Railways to install digital signboards to display ads

The Indian Railways has said that it will install large digital signboards across 2000 busy stations to display train-related information and commercial advertisements. As per reports, Railways will install about 100,000 networked large screens across 2000 stations connected using multi-path protected optical fibre network, with a screen in front of each train coach, in concourse, circulating area, foot over bridges, waiting rooms, lounges and every other place that makes sense to the rail users. Commenting on the issue, a senior Railway Official told the media, "We are planning carving out a new category of mass addressing by putting up large digital signboards for large viewership at the covered and uncovered platforms, open spaces in the entrance and exit areas and the long foot bridges that span across several platforms for displaying information related to train status round-the-clock using an all-India railway display network (RDN)." “The information needs of the travelling public pertaining to train arrival and departure times, expected delays, cancellations, route diversions and platform numbers of arrivals and departures of different trains will be displayed on these signboards,” he added.

Insurance is a service, not a product, says IRDA chief

Speaking at the FINCON 2016, the 17th annual Insurance Conference organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Mr T S Vijayan, Chairman, lnsurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), focused on three main aspects of the insurance sector: products, technology and customer grievances. About customer grievances, Mr Vijayan said that he was more interested in how insurance companies were handling claims, and not on the fine print of their policy documents. “This is a service, not a product,” he said, and wanted consumers to be aware of their rights. He was against companies questioning whether a victim should have been ‘present at a particular spot at a particular time’. “That should not be asked by the company, it is the work of the police.” Some companies offer consumers the choice of paying their premium at one time or over a period of five years; if the policy offered is declared as a five year policy and the company collects the premium at one stroke, Mr Vijayan was clear that “the difference should be returned to the customer.” He highlighted the changes sweeping the insurance sector in India. Chief among these were the change in the Insurance Act. These changes made it imperative for the regulator to respond in an appropriate manner. Despite this, the industry is very buoyant. However, he observed, that in 2014-15, real premium growth was 1.4 per cent and this highlights the potential for growth at least to catch up with the global standard. “The secret,” he advised companies, “is not on fighting the old but on building the new. Past experience may not be the right guidelines for the future.” The regulator’s chief concern is the customer and the people working in the sector, he disclosed. The insurance sector employs more than 20 lakh people. The opening up of the sector in 2000 brought with it changes and policies have to respond to these changes. The Government is cognisant of the disruptive changes driven by technology. These should be used for the benefit of customers. Mr Vijayan was all praise for the companies that responded promptly to the demands created by the recent floods in Chennai. “That is your moment of truth,” he felt. “When the need arises, you are able to offer support.”

PowerMin may push Electricity Amendment Bill in Budget Session

The Power Ministry is likely to push in the upcoming Budget session the Electricity Amendment Bill which seeks separation of carriage and content in power distribution, reported PTI. The Bill also seeks to provide multiple supply licences in the markets to enable electricity consumers choose their service providers among many. "The Bill is ready with the ministry and can be sent for Cabinet approval soon. After the Cabinet nod, it can be introduced again in the Lok Sabha," a senior ministry official told PTI. The official said, "All issues related to the Bill have been resolved particularly those raised by the power sector workers. It provides that states will prepare a roadmap for segregation of power distribution network business and the electricity supply business in five years time." "The new proposed Bill, ready for Cabinet approval, does not provide any timeline for segregation of carriage and content in power business. This was explained to power sector employees and they appeared to be convinced on that. Thus it is likely to be tabled again in the Budget Session," he added. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 19, 2014. It was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy. The panel gave its report on May 7, 2015. The panel had asked for more clarity about the level and manner of implementing such segregation. It has also asked for broad and flexible guidelines to give the states due scope for aligning these guidelines as per their conditions. Power sector employees also expressed their concerns about the segregation of the content and carriage business in electricity distribution saying that it could lead to cherry picking by the private sector. The committee has also suggested that granting of licences by central and state regulators should not be left completely to the discretion of these commissions. It had asked to lay down some well defined parameters to reduce the discretionary and arbitrary powers of commissions. These parameters should also divide the consumers for supply on the basis of their status, cross-subsidies paid to them, and nature of technical and commercial losses, it has suggested. The Committee had observed that no details have been provided in the Electricity Amendment Bill 2014 on options available to consumers regarding options available to them, changing their service provider and cost involved in that. The ministry official said that the concerns raised by the committee and other stakeholders have been resolved in the redrafted Bill.

