Business Standard Podcast

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is back in the saddle with an even bigger mandate. With the political challenge taken care of - at least in the short term - will the new governement embark on the path of factor market reforms? Will disinvestment be a major theme for the new government with PSUs being privatised? Are Income Tax rates going to be revised or will fiscal maths prevent that from happening? Will the much contested Goods and Services Tax see some tweaks now? Are rising crude prices a threat for the economy? Is the US-China trade war a major challenge for the new government? Host Ankur Bhardwaj puts these questions to A K Bhattacharya. Tune-in to this podcast to find the answers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP stormed to a majority once again in General Election 2019. The results declared on Thursday, 23 May show complete decimation of the Congress-led UPA. The BJP increased its seats from 282 in 2014 to more than 300 this time. The NDA total exceeds 350, nearly two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. The Congress-led UPA won less than 100 seats. Rahul Gandhi, Congress president, lost from his family’s pocket borough of Amethi. He was beaten by BJP’s Smriti Irani. The BJP defied all expectations and swept nearly all of Hindi speaking India. It made big inroads into West Bengal with a staggering 40% vote share. It increased its seats even in south India. Host Ankur Bhardwaj is joined by Business Standard’s Political Editors, Aditi Phadnis and Archis Mohan who try to make sense of the mandate. Tune in to listen to the discussion. For more exciting news and insights from the world of politics, follow The Chessboard by subscribing to the Business Standard channel on Spotify and Google Podcast.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP stormed to a majority once again in General Election 2019. The results declared on Thursday, 23 May show complete decimation of the Congress-led UPA. The BJP increased its seats from 282 in 2014 to more than 300 this time. The NDA total exceeds 350, nearly two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. The Congress-led UPA won less than 100 seats. Rahul Gandhi, Congress president, lost from his family’s pocket borough of Amethi. He was beaten by BJP’s Smriti Irani. The BJP defied all expectations and swept nearly all of Hindi speaking India. It made big inroads into West Bengal with a staggering 40% vote share. It increased its seats even in south India. Host Ankur Bhardwaj is joined by Business Standard’s Political Editors, Aditi Phadnis and Archis Mohan who try to make sense of the mandate. Tune in to listen to the discussion. For more exciting news and insights from the world of politics, follow The Chessboard by subscribing to the Business Standard channel on Spotify and Google Podcast.

The benchmark indices ending Friday's session at record closing highs, after investors' optimism was boosted by Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA's) return to power the previous day. While the gains were across the board, bank stocks and financials made the highest contribution to the indices' rise. The S&P BSE Sensex ended the day 623 points, or 1.6 per cent, higher at 39,435, with ICICI Bank, Larsen & Toubro, Bharti Airtel, Vedanta, and Tata Motors leading the list of gainers. Oout of the 30 BSE constituents, only Hindustan Unilever and NTPC ended the day in the red.  The broader Nifty50 index rose 187 points to settle at 11,844. About 1823 shares advanced, while 676 declined, and 150 shares remained unchanged on the NSE.  This was the benchmark indices' biggest weekly gain in 2019.  India VIX, a measure of voltality in Nifty, slipped 40 per cent in the last two days, registering its biggest 2-day fall in five years. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index jumped 295 points, or 2 per cent, to hover at 14,945 levels, while the S&P BSE SmallCap closed at 14,670 levels, up 347 points, or 2.4 per cent. All the Nifty sectoral indices ended the day with gains, with Nifty PSU Bank gaining the maximum 5.6 per cent, while Nifty Realty also rose 4.4 per cent. BUZZING STOCKS Shares of JMC Projects (India) surged 15 per cent to Rs 136 apiece in the opening trade on the BSE on Friday after the company secured new orders worth of Rs 616 crore for residential and commercial projects in South India.   KEI Industries traded higher for the fifth straight day, up 5.6 per cent at Rs 491.95 on the BSE on Friday, after the company reported a strong operational performance in the March quarter (Q4FY19). 

