Oil prices dip but stay near eight-week highs on U.S. stock declines

 Oil prices edged lower on Friday but were still near eight-week highs, buoyed by a decline in U.S. inventories and OPEC's ongoing efforts to curb production. Brent crude futures were down 8 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $51.41 per barrel at 0651 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 10 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $48.94 per barrel. Both benchmarks rose to their highest levels since May 31 in the previous session, buoyed by a rally in U.S. gasoline futures after earlier support from OPEC's latest efforts to cut exports and a sharp fall in U.S. crude inventories. "Crude oil prices rose further as the focus remained on fundamentals. This week's better-than-expected inventory drawdown in the United States continued to support prices," ANZ bank said in a note. Commodity Trading Tips

U.S. crude stocks fell sharply by 7.2 million barrels in the week to July 21 due to strong refining activity and an increase in exports, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). "Following seasonal norms we expect further declines in crude inventories over August and September," BMI Research said. Brimming U.S. crude supplies have been a challenge to production cuts to prop up prices led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. U.S. crude oil production has been on the rise since mid-2016, but it dropped to 9.41 barrels per day (bpd) in the week to July 21, from 9.43 million bpd the week before. The decline was mainly due to a fall in Alaskan output, ANZ bank said. Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips

Asian shares pull back after U.S. techs knocked off highs

 Asian stock markets sagged on Friday after U.S. tech shares retreated from recent rallies, though optimism about U.S. corporate earnings and the global economy underpinned overall sentiment. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.8 percent but was still on track for a 0.4 percent weekly gain, with Samsung Electric, Asia's largest company by market capitalisation, dropping 3.5 percent. Japan's Nikkei shed 0.4 percent. On Wall Street, the Dow industrials set a record closing high, helped by a 7.7 percent jump in Verizon, following the top U.S. wireless carrier's quarterly earnings. But investors were spooked by a sudden drop in technology and transportation shares. The S&P 500 technology sector fell 2.0 percent at one point before ending the day down 0.8 percent. After the bell, Amazon.com shares - up nearly 40 percent this year - fell 3.0 percent after the online retailer reported a slump in profits. U.S. stock futures also dipped 0.3 percent in Asia. "U.S. hi-tech shares have seen a spectacular rally in the past month.  Financial Astrology Tips

Equity fund managers shuffle top picks in first half of 2017

India's equity fund managers have actively shuffled their portfolios in the first half of 2017, amid a gush of robust inflows from domestic investors. With benchmark indices seeing a steep climb, investment managers have strived to generate market-beating performance. Reliance Industries and Axis Bank, among the 10 most-owned stocks by equity fund managers at the end of 2016, have dropped off the list, replaced by Kotak Mahindra Bank and HDFC. While the rest of the top 10 stocks has remained the same, the pecking order has undergone a change. Nifty Trading Tips

At the start of the year, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Infosys, State Bank of India (SBI) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) were the top five holdings, respectively, of equity MFs. At the end of June, Infosys was relegated to fifth slot, while SBI and L&T moved up one notch each. Among the top 10, Maruti Suzuki and ITC also traded places, with the FMCG giant going one up over the carmaker. According to equity heads in the sector, it has been a stock-pickers’ market to generate benchmark-beating returns. But, they admit since these stocks make up the core of the equity asset management, too much juggling is always avoided unless there is a very strong investment call on some other stock. Meanwhile, three sector giants — Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Bharti Airtel and Power Grid Corporation of India were ousted from the top 20 most-owned stocks in June. In their place, fund managers brought in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Federal Bank and Tata Steel. Future & Option Trading Tips

MARKETS LIVE: Nifty pares some losses, nears 10,000-mark; DRL top loser

The benchmark Nifty50 opened the August series below its crucial 10,000-mark after Dr Reddy's extended fall for the second straight day post weaker quarterly earnings. Negative cues from Asian markets after US tech shares pulled Wall Street slightly lower also contributed to the losses. Focus now shifts to Reserve Bank of India’s two-day monetary policy meeting, which is set to begin next week on Tuesday, while the outcome is expected on Wednesday. Commodity Trading Tips

