Sensex Loses Steam

Elena
17 Oct, 2006
New York City

The Sensex declined on Tuesday in a volatile trading as profit-taking persisted throughout the day. IT stocks lost finally momentum and finished flat after positive results from Infosys kept the sector upbeat over the last three session. Small-caps and mid-caps succumbed to selling pressure, contributing to a negative market-breadth. Satyam and Hero Honda led the advance, while HDFC Bank was the top decliner. Corus has accepted the bid from Tata Steel.

[R]10:30AM The Sensex retreats on Tuesday on profit-booking.[/R]
The Sensex on BSE finished 44.35 points, or 0.34% lower, at 12,883.83. The market-breadth was negative throughout the day due to selling pressure in small-caps and mid-caps stocks. There were almost two decliners for each advancer on BSE. For 1,629 shares that declined, only 843 advanced and 68 shares remained unchanged. From the Sensex-stocks, 18 declined while the rest advanced. The turnover on BSE was Rs 3,678 crore, higher than Rs 3,480 crore on Monday. The turnover on NSE was Rs 6,875.83 crore.

Merger and acquisition

Corus confirmed on Tuesday that it had received a 455p a share cash offer proposal from Tata Steel of India that values the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker at 4.1 billion pounds.

Economic news

The World Investment Report 2006, released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) indicates that the growing importance of South, East and South-East Asian region has contributed to continued increase in foreign direct investment inflows in these economiesThere is a sustained rise in flows to South and South East Asia. FDI flows to India were up 21%.

Advancers

Satyam Computers led the advance, up 3.37%, to Rs 450.90. The company will announce its September quarter results on 20 October 2006. Hero Honda advanced 1.94% to Rs 760.75, BHEL gained 1.85% to Rs 2,460 and Wipro edged up 0.89% to Rs 575.45.

Index heavy Reliance Industries recovered from a low of Rs 1,205, to end 0.45% higher, at Rs 1,218.80.

Metal stocks advanced on expectations of steady prices. Hindustan Zinc surged 10.27% to Rs 823.80, after zinc futures rallied 4.5% on the London Metal Exchange on Monday. Sterlite Industries was up 1.06% to Rs 483, SAIL surged 4.32% to Rs 85.80, Ispat Industries gained 2.24% to Rs 11.42 and Hindlaco notched up 0.71% to Rs 183.55.

Tata Steel advanced 0.57% to Rs 514.25, on reports that the company was expected to make a $9 billion bid for Anglo-Dutch steel maker Corus Group. The formal announcement on the deal will be made probaby by end-October.

HCL Technologies surged 4.20% to Rs 609, after its Q1 September 2006 consolidated net profit jumped 49.40% in comparison with last year the same period, as per US GAAP, to Rs 250.20 crore. The net profit was within market expectations.

Decliners

HDFC Bank led the declineers, down 3.22% to Rs 1,013, despite reporting stronger-than-expected second-quarter results. HDFC Bank reported 31.7% growth in net profit for second-quarter September 2006, to Rs 262.94 crore. The net profit beat market expectations.

HDFC was down 2.83% to Rs 1502, Hindustan Lever plunged 2.11% to Rs 232 and NTPC declined 2.40% to Rs 128.

Geometric Software lost 1.25% to Rs 114.40, after it reported 326% surge in net profit to Rs 8.27 crore for second-quarter September 2006, compared to Rs 1.94 crore in the same period last year. Polaris Software plunged 3.83% to Rs 135.50, while reporting a 104% rise in its consolidated net profit in second-quarter September 2006 to Rs 27.10 crore from Rs 13.26 crore. The net profit was within market expectations.

Pharma company Wanbury slid 2.10% to Rs 147, despite an initial jump to Rs 159.80, The company announced it will acquire Industrial Farmaceutica Cantabria, S.A. in Spain for 42 million euros.

South Indian Bank surged 2.67% to Rs 76.90, following reports of a strong set of results. The private sector bank reported 382% surge in net profit, to Rs 41.65 crore for second-quarter September 2006, compared to Rs 8.63 crore for the same period a year ago.


[R]9:45AM Stock markets opened lower on inflation data and Intel’s downgrade.[/R]
U.S. stock markets declined, following inflation data. Downgrade of chip maker Intel also weighed, as the stock fell 3% after Goldman Sachs cut its rating on the stock. In corporate news, Eli Lilly said it will buy joint venture partner Icos Corp. for $2.1 billion cash in a move to get full ownership of the top-selling impotence treatment, Cialis. Lilly will pay $32 per share for each Icos share, a premium of about 18% to Monday''s closing price of $27.12. In the first hour of trading, the Dow gave up 51.55, or 0.43%.The Standard & Poor''s 500 index was down 7.95, or 0.58%, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 27.28, or 1.15%. Concern about inflation helped foster a rally in bonds, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note falling to 4.73% from 4.79% late Monday.


