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Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Sensex, Nifty Seen Opening On A Flat Note; Vodafone Idea Shares In Focus - NDTV Profit

Sensex, Nifty Seen Opening On A Flat Note; Vodafone Idea Shares In Focus

The S&P BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 indices are set to open on a flat note as indicated by the Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange amid weak cues from other Asian markets. The Nifty futures on Singapore Exchange also known as SGX Nifty futures rose 14 points or 0.09 per cent to 15,761.50. Meanwhile, equities in other Asian markets were trading on weak note as Japan's Nikkei fell 0.53 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 0.57 per cent.

Global shares retreated from recent highs on Wednesday, as Asian markets grew jittery about a resurgence of COVID-19 cases and Western markets awaited Friday's U.S. jobs report and what it might mean for monetary policy.

Asset markets have been buoyed over the past year by trillions of dollars in monetary and fiscal stimulus from global central banks responding to the pandemic.

MSCI's all-country world index, which tracks shares across 50 countries, fell 0.23 per cent. It was still set for a fifth straight month of gains, and for a rise of more than 11 per cent in the first half.

The S&P 500 nabbed its fifth straight record close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 210.22 points, or 0.61 per cent, the S&P 500 gained 5.7 points, or 0.13 per cent, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 24.38 points, or 0.17 per cent.

Back home, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 1,646.66 crore on Wednesday while domestic institutional investors' bought shares worth Rs 1,520 crore.

Vodafone idea will be in focus after its net loss in March quarter narrowed to Rs 7,022.80 crore versus loss of Rs 11,643.5 crore in the same quarter last year.

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Sensex, Nifty Seen Opening On A Flat Note; Vodafone Idea Shares In Focus - NDTV Profit
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Zydus Cadila applies for emergency use nod for COVID-19 vaccine - The Indian Express

Indian drugmaker Zydus Cadila (CADI.NS) said on Thursday it has applied to the country’s drug regulator for emergency use approval of its COVID-19 vaccine, which showed a 66.6% efficacy against positive cases in an interim analysis.

The candidate, if approved, would become India’s second successful home-grown COVID-19 shot and help ease the country’s severe vaccine shortage.

Coronavirus cases in India have dropped from a devastating peak in April and May, however, experts warned of a third wave and reiterated that widespread vaccination remains one of the best defences against the pandemic.

Zydus said the vaccine, which is a three-course regimen, showed safety and efficacy in a late-stage trial with more than 28,000 volunteers across the country, including about 1,000 subjects in the 12-18-year age group.

The drugmaker said it is also evaluating a two-dose regimen for the shot and the immunogenicity results of the shorter course have been found to be comparable with the three-dose regimen.

“This will further help in reducing the full-course duration of vaccination,” the drugmaker said, adding that it plans to manufacture up to 120 million doses of the shot annually.

An approval for the vaccine, ZyCoV-D, would make it the fifth shot authorized for use in India. The country has already approved vaccines from Moderna (MRNA.O), AstraZeneca (AZN.L) and partner Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech, and Russia’s Gamaleya Institute.

Zydus said the study was carried out “during the peak of the second wave of COVID-19” in India and reaffirmed the vaccine’s efficacy against new mutant variants, especially, the Delta variant. However, it did not disclose efficacy rate against those variants.

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Zydus Cadila applies for emergency use nod for COVID-19 vaccine - The Indian Express
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Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD drops back below $1,770 on firmer USD - FXStreet

  • XAU/USD is staging a strong rebound on Thursday.
  • Falling US Treasury bond yields seems to be supporting gold.
  • US Dollar Index renews multi-month highs above 92.40.

Update: Gold (XAU/USD) consolidates the previous day’s recovery moves to refresh intraday low with $1,767, down 0.20% on a day, during early Thursday. The quarter-end positioning and downbeat US Treasury yields seemed to have triggered the gold’s corrective pullback on Wednesday. However, the escalating coronavirus (COVID-19) fears put a safe-haven bid under the US dollar, weighing on the gold in turn.

After Australia, Indonesia also announces the activity restrictions, a national one from July 02 till 20th of the month, amid surging virus numbers. Further, the UK also reported the highest infections of 2021.

On the other hand, Japan’s Tankan manufacturing data cite underlying weakness in activities despite upbeat top-line figures. The same dim market’s optimism and weigh on the gold prices.

That said, the US 10-year Treasury yield drops 2.1 basis points (bps) to 1.465% by the press time while the US dollar index (DXY) rises for the fourth consecutive day to print 0.05% intraday gains around 92.40. Even so, S&P 500 Futures remain mildly bid amid Thursday’s Asian session.

Update: Gold (XAU/USD) edges higher around $1,770, after snapping a two-day downtrend, during the initial Asian session on Thursday. The quarter-end positioning and downbeat Treasury yields seem to have contributed to gold’s bounce off a 2.5-month low the previous day. However, hawkish Fedspeak, fears of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and firmer US dollar keep a tab on the commodity’s upside momentum.

US Equities closed mixed and the 10-year Treasury yields dropped 1.2 basis points (bps) to 1.47% but S&P 500 Futures begin July with no major moves after its Wall Street benchmark refreshed record top. As the risk barometers flash mixed signals, coupled with the ongoing contrasting play between the covid headlines, signals of tapering and upbeat US data, gold traders seek fresh cues to justify the latest recovery moves. This highlights the Asian session data, namely Japan’s Tankan Manufacturing gauge for Q2 and China Caixin Manufacturing PMI for immediate direction. Even so, risk catalysts stay in the driver’s seat.

After falling to its lowest level since mid-April at $1,750 on Tuesday, gold managed to stage a decisive recovery on Wednesday and was last seen gaining 0.65% on a daily basis at $1,772.

Despite the broad-based USD strength, the XAU/USD pair didn't have a difficult time pushing higher during the American trading hours with the sharp decline witnessed in the US Treasury bond yields helping gold attract investors. Currently, the benchmark 10-year US T-bond yield is losing nearly 2% on the day at 1.446%.

Additionally, quarter-end flows and rebalancing of large positions may have triggered profit-taking and helped XAU/USD retrace a portion of this week's decline.

Meanwhile, the monthly data published by the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Research Institute showed on Wednesday that employment in the US private sector increased by 692,000 in June. This reading came in better than the market expectation of 600,000 and provided a boost to the greenback ahead of Friday's Nonfarm Payrolls report. The US Dollar Index, which tracks the USD's performance against a basket of six major currencies, was last seen trading at its highest level in more than two months at 92.41.

In a recently published analysis, Karen Jones, Team Head FICC Technical Analysis Research at Commerzbank, said gold remains offered below $1,790 and looks to retreat to the key support located at $1,735. 

"While above there we will retain our longer-term upside bias," Jones added. “Longer-term, we still target the $1959/65 November 2020 high and the 2021 high. These guard the $1989/78.6% retracement and the $2072 2020 peak.”

