Market may tumble on weak global stocks; RCom eyed

The market may slump after disappointing US jobs data and concerns over Hungary's debt problems rattled world stocks. Trading in S&P CNX Nifty index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicated that the Nifty could tumble 121.50 points at the opening bell.

Among the stock specific action, shares of state-run oil market companies will be in focus ahead of the meeting of an empowered group of ministers (EGoM) today, 7 June 2010, to consider the Kirit Parikh committee recommendations on decontrol of fuel prices. The PSU OMC stocks had risen sharply over the past few days on expectations that the government may partially decontrol fuel prices. The Kirit Parikh committee had in February 2010 recommended freeing pump prices of petrol and diesel and raising kerosene prices by Rs 6 a litre and cooking gas prices by Rs 100 a cylinder.

India's second largest mobile services provider by sales Reliance Communications (RCom), burdened by debt and the cost of rolling out 3G services, said its board had agreed to sell up to 26% of the firm. RCom said its board had approved the issue of equity to strategic or private equity investors at a premium to the prevailing market price. The RCom stock had jumped 14% last week, with speculation rife that Abu Dhabi's Etisalat and South Africa's MTN could be potential partners. However, MTN had denied merger talks with the firm.

Asian stock markets tumbled on Monday, after Wall Street on Friday closed at its lowest level since February 2010, spooked by disappointing non-farms payroll data and concerns over Hungary's debt problems. The key benchmark indices in China, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan fell by between 1.43% to 4.01%.

US Stocks fell to their lowest close since February on Friday after May's jobs figure slammed investors already reeling from worry over another developing debt crisis, this time in Hungary. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 323.31 points, or 3.15% to 9,931.97. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 37.95 points, or 3.44% to 1,064.88. The Nasdaq Composite Index tumbled 83.86 points, or 3.64% to 2,219.17.

The latest data showed the US economy added fewer-than-expected jobs last month, with a large portion of those being temporary hirings for the US Census. The Labor Department said the US economy added 431,000 jobs in May 2010, far short of the 513,000 that Wall Street had expected. The unemployment rate dropped to 9.7% in May from 9.9% in April.

Europe's sovereign debt troubles could spread flared again after a Hungarian official said the country was at risk of a Greek-style crisis, driving the euro to a more than four-year low against the dollar. Hungary isn't a euro member.

Back home, the government after trading hours on Friday said all listed companies are required to maintain a minimum public float of 25%. Existing listed companies having less than 25% holding have to reach the stipulated level by an annual addition of not less than 5% to public holding, it said.

The monsoon rains were 11% below normal in the week to 2 June 2010, the weather office said on Thursday, 3 June 2010. The June-September monsoon rains hit Kerala on 31 May 2010, a day ahead of schedule. The south-west monsoon usually covers the entire country by mid-July. The weather office late April 2010 said rainfall is likely to be 98% of the long-term average. Good monsoon rains would help raise farm output, boost rural incomes and lower food inflation.

Last month, Australia's weather bureau said the El Nino weather pattern was over. El Nino is caused by an abnormal warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean and can play havoc with weather patterns across the Asia-Pacific region.

The south west monsoon is important for India as about 60% of the country's farmlands are rain-fed and more than half of the workforce is employed in the agriculture sector. The quantum of rainfall in the crucial sowing month of July and distribution of rainfall during the monsoon season also holds key.

Data last week showed business activity remained strong for India's vast services sector in May 2010, with a key gauge growing for a 13th consecutive month even as some momentum was lost over the previous month. The HSBC-Markit Business Activity Index stood at 58.2 in May 2010 from a 21-month high of 62.1 in April 2010. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. Services make up about 55% of India's $1.2 trillion economy.

HSBC Markit Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), based on a survey of 500 Indian firms, surged to a 27-month high of 59 in May 2010 from 57.2 in April 2010, bolstered by steady growth in output, new orders and employment. The rate of growth had slowed in March 2010 and April 2010.

On a flip side, another data showed that the food articles index rose 16.55% in the year to 22 May 2010, accelerating from previous week's rise of 16.23%. The primary articles index, which also includes food articles, rose 16.89%, higher than previous week's 15.90% rise. The fuel price index increased to 14.14 % versus 12.08% rise in the previous week.

India's economy grew at 8.6% in the March 2010 quarter driven by robust manufacturing sector on the back of government and consumer spending, data released by the government on Monday, 31 May 2010, showed. The growth was significantly higher than the revised 6.5% expansion in Q3 December 2009 and a 5.8% growth in Q4 March 2009. The manufacturing sector grew 16.3%, farm output rose 0.7%, mining sector expanded 14% and services increased by 8.4% in January-March 2010 quarter from a year earlier.

For the full year to March 2010, the economy expanded 7.4%, above a government forecast of 7.2%. Economic growth had slowed down to 6.7% in year ended March 2009.

The RBI expects India's economy to expand 8% in the year ending March 2011 (FY 2011) with an upward bias, assuming a normal monsoon this year and sustenance of good performance of the industrial and services sectors on the back of rising domestic and external demand. The RBI at its annual policy review on 20 April 2010 said it will continue to monitor macroeconomic conditions, particularly the price situation closely and take further action as warranted.

Meanwhile, a revenue bounty for the government from the sale of telecom spectrum would help bring down fiscal deficit in the current financial year.

Investors will eye the first installment of the corporate advance tax payment which will give some clue about Q1 June 2010 corporate results. The first installment of corporate advance tax falls due on 15 June. The combined net profit of a total of 3,572 companies rose 13.7% to Rs 87,241 crore on 24.70% rise in sales to Rs 9,27,168 crore in the quarter ended March 2010 over the quarter ended March 2009.

The key benchmark indices rose for the third straight day on Friday, 4 June 2010 as Asian stocks recovered. The BSE 30-share Sensex jumped 95.36 points or 0.56% to 17,117.69 on Friday.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) on Friday bought stocks worth a net Rs 100.91 crore, as per provisional data from the stock exchanges. Domestic funds sold shares worth a net Rs 126.61 crore.

Euro zone debt worries caused massive outflow of foreign funds from India recently as investors shunned risk. Foreign funds sold shares worth a net Rs 185.86 crore in the first four trading sessions this month, as per data from the stock exchanges. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) had dumped shares worth a net Rs 12071.14 crore in May 2010.

Domestic funds have bought stocks worth a net Rs 328.17 crore in the first four days this month. Domestic funds bought stocks worth a net Rs 6361.17 crore in May 2010