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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Tel Aviv/Washington: Iran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai on Monday after US President Donald Trump warned that Washington would target Iran’s energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
According to a Reuters report, the Kuwait-flagged tanker Al-Salmi is owned by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and was capable of carrying around 2 million barrels of crude. . It was struck in what authorities later described as a drone attack. The company said the incident occurred early Tuesday, causing a fire and hull damage. No injuries were reported and the fire was brought under control, Dubai authorities said .
Oil prices rose briefly following the attack and added to volatility in global energy markets. In the United States, retail gasoline prices crossed $4 per gallon for the first time in more than three years, according to data from GasBuddy, as crude prices moved above $101 per barrel.
Israel said it carried out missile strikes on military infrastructure in Tehran and on sites linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Beirut. Explosions were reported in parts of Tehran, with Iran’s Tasnim news agency saying power outages occurred in the eastern Pirouzi district following the blasts.
The Israel Defense Forces said four soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon. In recent days, three peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon were also killed in separate incidents in the same area.
Iran’s military spokesperson said Tehran’s latest wave of missile and drone strikes targeted US military positions at five bases in the region and sites in Israel. Thousands of troops from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have begun arriving in the Middle East, according to US officials, expanding Washington’s military options even as diplomatic efforts continue.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Reuters Trump wants an agreement with Iranian leaders before a revised April 6 deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, adding that talks were progressing, while public statements from Tehran differed from private communications.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said proposals received through intermediaries were “unrealistic” and maintained that Iran was focused on defending itself.
In a social media post, Trump said that if a deal is not reached soon and the strait is not reopened, the US would strike Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island. However, a report in The Wall Street Journal said Trump had told aides he may be willing to end the military campaign even if the strait remains largely closed and address reopening it later. The White House referred to earlier remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the strait would be opened “one way or another.”
The administration has also requested an additional $200 billion in funding for the conflict, a proposal that faces opposition in the US Congress.