Gold technical outlook

With Wednesday's rebound, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator on the daily chart rose modestly to 35, suggesting that the pair corrected its oversold conditions but doesn't yet have enough bullish momentum for consistent recovery.

On the upside $1,785 (upper limit of last week's consolidation channel) aligns as an interim resistance ahead of $1,790 (100-day SMA) and $1,800 (psychological level, Fibonacci 50% retracement of April-June uptrend).

The initial support is located at $1,750 (June 29 low) ahead of $1,730 (static level).

Additional levels to watch for

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Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD drops back below $1,770 on firmer USD - FXStreet
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Stock Market Live Updates: Sensex flat, Nifty below 15,750; autos gain, IT drags - CNBCTV18

  • Adani Ports 707.00 (+0.47%)

    Asian Paints 3009.70 (+0.57%)

    Axis Bank 749.60 (+0.17%)

    Bajaj Auto 4203.70 (+1.69%)

  • Bajaj Finance 5989.00 (-0.45%)

    Bajaj Finserv 12090.05 (-0.16%)

    Bharti Airtel 527.30 (+0.31%)

    BPCL 465.50 (-0.56%)

  • Britannia 3642.70 (-0.19%)

    Cipla 972.30 (+0.04%)

    Coal India 146.55 (-0.07%)

    Divis Labs 4437.00 (+0.65%)

  • Dr Reddys Labs 5444.85 (+0.40%)

    Eicher Motors 2688.30 (+0.64%)

    Gland 3378.00 (-1.35%)

    Grasim 1507.40 (+0.58%)

  • HCL Tech 979.30 (-0.43%)

    HDFC 2474.55 (-0.03%)

    HDFC Bank 1492.80 (-0.34%)

    HDFC Life 691.45 (+0.75%)

  • Hero Motocorp 2929.95 (+0.94%)

    Hindalco 374.20 (+0.58%)

    HUL 2471.00 (-0.01%)

    ICICI Bank 633.90 (+0.48%)

  • IndusInd Bank 1008.25 (-0.8%)

    Infosys 1569.10 (-0.74%)

    IOC 108.25 (+0.32%)

    ITC 203.00 (+0.15%)

  • JSW Steel 685.60 (+0.25%)

    Kotak Mahindra 1724.70 (+1.11%)

    Larsen 1498.45 (-0.14%)

    M&M 788.85 (+1.43%)

  • Maruti Suzuki 7560.50 (+0.59%)

    Nestle 17707.20 (+0.42%)

    NTPC 116.00 (-0.34%)

    ONGC 118.20 (+0.42%)

  • Power Grid Corp 231.50 (-0.39%)

    Reliance 2118.15 (+0.36%)

    SBI 420.30 (+0.26%)

    SBI Life Insura 1015.75 (+0.75%)

  • Shree Cements 27300.00 (-0.74%)

    Sun Pharma 678.40 (+0.44%)

    TATA Cons. Prod 758.20 (+0.50%)

    Tata Motors 343.55 (+1.16%)

  • Tata Steel 1169.05 (+0.21%)

    TCS 3346.75 (+0.03%)

    Tech Mahindra 1089.15 (-0.58%)

    Titan Company 1741.80 (+0.54%)

  • UltraTechCement 6742.60 (-0.49%)

    UPL 797.75 (+0.62%)

    Wipro 543.20 (-0.45%)

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    Stock Market Live Updates: Sensex flat, Nifty below 15,750; autos gain, IT drags - CNBCTV18
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    Stocks to Watch: Adani Green, banking stocks, Vodafone Idea, JSW Steel - Mint

    NEW DELHI: All eyes will be on auto sector data for June sales due later today. Here are top 10 stocks that may be in the news today.

    Adani Green: Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Wednesday approved acquisition of entire shareholding in SB Energy by Adani Green Energy Ltd. “Commission approves proposed acquisition of the entire shareholding of SB Energy by Adani Green Energy," the regulator said in a tweet. With this acquisition, AGEL will achieve total renewable capacity of 24.3 GW and operating renewable capacity of 4.9 GW.

    Banking stocks: Stressed assets of Indian banks will remain elevated at 11-12% in fiscal 2022, S&P Global Ratings said on Wednesday. The agency expects non-performing loans plus restructured assets to increase to 11.5% in the current fiscal from 8.7% a year ago. It also expects banks’ performance to be affected in the first half of the fiscal due to the impact of the second wave.

    HDFC Bank: The RBI's ban on selling new credit cards has impacted market share on an incremental basis, HDFC Bank said on Wednesday, promising to get back to the market "with a bang" once the "temporal" embargo is lifted and recoup the losses. The bank's head of consumer finance, digital banking and information technology, Parag Rao, said that it has used the last six months to "introspect, re-engineer and innovate" about the cards business, where it has 15.5 million customers.

    IIFL Finance: CDC Group Plc, the development finance institution owned by the UK government, on Wednesday sold 14 million shares or 3.7% stake in IIFL Finance Ltd for around 337 crore through an open market transaction. According to the data from stock exchanges, CDC Group PLC sold 14 million shares of IIFL Finance at an average price of 240.64 per share, aggregating to 336.90 crore on the BSE. On the other hand, Smallcap World Fund Inc and Abakkus Emerging Opportunities Fund -1 bought 5.84 million and 2 million shares totalling to 140 crore and 48 crore respectively.

    Jet Airways: The Mumbai bench of the NCLT in an released on Wednesday said the new promoters of Jet Airways (India ) Ltd cannot claim historicity to obtain airport slots belonging to the airline as it didn't have any operating slots on the day of the commencement of the insolvency process. Last week, the NCLT approved the resolution plan of a consortium consisting of Kalrock Capital and UAE-based entrepreneur Murarilal Jalan, the new promoters of Jet Airways.

    JSW Steel: The country's leading steelmaker JSW Steel is planning to invest another 25,115 crore by 2024-25 to ramp up its capacity to 37.5 million tonne (MT) per annum, its chairman and managing director Sajjan Jindal said in a message to its shareholders. The company, which sold nearly 15 MT of steel in FY21, claimed to have invested 48,000 crore in the past three years for augmenting its production capacity to nearly 28 MT, company officials said.

    Power sector stocks: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the marquee 3.03 trillion power distribution company (discom) reform scheme, wherein the Centre’s share will be 97,631 crore. The funds will be released to discoms subject to them meeting reform-related milestones, with state-run Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) nominated as nodal agencies for implementation of the scheme.

    SpiceJet Ltd: The no-frill carrier reported a fifth straight quarterly loss as of the March quarter. The airline's consolidated net losses shrunk to 256.98 crore during the March quarter from 816.25 crore during the same period of the previous year. The airline plans to raise funds to the tune of 2,500 crore to ensure its long term sustainability, said Ajay Singh, chairman and MD, SpiceJet.

