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☆ India New Issue HDFC to issue 10-year bonds - traders
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The housing finance company has invited coupon and commitment bids from bankers and investors on Tuesday, they added. The issue will also have a greenshoe option to retain an additional 20 billion rupees and will close for subscription later this week. The bonds are rated AAA by CRISIL and will have a put option at the end of the third year. Last week, Reuters had reported that the housing financier plans to tap the bond market after a gap of two months. In November, HDFC raised 19 billion rupees through bonds maturing in 10 years at an annual coupon of 7.79%.

☆ India ICICI Bank’s profit jumps 34% in October-December
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 21(Reuters) - India's ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS) on Saturday reported a 34.2% increase in net profit for the October-December quarter, on the back of improved revenues and healthy loan growth. Net profit for the quarter was 83.12 billion Indian rupees ($1.03 billion) up from 61.94 billion rupees in the same quarter a year earlier. That was in line with analysts' forecast of 81.25 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and paid, rose 34.6% to 164.65 billion rupees from 122.36 billion rupees last year. However, provisions and contingencies increased to 22.57 billion rupees from 16.44 billion rupees in the September quarter.

☆ India cenbank's new proposal on loan loss provisions to raise bank capital needs - analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The Indian central bank's discussion paper suggesting banks make provisions on bad loans using an expected credit loss (ECL) method could raise capital requirements for lenders, analysts said. The potential impact of a shift to the ECL mechanism on bank capital could be significant, said the RBI, which is yet to give a timeline for implementing the new rules. The new mechanism will recognise problems ahead of time and make the banking system more resilient in the long run but could raise capital requirements significantly particularly for government owned banks, analysts at Macquarie Research said. "The problem here is that over the last 5-10 years, the probability of default would have been very high for the banking sector and that's why eventual ECL provisions could be higher,” Macquarie said. While the impact on individual banks is difficult to assess at this stage, it could be felt in 2025/26 and banks would have to start preparing in 2024/25 to raise capital, the research house added.

☆ HDFC Bank, India's biggest private lender, says net profit jumps 18.5%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Net profit for the quarter was 122.59 billion rupees ($1.51 billion), up from 103.42 billion rupees in the same quarter a year earlier. That was above analysts' forecast of 118.33 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and paid, rose 24.6% to 229.88 billion rupees from 184.44 billion rupees. HDFC's advances for its third fiscal quarter rose 19.5%, retail loans grew 21.4%, commercial and rural banking loans were up 30.2% and other wholesale loans rose 20.3%. Provisions and contingencies fell slightly to 28.06 billion rupees from 29.94 billion rupees last year.

BENGALURU, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A budget that accelerates fiscal consolidation would give more support to the Indian rupee in the near term, according to a Reuters poll of FX analysts who forecast the currency would erase a fifth of last year's losses over the next 12 months. A majority of FX analysts, 11 of 17, said a Feb. 1 budget that focuses on fiscal consolidation would help the Indian rupee the most in the near term. None of the respondents expected the rupee to be stronger than 75 per dollar, where it started 2022, at any point this year. Abhishek Upadhyay, senior economist at ICICI Securities Primary Dealership, said the "fiscal deficit is still too high and needs to be reduced" for the rupee to find some support. "High fiscal deficit will hurt the savings-investment balance, curb improvement in current account deficit, and complicate the RBI's efforts to temper inflation pressures."

☆ India’s Vodafone stress test may have ugly results
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Investors cheered, and many customers in its now-234 million-and shrinking subscriber base breathed a sigh of relief. Vodafone, meanwhile, is now calling on the banks for fresh loans, per the Economic Times. That may not have been sufficient, but there was no disclosure by the company stating that the swap was conditional on the existing owners’ financial commitment. India’s politicians are careful to avoid situations where they might be accused of being too generous to foreign multinationals. With so much stress, though, other creditors might find a reason to pull the rug from under the company’s feet sooner.

