Sensex plunges 6.6% as domestic bourses underperform global peers

Key benchmark indices underperformed its global peers today as fall in India's exports for the first time in five years and worries about the global economy eclipsed optimism over China's massive $600 billion economic stimulus package. The BSE 30-share Sensex slumped 696.47 points or 6.61%. Reduction in India's growth forecast by US bank Morgan Stanley also weighed on the sentiment.

The selling was broad-based, with all BSE sectoral indices in the red and all the 30 Sensex stock in negative zone. For the first time in the last five years, in October 2008, there has been a decline of over 15% in India's exports in dollar terms, the Director General of Foreign Trade R S Gujral said on Monday, 10 November 2008.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley on Monday, 10 November 2008, cut its forecast for Indian economic growth in 2008/09 (April-March) to 5.7% from 6.5% due to high cost of capital, falling consumer loan growth and reduced demand.

Stocks fell in Asia and Europe as evidence of a weakening Chinese economy, feeble data from Australia and Britain and gloomy US corporate news, reinforced fears of a prolonged global recession. In Europe, the key benchmark indices in UK, Germany and France were down by between 1.72% and 2.51%. In Asia, the key benchmark indices in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan were down by between 2.06% and 4.77%.

Russian regulators halted trading on one of the country's two main stock indexes after it fell 6.5%, dragged down by commodity and banking shares. Trading in US index futures indicated the Dow will fall 82 points at the opening bell.

The BSE 30-share Sensex slumped 696.47 points or 6.61% to 9,839.69. At the day's low of 9,800.67 hit in late trade, the Sensex crashed 735.49 points. The Sensex lost 138.80 points at the day's high of 10,397.36 in early trade.

The S&P CNX Nifty tumbled 209.6 points or 6.665 at 2938.65. Nifty November 2008 futures were at 3922, at a discount of 16.65 points as compared to spot closing. Turnover in NSE's futures & options (F&O) segment surged to Rs 40,386.30 crore from Rs 30,290.49 crore on Monday, 10 November 2008.

The barometer index BSE Sensex is down 10,447.30 points or 51.49% in the calendar year 2008 so far from its close of 20,286.99 on 31 December 2007. It is 11,367.08 points or 53.60% below its all-time high of 21,206.77 struck on 10 January 2008.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was poor on BSE with 1770 shares declining as compared with 773 that advanced. 68 shares remained unchanged.

The BSE Mid-Cap index lost 3.41% to 3,356.70 and the BSE Small-Cap index shed 2.51% to 3,888.01. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.

The total turnover on the BSE amounted to Rs 3722 crore as compared to Rs 3703 crore on Monday, 10 November 2008.

India's largest dam builder Jaiprakash Associates tumbled 12.93% to Rs 84.15 on 25.28 lakh shares on profit booking. The stock gained 26.92% to Rs 96.65 in one month to 10 November 2008. It was the top loser from the Sensex pack.

Metal shares reversed Monday's (10 November 2008) sharp gains on renewed gloom over the global economy. The BSE Metal index fell 8.42% to 5,233.77, and was the second worst hit among the BSE sectoral indices.

India's top private sector aluminium producer by sales Hindalco Industries plunged 10.48% to Rs 59.80 after its Canada-based unit's net loss widened to $103 million in Q2 September 2008 as against a net loss of $19 million in Q2 September 2007. Sales rose 2.47% to $2.9 billion in Q2 September 2008 over Q2 September 2007. It was the top loser from the Sensex pack

Sterlite Industries (down 11.53% to Rs 247), and Tata Steel (down 11.17% to Rs 190.50), were the other losers from the metal pack.

Realty shares declined on concerns the global credit crunch and a rise in borrowing costs will lead to a shortage of funds and thereby impact profitability. Unitech (down 10% to Rs 50.75), and Indiabulls Real Estate (down 15.79% to Rs 129.45), dropped. The BSE Realty index plunged 10.25% to 2,208.71 and was the biggest loser from the BSE sectoral indices.

The country's largest real estate developer by market capitalisation, DLF, slumped 11.04% to Rs 265, on reports it has put on hold construction of one of the most high-profile mall project, at Gurgaon, as retail rentals fall and cash becomes precious. The proposed venture was set to be the country's largest mall, with around 4.5-million square feet space.