    Tata Motors: India’s largest commercial vehicle player and leading bus manufacturer has won a tender of 15 hydrogen-based proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell buses from the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL). All 15 buses will be delivered within 144 weeks from the date of signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

    Vodafone Idea: The telco on Wednesday reported a Q4 net loss of 7,022.8 crore as compared to 4,532.4 crore in the previous quarter. It had posted a 11,643 crore net loss in the same quarter last year (y-o-y). Its average revenue per user (ARPU) for Q4FY21 declined to 107 compared to 121 in Q3FY21, on account of removal of IUC, adjusting for which ARPU was broadly flat this quarter, it said. Vodafone Idea had over 267.8 million subscribers as of 31 March 2021.

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    Stocks to Watch: Adani Green, banking stocks, Vodafone Idea, JSW Steel - Mint
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    Top 10 things to know before the market opens - Moneycontrol.com

    The Indian stock market is expected to open flat as the Nifty futures were trading at 15,747 on the Singaporean Exchange.

    The BSE Sensex fell 66.95 points to 52,482.71, while the Nifty50 declined 27 points to 15,721.50 and formed a bearish candle which resembles an Inverted Hammer kind of pattern on the daily charts.

    According to pivot charts, the key support levels for the Nifty are placed at 15,673.83, followed by 15,626.17. If the index moves up, the key resistance levels to watch out for are 15,804.13 and 15,886.77.

    Stay tuned to Moneycontrol to find out what happens in the currency and equity markets today. We have collated a list of important headlines across news platforms which could impact Indian as well as international markets:

    US Markets

    The S&P 500 nabbed its fifth straight record closing high on Wednesday as investors ended the month and the quarter by largely shrugging off positive economic data and looking toward Friday’s highly anticipated employment report.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 210.22 points, or 0.61%, to 34,502.51, the S&P 500 gained 5.7 points, or 0.13%, to 4,297.5 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 24.38 points, or 0.17%, to 14,503.95.

    Asian Markets

    Shares in Asia-Pacific slipped in Thursday morning trade as investors reacted to the release of Chinese economic data. Nikkei 225 shed 0.39% while the Topix index fell 0.32%.

    SGX Nifty

    Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a cautious opening for the index in India. The Nifty futures were trading at 15,747 on the Singaporean Exchange around 07:30 hours IST.

    Centre's April-May fiscal deficit comes in at 8.2% of full year target

    The centre's fiscal deficit for the first two months (April-May) of 2021-22 came in at Rs 1.23 lakh crore, or 8.2 percent of the full year target of Rs 15.07 lakh crore, data released by the Controller General of Accounts showed on June 30.

    The fiscal deficit for the same period last year had reached 58.6 percent of the full year target. That was in the middle of the nationwide lockdown, when the centre's revenues had all but dried up due to lack of economic activity, and expenditure commitments had increased.

    The centre's net tax revenue for April-May 2021 was Rs 2.33 lakh crore, or 15 percent of the full year budget estimates, compared with just two percent for the same period last year.

    SEBI gives more time to brokers, clearing members to comply with rules

    Markets regulator SEBI on Wednesday extended deadlines for complying with certain regulatory requirements by stock brokers, clearing members and KYC registration agencies in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

    The deadline for maintaining call recordings of orders or instructions received from clients has been extended by one month till July 31, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said in a circular. Also, the regulator has given time till July-end to brokers for operating the trading terminals from designated alternate locations.

    China June factory growth slows on COVID-19, supply chain snags - Caixin PMI

    China’s factory activity expanded at a softer pace in June, as the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the export province of Guangdong and supply chain woes drove output growth to the lowest in 15 months, a private survey showed on Thursday.

    The Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 51.3 last month from May’s 52, marking the 14th month of expansion, but it came below analyst expectations for a only slight slowdown to 51.8.

    U.S. private payrolls increase solidly; pending home sales rebound

    U.S. private payrolls increased more than expected in June as companies rushed to boost production and services amid a rapidly reopening economy, though a shortage of willing workers continues to hang over the labour market recovery.

    Private payrolls increased by 692,000 jobs in June. Data for May was revised lower to show 886,000 jobs added instead of the initially reported 978,000. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast private payrolls would increase by 600,000 jobs.

    Japan business mood at 2.5-year high as COVID hit eases

    Japanese big manufacturers’ business confidence improved in the second quarter to hit a two-and-half-year high, a central bank survey showed, a sign solid global demand was helping the economy emerge from the coronavirus pandemic-induced doldrums.

    Service-sector sentiment also turned positive for the first time in five quarters, the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) “Tankan” survey showed, indicating that the economic recovery was broadening even as Japan struggles to contain a fresh wave of coronavirus infections.

    FII and DII data

    Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net sold shares worth Rs 1,646.66 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net purchased shares worth Rs 1,520.18 crore in the Indian equity market on June 30, as per provisional data available on the NSE.

    Stocks under F&O ban on NSE

    One stock - NALCO - is under the F&O ban for July 1. Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit.

    With inputs from Reuters & other agencies

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    Top 10 things to know before the market opens - Moneycontrol.com
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    Customers of SBI, Axis Bank, IDBI Bank and Syndicate Bank to face revised rules from today. Know details - Hindustan Times

    The IDBI Bank has revised its cheque leaf charges from July 1.(Pradeep Gaur/Mint File Photo)
    The IDBI Bank has revised its cheque leaf charges from July 1.(Pradeep Gaur/Mint File Photo)

    Customers of SBI, Axis Bank, IDBI Bank and Syndicate Bank to face revised rules from today. Know details

    Most of the banks have revised the ATM withdrawal and cheque leaf charges. There are, however, some exemptions. The customers of SBI, Axis Bank, IDBI Bank and Canara Bank must check out the rule changes.
    By hindustantimes.com | Written by Amit Chaturvedi, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
    PUBLISHED ON JUL 01, 2021 07:31 AM IST

    India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) and many other private banks are changing their rules from Thursday which will impact the account holders. Apart from SBI, Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank and Canara Bank are changing the rules from July 1.

    For SBI customers: The customers of SBI will have four free cash withdrawals from the bank's ATM as well as branches from today. The bank will charge 15 plus GST on each transaction after the free transactions. The customers holding the basic savings bank deposit (BSBD) accounts will also be levied charges for cheque book beyond 10 leaves in a year. The bank has announced 40 plus GST (for subsequent 10 leafs) and 75 plus GST (for 25 leafs). However, no such charges have been announced for senior citizens.

    For Syndicate Bank customers: The account holders of Syndicate Bank will get new IFSC codes from July 1 as the bank has merged with Canara Bank.

    For Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank customers: The two banks were amalgamated into Union Bank on April 1, 2020. So, the account holders of Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank will have to use new cheque books provided by Union Bank from July 1.

    For customers of Axis Bank: The private bank has increased cash withdrawal charges from ATMs beyond the free limit. It has also hiked the minimum balance requirements for various types of savings accounts. From July 1, the customers of Axis Ban will have to pay more to receive SMS alerts. According to the bank's website, the customers will have to pay 25 paise for every SMS alert subject to a maximum of 25 a month. These charges will, however, won't levied on OTP messages, the bank said.