☆ Indian shares fall as China COVID surge dampens sentiment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Indian shares fell on Thursday, dragged by broad-based declines, as a surge in COVID cases in China dampened optimism generated by the reopening of the world's second-largest economy. The Nifty 50 index (.NSEI) was down 0.58% at 18,017.85, as of 11:27 a.m. IST, and the S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) fell 0.54% to 60,578.03. Forty-five of the Nifty 50 constituents fell, with Tata Consumer (TACN.NS), Tata Motors (TAMO.NS), Grasim (GRAS.NS), Ultratech Cement (ULTC.NS), HDFC (HDFC.NS) and Hindalco Industries (HALC.NS) losing over 1.25%. Several countries, including the United States and India, have made COVID tests mandatory for travellers from China. The stock was the top gainer in Nifty 50 index.

☆ A China ‘spending boom?’ Your guide to emerging market investing in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"We're going to have a spending boom in China, at least in the first half of the year," said Mehran Nakhjavani, emerging market strategist at MRB Partners. How to play emerging markets in 2023 Regardless, there are several ways for investors to get exposure to emerging markets. Perhaps the easiest way is by investing in the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM). Another vehicle through which to play emerging markets is the First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDex ETF (FEMS) . The fund is the best-performing emerging markets ETF this year, according to Morningstar, with a year-to-date return of just over 1%.

☆ INDIA RUPEE Rupee may open slightly lower, risks falling below key support
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee is likely to open marginally lower against the U.S. currency on Thursday, weighed by persistent dollar demand from importers and rise in oil prices. The rupee is expected to be around 82.85-82.88 at open, compared with 82.81 in the previous session. It looks like it will be another session where help will be needed to prevent the rupee from falling below 83, a trader at a Mumbai-based private bank said. Public sector banks have been regularly selling dollars lately, when rupee falls near to 82.85-82.90 levels. Asian currencies were mostly higher, while the dollar index was down to 103.98 on the back of the positive.

☆ Indian stocks top Asian markets, strong economic growth fuels hope
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Global investors, sovereign funds and other institutions are looking to raise exposure to India in their emerging markets portfolios. The world-beating stocks performance has helped India to double its weight in MSCI's emerging markets index to 16% from 2019, but overseas investors have missed out in the local rally. Foreign portfolio investors sold a net $18 billion this year of Indian assets but turned buyers in November and December. The IPO came after the government offloaded its decades-old, debt-laden flag carrier Air India to Tata Sons for $2.4 billion in enterprise value. Apple said it will manufacture iPhone 14 in India, while a key supplier Foxconn (2317.TW) plans to quadruple the workforce at its Indian plant, Reuters has reported.

☆ Apple finds a happy home in India
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Helped by generous subsidies, Taiwanese Apple suppliers are starting to churn out more iPhones in India. Analysts at JPMorgan reckon India will have 6% of iPhone manufacturing capacity in 2022, and the rest will remain in China. Incentives and other subsidies partially compensate for inefficiencies in India, where demand for pricier devices is slowly picking up. HDFC Securities estimates that for an average smartphone, as little as 14% of the value is added in India. Whether or not India gets that far, Apple at least gets a happy new home.

☆ Recovery in Asia M&A, stuck at 8-year-lows, rests on macro conditions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Kane Wu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Deals are set to revive slowly as companies and funds watch out for easier macroeconomic conditions, they said. "This will provide a more stable backdrop for the return of a more robust M&A market," said Maliah. Deals in private equity, a major M&A driver, amounted to $139 billion as of Dec. 15, down 52% on all of 2021. "Banks' ability to write big-size checks is still much challenged," said Samson Lo, UBS's co-head of Asia-Pacific M&A. An improvement in Asian equity capital market volumes from three-year lows will also help M&A deals, dealmakers said.

☆ India bank sale sharpens valuation rivalry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial (8316.T), Carlyle (CG.O) and Fairfax Financial (FFH.TO) may each be eyeing some of the 61% stake on offer in $7 billion IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS), per reports by The Economic Times and Mint. These latecomers’ share of outstanding loans fell to 55% in March 2022 from 70% in 2016, per Reserve Bank of India data. CONTEXT NEWSIndia on Dec. 14 extended the deadline to submit preliminary bids for the sale of a controlling stake in IDBI Bank to Jan. 7 from Dec. 16. New Delhi intends to sell 30.48%; Life Insurance Corporation of India, which is almost entirely government-owned, will sell a 30.24% stake. Carlyle, Fairfax Financial and DBS Bank are considering bidding for at least 10% each in IDBI Bank, Mint reported on Nov. 7, citing unnamed sources.