The benchmark indices ending Friday's session at record closing highs, after investors' optimism was boosted by Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA's) return to power the previous day. While the gains were across the board, bank stocks and financials made the highest contribution to the indices' rise. The S&P BSE Sensex ended the day 623 points, or 1.6 per cent, higher at 39,435, with ICICI Bank, Larsen & Toubro, Bharti Airtel, Vedanta, and Tata Motors leading the list of gainers. Oout of the 30 BSE constituents, only Hindustan Unilever and NTPC ended the day in the red.  The broader Nifty50 index rose 187 points to settle at 11,844. About 1823 shares advanced, while 676 declined, and 150 shares remained unchanged on the NSE.  This was the benchmark indices' biggest weekly gain in 2019.  India VIX, a measure of voltality in Nifty, slipped 40 per cent in the last two days, registering its biggest 2-day fall in five years. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index jumped 295 points, or 2 per cent, to hover at 14,945 levels, while the S&P BSE SmallCap closed at 14,670 levels, up 347 points, or 2.4 per cent. All the Nifty sectoral indices ended the day with gains, with Nifty PSU Bank gaining the maximum 5.6 per cent, while Nifty Realty also rose 4.4 per cent. BUZZING STOCKS Shares of JMC Projects (India) surged 15 per cent to Rs 136 apiece in the opening trade on the BSE on Friday after the company secured new orders worth of Rs 616 crore for residential and commercial projects in South India.   KEI Industries traded higher for the fifth straight day, up 5.6 per cent at Rs 491.95 on the BSE on Friday, after the company reported a strong operational performance in the March quarter (Q4FY19). 

Sentiment around Narendra Modi led-National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s win in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will continue to influence markets on Friday. On Thursday, the NDA stumped the opposition by winning 350 of 543 seats. Apart from this, the next batch of March quarter results, crude oil prices, movement of rupee against the US dollar and trade tensions between the US and China will also be on the investors' radar.  MARKETS ON THURSDAY NDA’s return supported the markets to hit record highs in the intra-day trade on Thursday with the BSE S&P Sensex surpassing 40,000 levels and the broader Nifty50 scaling 12,000-mark. The indices, however, closed at 38,811 and 11,657 levels, slipping 299 and 81 points, respectively. The rupee closed at Rs 70.02 per US dollar, down 36 paise.  CORPORATE RESULTS About 170 companies are slated to announce their Q4 numbers today including Ashok Leyland, Bata, and Indraprastha Gas. GLOBAL CUES Asian shares were near four-month low on weak global cues. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan stood flat, down 0.9 per cent so far in the week. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 286 points to close at 25,490 levels while the S&P 500 lost 34 points to settle at 2,822 levels during the overnight trade on Thursday. The Nasdaq dropped 123 points to settle at 7628 levels. In commodities, oil prices stabilised amid OPEC supply cuts and tensions in the Middle East. 

Sentiment around Narendra Modi led-National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s win in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will continue to influence markets on Friday. On Thursday, the NDA stumped the opposition by winning 350 of 543 seats. Apart from this, the next batch of March quarter results, crude oil prices, movement of rupee against the US dollar and trade tensions between the US and China will also be on the investors' radar.  MARKETS ON THURSDAY NDA’s return supported the markets to hit record highs in the intra-day trade on Thursday with the BSE S&P Sensex surpassing 40,000 levels and the broader Nifty50 scaling 12,000-mark. The indices, however, closed at 38,811 and 11,657 levels, slipping 299 and 81 points, respectively. The rupee closed at Rs 70.02 per US dollar, down 36 paise.  CORPORATE RESULTS About 170 companies are slated to announce their Q4 numbers today including Ashok Leyland, Bata, and Indraprastha Gas. GLOBAL CUES Asian shares were near four-month low on weak global cues. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan stood flat, down 0.9 per cent so far in the week. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 286 points to close at 25,490 levels while the S&P 500 lost 34 points to settle at 2,822 levels during the overnight trade on Thursday. The Nasdaq dropped 123 points to settle at 7628 levels. In commodities, oil prices stabilised amid OPEC supply cuts and tensions in the Middle East. 

