Equity market gains with Nifty closing over 11,000; rupee recovers from record low
Mumbai, July 20: Hopes of political stability as the current government seemed confident of winning the trust vote in parliament lifted investor sentiments in the Indian equity market.
The Nifty 50 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) reclaimed the psychological level of 11,000 points.
According to market observers, recovery in the Indian rupee after it touched a fresh all-time low of 69.12 per dollar earlier in the day also supported investor sentiments.
Index-wise, the broader Nifty50 of the NSE closed at 11,010.20 points -- higher by 53.10 points or 0.48 per cent -- from its previous close of 10,957.10 points.
The barometer 30-scrip Sensex on the BSE, which had opened at 36,377.03 points, closed at 36,496.37 points -- up by 145.14 points or 0.40 per cent -- from its previous session's close of 36,351.23 points.
The Sensex touched a high of 36,567.34 points and a low of 36,335.61 points during the intra-day trade. The BSE market breadth, however, was tilted towards the bears with 1,437 declines and 1,135 advances.
"Market recouped yesterday's losses supported by recovery in rupee and continuing positive momentum in IT and Pharma stocks, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services.
He further said the earnings season will pick up pace in the coming weeks and as a consenses market is expecting 14.7 per cent earnings growth for Nifty50 index stocks.
HDFC Securities' Head of Retail Research, Deepak Jasani said: "Investors were also awaiting the outcome of a no-confidence motion against the NDA government."
On the currency front, the rupee closed at 68.85, appreciating by 20 paise from Thursday's close of 69.05 per dollar.
Investment-wise, provisional data with exchanges showed that foreign institutional investors bought scrip worth just Rs 310.27 crore and the domestic institutional investors sold stocks worth Rs 50.73 crore.
Sector-wise, the S&P BSE IT index gained the most, by 216.77 points, followed by the captial goods index, up 162.36 points and the healthcare rose by 143.15 points.
On the contrary, the S&P BSE auto index declined by 96.19 points, the oil and gas index was down 94.49 points and the metal index fell by 64.93 points.
The major gainers on the Sensex were Sun Pharma, up 2.72 per cent at Rs 559.90; Infosys, up 2.42 per cent at Rs 1,348.35; Reliance Industries, up 2.23 per cent at Rs 1,128.55; ICICI Bank, up 1.84 per cent at Rs 266; and Axis Bank, up 1.36 per cent at Rs 534.45 per share.
The top losers were Bajaj Auto, down 8.73 per cent at Rs 2,841.10; Vedanta, down 2.74 per cent at Rs 202.60; Hero MotoCorp, down 2.48 per cent at Rs 3,373.15; ONGC, down 2.20 per cent at Rs 157.85; and Kotak Mahindra Bank, down 1.24 per cent at Rs 1,333.45 per share.
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US SEC summons Gautam Adani, nephew Sagar in bribery case
New York (PTI): Adani group founder and chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar have been summoned to explain their stand on the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allegation of paying USD 265 million (Rs 2,200 crore) in bribes to secure lucrative solar power contracts.
Summons have been sent to Adani's Shantivan Farm residence in Ahmedabad and his nephew Sagar's Bodakdev residence in the same city for a reply to SEC within 21 days.
"Within 21 days after service of this summons on you (not counting the day you received it)...you must serve on the plaintiff (SEC) an answer to the attached complaint or a motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure," said a November 21 notice sent through the New York Eastern District Court.
"If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. You also must file your answer or motion with the court," it added.
Gautam Adani, 62, and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, allegedly agreed to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years, according to an indictment unsealed in a New York court on Wednesday.
Separate from the indictment brought by the US Department of Justice, the US SEC has also charged the two and Cyril Cabanes, an executive of Azure Power Global, for "conduct arising out of a massive bribery scheme".
The ports-to-energy conglomerate has denied the allegations and said it will seek all possible legal resources.
"The Adani Group has always upheld and is steadfastly committed to maintaining the highest standards of governance, transparency and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions of its operations. We assure our stakeholders, partners and employees that we are a law-abiding organisation fully compliant with all laws."
An indictment in the US is basically a formal written allegation originating with a prosecutor and issued by a grand jury against a party charged with a crime. A person indicted is given formal notice to reply.
That person or persons can then hire a defence lawyer to defend.
Prosecutors said the investigation started in 2022 and found the inquiry obstructed.
They also allege that the Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies, as well as reports of the bribery probe.
"As alleged, the defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars and... lied about the bribery scheme as they sought to raise capital from U.S. and international investors," US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement announcing the charges on Wednesday.
"My office is committed to rooting out corruption in the international marketplace and protecting investors from those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the integrity of our financial markets."