PE deal tally rises 30 pct to $16 bn in 2015: Grant Thornton

Private equity deal tally surged by 30 per cent to USD 16 billion through 1,000 deals in 2015, largely driven by the startup segment, which contributed 60 per cent of the total investment volume, says a report as per the PTI.

In 2014, there were 608 private equity transactions worth USD 12.37 billion.

According to assurance, tax and advisory firm Grant Thornton, 2015 witnessed PE activity at an all-time peak contributing more than 60 per cent of overall deal volume during the year and 34 per cent of overall deal values.

“With inflation in control and GDP growth being revised to now higher than anticipated, all necessary ingredients seem to be in place for growth in deal activity as well. The recent FDI norms and the much-awaited GST will perhaps be a game changer and will accelerate the deal activity from an inbound investment, domestic M&A and PE perspective,” Grant Thornton India partner Prashant Mehra said.

The substantial increase in volume was largely due to an impressive level of interest among private equity and venture capita investors in India’s startups, the report said, adding that a huge chunk of the total volume — over 600 investments — involved startups.

The year also witnessed evolved startups like Flipkart, Snapdeal, Olacabs and Paytm raising funds in excess of USD 500 million at huge valuations.

The year saw various investor classes like angel investors, angel networks, venture capitalists and some of the more established PE funds betting on the startup growth story.

In 2015, IT & ITeS sector witnessed 38 per cent growth year on year, thereby reaching the highest record in this segment.

This sector alone contributed 45 per cent of total investments with USD 7 billion in 2015, thereby driving investment growth this year

Finance ministry seeks banks' view on more capital infusion

Pursuant to public sector banks' revamp plan, Indradhanush, the Finance Ministry has asked NPA-laden state-run lenders to present their business plans to understand their incremental capital requirement following the RBI directives to clean up their books, said the media reports.

Some banks have already made their presentations to the North Block and the remaining are being called in now.

The Indradhanush plan envisages Rs 70,000 crore of capital infusion over the next four years. Of this Rs 25,000 crore each will be infused in FY16 and FY17 and Rs 10,000 crore each in FY18 and FY19, reported PTI.

The government estimates that state-run lenders would require Rs 1.8 lakh crore over the next four years. Banks will have to raise the balance Rs 1.10 trillion from the market.

But the calculation has changed after RBI identified top 150 defaulters and asked banks to make provisions for those accounts and clean their books by March, 2017.

Following this, the banks are demanding higher capital infusion from the government as they are unable to raise funds from the market in prevailing conditions, wherein their stocks are trading on an average almost 60 per cent below their March, 2015 high, and also as higher provisioning norms have left them cash starved.

Under Indradhanush, the government had already infused Rs 20,088 crore into 13 public sector banks last September and the remaining Rs 5,000 crore would be given in the March quarter looking at the performance in the first nine months.

"Due to this additional provisioning our capital adequacy will be impacted and to maintain it we will require capital from the government," a senior public sector banker told PTI.

Higher provisioning norms are going to impact banks profitability over the next few quarters. The banker said capital need for his bank has increased by more than Rs 1,000 crore than estimated during the beginning of the fiscal.

Lenders also said with a substantial amount of their funds going for provisioning for these 150 accounts, they are left with very little growth capital and so need support from the government.

Many banks, who were looking to raise funds through qualified institutional placement, are planning to defer them as market conditions are not very conducive.

"Interest in equity market has dwindled. We are seeing low retail participation and also foreign investors are not very keen. In such a scenario, raising money from market is not a good idea. We need support from the government," another senior public sector banker told

RBI to auction four dated govt sec for Rs 14,000 cr on Jan 29

The Reserve Bank of India on Friday said that it will auction four dated government securities for Rs 14,000 crore on January 29, 2016.

“The auctions will be conducted using multiple price method,” RBI said in a notification.

Both competitive and non-competitive bids for the auction should be submitted in electronic format on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber) system on January 29, 2016. The non-competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. and the competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 a.m. and 12.00 noon.

The result of the auctions will be announced on January 29, 2016, it notified.