The rupee finished last week 1.2% lower at 82.27 per dollar, tumbling swiftly from trading in the 81-handle initially. Considering that, the rupee is still expected to be "stuck" in a range, they added. Meanwhile, India's benchmark government bond yield ended last week at 7.2982%, with the 8 bps gain its biggest weekly rise since late-September. Yields are expected to move in a narrow range of 7.26%-7.36%, with high chances of the upper end being tested, said a fixed income trader. After the Fed meeting, traders will also watch out for the central bank's dot plot to see where terminal rates could go.

The monetary policy committee (MPC), comprising three members from the RBI and three external members, raised the key lending rate or the repo rate (INREPO=ECI) to 6.25% in a majority decision. "The MPC was of the view that further calibrated monetary policy action was warranted to keep inflation expectations anchored, break core inflation persistence and contain second round effects,” Das said as he announced the monetary policy committee's decision. We see a possibility of another 25 bps rate hike before a prolonged pause," Upasna Bhardwaj, chief economist at Kotak Mahindra Bank said. A 6.8% growth (rate) is robust," Das said. The Indian rupee dipped against the dollar after the policy decision and comments on inflation, while government bond yields rose.

☆ India cenbank hikes key policy rate by 35 basis points
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

However, the pace of rate hikes is reducing from 50 bps to 35 bps, in line with expected global hikes." The market needs to keep a close watch on global rate hikes and sticky core inflation." "We expect RBI to go for another 25 bps hike in its next policy, with the terminal rate at 6.5%. ANUJ PURI, CHAIRMAN, ANAROCK GROUP, MUMBAI"The 35 bps rate hike by the RBI - the fifth consecutive rate hike this year - comes as no surprise. We see a possibility of another 25 bps rate hike before a prolonged pause."

☆ Foreign equity funds pile into Indian financials as credit cycle picks up
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Anushka Trivedi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MUMBAI, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Foreign investors are buying into Indian financial firms, lured by the prospects of a fresh credit cycle that may boost the stocks of the country's largest lenders. The optimism is reflected in inflows, with foreign investors buying a net of $1.74 billion worth of Indian financial stocks in November, data released by the National Securities Depository Ltd this week showed. Reuters Graphics"PALATABLE" VALUATIONIndian financial stocks are trading at a premium to their historical average, but that is not necessarily the comparison investors are looking at. This has prompted local and foreign investors to pour money into the domestic equity markets, which hit all-time highs last week. The optimism comes despite financial stocks trading at a premium to their two-year historical average on a price-to-book valuation basis.

☆ Mukesh Ambani will take credit where it’s due
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Boss Mukesh Ambani might do precisely that to fund a push by his $220 billion Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) conglomerate into consumer lending. The company is spinning off and listing its little-noticed non-bank financial company. More than rivals, Ambani is sitting on a treasure trove of data to assess the credit worthiness of borrowers. As a home-grown tycoon, Ambani has a better chance of success than other late entrants to financial services. On Oct. 21, Reliance revealed plans to spin off Reliance Strategic and rename it Jio Financial Services.

The private lender raised 150 billion rupees ($1.85 billion) through 10-year Tier-II bonds at an annual coupon of 7.86%, for which it had received bids worth 240.80 billion rupees, according to merchant bankers. A large state-run insurance company and a big provident fund house invested an aggregate of 90 billion rupees in this issue, merchant bankers said. HDFC Bank completes its debt sale a day ahead of State Bank of India's bond issue. HDFC Bank is set to be merged with parent Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC.NS) in the coming months, and both entities have been on a fundraising spree this financial year. While HDFC Bank has raised 30 billion rupees, excluding the latest issue, HDFC has raised around 550 billion rupees through bond issuance.

