, Tuesday, 29 April, as supply conc...

Nifty May 2008 futures above 5,200

Turnover in F&O segment surges Nifty May 2008 futures were at 5217.40, a premium of 21.90 points as compared to spot closi...

Sensex scales two-month high as market shrugs off monetary tightening by RBI

<DIV>The market which had declined yesterday ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's annual monetary policy review, bounced back today after the central bank kept interest rates unchanged. Rate sensitive banking, auto and realty stocks surged. IT stocks surged after the Finance Minister extended tax exemption for the IT sector by a year. Metal stocks rose. The market breadth was strong. The central bank raised the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 25 basis points and the stance of its monetary policy was hawkish. The market had witnessed a bout of volatility earlier in the day ahead of monetary policy announcement. Asian markets which opened before Indian market were mixed. European markets which opened after Indian markets were mixed. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 362.50 points or 2.13% at 17,378.46. Sensex hit a high of 17,424.94 in late trade, its highest level in two months. At the day's high, Sensex rose 408.98 points. Sensex hit a low of 17011.60 in mid-morning trade. At day's low Sensex fell 4.36 points. The broader based S&P CNX Nifty was up 105.85 points or 2.08% at 5,195.50 From a recent low of 16698.04 on 23 April 2008, Sensex has gained 680.42 points or 4.07% to 17378.46 on 29 April 2008. From a low of 14809.49 on 17 March 2008, Sensex has risen 2568.97 points or 17.34%. The barometer index is off 3828.31 points or 18.05% from a all time high of 21206.77 struck on 10 January 2008. The turnover on BSE stood at Rs 7262 crore as compared to a turnover of Rs 5544.33 crore on Monday, 28 April 2008. Turnover in NSE's futures & options (F&O) segment spurted to Rs 41,819.49 crore, as compared to Rs 25,459.22 crore on Monday, 28 April 2008. Nifty May 2008 futures were at 5217.40, a premium of 21.90 points as compared to spot closing of 5,195.50. The CRR is the percentage of banks' deposits which they must keep as cash with the central bank. It may be recalled that RBI had earlier this month announced a two-stage rise in CRR to 8%. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said managing liquidity would continue to receive priority in its policy objectives and warned it would act swiftly to curb any signs of adverse developments in inflation expectations. RBI has forecast economic growth of 8% to 8.5% in the fiscal year that began this month, after an estimated 8.7% growth in 2007/08. RBI said it aims for inflation of around 5.5% this fiscal year with the goal of lowering it close to 5% as soon as possible. The market breadth was strong on BSE with 1588 shares advancing as compared to 1121 that declined. 61 remained unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index rose 1.13% to 7146.95 and BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.87% to 8,785.31. BSE Realty index (up 5.9% to 8,650.24), BSE Metal index (up 3.64% to 16192.97), BSE IT index (up 5.24% to 4237.81), BSE Consumer Durables index (up 2.81% to 4585.97), outperformed Sensex. BSE Oil & Gas index (up 2.02% to 11661.26), BSE Bankex (up 1.68% to 8,964.75), BSE PSU index (up 1.65% to 8008.99), BSE Auto index (up 1.52% to 4,646.62), BSE Capital Goods index (up 1.28% to 13931.17), BSE HealthCare index (up 0.78% to 4,248.62), BSE Power index (up 0.96% to 3,336.34) and BSE FMCG index (up 0.52% to 2,412.61) underperformed Sensex As per the provisional figures, foreign institutional investors (FII)s bought shares worth Rs 232.18 crore today 29 April 2008 and domestic funds bought shares worth Rs 403.27 crore. Realty stocks surged in late trade. Indiabulls Real Estate (up 3.06% to Rs 557.35), DLF (up 8.57% to Rs 725.85) and Unitech (up 8.18% to Rs 317.50) rose. IT stocks surged. Satyam Computer Services (up 8.22% to Rs 479.35), Infosys (up 5.15% to Rs 1,750.75), Wipro (up 4.7% to Rs 479.20) and Tata Consultancy Services (up 3.15% to Rs 910.80) edged higher. Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram extended by a year a tax holiday scheme for export-driven software companies as he outlined some changes to the federal budget for 2008-09. The scheme for facilities based in technology parks was set to expire in March 2009. Metal stocks rose. Tata Steel (up 4.01% to Rs 808.90), National Aluminium Company (up 4.37% to Rs 458.70), Hindalco Industries (up 6.44% to Rs 198.20), Steel Authority of India (up 2.08% to Rs 179.40), Sterlite Industries (up 4.77% to Rs 898.85) edged higher. Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said government will impose export tax on basmati rice and some steel products, and cut import duties on key inputs like ferro alloys and metallurgical coke. He said the measures were being taken to improve domestic supplies and to moderate prices. Banking stocks surged after the RBI's policy announcement. State Bank of India (up 3.27% to Rs 1,793.50), HDFC Bank (up 1.95% to Rs 1,547.50) and ICICI Bank (up 0.71% to Rs 901.30) edged higher. Auto Stocks edged higher. Mahindra & Mahindra (up 1.17% to Rs 642.70), Tata Motors (up 1% to Rs 639.95) Maruti Suzuki India (up 1.24% to Rs 731.30), Hero Honda Motors (up 5.34% to Rs 861.85), rose. HDFC (up 5.95% to Rs 2881.45), Larsen & Toubro (up 2.09% to Rs 3007.40) Jaiprakash Associates (up 5.95% to Rs 266.10), Ambuja Cements (up 1.32% to Rs 114.85), Bharat Heavy Electricals (up 1.29% to Rs 1891.85), Reliance Industries (up 2.35% to Rs 2,653) edged higher from Sensex pack. Hindustan Unilever rose 1.48% to Rs 250.85. Net profit of Hindustan Unilever declined 3.04% to Rs 380.95 crore on 19.14% rise in sales to Rs 3793.94 crore in Q1 March 2008 Q1 March 2007. The board of the company has approved the change in the financial year to April-March. Reliance Communications declined 1.73% to Rs 574.70 while Bharti Airtel fell 2.67% to Rs 904.50. Reliance Communications said on Monday, 28 April 2008, it would offer unlimited national long distance calls within its network for a fixed rental with immediate effect. Earlier yesterday, sector leader Bharti Airtel slashed long distance and roaming tariffs by 43% effective 30 April 2008. Reliance Natural Resources clocked the highest volume of 2.15 crore shares on BSE. Ispat Industries (1.71 crore shares), IFCI (1.56 crore shares), Indiabulls Securities (1.51 crore shares) and Reliance Petroleum (1.47 crore shares) were the other volume toppers in that order. Reliance Capital clocked the highest turnover of Rs 317.11 crore on BSE. Sesa Goa (Rs 309.43 crore), Reliance Petroleum (Rs 295.31 crore), Reliance Natural Resources (Rs 270.24 crore) and Reliance Industries (Rs 231.64 crore) were the other turnover toppers in that order. It its latest report on macroeconomic and monetary developments in 2007/08 released on Monday, 28 April 2008, RBI has said that the global food prices were likely to remain firm as supply side pressures did not appear to be abating. The central bank said steps takes by the government to rein in prices should help curb inflation. It, however, said the inflation risks on account of oil prices remain incipient. RBI has noted that freely priced fuel items such as naphtha had increased substantially since February 2007 alongside rising global oil prices, while prices of petrol and diesel, which are government-controlled, had partially adjusted. But prices of kerosene and cooking gas had not been raised by the government for several years. RBI felt there were some demand-side pressures. Domestic iron and steel prices saw a sharp increase in line with recent hardening in international steel prices, it said, while cement price rises could be attributed largely to strong demand from construction domestically. A survey of professional forecasters by the central bank showed that the Indian economy is expected to grow 8.1% in the 2008/09 fiscal year that began this month. In 2007/08, the gross domestic product is estimated to have grown 8.7%. A cause for concern is the fall in business confidence index. A survey of 392 companies by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), showed that concerns about an economic slowdown, inflation and rising costs hurt business confidence of Indian firms during October-December 2007 period. The FICCI business confidence index declined to a new five-year low of 55.3 points in the third quarter of 2007/08, from 61.2 in the previous quarter. On the flip side, a pointer to the fact that the long term India growth story remains intact is the outcome of the latest 2008 US-India Business Council (USIBC) survey, according to which, India is, and will continue to be, a premier destination for investment by US firms, with a large number of respondents rating future economic growth in India as highly sustainable. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha is slated to pass the Finance Bill 2008-09 today, 29 April 2008. The two-day US Federal Reserve policy meeting ends on Wednesday, 30 April 2008. The market expects the Fed to cut interest rates by 25 basis points to 2% and then signal that its rate-cutting cycle may be over for now in the face of mounting global energy and food inflation pressure. US stocks ended flat on Monday, 28 April 2008, as a $23 billion takeover of Wm Wrigley Jr Co, the world's largest chewing gum maker, by Mars Inc, the maker of M&Ms candy, helped offset downbeat comments by influential investor Warren Buffett about the economy. Buffett said US could be mired in a longer and deeper recession than most people think. Asian stocks were mixed today. Key benchmark indices in Hong Kong and China were up by between 1.05% to 1.4%. Key benchmark indices in Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea were down by between 0.64% to 2.07%. Japanese markets were closed for a national holiday. European markets were mixed. France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX and were down between 0.35%-0.56% while UK's FTSE 100 rose 0.4%.</DIV>

Sensex scales two-month high as market shrugs off monetary tightening by RBI

The market which had declined yesterday ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's annual monetary policy review, bounced back today after th...