Pace Of Recession Slowing Down?

Economic Data from US indicate that, at last, the pace of recession in their economy is slowing down. There is no major job losses reported last month. At the same time, authorities therein are in mood to tighten their monetary policy. They expect that the unemployment in US may peak little above 10%. It appears that they want to continue their policy “flooding the markets with dollars” for some more time till there are visible signs of recovery in US markets.

At the same time, such flooding of dollars in markets may create havoc in the world markets. To some extent, pegging the currencies of emerging countries undervalued against US Dollar by their respective central banks also disrupts the stability in the financial system.

We could witness the fragility of the global markets including India last week when Chinese authorities warned a bubble in their markets. In no time, our markets lost around 400 points in Sensex. However, continuous inflow of dollars made the traders to ignore these fear factors and surge ahead as usual for another weekly gain in the key indices.

Coming week, we may witness a strong but interesting fight between Bulls and Bears. Bulls may try to break the psychological resistance level of 4700 (Nifty) points and move the market into a momentum zone. At the same time, Bears may grip their hold at around 4700 points.

Resistance levels for Nifty are at around 4700 and 4800 points

Support levels for Nifty are at around 4475 and 4425 points

Wishing a happy week ahead

Another Super Bubble in the Making?

Our market continued its bull run last week also wherein the key indices gained around 4%. Benchmark Index, Sensex, is once again above the psychologically important 15000 levels. Global markets are not left far behind. HangSeng is close to an important 20000 levels. Dow Jones is above 9000 points once again.

Ben Bernanke’s assurance of continuing the soft rate policy for a longer period of time coupled with strong corporate results across the globe lifted the sentiments of the all the major equity markets. Positive US home-sales data has added fresh hopes that the recession would have a quicker end.

Our market’s rally has so far been a stunning one. It offered no chance to the people who were waiting on the sidelines to enter at lower levels. Abundant FII flows were the key reason for such rally. It is noteworthy that FIIs have put in more than 38000 crores during the current year alone. Union Budget was little disappointing for the market. However, it did not stop market’s upward rally. Market took excuse from the parliamentary speech of the Finance Minister and marched ahead as usual.

I expect that the sentiments of the market may turn more positive once the Sensex breaks 15600 levels and the left out so far, may be sucked into the market. Thus market may slip into a Super Bubble Zone wherein fundamentals would take a backseat.

One should not forget here that the macros are not very much convincing as of now. Poor GDP growth, meager credit growth, dropping exports, low IIP numbers, faulty monsoon and unclear global situation do not warrant for doubling of P/E within such a short time.

Even though the corporate results, in terms of bottom-line growth, have generally been good, the top-line growth has only been marginal. The profits were also more attributed to cost cutting and sharp rise in other income rather than core business profits.

Hence the investors may avoid entering into the market at the higher levels and rather wait for any major correction for an entry with a long term view. They may exit their holdings accumulated at the lower levels whichever achieved their target prices.

At the same time, traders have great opportunity to play according to sentiments of the market. They are advised to trade with strict dynamic stop loss limits.

Sensex faces a strong resistance at around 15600 levels and Nifty around 4600 levels. Any strong break out above these levels would give a big bang movement for the market. Monetary Policy announcement by RBI due for the next week will be keenly watched by the market. Quarterly results of Reliance, India’s most valuable listed company, are disappointing and the market may react negatively to it. F&O expiry may add to the volatility of the market.

Wishing for a happy week ahead

Stunned as ever?

It has been a stunning recovery once again witnessed by the market last week. After losing 1500 points in the previous week as the Union Budget failed to meet the ever growing expectations of the stock market players, market recovered 1200 points almost in the same speed.

Assurance from the Finance Minister on continuing reforms and divestment boosted the sentiments last week and the government siding with Reliance Industries in the KG appeal revived the heaviest among the index stocks. Persistant inflows from FIIs and positive global cues helped the market to sustain at higher levels.


As said earlier, it has been a stunning recovery. Many stock analysts and technical experts failed once again by expecting the largecap indices to cover the gap formed on the post-results day. As usual many who were waiting on the sidelines to invest at lower levels were sidelined.


Market turned to the bullish mode wherein every small positive news is rejoiced and bad news, however big, is ignored. Better than expected results from IT biggies have also helped to lift the street sentiments.


Sensex is back to 14500 plus zone wherein the valuations are little overstreched. Traders may take cues from global markets. Even though, US biggies are delivering better than expected results and stock markets are doing well, oil prices, a key indicator of global recovery, are not showing major upmove which is a cause of concern.


Investors can continue their cherry picking strategy as explained in the previous posts over a period of time with a long term view.


