In a truncated week, both the key indices, Sensex and Nifty, registered their biggest weekly gains in absolute term, 833.33 points and 253.25 points respectively, in the current calendar year till now due to strong buying activity on a slew of positive developments.
The market resumed on a cautious but positive note after adjournment of Parliament for the third day without taking any decision on economic reforms amidst global factors like plans to finalise a bailout deal for Greece and budgetary stalemate in the US.
The bourses turned strong on Tuesday as international credit rating agency Moody’s said India’s outlook is stable. A debt relief package for Greece added to the positive mood.
The rally continued on Thursday, after Wednesday’s holiday, after financial major Goldman Sachs upgraded Indian stocks and sustained optimism that the Government will push through key economic reforms.
The market got further boost after the Government agreed for a debate on FDI in multi-brand retail under a rule which entails voting, a decision which ended logjam in Parliament.
As a result, operators as well as investors rushed to cover their short positions on the last day of November series on Thursday, hoping to see fresh reform process in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) index resumed higher at 18,574.36 and moved in a wide range of 19,372.70 and 18,508.79 before concluding the week at 19,339.90, posting a handsome gain of 833.33 points, or 4.50 per cent.
This was the 30-share index’s largest weekly gain since the last week of November 2011, when it had flared up by a massive 1,151.40 points, or 7.34 per cent, and in the process it scaled a 19-month high.
The wide-based S&P CNX Nifty of the NSE zoomed by 253.25 points, or 4.50 per cent, to end at over 19-month high of 5,879.85, a level not seen since April 21, 2011. The 50- issue index also recorded its largest gains in 2012.
Foreign Institutional Investors ((FIIs), the main market movers, infused Rs 3,526.93 crore in the week, including provisional data of November 30.
FIIs have pumped in over $19.42 billion in the current calender year till November 27, as per Sebi data.
Buying was so strong that all 13 sectoral indices closed in the green, gaining between 2.42 per cent and 7.41 per cent, with consumer durable, realty, banking, metal, FMCG, capital goods, refinery and pharma segments taking the lead.
The market remained in cheerful mode on the last trading day of the week despite the July-Sept quarter GDP coming lower at 5.3 per cent, from 6.7 per cent in the same period a year ago as investors bet on a rate cut in RBI’s next policy review (on December 18) to boost economic expansion.
“If Government is able to push through some of the important reform initiatives, the markets will gain further, especially beaten down sectors like infrastructure, capital goods, public sector banks,” said Dipen Shah, Head of Private Client Group Research, Kotak Securities.
“The upcoming week will see some major economic numbers and events which shall impact the risk sentiments in both global and domestic markets. The much-hyped debate and voting on FDI in retail, Non-Farm Payrolls, other employment and PMI numbers from US and other developed economies shall dominate the headlines and impact trading,” a broker said.
Positive international cues and reaffirmation of stable outlook on India by Moody’s sentimentally aided the rise in the markets,” Inventure Growth & Securities, Head Research, Milan Bavishi said.
Investor sentiment also got a boost following reports that Greece’s official creditors, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Union, have agreed on a deal to lower the country’s debt burden.
28 scrips out of the 30-share Sensex finished with gains while just two ended with losses.
Major gainers from the Sensex pack were Sterlite Ind (12.67 per cent), Bharti Airtel (10.40 per cent), Cipla (8.53 per cent), HDFC (8.09 per cent), Hindalco (7.83 per cent), Jindal Steel (7.29 per cent), Wipro (7.17 per cent), ICIC Bank (7.14 per cent), Bajaj Auto (6.27 per cent), Tata Steel (5.78 per cent), ONGC (5.50 per cent), Tata Power (5.39 per cent), Tata Motor (5.20 per cent), HDFC Bank (5.10 per cent) and L&T (5.06 per cent).
Among the sectoral indices, the BSE-CD rose by 7.41 per cent, followed by BSE-Realty (6.92 per cent), Bankex (5.87 per cent), BSE-Metal (5.65 per cent), BSE-CG (4.23 per cent), BSE-FMCG (3.83 per cent), BSE-Teck (3.76 per cent), BSE-Oil&Gas (3.31 per cent) and BSE-HC (3.16 per cent).
The total turnover at BSE and NSE rose to RS 11,966.64 crore and Rs 62,786.40 crore respectively in the shortened week as against the last week’s level of Rs 9,738.30 crore and Rs 45,600.92 crore.