Sensex, Nifty remain positive in late morning deals

17 Jul 2020 Evaluate
Indian equity benchmarks remained positive in late morning deals, despite mixed cues from other Asian markets. Domestic sentiments were optimistic, as the finance ministry said  that banks have sanctioned loans of about Rs 1.23 lakh crore under the Rs 3-lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for MSME sector, reeling under the economic slowdown caused by COVID-19 pandemic. However, disbursements against this stood at Rs 68,311 crore till July 15 under the 100 per cent ECLGS for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed, even after Indonesia's central bank reduced its key interest rate for the fourth time this year on Thursday to support economic recovery amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Board of Governors agreed to cut the BI 7-day reverse repo rate by 25 basis points to 4.00 percent. This was the fourth reduction and the last change in the rate was a 25 basis points cut on June 18. The overnight deposit facility rate and lending facility rate were lowered by 25 basis points to 3.25 percent and 4.75 percent, respectively.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 36684.39, up by 212.71 points or 0.58% after trading in a range of 36512.92 and 36764.30. There were 23 stocks advancing against 7 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in green; the BSE Mid cap index was up by 0.89%, while Small cap index was up by 1.01%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Oil & Gas up by 2.45%, Consumer Durables up by 2.27%, Metal up by 2.14%, Telecom up by 2.07% and PSU up by 1.86%, while IT down by 0.63% and TECK down by 0.15% were the only losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were ONGC up by 3.61%, Tata Steel up by 3.38%, Titan Company up by 2.79%, Bajaj Finance up by 2.02% and Asian Paints up by 1.87%. On the flip side, Axis Bank down by 1.49%, TCS down by 1.00%, Infosys down by 0.98%, Indusind Bank down by 0.59% and Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 0.56% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, rising for third consecutive month, investments through participatory notes (P-notes) in the domestic capital market surged to Rs 62,138 crore till June-end. P-notes are issued by registered foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to overseas investors, who wish to be part of the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly. However, they need to go through a due diligence process.

According to Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) data, the value of P-note investments in Indian markets -- equity, debt, hybrid securities and derivatives -- stood at Rs 62,138 crore until June, while the same was at Rs 60,027 crore at the end of May. Prior to that, investment level was at Rs 57,100 crore at the end of April. The investment level had fallen to an over 15-year-low of Rs 48,006 crore at the end of March.

The figure at March-end was the lowest level of investment since October 2004, when the total value of P-note investments in the Indian markets stood at Rs 44,586 crore. The lower figure in March came amid significant volatility in broader markets on concerns over coronavirus-triggered crisis. Of the total Rs 62,138 crore invested through the route till June, Rs 52,171 crore was invested in equities, Rs 9,572 crore in debt, Rs 231 crore in the hybrid securities and Rs 164 crore in derivatives segment.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 10809.90, up by 69.95 points or 0.65% after trading in a range of 10749.65 and 10835.10. There were 40 stocks advancing against 10 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were BPCL up by 5.86%, Bharti Infratel up by 4.34%, JSW Steel up by 3.68%, ONGC up by 3.55% and Tata Steel up by 3.32%. On the flip side, Axis Bank down by 1.60%, Zee Entertainment down by 0.98%, Dr. Reddy’s Lab down by 0.96%, TCS down by 0.93% and Infosys down by 0.91% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Hang Seng increased 152.89 points or 0.61% to 25,123.58, Taiwan Weighted strengthened 46.12 points or 0.38% to 12,203.86, KOSPI rose 12.98 points or 0.59% to 2,196.74 and Straits Times advanced 3.58 points or 0.14% to 2,627.25. On the flip side, Jakarta Composite lost 10.79 points or 0.21% to 5,087.58, Shanghai Composite declined 16.28 points or 0.51% to 3,193.82 and Nikkei 225 slipped 113.37 points or 0.5% to 22,656.99.

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