Happy week ahead!

Too Many Expectations?

Market has too many expectations from the forthcoming Budget ranging from tax cuts, tax holidays, special status for some industries, fresh government investment in infrastructure and divestment of public sector enterprises. Even though, electoral victory by the Congress is more attributed to its populist measures such as farm debt waiver, pay commission and NRGEP and Congress may not like a pro-corporate image ahead of elections in key states, many market participants still believe that Congress government will push for aggressive financial reforms in the coming budget.

However, I have my own doubts whether the budget will be able to fulfill all of the market expectations. With the fiscal deficit mounting to around Rs.4,00,000 crores and the first half yearly borrowings at Rs.2,54,000 crores, government’s ability to push through larger tax cuts is quite limited even though there may few reform measures here and there more expectedly in export oriented sectors.

Hence it will be very difficult for the budget to make a major positive impact on the market as many positive factors have already been discounted in the prices. At the same time, we can not underestimate the ability of certain market participants and media to derive great things from nothing make others to believe it.

In the short term, market is expected to track the global events. In fact, our recent rally is more attributed to the FII inflows which have been stupendous in the last three months. FII inflows were mainly attributed to their expectations of a ‘V’ shaped recovery in the global economy and the huge liquidity made available to the American banking system.

Last week, global market participants came to a new conclusion that even though the recession has come to a near-end as of now, the recovery may not be as swift as markets expected earlier. US economic data has been quite mixed in the recent times and the recent downgrading of American banks resulted in strengthening of US Dollar and JPY, the less risky currencies against other major global currencies including INR. World markets are now apprehensive of raising commodity prices and Federal Reserve’s probable monetary measures to tame the inflationary expectations. These speculations led to withdrawal of FII money from emerging markets including India. Such withdrawal coupled with some local negative sentiments rising from Bombay High Court’s judgment in RIL-RNRL case resulted in a big market fall last week.

I feel that delayed monsoon, revival of Indian industry and performance by the Indian Corporate and firm government action in continuing the financial reforms would carry more weight in the minds of FIIs, who may be waiting in the sidelines for some more time to get better clarity in the global scenario. Even though, negative inflation is bad news for the industry, as RBI Governor put it, India may not fall into a deflationary environment any time soon.

Traders are requested to exercise caution in the near term and initiate long position only in case of Nifty breaking 4400 levels firmly. Banking sector is expected to do well in the short run.

Investors may accumulate shares of fundamentally strong companies during fall. Banking stocks may perform well in the long run. Indraprashtha Gas may be considered as a long term investment option. Strong Government Companies’ stocks may also be considered.

Technically Sensex finds good support at around 14,500, 14200 and 13,600 levels. It faces strong resistance at around 14,700 and 15,200 levels.

Wishing you a happy week ahead

Tiring Bulls and Fearing Bears

Last week, there was a pause in the Bull Run that had continued for a record thirteen weeks. Still, Sensex managed to close the week with marginal gains. Nifty closed with a marginal loss. However, small and midcap stocks faced a big sell-off probably due to profit booking. Even though, Bulls are quite tired after running for quite some time without break, Bears are still uncertain of taking full control of the market.

Markets opened the last week with losses as there was a good amount of profit. Sensex faced a strong resistance around 15500 levels and the Nifty at around 4600 levels. It was widely expected at that time that the Bears would take control thereafter. However, Prime Minister’s statement in the Parliament that the country has a potential for 9% growth and the stunning profit made by Satyam changed the moods of market. Bears were marauded once again. Still, rising crude prices and indecisive global markets checked a repetition of previous weeks’ big show and in fact, small and midcap stocks could not recover their early losses like their largecap peers.

WPI Headline Inflation hit record low levels. Finance Minister impressing upon the PSU Banks to cut their lending rates hit the PSU banks hard. Positive IIP numbers cheered the markets. However, it triggered profit booking by the traders.

US data was a mixed one. There are fears of an inflationary environment choking the growth prospects. Rise in crude prices is negative news for the global equity markets. There are market speculations of rate hike by Federal Reserve sooner than later to moderate the inflationary expectations.

Sensex faces a strong resistance at around 15600 levels and Nifty at 4700 levels. Sensex has a good support at 14500 and 13500 points.

Even though India is a good long term story, the largecap indices appear to be fully priced-in in the short run. Market seems to be in an overbought position. At the same time, tireless FII flows may change every calculation.

Wishing a happy week ahead.