    For customers of IDBI Bank: The bank has revised its cheque leaf charges from July 1. Now, the IDBI bank customers will have to pay 5 per cheque leaf beyond 20 free leaves per year. However, customers holding 'Sabka Saving Account' will be exempted from this rule change.

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    Customers of SBI, Axis Bank, IDBI Bank and Syndicate Bank to face revised rules from today. Know details - Hindustan Times
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    Record disbursal, cheaper fund cost buoy IRFC net by 126% to Rs 1,482.5 crore in Q4 - Moneycontrol.com

    For the full year, it has booked a profit of Rs 4,416.13 crore, up 38.34 percent from Rs 3,192.06 crore in FY20, as its revenue from operations rose 17.5 percent to Rs 15,770.47 crore from Rs 13,421.09 crore in FY20.

    PTI

    June 30, 2021 / 11:39 PM IST

    Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) has reported a 126 percent jump in net income to record Rs 1,482.55 crore in the March quarter, mainly due to higher interest income from record disbursals and cheaper funds.

    It had clocked a net income of Rs 654.63 crore a year ago.

    The New Delhi-based dedicated market borrowing arm of the Railways attributed the massive growth in the bottomline to the traditionally busy season effect when the Railways draws down the maximum funds from it.

    For the full year, it has booked a profit of Rs 4,416.13 crore, up 38.34 percent from Rs 3,192.06 crore in FY20, as its revenue from operations rose 17.5 percent to Rs 15,770.47 crore from Rs 13,421.09 crore in FY20.

    Of the close to Rs 1.05 lakh of annual disbursement, which was a record for us, as much as Rs 64,000 crore was disbursed in the reporting quarter, boosting our net income.

    Normally, the Railways draws down the maximum credit line in the March quarter, but this time the disbursement has been the highest, Amitabh Banerjee, chairman and managing director of IRFC, told.

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    Record disbursal, cheaper fund cost buoy IRFC net by 126% to Rs 1,482.5 crore in Q4 - Moneycontrol.com
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    Interest rates of PPF, NSC and other post office schemes kept unchanged by govt - Economic Times

    Good news for fixed income investors as the government has decided to keep the interest rates on small savings schemes unchanged for the quarter ending September 30, 2021. This is the fifth quarter in a row that the government has kept interest rates on various post office schemes such as Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Certificates (NSC), Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) and others unchanged. This means that investors in PPF and SSY will continue to earn the same interest rate as they were earning during the quarter ending June 30, 2021. New investments into these schemes will also earn the same interest rates as in the previous quarter.

    This was announced by the finance ministry via a circular dated June 30, 2021. As per the circular, PPF will continue to earn 7.10%, the NSC will fetch 6.8%, and Post Office Monthly Income Scheme Account will earn 6.6%.

    Here is a look at the interest rates on various small savings schemes for the second quarter of FY 2021-22.


    Interest rates on post office savings schemes
    Instrument Interest rate (%) for July 1, 2021 to Sep 30, 2021 Compounding frequency
    Savings Account 4 Annually
    1 year Time Deposit 5.5 Quarterly
    2 year Time Deposit 5.5 Quarterly
    3 year Time Deposit 5.5 Quarterly
    5 year Time Deposit 6.7 Quarterly
    5-year Recurring Deposit 5.8 Quarterly
    5-year Senior Citizen Savings Scheme 7.4 Quarterly and Paid
    5-year Monthly Income Account 6.6 Monthly and Paid
    5-year National Savings Certificate 6.8 Annually
    Public Provident Fund 7.1 Annually
    Kisan Vikas Patra 6.9 (will mature in 124 months) Annually
    Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana 7.6 Annually
    Source: Finance ministry circular

    Small savings rate cut debacle
    It may be recalled that on March 31, 2021, the government had in fact announced a rate cut for small savings schemes for the quarter ending June 30, 2021. On late evening of March 31, 2021, the finance ministry had announced that interest rates on small savings schemes have been cut sharply by between 40 -110 basis points (100 basis points/bps = 1%) for the first quarter of the financial year 2021-22. With the cut, interest rates on small savings schemes would have been reduced by a total of 110-250 bps during the current year. After this cut, the interest rate on PPF interest rate would have fallen below 7%, the first time since 1974, a 46 year low.

    Then immediately via an early morning tweet, the government announced that the sharp cut in interest rates of small savings schemes had been rolled back.

    Relief for debt investors
    The government's status quo on small savings schemes rates comes a little more than a month before the RBI's bi-monthly monetary policy review. The apex bank is said to maintain status quo on key rates yet again, which is again reason to cheer for investors of fixed income products.

    That is because with the RBI keeping rates unchanged, banks may not cut interest rates on FDs any further. Some have even hiked FD rates.

    FDs, bank savings accounts or small saving schemes?
    Despite banks not cutting FD rates for a couple of months now, small savings schemes are, by and large, still earning higher interest rates.

    Here's the math: An investment of Rs 1 lakh in SBI's 1-year FD will fetch you Rs 1,04,991 (interest rate of 4.90%) whereas investment in the post office time deposit will fetch Rs 1,05, 614 (interest rate of 5.5%), assuming quarterly compounding. This a difference of Rs 623.

    Apart from fixed deposits, even the interest rates on savings accounts offered by some of the bigger banks is lower than the interest rate on the post office savings account.

    Post office savings account is currently offering 4% per annum whereas SBI is offering 2.70% per annum interest rate on its savings account. Similarly, ICICI Bank is offering 3% per annum. Kotak Mahindra Bank is offering 3.50% per annum for balances up to Rs 1 lakh and 4% per annum for account balances between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1 crore. For balances, above Rs 1 crore, the bank is offering 3.50% per annum.

    How interest rates are fixed for small savings schemes
    The government reviews and announces the interest rates on small savings schemes every three months. The formula to calculate the interest rates on small savings scheme was suggested by the Shyamala Gopinath Committee. The committee had suggested that the interest rates on different schemes should be 25-100 basis points higher than the yields on government bonds of similar maturity.

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    Interest rates of PPF, NSC and other post office schemes kept unchanged by govt - Economic Times
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    Fiscal Deficit For April-May At Just Over 8% Of Budget Estimate - BloombergQuint

    The second wave of Covid-19 infections did not have as debilitating an impact on government finances as the first wave, suggests government account data for May released by the Controller General of Accounts.

    Higher tax and non-tax revenue, alongside slightly lower expenditure helped improve government finances.

    The April-May fiscal deficit stood at Rs 1.23 lakh crore, or 8.2% of the budget estimate. Last year, the fiscal deficit for the two months was at 59.6% of the budget estimate.

    The government has budgeted for a fiscal deficit of 6.8% of GDP in FY22, although economists see a risk of slippage due to a recent increase in food transfers.