Investment via P-Notes hits 15-month low at Dec end

Investment through Participatory Notes (P-Notes) into India's capital markets has hit a 15-month low of Rs 2.35 lakh crore (about USD 16 billion) at the end of December, said the media reports. P-Notes, mostly used by overseas HNIs (High Net Worth Individuals), hedge funds and other foreign institutions, allow investors to invest in Indian markets through registered foreign institutional investors (FIIs). This saves time and cost for them, but the flip side is that the route can also be used for round-tripping of black money. According to Sebi data, total value of P-Notes investment in Indian markets (equity, debt and derivatives) declined to Rs 2,35,534 crore at the end of December from Rs 2,54,600 crore in the previous month, reported PTI. This is the lowest level since September 2014, when the cumulative value of such investments stood at Rs 2.22 lakh crore. In October, investment was at Rs 2.58 lakh crore through this route. The total outstanding value of P-Notes witnessed a steady rise since January and the momentum continued till March. However, investments through this route registered a drop in April, but hit a seven-year high in May. The inflows slipped in the subsequent three months (June-August) but marginally rose in September and October and again fell in November as well as in December. The drop in investment via P-Notes during June-August came when Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money asked Sebi to review its regulations on participatory notes to help identify the end users of these instruments. However, the government later said it had no intention of banning this financial instrument overnight. The quantum (percentage) of FII investments via P-Notes fell to 10.1 per cent from 11 per cent. Till a few years ago, P-Notes used to account for more than 50 per cent of total FII investment, but their share has fallen over the years after Sebi tightened disclosure norms and other related regulations. As things stand, P-Notes make up around 15-20 per cent of the total FII investment in India since 2009. While it used to be much higher, 25-40 per cent in 2008, the reading was as high as over 50 per cent at the peak of stock market bull run in 2007. In absolute terms, the value of P-Notes investment rose to a record of Rs 4.5 lakh crore in October 2007, but dropped to Rs 3.22 lakh crore in February 2008 and Rs 60,948 crore in February 2009.

Refunds for ITR filed online to be further hastened: official

The Income Tax department will further hasten the speed of issuing refunds to taxpayers who e-file their returns as it's Bengaluru-based CPC has adopted a variety of smart business procedures in the recent past, a senior official said as per the PTI report.

The official involved in the operations of the Central Processing Centre (CPC) said while it has ensured that refunds are issued within 30 days in 73 per cent of e-filed ITR cases during this year, the new and modern protocols adopted by it will ensure that these numbers go up substantially in the coming days and enhance taxpayer satisfaction.

"If the returns and the details within it are filed correctly by the taxpayers, the department is sure that the refunds could be issued in less than a month's time. In many cases the CPC has issued refunds within a week and we expect this to soon become a routine affair. Adopting new business processes and certifications is a work in this direction," the official said as per the media report.

The CPC, a flagship project of the department for IT Returns (ITRs) filing, has recently been awarded the 'ISO 9001:2008' standard for Quality Management System and with this latest cap in the feather, it has become the only organisation in the country to have received three top-notch awards for undertaking best business practises in its work domain.

"The IT department's CPC is the only organisation in India which has been awarded the top awards in business management under the categories of quality management, privacy and security management and records upkeep management. With these accolades the CPC is surely enabled to work and deliver taxpayer services in a better, enhanced and efficient manner," BSI Managing Director Venkataram Arabolu said as per the reports.

The BSI had conducted an audit of the CPC in this regard and handed over the certification based on various parameters and benchmarks created to check best business practises.

Echoing similar views, the official said with government's enhanced impetus on issuing quick refunds to taxpayers, the CPC will surely be the most important and instrumental wing of the department to usher in these measures.

As per official data till December last year, the CPC processed 3.27 crore returns, registering a growth of 18 per cent over 2.65 crore returns processed during the same period the previous year.

During the current year, the CPC issued refunds in 1.81 crore cases out of which in 1.32 crore cases, 73 per cent, the refunds were issued within 30 days of filing of the returns by the taxpayers.

Operationalised in 2009, the CPC has earlier been certified for its information security management system in 2014 and for its records management system in 2013.

"Conformance to these internationally recognised standards ensures that the CPC is able to efficiently and accurately process Income Tax returns and expeditiously issue refunds," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had recently said.

