victorybull

Author: victorybull

  • Rupee slumps 49 paise to 75.82 against US dollar in early trade

    The rupee declined 49 paise to 75.82 against the US dollar in opening trade on Wednesday amid a weak risk appetite as tensions escalated in Eastern Europe.

    Forex traders said sustained foreign fund outflows, a lackluster trend in domestic equities and elevated crude oil prices weighed on investor sentiment.

    At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 75.78 against the US dollar, then slipped further to 75.82, registering a decline of 49 paise from the last close.

    On Monday, the rupee had settled at 75.33 against the US dollar.

    The forex market was closed on Tuesday on account of Mahashivratri.

    “The Rupee opened gap down against the US Dollar this Wednesday, tracking a rebound in the dollar index after ceasefire negotiations between Russian and Ukraine forces failed,” said Sriram Iyer, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities.

    Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.01 percent to 97.41.

    Stronger crude oil prices and weaker Asian currencies against the US Dollar could weigh on sentiments, Iyer said.

    Meanwhile, global oil benchmark Brent crude futures jumped 5.15 percent to USD 110.38 per barrel.

    Markets will continue to remain volatile, and trade will continue surrounding headlines in Eastern Europe. The RBI could be present to curb excess volatility, Iyer added.

    On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share Sensex was trading 748.79 points or 1.33 percent lower at 55,498.49, while the broader NSE Nifty slipped 177.20 points, or 1.06 percent, to 16,616.70.

    Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers in the capital market on Monday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 3,948.47 crore, as per stock exchange data.

  • Indices end strong after bleak opening session; Tata Steel rises over 6%

    Benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex recovered after a weak opening, as the 30-share barometer plunged more than 1,025 points to the day’s low of 54,833.50, before staging a recovery to close 388.76 pts or 0.70 per cent higher at 56,247.28, marking its second session of gains.

    On similar lines, the broader National Stock Exchange (NSE) Nifty climbed 135.50 points or 0.81 points to settle at 16,793.90. The Indian indices mirrored a rebound in Asian equities, even as the Ukraine crisis continued to roil western markets.

    Tata Steel emerged as the lead gainer among Sensex scrips, jumping by 6.61 per cent, followed by Power Grid, Reliance Industries, Titan, NTPC, L&T, Asian Paints and ICICI Bank.

    On the other hand, Dr Reddy’s, M&M, Axis Bank, HDFC twins and Kotak Bank were among the major laggards, shedding up to 2.81 per cent.

  • Rupee crashes 40 paise to 75.73 against US dollar in early trade

    The rupee tumbled 40 paise to 75.33 in early trade on Monday, tracking surge in crude prices amid escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

    At the interbank forex market, the local currency opened sharply lower against the dollar. It was moving in a tight range of 75.78 and 75.70. In early deals, it was trading at 75.73, registering a fall of 40 paise over its previous close.

    In the previous session, the rupee had gained 27 paise to settle at 75.33 against the US dollar.

    The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.78 percent higher at 97.37.

    Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures surged 4.24 percent to USD 102.08 per barrel.

    Meanwhile, in a dramatic escalation of tensions in eastern Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his nuclear forces to be on high alert in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by leading NATO powers over the Ukraine conflict.

    On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share Sensex was trading 709.15 points or 1.27 percent lower at 55,149.37, while the broader NSE Nifty fell 198.15 points or 1.19 percent to 16,460.25.

    Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market on Friday, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 4,470.70 crore, as per stock exchange data.

  • Airtel falls 3% as investors okay investment from Google, telco signs deal to up stake in Indus Towers

    Bharti Airtel’s share price shed 3 percent in early trade on February 28 after shareholders approved the issue of preferential shares to Google for its Rs 7,500 crore investment and the telecom company entered into an agreement with Vodafone Plc to buy equity interest in Indus Towers.

    Bharti Airtel will buy a 4.7 percent stake in Indus Towers from Vodafone Plc, the former said in an exchange filing on Friday.

    The transaction will be done on the condition that the amount paid shall be inducted as fresh equity in Vodafone Idea and simultaneously remitted to Indus Towers to clear Vodafone Idea’s outstanding dues.

    On Thursday, Vodafone Plc sold 2.4 percent stake in Indus Towers to Bharti Airtel as part of the 4.7 percent deal. Prior to the transaction, Vodafone Plc held 28 percent stake in the tower company while Bharti Airtel had 42 percent stake.

    “We believe this transaction allows Airtel to secure continued strong provision of services from Indus Towers, protects and enhances Airtel’s value in Indus Towers, enables it to receive rich dividends and paves the way for subsequent financial consolidation of Indus Towers in Airtel,” Bharti Airtel said.