    The April-May revenue deficit stood at Rs 65,023 crore, or 5.7% of the budget estimate. Last year, the revenue deficit for the two months was at 67.6% of the budget estimate.

    Total revenue receipts in the April-May 2021 period stood at Rs 3.5 lakh crore, or 19.6% of budget estimate. In the same period last year, total revenue receipts were at 2.2% of budget estimate.

    Net tax revenue of Rs 2.33 lakh crore was collected during the first two months of the fiscal, which is 15.1% of the budget estimate. The tax revenue for these two months is 685% higher than FY21, when the economy was at a near standstill. It is also 200% higher than FY19.

    In a release on June 16, 2021, the government had said direct tax collections in the first two-and-a-half months of 2021-22 were at Rs 1.86 lakh crore, nearly double the amount collected in the same period last year.

    Non-tax revenue also jumped to Rs 1.16 lakh crore, or 47.9% of the budget estimate. This may be on account of the higher surplus payout from the RBI.

    Together, higher tax and non-tax revenues supported the government's fiscal position.

    Gross tax revenue for April-May 2021 stood at Rs 3.12 lakh crore compared with Rs 1.26 lakh crore in the same period last year. This includes Rs 1.7 lakh crore collected in April and Rs 1.4 lakh crore in May.

    Among key tax categories:

    • Corporation tax collections stood at Rs 43,454 crore compared with Rs 16,981 crore in the same period last year. Month-on-month, collections in this category were down 66%.

    • Income tax collections stood at Rs 75,381 crore in April-May compared with Rs 35,726 crore a year ago. Month-on-month, collections were lower by 42%.

    • Union excise duty collections stood at Rs 36,963 crore in April-May 2021 compared with Rs 10,956 crore in the same period last year. For April, excise duty collections were listed at Rs 154 crore, while for May they were reported at Rs 36,809 crore.

    Total expenditure for the first two months of the fiscal stood at Rs 4.77 lakh crore, or 13.7% of budget estimate. Last year, the government spent 16.8% of its budget expenditure in these two months.

    • Revenue expenditure stood at Rs 4.15 lakh crore, or 14.2% of budget estimate, compared to 17.4% in the same period last year.

    • Capital expenditure stood at Rs 62,961 crore, or 11.4% of the budgeted amount.

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    India reports current account surplus of 0.9% in pandemic-affected FY21 - The Indian Express

    India reported a current account surplus of 0.9 per cent of GDP in the pandemic-hit FY21, as against a deficit of 0.9 per cent in FY20, data released by the RBI showed on Wednesday.

    The country’s current account deficit widened to USD 8.1 billion or 1 per cent of GDP for the March quarter, as against a surplus of USD 0.6 billion or 0.1 per cent of the GDP in the year-ago period and a deficit of 0.3 per cent in the preceding December quarter, as per the central bank data.

    The CAD, the gap between the country’s overall foreign receipts and payments, is an important factor representing a nation’s external sector’s strength.

    The Reserve Bank of India said the current account balance swung into the surplus territory on the back of a sharp contraction in the trade deficit to USD 102.2 billion from USD 157.5 billion in 2019-20.

    Net invisible receipts were lower in FY21 due to an increase in net outgo of overseas investment income payments and lower net private transfer receipts, even though net services receipts were higher than the year-ago period, it said.

    Despite the pandemic, the net foreign direct investment inflows at USD 44 billion were higher in FY21 than the USD 43.0 billion in 2019-20, the central bank added.

    Net foreign portfolio investments also increased by USD 36.1 billion in FY21 as compared to USD 1.4 billion a year ago, it said.

    External commercial borrowings by India Inc recorded an inflow of USD 0.2 billion as compared to USD 21.7 billion in 2019-20, the RBI data showed.

    There was an accretion of USD 87.3 billion to foreign exchange reserve on a balance of payments basis, it said.

    The current account deficit in the March quarter was higher primarily on account of a higher trade deficit and lower net invisible receipts than in the corresponding period of the previous year, the RBI said.

    Private transfer receipts, mainly representing remittances by Indians employed overseas, increased to USD 20.9 billion, up by 1.7 per cent from the year-ago level.

    Net outgo from the primary income account, primarily reflecting net overseas investment income payments, increased to USD 8.7 billion from USD 4.8 billion a year ago, according to the data.

    The net FDI came at USD 2.7 billion during the March quarter as against USD 12 billion in the year-ago period.

    Net foreign portfolio investment (FPI) increased by USD 7.3 billion, mainly on account of net purchases in the equity market, as against a decline of USD 13.7 billion in Q4 FY20.

    Net external commercial borrowings to India was lower at USD 6.1 billion in the March quarter as compared to USD 9.4 billion a year ago, the RBI said.

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    Jet Airways final revival order out, slot allotments not on basis of historic rights - Moneycontrol

    Jet Airways was grounded in April 2019 due to lack of funds and insolvency proceedings against it began in June of the same year.

    Jet Airways was grounded in April 2019 due to lack of funds and insolvency proceedings against it began in June of the same year.

    The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has issued the final revival order for Jet Airways, the carrier which was grounded in 2019 due to strained financial condition. As per the revival order, operating slots would be allotted to the airline in accordance to the the existing norms, and not on the basis of historic rights.

    "The Resolution Plan submitted by consortium of Murari Lal Jalan and Florian Fritsch is hereby approved. It shall become effective from this date and shall form part of this order," the NCLT said, adding that its order would be binding upon all stakeholders, including the central and state governments.

    The rescue plan was presented last year jointly by Florian Fritsch-headed Kalrock Capital Management Ltd, a London-based financial advisory and Murari Lal Jalan, a Dubai-based businessman. It was approved on June 22 by the NCLT.

    The Jalan-Kalrock consortium is believed to have offered Rs 1,183 crore in the form of repayment to financial creditors, employees and staff of Jet Airways, over a period of five years, CNBC TV-18 had reported.

    "The window period of future credit to passengers and employees and workmen shall be one year from the effective date. The beneficiaries shall however, get themselves registered within 180 days from the effective date to avail the facility," the NCLT order said.

    On the allotment of slots, the Tribunal indicated that the existing norms would be followed. Jet Airways would not be re-allotted its slots based on the historic rights.

    "The facts and circumstances would indicate that presently the slots cannot be restored to the Corporate Debtor on a historic basis. The thumb rule being 'use it or lose it'. Be that as it may, we must remember that running an Airline, much less reviving one, is not a facile business. It involves entire gamut of complex and diverse activities from land to sky and everything in between," the order said.

    In a recent affidavit submitted to the bankruptcy court, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said Jet Airways could not not claim historicity to obtain the slots and that allocation of slots would be done in accordance with the existing guidelines.

    The NCLT also noted that the MCA and DGCA will decide on the application of "renewal/grant of Airport Operating Permit".