Metal index hits 34-month high; Hindalco, Vedanta at 52-week high

Shares of metal companies were in focus with most of the frontline stocks trading higher by up to 5% after a strong rally in global commodity prices, mainly in metals. The S&P BSE Metal index (up 1.71%), and Nifty Metal index (up 1.65) were the top sectoral gainers on BSE and NSE, rising nearly 2%. On comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 index, up 0.3% at 10:52 am. Hindalco Industries, Jindal Steel & Power, JSW Steel and Vedanta from the metal index were up in the range of 1% to 5%, trading at 52-week highs. LMEX, a gauge of six metals traded on the London Metal Exchange (LME), hit an over two-year high on Tuesday, July 25, 2017. LMEX gained 3.5% in past three trading sessions from 2,848 on July 20, to 2,948 yesterday, its highest level since May 2015 on LME. Copper prices hit their highest in more than two years, boosted by signs of demand from China and a weak dollar. Copper on the LME ended up 3.3% at $6,225/tonne, having earlier touched $6,234.50/tonne, its highest since May 2015, Reuters report suggest. Nifty Trading Tips

US Fed expected to hold interest rates; may focus on lowering bond holdings

The United States (US) Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and possibly hint that it will start winding down its massive holdings of bonds as soon as September in what would be a vote of confidence in the US economy. The US central bank will issue its latest rates decision following the end of a two-day policy meeting at 2 pm EDT (18:00 GMT). Economists expect the Fed's benchmark lending rate to remain in a target range of 1.00 per cent to 1.25 per cent. That would mark another pause in the monetary tightening campaign that the Fed began in December 2015. The central bank has raised rates twice this year, including at its last policy meeting in June. Wall Street analysts see little chance the Fed will announce the start of the wind down of its $4.5 trillion balance sheet. However, the Fed's policy statement may provide more visibility on when that might occur. Commodity Trading Tips

Citibank economists said in a note to clients that the Fed's rate-setting committee was more likely to say that the trimming would start soon. "(That would) signal that the committee plans to announce balance sheet reduction in September," they said in the note. Reducing the balance sheet will unwind one of the Fed's most controversial tools used to fight the 2007-2009 financial crisis and its aftermath. After pushing rates nearly to zero in a bid to boost investment and hiring, the Fed pumped over $3 trillion into the economy through purchases of US Treasury securities and government-backed mortgage debt to further reduce rates. That program drew criticism from Republican lawmakers in Congress. Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips

Markets on a roll! 120 stocks on Nifty500 hit one-year high so far in July

Markets have been on a roll since the beginning of this calendar year. In July itself, the Nifty50 index has rallied nearly 4% and crossed the 10,000 mark for the first time ever in intra-day deals on Tuesday. The rally in July has seen 120 stocks in the Nifty500 index hit their respective fresh 52-week high, ACE Equity data show. Of these, 37 have touched their 52-week highs this week itself. At 10:00 am, the Nifty was ruling at 9,986, up 21 points, while the Sensex was up 67 points to quote 32,295.  In the previous session, the Nifty touched its lifetime high of 10,011, but settled below that mark, while the Sensex hit its fresh high of Bharti AIrtel, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, Britannia Industries, L&T Finance, Hindalco, Indiabulls Real Estate and Unitech were among 22 stocks hitting their one-year high on Tuesday. Here is the complete list.  Financial Astrology Tips

National Fertilizers falls 7% on discounted floor price for OFS

National Fertilizers (NFL) dipped 7% to Rs 73.35 on BSE in early morning trade on Wednesday after the company fixed floor price for the government's offer for sale at Rs 72.80. The floor price is at a discount of 7.67% over Tuesday’s closing price of Rs 78.85 on the BSE. The government has launched offer for sale (OFS) for NFL through a two-day offer for sale beginning from today, in order to divest 15% stake in the company. The sale of 73.5 million shares or 15% stake would fetch about Rs 530 crore to the exchequer.  Nifty Trading Tips

The OFS would open for institutional investors tomorrow, while retail investors can put in their bids on 27 July, NFL said in a filing to BSE. The government currently holds 89.71% stake in NFL. Retail investors will be allocated offer shares at the discounted price i.e. at a discount of 5% to the cut-off price. The discounted price, which shall be final allocation price to retail investors, may be below the floor price, it added. At 9:30 am, the stock was down 6% at Rs 74.30 on BSE, as compared to 0.23% rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. A combined 639,794 shares have changed hands on the counter (BSE +NSE) so far. Future & Option Trading Tips