Benchmark indices tumbled over 1,000 points from its intraday high as investors booked profits at higher levels that saw Sensex and Nifty hitting 40,000 and 12,000 levels, respectively, over optimism surrounding the National Democratic Alliance (NDA's) likely return to power after the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The S&P BSE Sensex hit the 40,000 mark on Thursday, after trends showed Narendra Modi - led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) sweeping to power in the Lok Sabha elections 2019. While most experts had predicted Modi-led NDA to come back to power for the second consecutive term, markets, they said, had been discounting this.  The S&P BSE Sensex slipped almost 299 points, or 0.7 per cent, at 38,811 levels, with Vedanta Limited, ITC, Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, leading the list of losers. Out of the 30 BSE constituents, 16 ended in the red. The broader Nifty50 index dipped 0.7 per cent to end the day at 11,657 levels. Sectorally, all the indices on NSE, except Nifty Media and Realty, settled lower at the day's end, with Nifty FMCG bleeding the most 1.7 per cent, followed by Nifty Metal 1.48 per cent. The Nifty Bank index, which hit 31,000-level earlier in the day, dipped 118 points to 30,409 levels. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index dropped 21 points, or 0.15 per cent, at 14,650 levels, while the S&P BSE SmallCap index concluded the day 16 points, or 0.11 per cent, lower at 14,353 levels. BUZZING STOCKS IndusInd Bank shares surged 8 per cent to Rs 1,640 in early trade on Thursday on the BSE before ending the day 5 per cent higher on expectation that the bank would return to normalcy in terms of earnings momentum after the entire exposure to IL&FS was classified as non-performing asset (NPA) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018-19 (Q4FY19).  Shares of Adani Group companies surged up to 14 per cent intra-day on the BSE on Thursday as trends showed the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leading the vote counts for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Benchmark indices tumbled over 1,000 points from its intraday high as investors booked profits at higher levels that saw Sensex and Nifty hitting 40,000 and 12,000 levels, respectively, over optimism surrounding the National Democratic Alliance (NDA's) likely return to power after the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The S&P BSE Sensex hit the 40,000 mark on Thursday, after trends showed Narendra Modi - led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) sweeping to power in the Lok Sabha elections 2019. While most experts had predicted Modi-led NDA to come back to power for the second consecutive term, markets, they said, had been discounting this.  The S&P BSE Sensex slipped almost 299 points, or 0.7 per cent, at 38,811 levels, with Vedanta Limited, ITC, Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, leading the list of losers. Out of the 30 BSE constituents, 16 ended in the red. The broader Nifty50 index dipped 0.7 per cent to end the day at 11,657 levels. Sectorally, all the indices on NSE, except Nifty Media and Realty, settled lower at the day's end, with Nifty FMCG bleeding the most 1.7 per cent, followed by Nifty Metal 1.48 per cent. The Nifty Bank index, which hit 31,000-level earlier in the day, dipped 118 points to 30,409 levels. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index dropped 21 points, or 0.15 per cent, at 14,650 levels, while the S&P BSE SmallCap index concluded the day 16 points, or 0.11 per cent, lower at 14,353 levels. BUZZING STOCKS IndusInd Bank shares surged 8 per cent to Rs 1,640 in early trade on Thursday on the BSE before ending the day 5 per cent higher on expectation that the bank would return to normalcy in terms of earnings momentum after the entire exposure to IL&FS was classified as non-performing asset (NPA) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018-19 (Q4FY19).  Shares of Adani Group companies surged up to 14 per cent intra-day on the BSE on Thursday as trends showed the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leading the vote counts for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Benchmark indices ended Wednesday's session with minor gains amid volatile trade as investors turned cautious on the eve of the Lok Sabha 2019 election outcome. After hitting an intra-day high of 39,249.08, Sensex finally settled 140 points, or 0.36 per cent higher at 39,110 while Nifty50 ended the day at 11,738, up 29 points or 0.25 per cent. India VIX, a gauge of voltality on the NSE, touched a 4-year high of 30.18 in intra-day deals. IndusInd, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Auto, Bharti Airtel, and Coal India were the BSE's top gainers. Out of the 30 constituents, 25 ended in the green. The market breadth remained in favour of buyers. About 969 stocks advanced and 770 shares declined on the NSE. Only three out of the 11 Nifty sectoral indices ended the day in red, with Nifty Private Bank registering the maximum gain of 0.8 per cent while Nifty Bank rose 0.7 per cent. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index dipped 24 points, or 0.2 per cent, to settle at 14,672, while the S&P BSE SmallCap rose 77 points, or 0.5 per cent, to end the day at 14,369. BUZZING STOCKS Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) plunged as much as 18 per cent to Rs 107 in the early trade on Wednesday on the BSE after the non-banking finance company (NBFC) stopped accepting fresh public deposits and renewals of existing deposits. The stock, however, pared some losses to end the day 12 points, or 9.4 per cent lower, at Rs 117.65.    Shares of Jet Airways (India) rallied 5 per cent to Rs 158.55 apiece on the BSE on Wednesday on the back of heavy volumes being traded on the hopes of the airline's revivial. The share has surged 32 per cent so far in this week. 