    Also, on Saturday Bharti Airtel shareholders approved the issue of preferential shares to Google for its about Rs 7,500 crore investment in the company to buy 1.28 per cent stake.

    Internet giant Google had last month announced the proposed investment which includes equity investment as well as a corpus for potential commercial agreements, to be identified and agreed on mutually agreeable terms over the next five years.

  • Policybazaar falls 8%, hits new low; stock tanks 52% in three months

    Shares of PB Fintech, which operates online insurance broker Policybazaar and loan marketplace Paisabazaar, hit a new low at Rs 620.90, falling 8 per cent on the BSE in Thursday’s intra-day.

    In the past two weeks, the stock has slipped 28 per cent after Yashish Dahiya, executive director and CEO, and Alok Bansal, whole time director and CFO, of PB Fintech sold 6.09 million shares of the company via secondary market sale.

    On February 11, 2022, co-founder Alok Bansal divested 2.85 million shares of the company for Rs 236 crore through an open market transaction. According to the NSE bulk deal data, Bansal sold shares at an average price of Rs 825 apiece. However, buyer(s) of the shares could not be ascertained immediately.

    PB Fintech came out with its Rs 5,710-crore initial public offering (IPO) in November 2021. The company’s co-founders and other shareholders had reduced their stake in the public issue.

    In the past three months, the stock has underperformed the market by falling 52 per cent as compared to 5 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. It has corrected 58 per cent from its all-time high of Rs 1,470 hit on November 17, 2021. PB Fintech had made its stock market debut on November 15, 2021. The company issued shares at Rs 980 per share.

  • Bharti Airtel acquires strategic stake in Blockchain-tech startup Aqilliz

    Bharti Airtel on Thursday announced that it has acquired a strategic stake in Singapore-based Blockchain platform Aqilliz for an undisclosed sum.

    Airtel aims to deploy Aqilliz’s Blockchain technologies at scale across its fast-growing tech (Airtel Ads), digital entertainment (Wynk Music & Airtel Xstream) and digital marketplace (Airtel Thanks App) offerings.

    “Blockchain technology is maturing and we see its application across areas such as Adtech, Creator Economy, and Loyalty Programmes,” said Adarsh Nair, CEO, Airtel Digital.

    Aqilliz has developed a patented hybrid blockchain platform called ‘Atom’ that integrates differential privacy and federated learning on a distributed digital ledger.

    This allows brands to create secure and consent-based solutions to engage with customers in a rapidly-evolving digital economy that’s becoming increasingly decentralised.

    “Aqilliz’s patented technology will enable Airtel to capture and carry this value exchange in the form of consent and provenance across the digital supply chain,” said Gowthaman Ragothaman, Founding CEO, Aqilliz.

    The Airtel Startup Accelerator Programme invests in early-stage startups working on technologies that have adjacencies to Airtel’s business offerings.

    The programme allows startups to deploy their technologies and applications at a massive scale, which includes more than 340 million retail customers and over 1 million businesses.

  • Rupee rises by 22 paise to 74.44 against US dollar in early trade

    The rupee spurted by 22 paise to 74.44 in early trade on Monday on softer crude oil prices and revived hopes of a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

    The rupee gained further ground to trade at 74.44 at 1030 hours, supported by benign crude oil prices.

    Reports suggested that the US and Russia have agreed to hold a summit on the Ukraine standoff, calming jittery investors. The reports also suggested that one of the preconditions for the summit is that Russia would not invade Ukraine, raising hopes of a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

    Of late, crude oil prices have spurted on fears of supply disruption due to a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

    The Brent Crude on Monday dropped by 0.34 per cent to USD 93.22 per barrel. The US dollar index also edged lower by 0.21 per cent to 95.84.

    Meanwhile, on the domestic equity front, the BSE Sensex was trading lower by 398.17 points at 57,434.80 and the NSE Nifty dropped 93.20 points to 17,183.10 in late morning deals.

  • Market Highlights: Sensex rises 460 points, Nifty end above 17,600-mark after RBI keeps rates unchanged

    The benchmark equity indices on the BSE and National Stock Exchange (NSE) extended their gains for the third successive day, ending around 0.8 per cent higher on Thursday following the outcome of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) monetary policy meeting where the central bank kept its key lending rates unchanged for the tenth consecutive time while maintaining an ‘accommodative stance’.

    The S&P BSE Sensex climbed 460.06 points (0.79 per cent) to settle at 58,926.03 while the Nifty 50 rose 142.05 points (0.81 per cent) to end at 17,605.85. Both the indices had opened with marginal gains earlier in the day.