India's largest private sector company by market capitalization and oil refiner Reliance Industries (RIL) lost 7.29% to Rs 1208 on reports it is unlikely to meet its previously-announced commissioning schedules for two key oil and gas projects. The stock swung in a band of Rs 1194 and Rs 1288.45 in choppy trade.

India's top oil exploration company by net profit ONGC slumped 9.53% to Rs 729, reversing strong gains in the previous day. The stock had surged 8.84% on Monday, 10 November 2008 after media reports quoted ONGC's chairman RS Sharma on Saturday, 8 November 2008, as saying that the company is not facing cash flow problems and is still looking for acquisition opportunities despite the global financial crisis. The BSE Oil & Gas index slipped 7.18%, to 5,922.61.

Auto shares declined as automobile sales in the festive month of October fell 14.42%. The BSE Auto index fell 4.3% to 2,609.83. Mahindra & Mahindra (down 8.01% to Rs 357), Tata Motors (down 8.89% to Rs 154.70), and Maruti Suzuki India (down 3.36% to Rs 576), edged lower

The total number of automobiles (which include cars, commercial vehicles, two-wheelers etc) sold in October 2008 slipped to 8.65 lakh compared with 10.11 lakh units sold in October 2007. The key reason for the sharp decline in sales was the credit squeeze as 70% of vehicle sales in the country (90% in case of commercial vehicles) are financed through loans.

Capital goods heavyweights slipped on fears the global credit crisis may lead to a slowdown in overseas orders. India's top engineering and construction firm by sales Larsen & Tourbo shed 7% to Rs 858. Bharat Heavy Electricals the country's largest power equipment maker by sales, fell 10.43% to Rs 1355 slipped on profit booking. The BSE Capital Goods index lost 7.24% at 7,530.88

Bank shares slipped on worries about bad loans in a slowing economy. India's largest private sector bank by net profit ICICI Bank lost 8.75% to Rs 429.90 despite 4.62% rally in its ADR on Monday, 10 November 2008. HDFC bank (down 7.06% to Rs 1018), and State Bank of India (down 5.80% to Rs 1226.05), were not spared either. The Bankex shed 6.17% to 5,425.50.

IT pivotals slipped following weak sentiment on technology stocks in Asia after the No. 2 U.S. electronics retailer Circuit City, on Monday, 10 November 2008, filed for bankruptcy. The BSE IT Index slumped 6.43% to 2,634.88. India's fourth largest IT exporter by sales Wipro fell 9.32% to Rs 244.35

India's second largest IT exporter by sales Infosys slipped 5.85% to Rs 1260. India's largest IT exporter by sales Tata Consultancy Services fell 4.18% to Rs 522.

India's third largest IT exporter by sales Satyam Computer Services lost 10.61% to Rs 265.10 despite acquiring US mobile phone-maker Motorola's software development centre in Malaysia for an undisclosed sum. Satyam will absorb the centre's 128 employees and take over the units assets as part of the deal. The acquisition is expected to create synergies and boost Satyam's competitiveness in Malaysia and Asia Pacific.

Telecom shares tumbled even as GSM-based mobile services providers added a record 7.7 million mobile users in October 2008. India's top mobile operator by market capitalisation, was down 8.15% to Rs 651.55. The company added 2.72 million mobile users in October 2008 taking its total subscribers to 80.2 million. India's second largest cellular services provider by market capitalisation Reliance Communications slipped 7.52% to Rs 217.70.

Tata Power (down 7.60% to Rs 747), NTPC (down 7.37% to Rs 150.25) and Reliance Infrastructure (down 8.44% to Rs 569.70), edged lower from the Sensex pack.

FMCG shares outperformed the BSE Sensex on defensive buying. The BSE FMCG index was down 1.27% to 1,949.41, and was the best performing BSE sectoral index. India's top cigarette maker by sales ITC rose 0.35% to Rs 173 and was the lone gainer from the Sensex pack. The stock rebounded from day's low of Rs 170

Though Hindustan Unilever (down 2.56% to Rs 245.35), Nestle (down 3.23% to Rs 1350), Colgate Palmolive India (down 1.99% to Rs 379.10), were in the red, all the three stocks outperformed the Sensex

Pharma shares, too, outperformed the BSE Sensex on hopes that increased presence of the Democrats in both US Houses is likely to benefit the Indian pharma industry through new legislations favouring use of low-cost generic drugs. The BSE Healthcare index was down 2.49% to 2,986.31.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories (up 1.11% to Rs 420), and Cipla (up 1.21% to Rs 201), rose. Though Sun Pharmaceuticals (down 3.96% to Rs 1200), and Ranbaxy Laboratories (down 6.76% to Rs 215.95), slipped, both the stocks outperformed the Sensex.