MARKETS LIVE: Nifty trades marginally higher ahead of Fed outcome

The benchmark indices were trading flat ahead of the derivatives expiry of the July series due tomorrow, while investors also took cues from the mixed trend seen in Asian markets ahead of the US Federal Resrve's policy outcome. The Fed concludes a two-day meeting later on Wednesday, and is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged. With a rate hike not in the picture this time, the focus will be on the Fed's statement, with markets looking for signs of when the US central bank will begin paring its massive bond holdings and next raise rates. Commodity Trading Tips

Bitcoin recovers after roller coaster ride, exchanges advise caution

Bitcoin and other crypto or virtual currencies have surged the past week after a sharp fall, as a solution to increase the speed of transactions has been agreed upon by miners. The solution is expected to avoid problems and hiccups in trading when it is implemented on August 1. The virtual currency market had begun facing a challenge in bitcoin transaction speed. Following the surge popularity of the currency and the spike in its price, the number of transactions had risen sharply. Since the speed was slowing, giving rise to heavy backlogs, the market was discussing ways to increase the speed. A solution has been agreed to, with the bitcoiner community having welcomed a new mechanism to increase the network's transaction capacity. The battle between the Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Unlimited camps has stopped with approval of BIP 91. An overwhelming majority of bitcoin miners (via hash power) have signalled their support for SegWit activation under BIP 91 (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 91). "In effect, bitcoin transaction capacity doubles and we will see twice the number of transactions getting approved," says Sandeep Goenka, operations head, Zebpay, the largest bitcoin exchange in India. "As a measure of precaution, we have advised our investors to transfer their bitcoins to software/hardware wallets where the key lies with them." Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips

Clean paper mills make better profits

Writing and printing paper mills have seen a sharp increase in their top and bottom lines over the last six quarters. Seshasayee Paper posted a nearly 10-fold increase in its net profit to Rs 39.54 crore in the March quarter and West Coast Paper posted a two-and-a-half times jump. Profits of International Paper, JK Paper and Tamil Nadu Newsprint also increased, but at a slower pace. Their income is up significantly. A number of small and medium size mills have shut down over the past six quarters due to stringent environmental laws. Mills are required to make large capital investments in clean technology, which the smaller ones could not afford. “Around 20 per cent of India’s writing and printing paper mills have shut down. This has benefited the larger players,” said V Kumaraswamy, chief financial officer, JK Paper. Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips

Steelmakers are worth the most in years

Steel stocks are trading at the highest since 2011 and it’s mostly thanks to the industry’s biggest menace in recent years — China. Demand in China, which produces half the world’s steel, has been surprisingly strong this year and the country closed some plants to ease a glut that had spread across the globe. That’s led to a steep drop in exports, helping steel prices extend a recovery and pushing a Bloomberg gauge of global steel stocks up 45 per cent in the past year. That’s triple the advance in the Bloomberg World Mining Index. China has been blamed by politicians including US President Donald Trump and top producers in recent years for causing a price rout and forcing European and American plants out of business. That’s prompted nations from the US to Ukraine to now have more than 100 trade restrictions on imports from China to protect their own industries from cheap steel. Future & Option Trading Tips

Dollar recovers from 13-month low on strong PMI readings, Asia stocks tread water

The dollar held above a 13-month low on Tuesday after readings on U.S. factory and services activity beat expectations ahead of the start of a Federal Reserve meeting later in the day, but Asian stocks were subdued with few catalysts to drive them.The dollar and U.S. Treasury yields rose on expectations the Fed will signal its readiness to begin reducing its bond portfolio at its September meeting. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major peers, was steady at 93.951 on Tuesday, up from Monday's low of 93.823, its lowest level since June 2016. Nifty Trading Tips

The dollar was little changed at 111.065 yen on Tuesday, after touching a six-week low on Monday. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield was at 2.2499 percent on Tuesday, not far from Monday's close of 2.253 percent and above Friday's three-week low of 2.225 percent. On Monday, Markit's U.S. manufacturing and services flash surveys both beat expectations, while euro zone business growth at the start of the second half of the year slowed. The euro, which posted losses on Monday after earlier hitting a near two-year high, inched up 0.1 percent to$1.1653. Future & Option Trading Tips