    On the Sensex pack, Tata Steel was the top gainer of the day rising over 2 per cent, followed by Infosys, HDFC Bank, Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), Kotak Mahindra Bank and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M). On the other hand, Maruti Suzuki India, Nestle India, Ultratech Cement and Reliance Industries (RIL) were the laggards.

  • IT to Hire 50 Lakh in 5 Years, New Investment Opportunity for Middle Class: Rakesh Jhunjhunwala

    Ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala said that the stock market has no king. Stock market is the only king. The ones who thought they were, landed up in Aurthur jail, Jhunjhunwala said while speaking at an event of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on February 17.

    Nobody can predict weather, death, market and women, the ace investor further mentioned. “Market is like a woman, always commanding, mysterious, uncertain and volatile. You can never really dominate a woman and likewise you cannot dominate the market,” he said.

    Sharing the outlook for Indian economy, Big Bull said that India will grow at 10 per cent by 2025-26. The ace investor added that he made a presentation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he had said, “India ka time aayega nahi, aa gaya hain.”

    Optimistic Jhunjhunwala said that growing information technology (IT) industry will employ 50 lakh new employees in the next five years and the demand for the residential houses will only grow.

    The seasoned investor is very optimistic about real estate industry in the country. With the development of infrastructure comes urbanisation. Urbanisation plays an important role in housing and commercial real estate property, he mentioned.

    “You go to London, wherever the metro goes, housing has developed. So, Mumbai is making 40 kilometer of metro and it has been made — as the transport systems come, the potential for housing is going to go through the roof. Your cities are going to get decongested and urbanisation in India is today half of China-45 percent, as urbanisation comes, housing has to come,” Jhunjhunwala said.

    Consolidation in the real estate sector, all-time low interest rates on home loans, rising employment in the Indian information technology (IT) industry are some of the key triggers to boost real estate sector going forward, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala mentioned.

    India should focus on affordable housing. The regulatory framework has to evolve further to keep up with the pace of growing real estate market in India. “Digitisation of land records and certification of titles being done digitally and this will boost real estate market in India,” he said.

    Jhunjhunwala is also very bullish on commercial real estate. Logistics sector is at a nascent stage and very attractive, he said. “If India has to develop, real estate has to develop,” he said.

    The real estate investment trusts (REITs) has great scope, he mentioned adding that the units of three REITs that are listed on local stock exchanges being well received by the investing community. He would prefer REIT listing rather than listing real estate companies. Jhunjhunwala further said he is not a big fan of new developers getting listed. “If I was a developer, I would not list. It’s not a business suitable to listing. Blue Chip companies have high return on capital of 18-25 per cent, but unitl now realtors have only burnt capital,” Jhunjhunwala said.

  • Sensex, Nifty end lower in see-saw session; HDFC bucks trend

    Market benchmarks closed in the red after a highly volatile session on Wednesday despite a positive trend in global equities amid signs of cooling of Russia-Ukraine tensions.

    The 30-share BSE Sensex swung nearly 800 points during the session before closing at 57,996.68 — marking a loss of 145.37 points or 0.25 per cent

    Likewise, the NSE Nifty see-sawed between gains and losses before settling 30.25 points or 0.17 per cent lower at 17,322.20.

    On the Sensex chart, NTPC, SBI, UltraTech Cement, ICICI Bank, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finserv and Bjaja Finance were among the major laggards, shedding as much as 1.63 per cent.

    In contrast, Bharti Airtel was the top performer, spurting 1.41 per cent, followed by HDFC, M&M, Dr Reddy’s, Kotak Bank and Nestle India.

    Of the index constituents, 22 shares closed with losses.

    Ajit Mishra, VP – Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said markets are currently dancing to the global tunes and the trend is likely to continue.

    “The US Fed meeting minutes and lingering tension over the Russia-Ukraine crisis will remain on the radar. Besides, the scheduled weekly expiry would further add to the choppiness. We reiterate our cautious stance and suggest waiting for further clarity,” he noted.

    Sectorally, metal, banking and basic materials indices fell the most — dropping up to 0.66 per cent. Of the 19 indices, 11 indices closed in the red. Broader BSE midcap and largecap gauges followed the benchmark to end lower, while the smallcap index logged gains.

    World stocks edged higher after Russia said it was pulling back some troops from the Ukraine border, even as the US administration reiterated its commitment to respond “decisively” in case of a Russian attack.

    Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul closed with significant gain.

    Markets in Europe too were largely trading higher in the afternoon session. Global crude oil benchmark Brent Futures slipped 0.19 per cent to USD 93.06 per barrel.

    The rupee appreciated by 23 paise to close at 75.09 against the US dollar. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital market on Tuesday, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 2,298.76 crore, according to stock exchange data.