Sales to pick up in next 6 months; investment to stay muted: Survey

India Inc hopes to see better sales volume and improved capacity utilization in the next two quarters but does not expect any uptick in investment and corporate earnings even as the overall macro situation would change for better, according to an ASSOCHAM Bizcon Survey. The Bizcon Survey, capturing the reading of the economy as also the firms at the individual level in December,2015 noted that 62.5 per cent of the respondents felt “the state of economy would be better in the coming six months”, although not much has changed in the past six months . Lack of investment appetite in the private sector in the backdrop of lower capacity utilization, excess supply and continuous pressure on profitability are the areas of concern, for the next few quarters. “In terms of the domestic investment, 58.3 per cent felt that there has been no change in the investment plans at the level of individual firms. The sentiment seems to remain muted, going forward with 62.5 per cent respondents of the view that January to March 2016 quarter would not see much change in the investment levels. Thus there seems to be a continuing lack of appetite for new investment in the private sector”, the Bizcon Survey said. ASSOCHAM Secretary General Mr D S Rawat shared the concerns brought out by the respondents in terms of pressure on profitability and lack of investment. “Global deflationary situation creeping into India in several sectors is hitting investor sentiment. The consumer confidence can return only if there are more job opportunities through higher investment into productive areas of the economy like construction, infrastructure and manufacturing. The lead, has to be taken by the government which has an onerous task before itself along with financial sector regulators like Reserve Bank of India and SEBI to ensure investor confidence in the markets which can then feed the investment climate”. Broadly in line with the macro picture, the Bizcon Survey also found similar state of affairs at the industry level, which is however, maintaining a sense of hope and optimism for the short to medium terms, at least in projecting better sales volume and capacity utilization.

Moody's places ONGC, OVL rating on review for downgrade

Moody's Investors Service has placed the ratings of state-run oil producers ONGC and its subsidiary ONGC Videsh "on review for downgrade" on slumping oil prices, weakening demand and prolonged period of oversupply. Besides Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), Moody's placed the ratings of Oil India Ltd amongst 120 global exploration and production firms on review for downgrade. "These reviews reflect a mix of declining prices that are near multi-year lows, weakening demand and a prolonged period of oversupply that will continue to significantly stress the credit profiles of companies in the oil and gas sector," it said as per the media report. The action, Moody's said, reflected the rating agency's effort to recalibrate the ratings in the oil and gas portfolios to align with the fundamental shifts in credit conditions. Of the 120 companies, seven are from south and southeast Asia. These include Pertamina of Indonesia, Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Berhad or Petronas and PTT Exploration & Production of Thailand. Moody's said it is placing local currency issuer rating of Baa1 of ONGC on review for downgrade. The same has been done for the foreign currency issuer rating of Baa2 of ONGC Videsh and Oil India's Baa2 Backed Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture rating. "Oil prices have deteriorated substantially in the past few weeks and have reached nominal price lows not seen in more than a decade," Moody's said. Stating that it has adjusted its view downward for the likely range of prices, the rating agency said it saw "a substantial risk that prices may recover much more slowly over the medium term than many companies expect, as well as a risk that prices might fall further." "Even under a scenario with a modest recovery from current prices, producing companies and the drillers and service companies that support them will experience rising financial stress with much lower cash flows," it said. As part of its ongoing assessment of energy markets, Moody's sharply reduced its oil price assumptions in light of continuing oversupply in the global oil markets and demand growth that remains tepid. "Iran is poised to add more than 500,000 barrels per day to global supply while OPEC and many non-OPEC oil producers continue to produce without restraint as they battle for market share. "The addition of Iranian oil to the market this year will offset or exceed expected declines in US production of about 500,000 bpd," it said. The increased production vastly exceeds growth in oil consumption, given modest growth in consumption from major consumers such as China, India and the US. "Production now exceeds demand by about 2 million barrels per day, adding to already high global oil stocks," Moody's said, projecting crude oil price to average USD 33 per barrel in 2016, USD 10 lower than its previous estimate.