[R]Industrial production fell more than expected.[/R]
The Federal Reserve released its report on industrial production and capacity utilization in the month of September on Tuesday. The report showed bigger than expected declines in both industrial production and capacity utilization. The report showed that industrial production fell 0.6 percent in September after coming in unchanged in August. Economists had expected production to fall 0.1 percent compared to the 0.1 percent decrease originally reported for the previous month. The drop in industrial production was due in large part to a steep decline in utilities output, which fell 4.4 percent in September after falling 0.9 percent in August. Output in the manufacturing sector fell 0.3 percent in September, while the output at mines expanded 0.7 percent. The Federal Reserve also said that the capacity utilization rate fell to 81.9 percent in September from a revised 82.5 percent in August. Capacity utilization had been expected to edge down to 82.2 percent in September from the 82.4 percent originally reported for the previous month. Capacity utilization in the utilities sector fell to 84.4 percent in September from 88.3 percent in August, while capacity utilization in the manufacturing sector edged down to 80.8 percent and capacity utilization in the mining sector rose to 91.6 percent.

[R]Wholesale prices dropped 1.3%.[/R]
Tuesday morning, the Department of Labor released its closely watched report on wholesale prices in the month of September. The report showed that overall prices fell much more than expected, while core prices rose more than economists had anticipated. The Labor Department said that its producer price index fell 1.3 percent in September after edging up 0.1 percent in each of the two previous months. Economists had expected a more modest decline of about 0.7 percent. The decline in wholesale prices was largely due to a steep drop in energy prices, which fell 8.4 percent in September after rising 0.3 percent in August. The Labor Department said that the drop in energy prices came as gasoline prices fell 22.2 percent in September. While the prices for home heating oil, liquefied petroleum gas, residential electric power, and diesel fuel also turned down after rising in August, prices for residential natural gas increased 1.8 percent in September.

The report also showed a slowdown in the pace of growth in prices for foods, as prices for fresh and dry vegetables and eggs rose less than in the previous month. Prices for fresh fruits and melons, processed young chickens, and processed turkeys turned lower in September. At the same time, the report showed that the core producer price index, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.6 percent in September after falling 0.4 percent in August. The increase exceeded economist estimates of an increase of about 0.2 percent. The increase in core prices was partly due to an increase in prices for light motor trucks, which rose 3.5 percent in September after falling 3.4 percent in August. Prices for passenger cars, alcoholic beverages, and mobile homes also turned higher in September.


[R]9:30AM London gives up record highs on weakness in banking sector.[/R]
The FTSE 100 in London was down 19.8 points to 6,152.4 by mid-day.

Economic news

The Office for National Statistics said the consumer price index annual rate dropped to 2.4% in September, from 2.5% the month before. The largest downward effect came in transport, reflecting a record 6.4p per litre drop in the cost of low sulphur petrol.

Advancers

As crude prices traded closer to $60 a barrel, BP was 1.3% and Royal Dutch Shell rose 0.7% Clinton Cards sales are up by 1.8% in the new financial year to date even though the trading environment remains difficult. It gained 4.51%. Marketing services group Media Square rejected an offer for several of its businesses. The company surged 30%.

Decliners

Lloyds TSB fell 1.5% to 570½p as long-running takeover talk linking it to a US bidder failed to materialise. news that Naguib Kheraj, its highly-respected finance director, would leave the company next year dragged Barclays 1.5% lower.

In the same sector, Royal Bank of Scotland lost 1.2% lower and Northern Rock eased 0.7%. Rolls-Royce lost 1.3% as JP Morgan initiated coverage with an underweight rating. Kingfisher fell 1.4% after Morgan Stanley also cut its rating from equal-weight to underweight. Isoft slipped 0.9% after it warned of a 10-15% decline in interim and full-year profits after problems with NHS contracts.

Bellway fell 1.7% , coming off a strong run-up to forecast-beating interim numbers, as investors booked profits from the stock. And in the small caps, Chariot UK, the lottery operator that floated on Aim this year slumped a further 86%.

Other news

Macquarie, the Australian bank, on Monday night won the hotly contested auction for Thames Water, the biggest water company in the UK, which is being sold by RWE, the German utility group, in a deal valued at 8 billion pounds.


[R]9:00AM Stock futures declined on higher core PPI index.[/R]
A bigger-than-expected rise in core wholesale inflation put futures under pressure Tuesday. The Labor Department said the biggest decline in the seasonally adjusted producer price index in three years. It said that wholesale prices dropped 1.3% in September as the price of energy goods tumbled at the fastest rate in 20 years. Meanwhile, the core producer price index surprisingly rose 0.6%, as the prices of motor vehicles jumped at the fastest rate in more than 15 years. S&P 500 futures fell 4.60 points at 1,371.50- and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 10.75 points at 1,730.50. Dow industrial futures were down 30 points at 12,002.