    Also Read | Seven-member monitoring panel to manage Jet Airways under resolution plan

    As per the terms of the approved resolution plan, a seven-member monitoring committee is required to be constituted. Three members each would be appointed by the consortium and the financial creditors, respectively. Also, there would be an "independent insolvency professional appointed by the financial creditors (preferably the existing resolution professional)," in the panel, as per the filing. The committee would supervise the implementation of the resolution plan.

    Notably, Jet Airways, full-service carrier, suspended operations in April 2019 and was undergoing Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process since then. The airline, in its heyday, operated a fleet of more than 120 planes connecting dozens of Indian cities, along with major international hubs including Dubai, London and Singapore.

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    Stock Market Highlights: Sensex falls 67 points, Nifty ends below 15,750 dragged by financials - CNBCTV18

    Market At Close | Here are the highlights of today’s trading session

    - Market Erases Opening Gains To Close In The Red

    - Financials Remain Major Laggards With ICICI & HDFC Bk Being Top Losers

    - Sensex Slips 393 Points & Nifty 118 Points From Day’s High

    - Nifty Bank Falls 443 Points From Highs To Close At Day’s Low

    - Nifty Falls 27 Points To 15,722 & Sensex 86 Points To 52,464

    - Nifty Bank Slips 238 Pts To 34,772 While Midcap Index Rises 70 Pts To 26,971

    - Market Breadth Neutral With Advance-Decline Ratio At 1:1

    - ONGC & GAIL Under Pressure As Crude Remains Around $75 Ahead Of OPEC Meet

    - Autos Close Mixed Ahead Of June Sales; Analysts Seen An Improvement YoY

    - REC & PFC Surge On Cabinet’s Approval For `3 Lk Cr Pwr Distribution Scheme

    - IT Stocks Gain As Rupee Remains Weak Against Dollar; Nifty IT Up Nearly 1%

    - Manappuram & Muthoot Rise After BofA Sec Initiates Coverage With Buy Call

    - Tata Elxsi, Cummins, GMR, Dr Lal, Deepak Nitrite, SRF Top Midcap Gainers

    - IRCTC Falls Despite Reporting A Sequential Improvement In Earnings

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    Eight core industries' output rose 16% YoY in May, data show - Moneycontrol.com

    Representative Image. Courtesy : Reuters

    Representative Image. Courtesy : Reuters

    Led by a continuing low-base effect, the combined output of the eight core sector industries rose by 16.8 percent in May, as compared to a year ago. Core sector output had risen by a massive 60 percent in the previous month of April.

    The data released by the commerce and industry ministry on June 30 showed production declined in two out of the eight core sector industries - crude oil and fertilisers.

    The eight core industrial of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, steel, cement, fertiliser and electricity have a combined weight of over 40 percent in the Index of Industrial production, or IIP.

    “With the base becoming less distorted and the widening of state-wise restrictions, the core sector expansion expectedly flattened in April 2021. Additionally, the core index in May 2021 was a substantial 8% lower than the pre-COVID level of May 2019, led by all the components except natural gas," Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist, ICRA, said.

    In May, production of finished steel rose the highest, rising by nearly 60 percent due to the low-base effect. Most smelters and steel factories were closed in May, 2020 owing to the nationwide lockdown. The performance of steel which was likely to have been driven by healthy exports, exceeded forecasts, Nayar added.

    Elsewhere in the infra space, cement production also rose by 7.9 percent as compared to the year-ago period. "Even though construction activities were allowed amidst the state restrictions, the cement sector saw the largest sequential moderation in May 2021 (17.6 percent), as well as the deepest pace of contraction relative to May 2019 (15.2 percent)," Nayar pointed out.

    This may reflect the impact of the second COVID surge on rural demand, as well as the year-on-year decline in the government's capital outlay in May 2021, she added.

    Cement and steel are considered better indicators of industrial activity as they are vital to a number of industries. Their production moves in line with the demand from industries dependent on them.

    In the energy space, crude oil production continued to contract. Crude production has reduced for more than 14-months now. A similar entrenched slowdown  was also experienced by the petroleum refining sector till March. The growth figures in March and April are thought to be the result of a low-base effect.

    India's oil demand had fallen in the initial days of the pandemic due to the nationwide lockdown closing down factories. Before that, the continued contraction had led to experts suggesting the deep lack of demand was symptomatic of sustained slowdown in overall industrial activity.

    However, after rising suddenly in March, natural gas production has continued to climb up. Gas production rose by 20 percent in May, after a 25 percent rise in April. May saw a similar story for coal production as well, which rose by 6.9 percent after the 9.5 percent rise in April.

    Interestingly, electricity output, rose by 7.3 percent in May, after rising by 38.5 percent in April. It had risen a substantial 21.2 percent in March as well. Electricity production is generally tied to coal output given the large share of coal fired thermal manufacturing in India's electricity generation grid.

    Finally, the fertiliser sector, which had beaten the contraction pangs even in the peak of lockdown, contracted in May, showing a 9.6 percent reduction in output. The sector had entered a contractionary phase since February.

    The core sector data is released about two weeks before the IIP figures, pertaining to overall industrial output are put out. IIP figures for May will be announced on July 12.

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    India's current account deficit at 1% of GDP in March quarter: RBI data - Mint

    India's current account balance recorded a deficit of $8.1 billion (1% of Gross Domestic Product - GDP) in the quarter ended March 2021 (Q4FY21) on the back of a higher trade deficit and lower net invisible receipts, the Reserve Bank of India said in a release on Wednesday.

    The country's current account deficit in the January-March quarter stood at $8.1 billion compared to a surplus of $0.6 billion in the same quarter a year ago.

    The deficit stood at 0.9% of the gross domestic product in the latest quarter, the RBI data showed.

    However, the central bank said the current account balance swung into the surplus territory on the back of a sharp contraction in the trade deficit to $102.2 billion from $157.5 billion in 2019-20.

    The CAD, the gap between the country's overall foreign receipts and payments, is an important factor representing a nation's external sector's strength.

    The three consecutive current account surpluses were largely caused by a decline in India's trade deficit, which narrowed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and was also impacted by a related drop in domestic economic activity.

    The balance of payments showed a surplus of $3.4 billion in the fourth quarter of the financial year 2020/21, compared with a surplus of $18.8 billion a year earlier.

    Net invisible receipts were lower in FY21 due to an increase in net outgo of overseas investment income payments and lower net private transfer receipts, even though net services receipts were higher than the year-ago period, the central bank said.

    FDI inflows

    Despite the pandemic, the net foreign direct investment inflows at $44 billion were higher in FY21 than the $43.0 billion in 2019-20, it added.

    Net foreign portfolio investments also increased by $36.1 billion in FY21 as compared to $1.4 billion a year ago, the RBI said.

    External commercial borrowings by India Inc recorded an inflow of $0.2 billion as compared to $21.7 billion in 2019-20, the RBI data showed.