SpiceJet swings to Q3 profit of Rs 238 cr

Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet on Friday reported that it swung to a net profit of Rs 238 crore in the third quarter ended December 31, 2015 as low fuel prices helped revive profitability. In Q3 FY 2014-15, the company had posted a net loss of Rs 275 crore, SpiceJet said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Net income from operations climbed by 11 per cent at Rs 1,460 crore in Q3 FY 2015-16 from Rs 1,311 crore in the same period a year ago. Total expenses fell by 22 per cent at Rs 1,211 crore in Q3 FY 2015-16 from Rs 1,550 crore in the same period a year ago. Aircraft fuel expenses plunged by 35 per cent at Rs 367 crore in Q3 FY 2015-16 from Rs 562 crore in the same period a year ago amidst falling crude prices. Other income climbed 10 per cent at Rs 12.53 crore in Q3 FY 2015-16 from Rs 11.37 crore in the same period a year ago. Finance costs fell 51 per cent at Rs 23.34 crore in Q3 FY 2015-16 from Rs 47 crore in the same period a year ago. Despite the upbeat earnings numbers, shares of SpiceJet fell by 5.03 per cent to end at Rs 70.85 a piece on the BSE on Friday.

Honda introduces new variant of City sedan

Honda Cars India announced that it has introduced a new variant of its mid sized sedan City with all-new black leather interiors alongside City’s existing top end VX (O) grade that is available in beige leather interiors. Honda City which is priced between Rs. 7.63 lakh and Rs. 11.94 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) has also launched new gear for child seats as standard equipment in the City Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) said in a statement, “Besides, dual SRS airbags has been made as a standard equipment for all grades in Honda City in addition to standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD).” HCIL Senior Vice President, Jnaneswar Sen said, “Our endeavour has always been to offer best-in-class products to our customers and we are happy to offer premium and luxurious black leather interiors in the City.” Honda has till now sold around 6 lakh units if Honda City in the country.

Pre Session- Dalal Street to extend rebound as global risk appetite returns

Indian equity benchmarks may witness a bullish opening on Monday tracking a rebound in global equities amidst bets of further central bank stimulus to prop up a recovery in the world economy, bolstering the lure for risky assets. A positive trend in Asian equities coupled with strength in the CNX Nifty Index futures for January delivery which advanced by 0.35 per cent or 26 points at 7,452.5 at 10:26 am Singapore time signals a gap up opening for the Sensex today. Global central banks have hinted that they may support the world economy with the European Central Bank (ECB) signaling a likely boost to its stimulus program as early as March while Bank of Japan may charter a similar course and expand monetary easing in the near-term. The US Federal Reserve which meets this week is unlikely to hike interest rates after a maiden lift-off since 2006 in December. A recovery in oil prices which are back above the USD 32 per barrel may also support sentiment at Dalal Street as a commodity rout eases. The 30-share benchmark on Friday snapped a two-day drop, rallying by 473.45 points or by 1.98 per cent to end at 24,435.66 as ECB’s stimulus hint and an oil rebound shored up sentiment across the globe. With markets closed on Tuesday on account of the Republic Day holiday, the Sensex may witness a volatility-ridden week as traders roll over their positions ahead of the expiry of the January Futures & Options (F&O) contracts on Thursday while Q3 earnings from the likes of HDFC, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, Maruti Suzuki, Vedanta, Yes Bank. L&T and NTPC may weigh on sentiment. Investors will also be eying the two-day policy meet of the US Federal Reserve beginning Tuesday, while global market cues, investment by foreign investors, movement of the rupee against the dollar and crude oil prices are also likely to dictate the domestic market direction this week.

Asian shares extended an impressive rebound as risk appetite returned as major global central banks vowed to come to the rescue of a fragile world economy while oil extended a renewed rally, helping stem a financial market rout. China’s Shanghai Composite eked out a handsome rally led by gains in coal and steel producers after policymakers committed to cut overcapacity in these industries. Hang Seng surged almost 2 per cent while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose over 1 per cent on speculation of further monetary stimulus from global central banks. Optimism of further stimulus support from central banks bolstered Wall Street on Friday as the S&P 500 marked its strongest two-day rally in three months as investors shrugged off mixed US economic data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.33 per cent; the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.66 per cent while S&P 500 closed up 2.03 per cent. While a gauge of US leading indicators declined for the first time in three months in December 2015, sales of previously owned homes surged in December, signaling a mixed outlook for the world’s biggest economy.