Quarterly releases before the opening bell came from corporate heavyweights United Technologies, Merrill Lynch and Johnson & Johnson. United Technologies Corp. ((UTX)) reported Q3 earnings of $996 million, or 99 cents a share, up from a year-ago profit $821 million, or 81 cents a share, exceeding expectations of 96 cents on billion of $11.92 billion. The company raised its 2006 earnings guidance. Johnson & Johnson ((JNJ)) said Q3 net earnings rose to $2.76 billion, or 94 cents a share, from $2.54 billion, or 85 cents a share, beating estimates of 93 cents on revenue of $13.08 billion. Sales to customers rose to $13.29 billion from $12.31 billion. Shares of the two companies gained by 1% in pre -open. Merrill Lynch ((MER)) reported doubled third-quarter earnings, beating analyst estimates. The stock rose 2% in pre-open trading. Quarterly profit was $3 billion, or $3.17 per share, compared to $1.36 billion, or $1.40 per share last year. The latest results included a gain of $1.1 billion, or $1.17 per share, from the combination of Merrill''s investment management unit with BlackRock.

In corporate news, Corus Group ((CGA)) said it''s in talks to be bought by India''s Tata Steel in a deal that would value the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker at $7.6 billion.


[R]8:00AM Wal-Mart is reportedly bidding $1 billion for a Chinese hypermarkets chain.[/R]
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is reportedly bidding about $1 billion for a chain of 100 hypermarkets in China. The retailer plans to buy the hypermarkets from Taiwanese Trust-Mart, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the transaction. If the deal completes, Wal-Mart will become the country''s biggest food and department store network. The Financial Times said Wal-Mart had emerged as the leading bidder for the chain but no agreement had been reached. The New York Times said that Wal-Mart expects to close the deal by the end of 2006, but still needs approval by the government.

The purchase would vault the company past its rival, Carrefour SA of France, in the number of hypermarkets in China. According to newspaper reports, Wal-Mart outbid Carrefour for the Trust-Mart purchase. Wal-Mart has 66 stores in China and is planning to increase in size fivefold in the next five years. Wal-Mart''s purchase of Trust-Mart will take place at different stages. Initially, Wal-Mart will acquire 31 stores, while the remainder of Trust-Mart''s stores will be bought over the next three years as each outlet meets various criteria.


[R]7:30AM Asian markets close mostly lower as recent gains were erased.[/R]
Asian markets ended lower on Tuesday. Japan''s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.49% to finish at 16,611.59. All Nippon Airways fell 1.89%, while tire maker Bridgestone dropped 1.38%. Sony, which earlier Tuesday said that it may lower its fiscal-year earnings forecast due to battery recall problems, plunged 1.84%. Nissan Motor Co shares fell 1.9% after Deutsche Securities lowered its rating, citing a slower-than-expected turnaround in operations.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, fell 0.4% to 1,351.30. LG Electronics, South Korea largest home appliance manufacturer by revenue, which initially advanced slightly on better-than-expected third-quarter earnings, closed 0.2% lower.

Hong Kong Hang Seng Index closed flat, adding 0.03% at 1,8014.84. In Taiwan, shares shed on profit-taking after they hit in the previous session a five-month high. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange sank 1% to close at 7,075.13.

Australia S&P ASX/200 closed down 0.6%, easing back from a five-month high Monday. Shares traded in New Zealand rose 0.3%. Singapore''s Straits Times Index fell 0.9%. Australian-listed Woodside Petroleum''s shares advanced 1.3%.

Japanese government officials stated Tuesday they welcomed the decision by the central bank of Russia to begin holding some of its foreign exchange reserves in yen.


[R]6:30AM European markets end winning streak due to emerging profit-taking.[/R]
European markets were lower on Tuesday. By mid morning, the FTSE 100 in London slipped 0.2% to 6,157.8, Frankfurt Xetra Dax shed 0.8% to 6,137.87, and the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.7% to 5,324.88.

Advancers

There were only a few advancers on Tuesday. Total of France gained 1% while in the UK BP added 1.7%.

Decliners

Spanish oil company Repsol fell 5.5% in spite of Sacyr Vallehermoso, the construction group, announcing it had built a 9% stake over recent sessions and wanted to extend its holding to 15%.

JP Morgan reduced its rating on the Spanish retail banking sector to underweight, with downgrades for both Banesto and Banco de Sabadell, which fell 1.5% and 1.5%, respectively.

BBVA, which remains the top pick of JP Morgan in the sector, nevertheless fell 1.8% after Deutsche Bank downgraded it from buy to hold. Santander, which was among the top picks of both JPM and Deutsche, shed 2%. Natexis, the securities devision of French mutual lender Banques Populaires, fell 4.1%.

Oil and gold

Oil prices rose above $60 a barrel Tuesday as traders are awaiting an OPEC meeting later in the week for a clearer price direction. Cold weather forecasts in the U.S. also prompted traders to bid up the cost of home-heating fuels. Light, sweet crude for November delivery rose 24 cents to $60.18 a barrel in Asian electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange

Gold traded in London at $594.90 a troy ounce, up from $592.55 late Monday.

Currencies

The U.S. dollar was lower against most other major currencies in European trading Tuesday morning. The euro was quoted at $1.2531, unchanged from late Monday in New York. The British pound was quoted at $1.8666, up from $1.8612. The dollar bought 118.63 Japanese yen, down from 119.11.