    There was an accretion of $87.3 billion to foreign exchange reserve on a balance of payments basis, it said.

    The current account deficit in the March quarter was higher primarily on account of a higher trade deficit and lower net invisible receipts than in the corresponding period of the previous year, the RBI said.

    Private transfer receipts, mainly representing remittances by Indians employed overseas, increased to $20.9 billion, up by 1.7% from the year-ago level.

    Net outgo from the primary income account, primarily reflecting net overseas investment income payments, increased to $8.7 billion from $4.8 billion a year ago, according to the data.

    The net FDI came at $2.7 billion during the March quarter as against $12 billion in the year-ago period.

    Net foreign portfolio investment (FPI) increased by $7.3 billion – mainly on account of net purchases in the equity market – as against a decline of $13.7 billion in Q4 FY20.

    Net external commercial borrowings to the country was lower at $6.1 billion in Q4 2021 as compared to $9.4 billion a year ago, the central bank said.

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    India's current account deficit at 1% of GDP in March quarter: RBI data - Mint
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    Stocks Markets Live: Sensex, Nifty Open Higher; Uflex Jumps 18% - BloombergQuint

    Shares of Manappuram Finance Ltd. gained as much as 3.53% after BofA Global Research initiated coverage on the stock with a ‘buy’ rating and a target price of Rs 225.

    In a note, it said that the NBFC’s existing valuation “grossly undervalues its gold loans business” and that a re-rating would be on the cards once its microfinance institution credit costs improve. “We look past the near-term stress in its MFI share, which is 22% of its portfolio and see a business well-placed to deliver 20% earnings-per-share growth and 24% return on equity through FY24.”

    It added that it expects the impact of the second Covid-19 wave to wear down by second quarter of FY22 and gold loans to resume their “steady state growth of 12-15% per annum” as branches reopen by then. “A renewed focus on adding customers, the latest loan-to-value ratio at 63% and scope for a sustained increase in ticket size allows for a positive surprise on asset growth,” it said.

    In the long-term, BofA said it thinks Manappuram’s MFI arm Asirvad can deliver cross-cycle RoEs in “high-teens”, with strict caps on state and district exposures acting as prudent risk mitigation strategy.

    It listed hikes in gold price, lower than expected credit costs and value-unlocking from its potential Asirvad spin-off as upside catalysts, while significant decline in gold price, Covid 3.0 and asset quality cycles in Asirvas as downside risks.

    Shares of Manappuram Finance Ltd. gained as much as 3.53%, the most since May 31 this year, to Rs 168.5. Of the 16 analysts tracking the stock, 13 have a ‘buy’ rating, three suggest a ‘hold’ and none recommend a ‘sell’, according to Bloomberg data. The average of 12-month consensus price targets implies an upside of 24.2%.

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    Stocks Markets Live: Sensex, Nifty Open Higher; Uflex Jumps 18% - BloombergQuint
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    How SpiceJet is relying on grounded Boeing 737 Max jets to trim losses - Economic Times

    By Anurag Kotoky and Ragini Saxena

    Airlines follow a pretty simple formula for success -- fill as many seats and fly as many hours as possible, and keep a young fleet. One Indian budget carrier is going another way to drum up income -- not flying.

    SpiceJet Ltd. hasn’t flown any of its Boeing Co. 737 Max jets for more than 27 months, after two deadly crashes operated by other airlines led to a global grounding. While most other major markets apart from China have cleared the Max to fly again, SpiceJet seems in no hurry to get it back in the air, and not just because there’s less demand to use the jet because of the pandemic.


    India’s second-biggest budget carrier booked other income of 10.9 billion rupees ($150 million) in the seven quarters through December. That was the amount it expected to get in compensation from Boeing for not being able to fly its 13 Max aircraft, helping the company to trim its losses during deeply challenging times. Given the planes remain grounded, the figure is likely to rise when SpiceJet reports results for the year through March on Wednesday.

    SpiceJet is the only Indian airline that operates the Max. With firm orders for 142 more, it’s also one of its biggest customers globally. Yet the carrier hasn’t asked regulators to lift the flying ban in India, a person familiar with the matter said. There’s no clarity on why it has held back, and it would take at least a month after applying to get approvals in place, the person said, asking not to be identified as the matter is confidential.

    SpiceJet declined to comment. Boeing said it continues to work closely with aviation regulators in India and elsewhere about returning the Max to service, but doesn’t comment on talks with its customers.


    In its previous quarterly results, SpiceJet said management was confident of collecting the compensation from Boeing. At the time, however, auditor Walker Chandiok & Co LLP said there was “no virtual certainty” the other income would be recognized, meaning there was no guarantee that the figure would materialize.
    SpiceJet share priceBloomberg

    “SpiceJet is using this accounting method to shore up their results, and obviously to make sure that they don’t need to bring in solvency capital of a magnitude which would dilute the current ownership,” said Shailesh Haribhakti, a chartered accountant and chairman of Shailesh Haribhakti & Associates, adding that such an approach is allowed under Indian regulations.

    Analysts expect SpiceJet to post a loss of 10 billion rupees, which would be its third-straight annual loss. The carrier almost shut down in 2014 after running out of money, only to be rescued by co-founder Ajay Singh, who as chairman has changed its network, renegotiated vendor contracts and diversified into businesses including a dedicated cargo service, retail and health care.

    SpiceJet shares were up nearly 1 per cent at 83 rupees as of 9:30 a.m. in Mumbai. They’ve fallen 13 per cent this year, while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex index has risen more than 10 per cent.

    SpiceJet’s fleet includes other Boeing 737 models and Bombardier Inc. Q400 turboprops, though it isn’t operating near the capacity it was before Covid. The airline carried just 3.9 million passengers in the first five months of 2021 as the outbreak in India worsened, a slump of more than 52 per cent from the same period in 2019.

    The 737 family has been the backbone of SpiceJet’s fleet all along, with the company previously saying the “highly sophisticated” Max would allow it to compete better and expand profits.

    While those profits aren’t expected now, the Max -- even when grounded -- might offset some of the pain from last year.

    “An entity must be allowed to account for a highly anticipated inflow of economic benefit,” said Suvigya Awasthy, a New Delhi-based Associate Partner at PSL Advocates and Solicitors, who specializes in commercial disputes.

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    Starlink Broadband Global Coverage In Five Weeks, But That Doesn’t Mean You Can Buy It Right Away - News18

    The Starlink satellite broadband is on target to get global coverage in place within the next five weeks, that’s according to the update shared by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. He’s also confident that the Starlink broadband service will have 500,000 users globally within the next 12 months. He has also confirmed that the prices for the broadband service subscription will be the same globally, accounting for currency exchange rates. This means the $99 per month price is to be expected in India as well as the service will roll out sometime next year. SpaceX is also working on more cost-effective next-gen terminals that allow users to connect to satellite broadband, because the ones bundled at this time see the company losing money on every sale. Musk believes Starlink satellite broadband will fill the gap between 5G mobile services and fiber broadband.

