Helping You Build Wealth With Honest Research
Since 1996. Try Now

MEMBER'S LOGINX

     
Invalid Username / Password
   
     
   
     
 
Invalid Captcha
   
 
 
 
(Please do not use this option on a public machine)
 
     
 
 
 
  Sign Up | Forgot Password?  

Indian Stock Markets Open Higher; Banking and Realty Stocks Lead
Fri, 31 Jan 09:30 am

Asian stock markets are higher today as Chinese and Hong Kong shares show gains. The Shanghai Composite is up 2.8% while the Hang Seng is up 0.7%. The Nikkei 225 is trading up by 1.3%. Global equity markets tumbled on Thursday as the death toll from China's coronavirus outbreak hit 170, pummeling oil prices and inverting a closely watched bond indicator as investors worried about the world's second-largest economy.

Back home, India share markets opened on a positive note. The BSE Sensex is trading up by 165 points while the NSE Nifty is trading up by 27 points. The BSE Mid Cap index and BSE Small Cap index opened up by 0.2% and 0.3% respectively.

Except power stocks, all sectoral indices have opened the day in green with banking stocks and realty stocks witnessing maximum buying interest.

Speaking of the Indian share markets, earnings and upcoming budget would play a critical role in shaping the investment trend.

In the below video, co-head of research, Tanushree Banerjee tells how you should react to the biggest economic event of the year- the Union Budget.

Watch Now...

Moving on, the rupee is currently trading at 71.56 against the US$.

The rupee lost 22 paise to close at a three-week low of 71.49 against the US dollar on Thursday tracking heavy sell-off in domestic equities and rising concerns over the outbreak of coronavirus.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the domestic currency opened weak at 71.39 a dollar.

It finally settled for the day at 71.49, showing a fall of 22 paise over its previous close.

On Wednesday, the local unit had closed at 71.27 against the greenback.

Speaking of currencies, Vijay Bhambwani, editor of Weekly Cash Alerts, tells you the main reasons why not to trade commodities and currencies the same way you would trade equities. Here's an excerpt of what he wrote...

  • Currencies are traded in pairs and the most liquid is the USDINR. Currencies are traded in four decimal points just as bonds are. The international derivative trader's association has indicated that forex may be traded in 6 decimals in the coming few years.

    It takes months sometimes for the currency pair to pass the next round figure, say from 70 to 71.

    Can you really trade commodities and currencies alike or for that matter, equities and currencies alike? Definitely not!

To know more, you can read Vijay's entire article here: Is Trading in Equities, Commodities, and Currencies the Same?

Moving on to the news from automobiles sector. Tata Motors reported results for third quarter ended December 2019.

The company reported a net loss of Rs 10.4 billion for the quarter under review as compared to net profit of Rs 6.2 billion for the same quarter in the previous year.

Total income of the company decreased by 32.1% at Rs 111.9 billion for Q3FY20 as compared Rs 164.8 billion for the corresponding quarter previous year.

On the consolidated basis, the company reported a net profit attributed to the shareholders of Rs 17.4 billion for the quarter under review as compared to net loss of Rs 269.9 billion for the same quarter in the previous year.

Total income of the company decreased by 6.5% at Rs 725.8 billion for Q3FY20 as compared Rs 775.8 billion for the corresponding quarter previous year.

To know more about the company, you can read Tata Motors' latest result analysis on our website.

Speaking of the automobile sector, note that India's automobile industry is bracing itself for a unique challenge in the first quarter of 2020 when the transition of BS-IV to BS-VI emission norms has to be made at the stroke of midnight on 31 March 2020.

No BS-IV vehicle could be sold from 1 April 2020, which means automakers would have to reduce their inventory on BS-IV models to zero by then.

The exercise is likely to see companies show extra caution in dispatching cars to dealers in the next few months, which may cause a continuation of the decline in wholesale numbers.

However, despite the slowdown in the auto sector, the sales volume of electric vehicles (EVs) are growing at a robust pace.

Sale of Electric Vehicles in India Projected to Go Up 10x in the Next Two Decades

Electric vehicles are very much on their way to invading Indian roads. The threat of disruption in this era is something you cannot ignore.

The recently announced government incentives will give a further boost to EV sales.

This year will be a real test for India's auto companies.

It will also tell us if this slowdown is temporary or if there has been a structural change in the sector.

In our view, companies in the sector adapting their business models to the rapidly changing environment will survive and thrive.

We will keep you updated on all the trends shaping up in this space. Stay tuned.

To know what's moving the Indian stock markets today, check out the most recent share market updates here.

For information on how to pick stocks that have the potential to deliver big returns, download our special report now!

Read the latest Market Commentary


Equitymaster requests your view! Post a comment on "Indian Stock Markets Open Higher; Banking and Realty Stocks Lead". Click here!