Ambuja Cements builds gains after good Q2 result

Ambuja Cements rose 1.68% to Rs 272.30 at 09:25 IST on BSE after consolidated net profit rose 11.86% to Rs 718.24 crore on 15.19% increase in total income to Rs 6383.65 crore in Q2 June 2017 over Q2 June 2016. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 24 July 2017 Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 32.61 points or 0.1% at 32,278.48. On the BSE, 82,000 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 3.13 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 275 and a low of Rs 271 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 282 on 31 August 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 191 on 22 November 2016. The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 397.13 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2. Consolidated operating earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 20.79% to Rs 1290 crore in Q2 June 2017 over Q2 June 2016. Consolidated cement sales volumes rose 7.58% to 12.78 million tonnes in Q2 June 2017 over Q2 June 2016. Commodity Trading Tips

Cipla, DRL, Dabur, TVS Motor trade flat on proposal to refund CGST

Stocks of companies invested in excise-free zones in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the North-East were trading flat following news report that a proposal to refund the central goods and services tax (GST) to those firms has been presented to the Cabinet. Many auto, FMCG and pharma companies will benefit if the proposal gets approval from the government. At 10:30 am, Cipla, Dr Reddy's, Dabur, TVS Motor and Wockhardt etc were trading flat. Big pharmaceutical companies such as Cipla, Dabur, Dr Reddy’s, Johnson & Johnson and Wockhardt have plants in excise-free zones in Himachal Pradesh, while TVS Motor, Lloyd Electric, TAFE and other automobile component makers also have units in the state, said a report in Economic Times. Financial Astrology Tips

Cochin Shipyard IPO today even as shipbuilders paddle grim biz scenario

Realignments within the domestic shipbuilding industry have not improved business prospects for key players over the past four years. While state-owned Cochin Shipyard is coming up with its initial public offer (IPO) today (July 25), efforts made by private shipbuilders to revive their businesses have largely been in vain. "The government is trying to boost the domestic shipbuilding sector for quite some time now. It is due to this IPO that the sector has come into some limelight," Hitesh Avachat, deputy manager and group head (Shipping) at CARE Ratings, said. "Overall, otherwise, business prospects for the shipbuilding industry continue to remain dull in the short to medium term," he added. Financial Astrology Tips

Cochin Shipyard, the country’s largest public sector shipyard, will see a 10 per cent disinvestment by the government and a 20 per cent fresh issue of shares. After this IPO, the government will hold a 75 per cent share in the shipbuilder while the balance 25 per cent shares will be held by the public. However, domestic private shipbuilders continue to grapple with the grim business climate despite restructuring. For instance, debt-laden Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering, which was acquired by Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure in 2015, has been witnessing operational losses for the past two years. Analysts, however, are of the view that buyouts in the sector are largely distress buys and do not signal any positive business outlook. Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips

Salasar Techno makes stellar debut; lists at 140% premium against IPO price

Salasar Techno Engineering has made a stellar debut by listing at Rs 259, a 140% premium against its initial public offer (IPO) price of Rs 108 on BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange). At 11:03 am; the stock was trading at Rs 271, after hitting high of Rs 272 on BSE. It touched a low of Rs 250 in intra-day trade so far. Around 938,000 equity shares changed hands on the counter, the BSE data shows. Future & Option Trading Tips

Salasar Techno Engineering’s Rs 36 crore IPO had received a robust response from the investors with the issue getting subscribed 270 times with a demand worth Rs 9,793 crore. The company issued 3.32 million shares at fixed price of Rs 108 per share. The portion reserved for non-retail individual investors subscribed by 484 times, while retail portion was subscribed by 58 times. Salasar Techno Engineering proposed to utilize the funds to meet the working capital requirements of the Company including margin money. The company is a provider of customised steel fabrication and infrastructure solutions in India for telecommunication towers, transmission towers & substation structures and solar module mounting structures. Financial Astrology Tips

Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Adani Ports hit record high on BSE

Reliance Industries (RIL), HDFC Bank and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (SEZ) from the S&P BSE Sensex hit their record highs on the BSE in early morning trade on Tuesday.The S&P BSE Sensex was trading 54 points higher at 32,299.71 at 09:42 am; hit a new high of 32,374 in intra-day trade today. RIL hit a record high of Rs 1,629, surpassing its previous high of Rs 1,626 touched on January 15, 2008 in intra-day deal. In the last three trading sessions, the stock rallied over 6% after Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of RIL, announced the board's recommendation for one bonus share for every one held by shareholders, at the 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai on Friday. Commodity Trading Tips




