Market Live: Sensex strong, Nifty Bank up 400 pts on India#39;s rating upgrade; HDFC Life up 8%

11:25 am Buzzing: Shares of Vascon Engineers added 6.4 percent intraday on the back of sale of subsidiary’s Mumbai division.

The board of directors of GMP Technical Solutions, a material subsidiary of Vascon Engineers has approved slump sale of its Mumbai division.

The company signed a business transfer agreement on November 16 with Innovative Core Systems (acquirer) to sell and transfer its stake held in Mumbai division for a consideration of Rs 18 crore.

11:20 am FII View: Moody’s Investors Service upgraded the Government of India’s local and foreign currency issuer ratings to Baa2 from Baa3 and changed the outlook on the rating to stable from positive.

In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Suresh Ganapathy, Banking Analyst, Macquarie Capital Securities said it takes some time for this to flow into the system and the immediate impact could be seen on the well-rated corporates and create a base for lower margin structure for banks because these corporates can bargain and get a low interest rate on their borrowings.

However, the corporate which are under the NCLT or where some resolution of bad debts is happening, it will not move the needle for them in a big way.

11:15 am Big Bull on India’s rating upgrade: Ace investor, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, the partner of Rare Enterprises said that the rating upgrade by Moody’s earlier today did not come as a surprise to him but it will be for those who were criticizing efforts made by the Modi government to revive the economy.

I see the economy growing by 7.5-8 percent by next year. Most importantly, it is a recognition of the fact that however disruptive in the short term the measure were, all the actions which the govt. took were correct, bold and required, he said.

It will lead to faster economic growth in times to come. “This upgrade is also in recognition by the Moody’s that there is not going to be some big havoc on the fiscal side, and the direction which the government is undertaking is going to lead to higher economic growth and it is also a befitting reply to critics of Modi govt.,” said Jhunjhunwala.

11:08 am SEBI on Earnings: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will investigate possible leaks of company earnings in social media chatrooms, its chief Ajay Tyagi said.

A Reuters investigation documented at least 12 cases of prescient messages about major Indian companies being posted in private WhatsApp groups.

“We will certainly investigate the issue. It is a work in progress,” Tyagi, Chairman of SEBI, India’s market regulator, told Reuters, when asked what action the regulator was considering.

10:59 am Gold Update: Gold prices fell by Rs 103 to Rs 29,560 per 10 ten grams in futures trading today as participants indulged in profit-booking at prevailing levels even as the metal strengthened overseas.

At the Multi Commodity Exchange, gold for delivery in far-month February declined by Rs 103, or 0.35 per cent to Rs 29,560 per 10 grams in a business turnover of 100 lots.

Similarly, the metal for delivery in December eased by Rs 88 or 0.30 per cent to Rs 29,415 per ten grams in 863 lots.

Analysts attributed the fall in gold futures to profit-booking by traders at existing levels but a firm trend in global market, capped the fall.

10:40 am HDFC on India’s Rating Upgrade: Moody’s has upgraded India’s sovereign rating to Baa2 from Baa3.

“It is a great move. The initiatives that the government has taken in the recent times in the various things starting with demonetisation, goods and services tax (GST), real estate regulatory authority (RERA) are taking its effect and rating agencies are now beginning to recognise India’s potential,” Keki Mistry, Vice Chairman and CEO of HDFC said in an interview to CNBC-TV18.

According to him, foreign borrowing might be a little bit cheaper now. “My sense is if we were to go to the overseas markets to raise money, it would probably be a little cheaper,” he added.

10:30 am Market Update: Equity benchmarks maintained opening gains, led y banks after Moody’s rating in a surprise move upgraded India’s local and foreign currency issuer ratings to Baa2 from Baa3 and changed the outlook on the rating to stable from positive after a long gap of 13 years.

The reform program will complement the existing shock-absorbance capacity provided by the country’s strong growth potential and improving global competitiveness, the rating agency said.

The 30-share BSE Sensex was up 361.16 points or 1.09 percent at 33,467.98 and the 50-share NSE Nifty rose 112.40 points or 1.10 percent to 10,327.20.

About 1693 shares advanced against 474 declining shares on the BSE.

10:20 am Buzzing: Just Dial shares gained 4.5 percent as Nomura has maintained its buy rating on the stock with increased target price at Rs 635 from Rs 590 per share.

Just Dial remains the most cost-effective SME advertising platform in India, with scope for coverage expansion in tier 2/3 cities, the research house said while expecting an EPS to grow at CAGR of 19 percent over FY17-20 and revenue CAGR of 10 percent over FY17-19

Improved traffic growth trends, stable realisations and operational efficiencies are key positives, it feels.

Nomura said the company has now renewed focus on its core search business, but competition from Google or vertical players is an issue.

10:10 am Cipla rallies: Shares of Cipla rose more than 2 percent in the early trade on the back of USFDA approval for Budesonide Inhalation Suspension.

The company has received final approval for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Budesonide Inhalation Suspension, 0.25mg/2mL, 0.5mg/2mL, and 1mg/2mL from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market a generic version of Astrazeneca’s Pulmicort Respules.

Budesonide Inhalation Suspension is indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma and as prophylactic therapy in children 12 months to 8 years of age.