Top traded Volumes on NSE Nifty – Vedanta Ltd. 36038492.00, State Bank of India 21432409.00, Idea Cellular Ltd. 16875423.00, Axis Bank Ltd. 15009103.00 and ICICI Bank Ltd. 13771384.00.

On BSE, total number of shares traded was 32.22 Crore and total turnover stood at Rs. 3498.12 Crore

On NSE Future and Options, total number of contracts traded in index futures was 415710 with a total turnover of Rs. 21621.13 Crore. Along with this total number of contracts traded in stock futures were 855720 with a total turnover of Rs. 38691.96 Crore. Total numbers of contracts for index options were 5242729 with a total turnover of Rs. 284791.99 Crore and total numbers of contracts for stock options were 419641 with a total turnover of Rs. 19922.24 Crore.

The FIIs on 22/01/2016 stood as net seller in equity and debt. Gross equity purchased stood at Rs. 4042.86 Crore and gross debt purchased stood at Rs. 637.11 Crore, while the gross equity sold stood at Rs. 5663.73 Crore and gross debt sold stood at Rs. 803.25 Crore. Therefore, the net investment of equity and debt reported were Rs. -1620.87 Crore and Rs. -166.14 Crore.

Cairn India Q3 net plunges 99.4pct to Rs 8.69 cr

Oil & Gas exploration and production company Cairn India Ltd saw business taking a dip in October-December quarter, as the oil price collapse hit realisations. The company posted a consolidated net profit after taxes at Rs 8.69 crore in the quarter ended December 31, 2015. “The consolidated net profit after taxes of the company stood at Rs 1,349.64 crore during the same period a year ago,” said Cairn India Ltd in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange on January 22, 2016. Further, the consolidated total income of the company decreased by 44.5 per cent to Rs 2,230.19 crore during December, quarter 2015, as compared to Rs 4,020.57 crore during the same period last year, primarily due to decline in crude prices. Commenting on the performance, Cairn India Ltd, MD & CEO, Mayank Ashar said, “We maintain our strategic objective of generating healthy free cash flow which has been successfully guiding us through the constantly deteriorating oil pricing scenario. Our unwavering commitment to improve cost efficiency continues to help us to navigate through the weak oil price situation and to generate free cash flow.” “We continue to pursue pre-development activities for our growth projects to make them future ready for rapid development on oil prices rebound. We are continuously engaging with the Government to take actions to support the oil & gas industry in such a low oil price environment,” he added. Cairn said gross production per day for Q3 FY16 declined by 7 per cent to 2,02,668 boepd, as compared to 2,18,900 boepd during Q3 FY15 and working interest production per day was 1,28,402 boepd during the current quarter. Gross Sales averaged 2,00,449 boepd. Meanwhile, shares of the company closed at Rs 112.9 apiece, up 2.64 per cent, from previous close on BSE.

After dragging days; Draghi drives up sentiment now

Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose. - Lyndon B. Johnson
 
A happy end to a tumultuous week appears to be in store. The name is Draghi, Mario Draghi; and the ECB Chief has for now provided the much needed relief rally to global markets. Draghi stated that Europe’s monetary policy will be reviewed and recalibrated in March as downside risks to the economy has increased due to the descent in oil prices and crisis emanating from the emerging markets, particularly China. The statement indicated a strong possibility of another round of quantitative easing. Meanwhile, ECB at its policy meet decided to keep the benchmark rate unchanged at 0.05%. The overnight deposit rate was also left unchanged at -0.3%
 
The outlook is a positive start. Early indications are indices could remain in the green for most part of the day if global cues provide support. The Nifty has been making a series of lower tops since March, which suggests that it is moving in a downward sloping channel with lower trendline support placed around 7200. Sharp corrections tend to provide choppy movement wherein index will have few days of uptick followed by few days of downtick. For now it looks like we will have an uptick.  Cairn India and ITC results will be in limelight among others.
 
Asian markets are mostly in the green. US indices advanced on Thursday on the back of a recovery in crude oil prices. Dow climbed 0.7% and S&P 500 rose 0.5%.
 
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reportedly said it needs some additional growth engines and the focus now is on reviving private investments. 
 