Benchmark indices ended Wednesday's session with minor gains amid volatile trade as investors turned cautious on the eve of the Lok Sabha 2019 election outcome. After hitting an intra-day high of 39,249.08, Sensex finally settled 140 points, or 0.36 per cent higher at 39,110 while Nifty50 ended the day at 11,738, up 29 points or 0.25 per cent. India VIX, a gauge of voltality on the NSE, touched a 4-year high of 30.18 in intra-day deals. IndusInd, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Auto, Bharti Airtel, and Coal India were the BSE's top gainers. Out of the 30 constituents, 25 ended in the green. The market breadth remained in favour of buyers. About 969 stocks advanced and 770 shares declined on the NSE. Only three out of the 11 Nifty sectoral indices ended the day in red, with Nifty Private Bank registering the maximum gain of 0.8 per cent while Nifty Bank rose 0.7 per cent. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index dipped 24 points, or 0.2 per cent, to settle at 14,672, while the S&P BSE SmallCap rose 77 points, or 0.5 per cent, to end the day at 14,369. BUZZING STOCKS Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) plunged as much as 18 per cent to Rs 107 in the early trade on Wednesday on the BSE after the non-banking finance company (NBFC) stopped accepting fresh public deposits and renewals of existing deposits. The stock, however, pared some losses to end the day 12 points, or 9.4 per cent lower, at Rs 117.65.    Shares of Jet Airways (India) rallied 5 per cent to Rs 158.55 apiece on the BSE on Wednesday on the back of heavy volumes being traded on the hopes of the airline's revivial. The share has surged 32 per cent so far in this week. 

Lok Sabha 2019 election result, which is slated to be declared tomorrow (May 23), will continue to sway investor sentiment on Wednesday. Besides, March quarter results, movement of rupee against the US dollar, crude oil prices, and other global developments will also be closely tracked. Profit-booking during the last trading hour on Tuesday dragged the benchmark indices lower by over 1 per cent. The S&P BSE Sensex ended the day 383 points down at 38,970 while the broader Nifty50 index slipped 119 points to close at 11,709. CORPORATE EARNINGS Bank of Baroda, Ashoka Buildcon, and Cipla are scheduled to declare their Q4FY19 results today along with 135 other companies. GLOBAL CUES Asian stocks were off to a tepid start on Wednesday with MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside losing about 0.15 per cent in trade. South Korea’s KOSPI fell 0.45 per cent while Japan’s Nikkei edged up 0.05 per cent. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones added 197 points to close at 25,877 levels, while the S&P500 inched up 24 points to end at 2,864 levels. The Nasdaq, too, gained about 83 points to end at 7,786 levels. In commodities, oil prices eased on Saudi Arabia’s assurance that it would keep the supply balanced. Brent crude futures were down 0.5 per cent at $71.81 a barrel at around 6 am. 