The move assumes significance as expenditures on healthcare in the world's largest market have surpassed $2 trillion in the past year and would prove to be a major target area for Indian pharma firms, one of the largest generic drug suppliers in the US.

Shares from the export-oriented textiles, apparel, gems and jewellery, diamonds, leather sectors declined after latest data showed a decline in exports in October 2008 for the first time in the last five years. Gokaldas Exports (down 3.25% to Rs 125), Alok Industries (down 9.45% to Rs 18.20), Welspun Industries (down 4.79% to Rs 23.90), Gitanjali Gems (down 9.12% to Rs 85.20), Bata India (down 6.66% to Rs 99.55), slipped.

Seven key export segments - textiles, apparel, gems and jewellery, diamonds, brassware, handicraft and leather - are reeling under recessionary trends, according to a recent appraisal by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham). Excluding the export of the petroleum products, there was still bigger drop of 20% in merchandise exports in October 2008.

Reliance Industries topped the turnover chart on BSE clocking a turnover of Rs 266.70 crore followed by Jaiprakash Associates (Rs 221.40 crore), Reliance Infrastructure (Rs 160 crore), Reliance Communications (Rs 154.40 crore) and Reliance Capital (Rs 130.50 crore), in that order.

GVK Power & Infrastructure led the volume chart with volumes of 2.63 crore shares followed by Jaiprakash Associates (2.53 crore shares), Suzlon Energy (1.88 crore shares), Pennar Steel (98 lakh shares) and Reliance Natural Resources (94 lakh shares), in that order.

NMDC rose 0.65% to Rs 185.05, off day's high of Rs 204.05 on reports of the company successfully negotiating a whopping 102% hike in export prices of iron ore from Japanese and South Korean steel mills.

Binani Industries soared 20% to Rs 37.20 after its board will meet on 18 November 2008 to consider buyback of equity shares. The company made this announcement after trading hours on Monday, 10 November 2008.

Everest Kanto Cylinder jumped 1.13% to Rs 192.80 after the company said it will consider share buyback and invest Rs 10 crore in a joint venture. The company made the announcement after market hours on 10 November 2008.

GEI Industrial Systems rose 0.26% to Rs 37.95 on bagging an export order worth Rs 24.50 crore. The company announced the order win before trading hours today, 11 November 2008.

Chinese import growth slowed in October 2008 and inflation fell to a 17-month low in the month as domestic demand cooled. On the flip side, exports rose 19.2%, beating market forecasts of an 18.8% rise. South Korean exports declined 26% during the first part of November 2008 from a year earlier.

Japan's exports tumbled nearly 10% from a year earlier in the first 20 days of October 2008, evidence of how quickly the global economy deteriorated after the financial crisis struck in mid-September 2008. Other data showed Japan's current account surplus in September 2008 halved from a year earlier, corporate bankruptcies hit their highest level this year and sentiment in the services sector hit a record low.

A survey of business conditions from National Australia Bank showed confidence at a record low in Australia and British retail sales fell for a fifth month in October 2008.

The No. 2 U.S. electronics retailer Circuit City was forced into bankruptcy just weeks before the holiday shopping season. Shares of US auto major and Dow component General Motors fell to 62-year lows on Monday, 10 November 2008, after Deutsche Bank lowered its equity value on the automaker to zero and a number of brokerages warned that GM and its rivals are burning through cash fast. Barclays Capital analysts on Monday, 10 November 2008, said they expect US bank Goldman Sachs to post a quarterly loss for the first time in its history due to steep equity market declines.

US light, sweet crude for December 2008 delivery fell $1.91 or 3% to $60.50 a barrel today, 11 November 2008 on a firmer dollar and on renewed gloom over the global economy.

Back home, unabated buying in blue chips throughout the day triggered a solid rally on Monday, 10 November 2008 after China's massive economic stimulus plan raised expectations that authorities elsewhere would follow suit. The BSE Sensex surged 571.87 points or 5.74%, to 10,536.16 and the S&P CNX Nifty advanced 175.25 points or 5.89%, to settle at 3148.25, on that day.