Betting On A Quick Recovery

It has been an amazing run continuing for the 12th week in a row surpassing even the most optimists’ expectations. Whether “India Shining” and “India Decoupling” stories are back in market? Even though, Indian story is quite intact in a longer run, whether stock markets deserve a valuation closer to the January 2008 peak levels with the economy crawling now just at a half the pace of that time? Let us introspect once again hereunder.

As we discussed earlier, market builds up lot of expectations over Manmohan Singh’s new government. It likes to safely ignore the facts that Congress is not known for speedy reforms and it has come back to power mainly because of its populist face as opposed to the corporate image of the previous NDA regime. It also ignores that the Head of Government is not the de facto political boss. He can not push through tough reforms either way as there are still many political, coalition and electoral compulsions to show a populist face.

Sensex now trades under a fair valuation given the gloomy economic indicators like negative IIP, manufacturing degrowth and GDP growth, lowest in five years, even though the business confidence is expected to improve because of the electoral verdict. Negative credit growth is a depressing factor and an important indicator that the current business confidence is quite low.

Hence, it will be too much on the part of the market to expect that miracles will happen in the short term and Sensex (Companies) earnings will move up drastically in no time. Hence, I am of the view that the any big move hereafter may be another bubble in making.

Hype is building up in the market that there will be a huge divestment of PSU companies in the short term which will take the market further up. It defies the fundamentals of supply and demand. Divestment is good for the small investors no doubt but there are hardly any reasons to chase the costly listed companies with weak fundamentals when there are plenty of fundamentally strong PSU companies are going to be available at much cheaper valuations.

I would suggest the readers to continue their value picking in small lots over a period of time. At the same time, there should not be any “there is no tomorrow” approach. There will be a plenty of opportunity for the small investors to participate in the PSU divestment process that is going to happen shortly.

Nifty may face some resistance between 4500 and 4600. Stronger resistance may be there around 4800 levels. There is huge build up in F&O position and hence it is safer to trade with strict stop loss limits.

Wishing a very happy week ahead

Left is left out?

Last week has been a dramatic one for the markets. Key indices posted historic gains and the market was shut on an upper circuit for the first time in the history. Decisive electoral verdict for a reformist Prime Minister this time relatively free of coalition compulsions lifted the mood of the market.

Now there is a feeling of being left out among the investors from the last rally in which key indices nearly doubled from their bottoms recovering around half of their total fall. There has been a mad rush in the market last week which witnessed a historic gain and turnover.

Whether this jubilation is justified? Whether every thing has changed in India all of a sudden to become so bullish once a stable Congress government is in place?

One should have strong introspection now. In fact, Congress was in power in the last one year also almost with full control of the government particularly without any Left pressure. What it did to revive our economy? There were two or three very small fiscal stimuli making no major impact on the economy. Further, one should also remember that Congress has always been a centrist party with a socialist face. In fact, the 1991 reforms were more of a result of compulsions from IMF rather than a voluntary one.

Even the current electoral success is owed to the populist measures like NREGS, Farm Debt waiver, fuel subsidies and Pay Commission undertaken by the Congress government as it was very much aware that the corporate image of the previous NDA regime was the main spoiler for NDA in the previous elections. Hence, it is very much doubtful that the Congress will go for aggressive reforms risking its electoral successes in the future. Rather, it would like to carry on its socialist posture and doing some reforms here and there in bits and pieces.

Hence, we may conclude that the market jubilation for a Congress government is an overreaction. Even though the long term story of India is very much intact and the key indices may very well cross many new highs in the future, short and middle term success of our market will be mainly dependent on the following factors.

Ø Mounting Fiscal Deficit which is the biggest threat for our growth.
Ø Slow down in economy and degrowth in industries.
Ø Falling exports of goods and services.
Ø Low WPI Inflation resulting in high real interest rates and persisting credit squeeze.
Ø Global recession particularly the US recession may hurt us.
Ø Falling profits of the listed companies and their poor corporate governance record
Ø Last but not the least, infrastructure bottlenecks.

It will be a challenging situation for Indian economy and its corporate world to recover quickly.

In my view, Nifty is now placed at a fair value with its Price-Earnings multiples at 16-17 levels. Any big rally from here onwards in the short run may be a bubble in the making. However, there are many small and midcap stocks trading at attractive valuations. But they have to be picked only after a careful analysis of their fundamentals under necessary professional guidance.

Nifty faces a strong resistance at 4500 levels breaking which it may move towards 4800 levels. It has a strong support at 4150 levels and any fall below this level may take it to 3900 levels.

F&O open interest has gone up very much in the recent times. There is a market talk that FIIs are now selling in F&O market even though they keep buying in cash market. Caution is the key word now and any trading position should be accompanied by strict stop loss limits.

Wishing a happy week ahead!