However, on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the stock is slightly away from its all-time high of Rs 1,649 touched on January 15, 2008 during intra-day trade. HDFC Bank too hit new high of Rs 1,756, extending its previous day’s 1.8% gain after the private sector lender reported 20% year-on-year (Y-oY) rise in its net profit at Rs 3,894 crore, in line with estimates, for the quarter ended June 2017 (Q1FY18). The bank had reported profit of Rs 3,239 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Net Interest Income (NII) also grew 20% at Rs 9,371 crore over the previous year quarter. Nifty Trading Tips

Nifty50 hits 10,000: A look back at NSE's 25-year history

As the National Stock Exchange’s flagship index, Nifty50, hit its historical 10,000 mark on Tuesday, here is a quick look back at country’s largest stock exchange’s 25-year long history:

Inception
NSE, which was the first exchange in the country to provide a fully automated screen-based electronic trading system to the investors, was established in 1992 as a tax-paying company. It was recognised as a stock exchange by the market regulator Sebi in April 1993, when P V Narasimha Rao headed the country as Prime Minister and Manmohan Singh was the Finance Minister. The equity segment of the NSE commenced operations in 1994, and derivative segment came into being in 2000, while the internet trading also started in 2000. Nifty Trading Tips

When BSE underestimated NSE

BSE remained the undisputed leader among stock exchanges until the NSE emerged on the scene in 1993. Its electronic trading system and easy membership procedure changed overnight the rules of the game, and NSE soon wrested a substantial share of the market from BSE. Soon after, BSE, which had for long resisted the government’s efforts to introduce computerised trading, was forced to follow suit. Future & Option Trading Tips

The launch of Nifty index

The NSE launched its flagship 50-share index on April 21, 1996 with a base value of 1000, and base year 1995. It was then called the CNX Nifty and was renamed in 2015 as Nifty50. The index comprises 50 actively traded stocks from various sectors. Financial Astrology Tips

Gush of liquidity: 5 factors that helped Nifty cross 10,000

Nifty50 index scaled the 10,000 mark for the first time in history in opening trade on Tuesday. It took 91 sessions, or 4 months, for the index to rally 1,000 points – from 9,000 mark to hit 10,000 levels

Thus far in July, the Nifty50 index has gained nearly 500 points, or over 3%. From a closing level of 8,185 on December 30, 2016, Nifty50 has gained 1,815 points, or 22%, thus far in calendar year 2017 (CY17), and has become the best performing market globally during this period. Commodity Trading Tips

Here are five reasons that have triggered the recent rally:

Sharp rally in index heavyweights: The Nifty50 rally, in most part, has been fuelled by a sharp rally in Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) that has moved up over 10% thus far in July; and zoomed over 44% since the start of calendar year 2017 (CY17). The last leg of the rally was fuelled by RIL’s results that were in line with expectations. The surprise element according to analysts, however, was the 1:1 bonus announcement by the company at its 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) last week and the launch of a 4G feature phone. "RIL reported standalone financials in line with expectation. However, GRM of USD11.9/bbl was higher than our estimate. RIL announced launch of its Jio phone which is targeting current pool of 530 million feature phone users. Current paid subscriber base has improved to 100 million. Going further, Telecom would be a major driver of stock performance," says a note from Motilal Oswal Securities. ITC, too, contributed a significant part with a gain of around 22% on year-to-date basis, as per ACE Equity data. RIL and ITC have a 7.65% and 6.36% weightage in the index. Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips

Nifty makes history, hits 10,000: The bull run decoded

It’s been a dream run for the world markets and specifically the Indian markets since the last seven months, especially post the Union Budget on 1st February 2017.  India seems to have all the ingredients for a multi-year bull run since the elections of 2014 – whether it’s the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the various policy measures taken up by the government from time to time, the excellent and unprecedented PR exercise internationally that possibly has projected India as the most favoured destination. The pushing through of GST Bill, which was in the works for more than a decade, could be the single biggest achievement of the government as it needed a lot of prodding and ‘buy in’ by the various stakeholders, most of them occupying the opposition benches. The ability of the Mr. Modi to take risks and travel in unchartered territory also seems to have worked well with the public at large. The demonetisation hardships were converted into an advantage by the ruling party shows that they have a PR solution for every adversity. Financial Astrology Tips