☆ India's economy likely slowed to annual 6.2% in July-Sept: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Indradip Ghosh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Data due at 1200 GMT on Wednesday, Nov. 30BENGALURU, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The Indian economy likely returned to a more normal 6.2% annual growth rate in July-September after double-digit expansion in the previous quarter, but weaker exports and investment will curb future activity, a Reuters poll showed. In April-June, Asia's third-largest economy showed explosive growth of 13.5% from a year earlier thanks mainly to the corresponding period in 2021 having been depressed by pandemic-control restrictions. The 6.2% annual growth forecast for latest quarter in a Nov. 22-28 Reuters poll of 43 economists was a tad lower than the RBI's 6.3% view. Meanwhile, the RBI raised its key policy interest rate to 5.9% from 4.0% in May and is widely expected to add another 60 basis points by the end of March. "Between December and February, the headwinds to growth may become more evident," said Deutsche Bank's Das.

☆ Indian bank stocks' record rally to continue as balance sheets strengthen
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Nupur Anand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A man checks his mobile phones in front of State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Kolkata, India, February 9, 2018. This comes at a time when credit growth is at a multi-year high and bad loans across lenders have reduced significantly. The brokerage said private and state-owned lenders that remained better placed to grow include ICICI Bank Ltd (ICBK.NS), HDFC Bank Ltd (HDBK.NS), Axis Bank Ltd (AXBK.NS), IndusInd Bank Ltd (INBK.NS), Bank of Baroda Ltd (BOB.NS) and State Bank of India (SBI) (SBI.NS). Credit growth is at a multi-year high, with an uptick both in retail and corporate loans. "One key concern going ahead remains how the rising interest rate scenario will impact credit growth."

☆ Bain gives India’s banking ball a time check
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bain Capital on Tuesday pocketed some $400 million from selling just under a third of the more than 4% stake it bought in Axis Bank (AXBK.NS) in 2017. Back then, the private equity firm and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIFI.NS) injected cash as the country’s third-largest non-state-controlled lender was grappling with a slew of bad loans. Axis now oozes confidence under ex-HDFC Life Insurance executive Amitabh Chaudhry, who joined as boss in 2019. Gross bad loans account for 2.5% of total assets, less than half the level when Bain bought in. With Bain currently sitting on 1.6 times its money, excluding dividends, it’s a good time to send some in its party home.

☆ India cenbank to start pilot of digital rupee on Nov 1
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: A man walks behind the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) logo inside its headquarters in Mumbai, India, April 8, 2022. REUTERS/Francis MascarenhasBENGALURU (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will launch the pilot for a central-bank-backed digital rupee for the wholesale segment on Nov. 1, it said on Monday, identifying nine banks, including top lender State Bank of India, to participate in the project. Settlements in central bank digital currency would reduce transaction costs, the RBI added. Besides SBI, the pilot will include Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, IDFC First Bank and HSBC, the RBI said. The central bank’s plans for a currency in digital form comes amid its staunch opposition of cryptocurrencies.

☆ Indian rupee marks biggest monthly losing streak since 1985
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee has declined in each of the ten months this year to notch its biggest losing streak in almost four decades as the U.S. Federal Reserve's hawkish stance on monetary policy catapulted the dollar to two-decade highs. The dollar index is up 16% this year, having scaled 114.8-levels last month to trade near its 2002 peak. The Indian rupee fell 1.8% against the dollar in October, taking its slide for the year to nearly 11%. It could come under pressure in case Fed indicates aggressive tightening path in the future," HDFC Bank economists wrote in a note. Reporting by Anushka Trivedi in Mumbai; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's largest insurer LIC plans changes to revive battered stock - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Nikunj Rajesh Ohri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The state-owned insurer listed on Indian stock exchanges in May, but its stock has since dropped by more than 35%, wiping off nearly 2.23 trillion Indian rupees in investor wealth. LIC is now looking to looking at steps to revive its share price, said a government official, who did not want to be named. The company plans to transfer 1.8 trillion Indian rupees ($21.83 billion), a sixth of the 11.57 trillion rupees lying in its non-participating fund, to its shareholders' fund, according to an official aware of the matter. LIC parks the premium it collects from the latter in a non-participating fund. The surplus in the non-participating fund is earmarked for shareholders and can be transferred to shareholders fund with approval from LIC's board, which is yet to be sought, they said.

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