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas (I/C) Dharmendra Pradhan said that the present Indian government is keen to move towards a geographically diversified energy basket, and this has resulted in India’s greater focus on Africa as a vital region for sourcing petroleum products in coming years. 
 
India's airlines may cut their cumulative losses by up to 72% this financial year said CAPA-Centre for Aviation. 
 
Shares of Reliance Capital and Idea Cellular Ltd will be in focus. Reliance Capital Ltd posted a net profit after taxes, minority interest and share of profit of associates of Rs. 2350 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 as compared to Rs. 2130 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. 
 
Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan has rejected Niti Aayog chief Arvind Panagariya's suggestion to raise the central bank's inflation target, according to reports. Rajan reportedly said that the current global market turbulence may owe much to central banks persisting with stimulus programmes for too long.
 
Among stocks to watch: 
 
ITC: The company will announce its Q3 result today. The company is likely to post revenue of Rs. 9,326 crore in Q3, a 4.3% growth Y-o-Y basis and 4.7% growth Q-o-Q basis as per IIFL estimates.
 
Alembic Pharma: Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd reported a 281% increase in net profit at Rs.269.5 crore for the third quarter that ended on December 31, 2015.
 
Cairn India: The company will announce its Q3 result today. IIFL expects net revenue to plunge 42.5% to Rs. 2,014 crore yoy; Q3 net revenue is expected to decline 10.2% qoq.
 
Cipla: Cipla's founder Y.K. Hamied plans to increase his shareholding in one of India's leading drugmakers to more than 20 per cent by acquiring over 5 per cent additional stake, reports a business daily. Cipla informed BSE that FIL Capital Investments (Mauritius) II Limited have informed the company that they have received intimation from the Competition Commission of India that the CCI has granted its approval with respect to, inter alia, the proposed investment by FIL Capital Investments (Mauritius) II Limited in Cipla Health Limited, subsidiary of the Company.
 
Tata Motors: Tata Motors will be showcasing more than 25 models and concepts across its passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle range, besides cars from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) at the 2016 Auto Expo, reports a financial newspaper.
 
Biocon Ltd: The net profit for the quarter stands at Rs. 103 crore, up 13%. The company’s revenue at Rs. 836.4 crore, registered growth of 8.73% yoy.
 
RCOM: The company will announce its Q3 result today. IIFL expects net profit to fall 18.2% to Rs. 164.60 crore yoy; however, Q3 net profit is expected to rise 5.5% qoq.
 
Tata Steel: Tata Steel has suspended operations at its Canadian iron ore mining and processing project, reports a financial newspaper.
 
Lupin: Ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala has reduced his stake in drug maker Lupin to 1.14% for the third quarter ended December 31, 2015. Jhunjhunwala now holds 51,15,105 shares of Lupin.
 
MRF: MRF is looking to set up a new plant to ramp up production, as its existing nine plants are running to full capacity. No call has been taken yet on the location of the new plant, Executive Vice President (Marketing) Koshy K Varghese has been quoted as saying.
 
Reliance Cap: Reliance Capital Ltd posted a net profit after taxes, minority interest and share of profit of associates of Rs. 2350 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 as compared to Rs. 2130 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.
 
Lumax Auto Tech: The company will announce its Q3 result today.IIFL expects net revenue to increase 6% to Rs. 224 crore yoy; however, Q3 net revenue is expected to slump 2.9% qoq.
 
Raymond: Raymond reported a fall of 28.5% in net profit to Rs.40.1 crore for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2015 as compared to Rs.56.1 crore in the same period last year.
 
IndiGo: The company reported PAT of Rs. 6,572.88 million in December quarter compared to Rs.5,315.68 million, an increase of 23.7% year-on-year.
 
Max India: Max India will be dropped from BSE indices from January 27 following demerger of its health and allied vertical and specialty film business, according to reports.
 
Syngene Intl: The net profit for the quarter stands at Rs.  58.8 crore. The total income was at Rs. 280.4 crore as against Rs 227.6 Cr (YoY).
 
IL&FS Engineering: IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company rallied 2.3% to Rs.54.20 on BSE. The company has received a letter of acceptance (LOA) from GAIL (India) for laying and construction of pipeline along with associated works for pipeline replacement project in Gujarat region.
 