The global liquidity normally finds it way into the outperforming emerging markets and India seemed to be a like a ‘text book solution’ for absorbing a part of this. Interestingly the new found domestic liquidity which lately realized that there are hardly any other asset classes providing the returns the equity markets are, have started pouring in larger quantum into the hitherto forbidden asset class. The mutual funds have made it easier for the lower end of the pyramid to partake in the India growth story instead of parking their funds in chit funds, pyramid schemes and alike. Markets generally discount the foreseeable future but at times react violently to unexpected current situation, just like when we witnessed those few weeks of turbulence during demonetisation. However, the big question is whether the smooth path ahead is a mirage or would there be huge bumps on the way. Having been in the markets for more than three decades, experienced a number of bull runs and longer periods of bear hug, I have trained myself to stand out of the crowd and ask questions which most of those ‘flowing with the tide’ might find uncomfortable. However, post the bull run, everyone starts drawing comparisons with previous bull runs which have blown out. Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips

Nifty at 10,000: Where should you invest now?

Aided mainly by optimism on June-quarter results, prospect of a good monsoon and strong economic climate, the Nifty50 index hit the psychologically important 10,000-mark for the first time ever in 21 years. Given the development, analysts say the markets could see a bout of profit booking, especially ahead of the futures & options (derivatives) expiry due Thursday. A K Prabhakar, head of research at IDBI Capital, for instance, expects 200-300 point correction in the Nifty50 index now given the sharp run up on a year-to-date basis. Even then, they feel there are investment-worthy sectors and stocks where one can invest but one needs to be selective. We poke to leading analysts across brokerages and here is what they suggest: Nifty Trading Tips

Banks and NBFCs

Banking stocks remain analysts’ favourite and they suggest investing in private sector banks instead of their PSU counterparts. “Among private sector banks, investors should look at Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and Yes bank in large caps and IndusInd Bank and RBL Bank among midcap banks. In PSU Banks, State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda looks attractive,” said Gaurang Shah, Head Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services. Analysts are also positive on housing finance companies, diversified finance companies and micro-finance companies. The Nifty Finance index has also rallied over 30% in 2017, so far. According to Prabhakar investors can also look at stocks that haven’t rallied much in this space, such as Mannapuram Finance, M&M Finance. Future & Option Trading Tips

MARKETS LIVE: Nifty pares gains to turn flat after hitting 10,000-mark

The benchmark indices pared opening gains to turn flat after the NIfty50 index hit the 10,000-mark. Meanwhile, global peers traded mixed as investors await the Federal Reserve meeting, to start later today, for clues on the timing of its next policy tightening.The dollar, on the other hand, crept up from a 13-month low on Tuesday after stronger-than-expected readings on US factory and services activity. Commodity Trading Tips

GRAPHIC: Banks are one of the biggest MF distributors in India

Banks, because of their huge network of branches, are one of the biggest mutual fund (MF) distributors in the country. While most banks that distribute MFs are free to sell any schemes offered by the country’s more than 40 fund houses, they have shown a preference towards their own MF subsidiary. Canara Bank, for instance, earned nearly Rs 17 crore in MF commissions in 2016-17; the entire amount came from their arm, Canara MF. Similarly, State Bank of India (SBI) earned Rs 175.46 crore in MF commission, 98 per cent of that by selling SBI MF schemes. The share of commission from their MF arms was high for other banks such as Bank of Baroda, ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank and Axis Bank. Industry experts have raised concerns about the dominance of large distributors in pushing their own products. They say the products of the other fund houses, too, should be advised to investors to create better asset diversification. But, there has not been much impact on distributors. With Sebi’s recent consultation paper on segregation of distributors and advisors, it will be interesting to see how the situation pans out, going forward. Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips

Gold imports double to $11.25 bn in Q1 due to seasonal, festive demand

The country's gold imports more than doubled to $11.25 billion during the first quarter of this fiscal, driven by seasonal and festival demand. Gold imports stood at $4.90 billion in April-June 2016-17, according to the data of the commerce ministry. Increase in the imports influences India's current account deficit (CAD). In June this year, the imports of the precious metal had risen to $2.45 billion from $1.20 billion in the same month previous year. Surge in gold imports in June contributed to the widening of trade deficit to $12.96 billion as against $8.11 in June 2016. Silver imports in June, however, dipped by 28.6 per cent to $178 million. India is the world's second biggest gold consumer after China. The imports mainly take care of demand by the jewellery industry. Nifty Trading Tips

