Investors' wealth worth Rs. 12.5 lakh crore has been wiped out in the first 100 days since the second term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government started on May 30. At yesterday's closing, the market capitalisation or market value of companies listed on BSE stood Rs. 1,41,15,316.39 crore as against market capitalisation of Rs. 1,53,62,936.40 crore a day before PM Modi's government came to power.

The Sensex has slumped 5.96 per cent or 2,357 points and the NSE Nifty 50 index has dropped 7.23 per cent or 858 points since May 30. Slowing economic growth, along with outflow of foreign funds and weak corporate earnings, are some of the reasons for the slump in equity markets, say analysts.

Foreign investors have been net sellers in the Indian markets. The pressure to sell increased after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the super-rich tax on foreign investors in the first Budget of second NDA government, which was rolled back a month later.

Since the formation of government, foreign portfolio investors have sold shares worth Rs. 28,260.50 crore, data compiled by National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) showed.

"The slowdown in the markets started way before the Prime Minister Modi's second term in power. The introduction of long term capital gains tax and dividend distribution tax in February 2018 budget led to the start of fall in equity market valuations and the slump in markets accelerated in the aftermath of the IL&FS crisis," AK Prabhakar, head of research at IDBI Capital, told NDTV.

"A lot of mid- and small-cap companies have corrected big and are at reasonable valuations. IL&FS crisis had a cascading effect on markets and the things are likely to recover from here on," added Mr Prabhakar.

All sector gauges compiled by National Stock Exchange except the Nifty Information Technology index have given negative returns over the last 100 days, with Nifty PSU Bank index dropping 26 per cent. Last month, the government announced mega mergers of state-run banks in which number of government-owned banks will be reduced to 12.

Metal index dropped 20 per cent in the wake of increased trade frictions between US and China. Analysts say despite the anti-dumping duty, China is selling cheap steel which is hurting the domestic metal companies.

Nifty Auto index has slumped 13.48 per cent as auto industry faces its worst slowdown in two decades. "We saw massive rise in autos in the last five years so the slowdown is also visible now. We never saw runaway sales in four wheelers. The way Maruti Suzuki has grown in the last 5 years has been amazing," Mr Prabhakar said.

courtesy: ndtv.com

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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.

The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.

The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.

Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.

“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.

“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.

Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.

“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.

“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.

Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.

Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.

“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.

“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”

Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.

In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.

“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.

“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.