Lok Sabha 2019 election result, which is slated to be declared tomorrow (May 23), will continue to sway investor sentiment on Wednesday. Besides, March quarter results, movement of rupee against the US dollar, crude oil prices, and other global developments will also be closely tracked. Profit-booking during the last trading hour on Tuesday dragged the benchmark indices lower by over 1 per cent. The S&P BSE Sensex ended the day 383 points down at 38,970 while the broader Nifty50 index slipped 119 points to close at 11,709. CORPORATE EARNINGS Bank of Baroda, Ashoka Buildcon, and Cipla are scheduled to declare their Q4FY19 results today along with 135 other companies. GLOBAL CUES Asian stocks were off to a tepid start on Wednesday with MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside losing about 0.15 per cent in trade. South Korea’s KOSPI fell 0.45 per cent while Japan’s Nikkei edged up 0.05 per cent. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones added 197 points to close at 25,877 levels, while the S&P500 inched up 24 points to end at 2,864 levels. The Nasdaq, too, gained about 83 points to end at 7,786 levels. In commodities, oil prices eased on Saudi Arabia’s assurance that it would keep the supply balanced. Brent crude futures were down 0.5 per cent at $71.81 a barrel at around 6 am. 

Benchmark indices ended around 1 per cent lower on Tuesday as the previous day's exit poll euphoria gave way to profit-booking by investors, including in some index heavweights. The indices hit a record-high at opening, with the S&P BSE Sensex touching the 39,571.73-mark while Nifty reached 11,883.55 levels, before trimming gains in a volatile session that saw India VIX rise over 8 per cent. The S&P BSE Sensex ended the day 383 points lower at 38,970, with Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, IndusInd Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Bharti Airtel emerging as the top losers. Only three out of the 30 constituents of BSE ended the day in the green. The broader Nifty50 also slipped 119 points to settle at 11,709. The market breadth remained in the favour of sellers with about 1,145 stocks declining and 609 stocks advancing on the NSE. All the sectoral indices ended the day in red, with Nifty Auto and Nifty Media taking the biggest hits, down 2.52 per cent and 2.32 per cent, respectively. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index lost 0.84 per cent, or 124 points, to settle at 14,695, while the S&P BSE SmallCap index dipped 88 points, or 0.61 per cent, to rule at 14,293. BUZZING STOCKS Bajaj Finance entered the elite club of companies with a market capitalisation (market-cap) of Rs 2 trillion after the company's stock price hit a new high on the BSE in intra-day trade on Tuesday. The stock hit a new high of Rs 3,485, up 2.3 per cent on the BSE. At 09:53 am; Bajaj Finance's market-cap stood at Rs 2.01 trillion, the exchange data shows.  Torrent Pharmaceuticals shares slipped 8 per cent to Rs 1,525 on the BSE in the early morning trade on Tuesday after it reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 152 crore in March quarter (Q4FY19). The drug firm had posted a consolidated profit of Rs 228 crore in the year-ago quarter

Benchmark indices ended around 1 per cent lower on Tuesday as the previous day's exit poll euphoria gave way to profit-booking by investors, including in some index heavweights. The indices hit a record-high at opening, with the S&P BSE Sensex touching the 39,571.73-mark while Nifty reached 11,883.55 levels, before trimming gains in a volatile session that saw India VIX rise over 8 per cent. The S&P BSE Sensex ended the day 383 points lower at 38,970, with Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, IndusInd Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Bharti Airtel emerging as the top losers. Only three out of the 30 constituents of BSE ended the day in the green. The broader Nifty50 also slipped 119 points to settle at 11,709. The market breadth remained in the favour of sellers with about 1,145 stocks declining and 609 stocks advancing on the NSE. All the sectoral indices ended the day in red, with Nifty Auto and Nifty Media taking the biggest hits, down 2.52 per cent and 2.32 per cent, respectively. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index lost 0.84 per cent, or 124 points, to settle at 14,695, while the S&P BSE SmallCap index dipped 88 points, or 0.61 per cent, to rule at 14,293. BUZZING STOCKS Bajaj Finance entered the elite club of companies with a market capitalisation (market-cap) of Rs 2 trillion after the company's stock price hit a new high on the BSE in intra-day trade on Tuesday. The stock hit a new high of Rs 3,485, up 2.3 per cent on the BSE. At 09:53 am; Bajaj Finance's market-cap stood at Rs 2.01 trillion, the exchange data shows.  Torrent Pharmaceuticals shares slipped 8 per cent to Rs 1,525 on the BSE in the early morning trade on Tuesday after it reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 152 crore in March quarter (Q4FY19). The drug firm had posted a consolidated profit of Rs 228 crore in the year-ago quarter