Kalpataru Power: The company has announced that it has bagged transmission orders worth Rs.1,295 crore.
 
VST Industries: VST Industries reported standalone net profit of Rs. 41.1 crore for the quarter, registering growth of 35.37% yoy. The company’s standalone total income from operation of Rs. 217.17 crore, up by 9.60% yoy.
 
HFCL Ltd: HFCL Ltd reported a jump of 66.76% in its standalone net profit at Rs 70.16 crore for the three months period ended December 31, 2015. 
 
Zee Media Corporation Ltd: The media company reported narrowing down of its consolidated net loss to Rs 1.11 crore for the third quarter ended December. 
 
M&M Financial: The company reported standalone net profit of Rs. 67.16 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering decline of 50.76% yoy and 54.05% qoq.
 
Chambal Fertilisers: Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals Ltd reported net loss at Rs.163.3 crore for the third quarter that ended on December 31, 2015.
 
Hindustan Zinc: The net profit for the quarter stands at Rs. 1811 crore. The total income for the quarter was at Rs.3430. 6 crore.
 
Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd: The company has reported 2.1 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit of Rs 80.44 crore for the quarter ended December. 
 
Results for today: ITC, Reliance Communications, Cairn India, Spicejet, Ashoka Buildcon, Atul,D B Corp,Lakshmi Vilas Bank, Lumax Auto Technologies, Kesoram Industries,Kirloskar Pneumatic,Supreme Petrochem, Can Fin Homes, Greenlam Industries, Coromandel International, CMI FPE, Everest Organics, Geojit Bnp Paribas Financial Services,L&T Finance Holdings, Shemaroo Entertainment, Indiabulls Wholesale Services, J.J.Exporters, Joy Realty, Keltech Energies, Kushal Tradelink, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India, Onward Technologies, Pioneer Embroideries, Roto Pumps, Sarla Performance Fibers,Sj Corporation,Software Technology Group International,Store One Retail India, Tourism Finance Corporation Of India, Tecil Chemicals & Hydro Power, Veejay Lakshmi Engineering Works, Vardhman Special Steels
 
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Trends in FII flows: The FIIs were net sellers of Rs.17.47 bn in the cash segment on Thursday. The domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of Rs.12.67 bn as per the provisional figures released by the NSE.
 
Other news in the media:
 
Chanda Kochhar said that ICICI Bank is targeting total transactions worth Rs 800bn through mobile banking by the end of this fiscal. (ET)
 
HSIL Ltd. is looking to increase its share in the sanitary ware market from the current 20%. The company, which is putting up a greenfield plant for manufacture of pipes in Telengana at a cost of Rs 1bn, hopes to better the industry growth of 8%. (ET)
 
Idea Cellular raised its capital expenditure guidance for the current fiscal to Rs 75bn up from Rs 65bn announced earlier. (BS)
 
Natco Pharma announced that it has signed a non-exclusive, royalty free licensing agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool and Bristol-Myers Squibb to manufacture and sell generic versions of the latter's chronic hepatitis C medicine -Daclatasvir Dihydrochloride. (BS)
 
Fearing notional loss of revenue due to tax concessions given to Paradip refinery of Indian Oil Corporation, the Odisha government has sought review of the MoU with the company. (BS)
 
Granules USA, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Granules India has entered into an agreement with Par Pharmaceutical Inc., a subsidiary of Endo International Plc to market the generic version of OTC omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate in the US. (BL)
 
State-owned Indian Oil Corp has nearly doubled the crude oil it buys from Nigeria on a term or fixed contract as it looks to diversify sources of supplies. (BL)
 
Mankind Pharma is setting up a manufacturing plant in the US to establish its footprint in that market. Currently the company earns about Rs 300mn annually from international business and it aims to grow it to Rs 1bn in next five years. (ET)
 
To double the capacity of state transport buses, the forthcoming Budget may contain a proposal for an annual grant of Rs 25bn for state road transport corporations to increase their fleet. (BS)
 
Large multinational enterprises (MNEs) may soon be put on notice with the Indian taxman set to get more empowered to obtain information on their global allocations of incomes and taxes. The upcoming budget will see India requiring MNEs to furnish information on their global incomes and taxes with the local income tax authorities. (BL)