At present, gold import attracts 10 per cent duty. The gems and jewellery industry along with the commerce ministry have time and again urged the finance ministry to consider a cut in the import duty. During April to December period of last fiscal ended March 31, the current account deficit halved to 0.7 per cent, from 1.4 per cent a year ago. The surge in gold imports in June is on account of low base effect. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Future & Option Trading Tips

Gold demand slumps as prices rise, seasonal consumption slows in India

Gold demand in Asia eroded this week due to higher prices with a seasonal slowdown denting the lure for the precious metal in second-biggest consumer India. Dealers in India offered discounts for gold, as the absence of key festivals kept demand subdued, especially as the wedding season has passed. "Every year, demand remains weak in July. There is no major festival this month. Wedding season is almost over," said Harshad Ajmera, the proprietor of JJ Gold House, a wholesaler in the eastern Indian city Kolkata. "For the next three to four weeks, demand will remain on the lower side. It will improve from the second half of August." Dealers were offering a discount of up to $1 an ounce this week over official domestic prices, compared to a discount of $1.20 last week, said four sources from jewellers, banks and gold dealers. The domestic price includes a 10 per cent import tax. Local gold prices have risen 2.7 per cent since July 10 after falling to the lowest level in six months. Commodity Trading Tips

Arhar, soybean, sunflower acreage likely to remain less than last year

With sowing of many kharif crops completed in almost 70 per cent of the normal area, farmers would appear to be increasingly responding to price signals. Sowing will continue for some more weeks and should get a boost from monsoon revival. However, unless there is a big lift, the total area under arhar (red gram), soybean, groundnut and sunflower seems likely to remain less than last year, indicated official data issued on Friday. Sowing of many kharif crops is complete in almost 70 per cent of the normal area covered. Future & Option Trading Tips

Last year saw a sharp fall in prices of many crops, forcing central and state governments to intervene and purchase directly from farmers. In soybean, retail prices have remained around Rs 3,000 a quintal for two years. In arhar and moong (green gram), it dipped to around Rs 4,500 a qtl, much lower than the Centre's minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 5,050 a qtl and Rs 5,225 a qtl, respectively. The MSP of soybean was Rs 2,775 a qtl for 2016-17. The price drop has also led to widespread farmer unrest across the country. Data from the department of agriculture showed that till Friday, the area under arhar was 19.2 per cent less than last year at this time. That under soybean, groundnut and sunflower seed was around 17.8 per cent, 11.5 per cent and 19 per cent less. Financial Astrology Tips

The acreage seems to have shifted to cotton in some parts, particularly so with soybean and groundnut.The area under cotton has risen almost 21 per cent as compared to the same period last year. Overall, till Friday, around 68.5 million hectares was brought under kharif crops. This is nearly two per cent more than the same period last year and a little over five per cent more than the normal area (past five years' average) sown. Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips

Sugar mills to raise supply after govt nudge to regulate prices

Following direction from the government, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), the apex industry body has directed mill owners to increase supply to regulate the rising price of sugar. “Immediately after receiving letter from the government, ISMA circulated the same amongst its members with an advice to try their best to control sugar prices and ensure that adequate supply is done in the market. We also discussed the same with our members in the recent managing committee meeting held in Chennai that mills need to ensure that the sweetener prices should not go up,” ISMA director general Abinash Verma told Business Standard. Concerned with rising sugar prices, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Friday had directed ISMA to request its member mills to take possible steps to increase the supply in market to curtail prices immediately.

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"While reviewing the sugar sector situation particularly domestic sugar price, it has been observed that the international sugar prices have fallen significantly in past few weeks whereas the domestic ex-mill price and retail price of sugar are in the upward trend, despite availability of sufficient sugar stock in the country. It is, therefore, requested to advise your member mills to ensure demand supply balance and also to ensure that the current upward prices are immediately curtailed," the ministry said. Sugar prices had on Thursday hit three months highest at Rs 4,050 a quintal in spot wholesale market at Vashi, the nearest Agricultural Produce Markets Committee (APMC) from Mumbai. Following similar move, the M-grade sugar contract for delivery in July hit the upper circuit on the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), to trade at Rs 3,816 a quintal on Thursday. Sugar futures, therefore, offer a huge arbitrage opportunity, around Rs 250 a quintal , between far and near months. Nifty Trading Tips