Here are the top headlines at 10 am from Moneycontrol News’ Anchal Pathak

10:00 am Listing: HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company shares listed with 8 percent premium on the National Stock Exchange, driven by positive market conditions and good subscription.

The share price opened at Rs 313 per share against issue price of Rs 290.

9:58 am Buzzing: Share price of Bank of Baroda surged 5 percent in morning as the company is planning to raise Rs 6000 crore.

The meeting of the designated board committee i.e. Finance Committee of the board will be held on November 21, 2017 to consider and approve raising of equity fund, as per company release.

The equity fund can be raised through qualified institutions placement (QIP), and/or rights issue for size and amount as may be decided, within overall approval of the board of raising equity capital up to Rs 6000 crore, it added.

9:51 am Pre-opening: HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company has settled at Rs 310 on the National Stock Exchange in pre-opening trade, higher by 6.89 percent over issue price of Rs 290 per share.

9:47 am Bhushan Steel in action: Luxembourg-based multinational steel firm ArcelorMittal and domestic industry major Tata Steel have evinced interest in Bhushan Steel which is undergoing insolvency proceedings.

The development has come at a time when the debt-laden firm, which was referred to NCLT by the RBI under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, has reported narrowing down of its standalone net loss to Rs 467.37 crore during the September quarter from Rs 980.22 crore in the same period a year ago.

During the July-September 2017, total income of Bhushan Steel rose 43 percent to Rs 4,325.60 crore from Rs 3,025.79 crore during the same period a year ago, the company said in a BSE filing.

9:43 am Stake Buy: Commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland has inked a pact with Everfin Holdings to buy an additional 5 percent stake in Hinduja Leyland Finance Limited (HLFL) for Rs 225.42 crore. The company has entered into a share purchase and shareholder agreement with Everfin Holdings, shareholder of HLFL, for the acquisition of 2,04,92,676 shares of Rs 10 each constituting 4.68 percent share capital of HLFL at a price of Rs 110 per share, Ashok Leyland said in a regulatory filing.

“Consequent to the above, the company’s shareholding in HLFL will increase from 57.22 percent to 61.9 percent,” it added.

9:40 am Listing: HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company, which recently concluded its Rs 8,695-crore initial public offering, is likely to list a a slight premium when it debuts on the stock market debut today, experts said.

Although analysts are not expecting a blockbuster listing, a small premium to the issue price could well be on the cards thanks to the quality of its earnings and management pedigree.

The IPO, which was opened for subscription during November 7-9, was subscribed 4.89 times at a price band of Rs 275-290 per share.

9:36 am RIL in focus: Reliance Industries (RIL) is set to raise up to $ 1.8 billion through a combination of offshore bonds and syndicated loans to reduce its high-cost debt, reports The Economic Times. The company would pare borrowing costs with a new series of overseas papers that would be of 10-year maturity, unlike the perpetual bonds it had sold five years ago, sources said.

RIL is raising $ 800 million through a dollar-bond issue, and another $ 1billion through syndicated commercial loans from a group of international lenders at a cost lower than that for the existing loans. The issuance is part of a massive debt refinancing exercise by the Mukesh Ambani-owned company, and would cover a perpetual bond sale of 2013.

Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.

9:26 am Rupee and Bond Update: The Indian rupee as well as 10-year government bond yields were strong in early trade.

The rupee was trading at 64.79 against US dollar, higher by 52 paise over previous close.

It has opened with the biggest gain in four years against previous close.

The 10-year government (6.79%, 2027) bond yield opened at 6.94 percent, much higher compared with previous day’s closing level of 7.06 percent.

9:20 am Gainers and Losers: ICICI Bank, HDFC, Reliance Industries, Vedanta, SBI, Axis Bank, L&T, Tata Motors and HUL gained 1-3 percent while Infosys, TCS, Tech Mahindra, HCL Technologies and Wipro were under pressure, falling up to 1 percent.

9:15 am Market Check: Bulls continued to keep tight control over Dalal Street for second consecutive session as the Sensex rallied nearly 400 points, driven by banks after Moody’s upgraded the Government of India’s local and foreign currency issuer ratings.

The 30-share BSE Sensex was up 396.36 points or 1.20 percent at 33,503.18 and the 50-share NSE Nifty gained 117.10 points or 1.15 percent at 10,331.90.

Nifty Bank hit fresh record high as Moody’s Investors Service has today upgraded the Government of India’s local and foreign currency issuer ratings to Baa2 from Baa3 and changed the outlook on the rating to stable from positive.

Moody’s has also upgraded India’s local currency senior unsecured rating to Baa2 from Baa3 and its short-term local currency rating to P-2 from P-3.

The decision to upgrade the ratings is underpinned by Moody’s expectation that continued progress on economic and institutional reforms will, over time, enhance India’s high growth potential and its large and stable financing base for government debt, and will likely contribute to a gradual decline in the general government debt burden over the medium term.
Vijaya Bank, PNB, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Just Dial, Edelweiss Financial, Petronet LNG, Suzlon Energy, Religare Enterprises, L&T Finance, Indiabulls Real, DLF, Nitesh Estates and Puravankara rallied 2-10 percent.