    “In August we should have global connectivity in everywhere except the poles,” said Elon Musk, during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) keynote speech. Before we get into the finer details, it is important to note that what Musk may be indicating at is the availability of SpaceX Starlink satellites positioned and in place to provide broadband coverage in most parts of the world. And not necessarily that you’d be able to buy it in your part of the world within the next 5 weeks. With services rolling out ahead of plan in more countries, Starlink is confident of clocking 500,000 users in the next year. Musk also confirmed that Starlink services are available in 12 countries, and hopes to add more countries every month.

    Musk believes that satellite broadband services will complement existing 5G mobile networks as well as the fiber broadband options. “You can think of Starlink as filling in the gaps between 5G and fiber and really getting to the parts of the world that are the hardest to reach,” he said. That being said, pricing will remain a challenge for Starlink globally. The company has confirmed that the subscription and tariff prices will be the same around the world, which means it’ll be a direct conversion of the $99 monthly charge in place already, with local taxes added on. In India, you’d be looking at somewhere around Rs 7,000 per month for Starlink satellite broadband services. And there is also the $499 bundle that includes the dish antenna and the terminal, which Musk admits costs SpaceX around $1000, and plans are very much in place to get the next generation update in place that’ll reduce the terminal cost significantly.

    Earlier this year, Starlink rolled out pre-reservation invites in India for those who may be interested in signing up, and the service is expected to roll out sometime in 2022. The Starlink deposit terms for this $99 that you pay today suggest that this is for the purchase of the Starlink equipment that you’ll need to access the satellite broadband service. “By placing your Deposit Payment, you have established priority within your region for purchasing the Starlink Kit when available,” says Starlink. Payments are accepted via credit cards and debit cards, as well as Apple Pay, which is still not officially rolled out as a digital payment platform in India. Starlink says that the $99 deposit is fully refundable at any time, though you will forfeit your priority service access position. It is expected that the Starlink hardware kits will be in limited supply, at least in the initial months, of launch of the Starlink satellite broadband in India.

    It has also been confirmed that the satellite broadband service will now get a speed boost to 300Mbps this year. That will be double of the maximum speeds that Starlink delivers to customers, which is up to 150Mbps at this time. Starlink, during the beta testing phase, till now offers users broadband speeds between 50Mbps and 150Mbps with the latency expected between 20ms and 40ms, depending on location. The aim is to eventually offer as much as 1Gbps internet speeds and a global coverage, in due course of time, with a fairly low latency of up to 25ms, once the satellite constellation is complete.

    Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here

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    Tuesday, June 29, 2021

    More Power To Minority Shareholders, Relief For Mature Investors: Key Changes Approved By SEBI - BloombergQuint

    The market regulator approved several changes to its regulations today, ranging from those relating to independent directors, accredited investors, Indian investment managers, debt and non-convertible securities.

    The key changes approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India include:

    Independent Directors: Public Shareholders To Get More Say

    Prompted by concerns around efficacy of independent directors and the need to strengthen their independence, the market regulator had floated certain proposals to protect minority investors. SEBI has now notified them effective from Jan. 1, 2022:

    • Appointment, re-appointment or removal of independent directors will now require a special resolution—at least 75% of those voting must favour it.

    • Shareholder approval for appointment of all directors, including independent directors, will need to be taken at the next general meeting, or within three months of the appointment on the board, whichever is earlier.

    • Enhanced disclosures regarding the skills required for appointment as an independent director and how the proposed candidate fits into that skillset.

    • The nomination and remuneration committee will now be composed of two-thirds of independent directors instead of the existing requirement of a plain majority.

    A cooling off period of three years will be applicable if key managerial personnel, their relatives and employees of promoter group companies are sought to be appointed as independent directors.

    An independent director—intending to transition as a whole-time director in the same company, its holding, subsidiary, associate or promoter group company—can do so after a gap of one year.

    Interestingly, SEBI has also urged the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to consider allowing companies to remunerate independent directors via profit-linked commissions, sitting fees, ESOPs, etc., under company law.

    Flexibility For Debt Issuers

    In May, SEBI had proposed merging its regulations for debt securities and non-convertible redeemable preference shares.

    The regulator has now done so by approving a single regulation for both.

    All issuers, including those who don't have a three-year existence history, can tap the bond market as long as:

    • Issuance is made only on a private placement basis.

    • On the electronic book platform.

    • Is open for subscription only to qualified institutional buyers.

    Unlisted real estate investment trusts and infrastructure investment trusts haven't been allowed to make such debt issuances.

    Additionally, the requirement of minimum rating of AA- for non-convertible redeemable preference shares has been removed. To encourage public issuances of debt securities, requirement of minimum size of Rs 100 crore has been done away with.

    "The proposed changes provide listed infrastructure investment funds and real estate investment funds to access diverse sources of funding, provides InvITs and REITs to structure more value accretive acquisitions and increases the depth of the debt market as InvITs and REITs are inherently more active in capital raising and acquisition of assets," Kranti Mohan, partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, said.

    Relief For Sophisticated Investors

    SEBI has allowed accreditation of investors, who are well informed or well advised about investment products.

    This would include entities which did not qualify as qualified institutional buyers but who still are financially sophisticated and would include individuals, HUFs, family trusts, partnership firms and similar entities, Yash Ashar, partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, pointed out.

    An accredited investor will have flexibility to participate in investment products with an investment amount lesser than the minimum amount mandated in the Alternative Investment Funds Regulations and Portfolio Managers Regulations. They will also enjoy regulatory relaxations subject to certain minimum investments.

    For an accredited investor in an AIF, if the amount from each investor is at least Rs 70 crore, certain regulatory requirements will be relaxed. If investment is at least Rs 10 crore in PMS, accredited investor can invest in unlisted securities and enter into bilateral negotiations with PMS provider.

    "The accredited investor category is an idea whose time had long come and it’s great to see SEBI giving it form," Shruti Rajan, partner at Trilegal, told BloombergQuint. This will act as a huge incentive to the fund management industry and also help development of AI driven robo advisory products, which have long grappled with the conventional suitability and KYC measures, she said.

    Indian Fund Managers, Rejoice

    To facilitate management of offshore investment funds, resident Indian fund managers have been permitted to be constituents of foreign portfolio investors.

    But these FPIs will have to be investment funds approved by the tax department.

    Besides these, SEBI has also increased the reward amount for informants under its insider trading regulations, from Rs 1 crore to Rs 10 crore.

    It has also changed the minimum investment requirement by asset management companies. It'll now be linked to the risk associated with the scheme. Currently, mutual funds are required to invest 1% of the NFO amount or Rs 50 lakh, whichever is less.

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    Govt’s fiscal consolidation plan to aid private sector, boost capex revival - Moneycontrol

    Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman The 2024 Interim budget is based on the robust framework of “Viksit Bharat by 2047.” Driving this gr...