Thursday, October 1, 2009

India Inc feels let down as MTN deal fails

India Inc on Wednesday felt let down by the failure of the $23-billion proposed merger deal between telecom giants Bharti Airtel and South Africa's MTN but said the south-south co-operation was still alive.

"In this particular proposed deal they (South African government) could have said they will make an exception in their law in terms of dual listing norms," Ficci secretary-general Amit Mitra said.

He, however, said there was still scope in South Africa where Indian companies are preferred by "black administration", which today controls the country. Assocham president Sajjan Jindal described the development as "the most unfortunate".

He said the merger between Bharti and MTN would have provided a "golden opportunity" for India Inc to spread its wings in the global business space.

"It is most unfortunate. The MTN deal has been called off despite full support from the Indian government. It was a golden opportunity for India to globalise its wings," he said.

In a consolatory tone, CII director-general Chandrajit Banerjee said the Bharti-MTN deal not going through should not be seen as a dampener.

"India Inc has had many success in the past and in future too we can hope to see some large merger and acquisitions by Indian companies, including the likes of Bharti," he added.

Via Yahoo

Investor wealth jumps 116% as Sensex soars

Those who had faith in the stock markets and stayed invested during the troughs can now see their wealth more than double. As the BSE Sensex (^BSESN : 17134.55 +7.71) crossed the 17,000-mark after a gap of 16 months, investor wealth has literally jumped 116.4% from the lows of March 9 this year.

Investor wealth as measured by the market capitalisation on BSE was pegged at Rs 26.40 lakh crore on March 9, 2009, when the Sensex ended the day at 8,160.40. Since, then the market has added around Rs 30.72 lakh crore in market capitalisation, which now stands at Rs 57.13 lakh crore.

Most of the gains in market capitalisation, however, have come from the large-cap group A shares. On a sectoral basis, industries like construction, retailing, banks, oil (drilling/allied services), tyres and sugar have been at the forefront of boosting overall market value. Lesser, but steady contributions came in from sectors like FMCG , electricity, telecommunications and cigarettes.

Harish Menon, executive director, H-Zone Capital, said, "With the global economic conditions showing early signs of revival, risk-aversion began to subside starting early 2009. High liquidity pool has benefited risky asset classes, including equities. Indian markets have also witnessed momentum rally leading up to this point and looks set to continue for some more time."

Market cap of A group shares constituted 85.8% of the total BSE market cap. The aggregate market cap of the BSE's A group increased by Rs 25.45 lakh crore to Rs 49.03 lakh crore on September 30, from Rs 23.58 lakh crore on March 9, 2009.

On the forefront of wealth building over March 2009 were eight stocks--Aban Offshore, Central Bank Of India, Welspun-Guj Stahl Rohren, JSW Steel, Housing Development and Infrastructure, Yes Bank (YESBANK.NS : 199.45 -5.6), Torrent Power and Bhushan Steel.

These saw their market capitalisation jump more than 350%. JSW Steel was the biggest gainer with scrip soaring 408.5%.

In the pecking order, Reliance Industries (RELIANCE.NS : 2174.35 -27.3) remains No 1 in terms of market capitalisation. It also increased its value by Rs 1.65 lakh crore in the process. ONGC (ONGC.NS : 1182.2 +10.2) kept the No 2 position intact and the company's value, as measured by the stock market, increased by Rs 1.08 lakh crore over the study period. Another PSU stock, NTPC, got the third slot adding Rs 30,673 crore to its market cap.

US Faces Retro 70s Inflation : JIM Rogers

The US faces high inflation because of the weak dollar and the Federal Reserve's policy of printing money to counter the effects of the crisis, legendary investor Jim Rogers told CNBC Thursday.

Price rises in the US are already steeper than the inflation rate reported by the government, Rogers added.

"There's no question the US is vulnerable to hyperinflation down the road or certainly the inflation we saw in the 1970s, I would expect that to come back in the foreseeable future, certainly in the next few years," he said.

"The true inflation rate in America? It's certainly at least 6 or 7 percent, the US government lies about it, as you know, everybody who shops knows that prices are up, everybody except the US government, and I wish we knew where they shopped so we can shop there too and get good prices."

Rogers repeated his view that the Fed's quantitative easing program is "debasing the currency" and said he was "extremely worried" about the fate of the dollar over the long term.

Asia is the region where investors should go, as countries in that region have strong reserves while once-strong economies such as the US and the UK are now in debt, he said. But investors should do their homework.

"If you don't know where China is on the map you shouldn't invest any in Asia… but if you know a lot about Asia and know what you're doing, you should probably have a lot in Asia," he said, adding that stock markets aren't attractive now.

"I'm not buying shares in any country right now, most stock markets around the world are up through the roof, especially in Asia," Rogers said.

Via CNBC

Microsoft Strategy for Big Comeback

(Money Magazine) -- From the mid-1980s to 1999, a period that marked the rise of the PC, Microsoft made a lot of people rich: Its shares soared 59% a year.

But ever since the Internet became a legitimate force, the software giant has struggled to adapt to an increasingly web-based computing world -- and its stock price has gone nowhere.

Can Microsoft thrive and find new sources of growth in a post-PC world, where its flagship software products become less dominant?

In need of a big upgrade

You can't overestimate the importance of the October launch of Windows 7, the latest version of the operating system that accounts for 25% of Microsoft's revenue. Customers were so unimpressed with the last upgrade, Vista, that only 18% of computers run on it, says Net Applications. That anemic adoption rate since the 2007 release, combined with poor PC sales, cut Windows' revenue 13% in the past 12 months.

Unlike Vista, Windows 7 has so far received positive reviews. That, plus a projected uptick in PC sales in 2010 as the economy improves, means Windows sales could pick up. But since this is a mature business the firm already leads in, it's not likely to drive growth in the future.

Clouds are forming

Don't expect Microsoft's dominance in operating systems and applications software to keep leading to big profit margins, which are already down six points, to 25%, from 2005. The threat: cloud computing, in which applications run on the web.

"Look at Facebook," says Morning-star analyst Toan Tran. "It doesn't care what platform you're running." It can use Mac OS, Linux, or Google's upcoming Chrome OS.

As a result, Tran says Windows revenue "has the potential to be a rounding error" in 10 years. He thinks the firm's future is in Azure, Microsoft's cloud service that lets developers create applications on Microsoft servers. But Amazon.com (AMZN, Fortune 500), Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), and others offer similar services.

Chasing Googleimage

Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) hopes to find growth in online advertising. A few months after launching its new search engine, Bing, its share of online searches has grown to 9% vs. Google's 65%. But the goal isn't to be No. 1, says Tom Forester of the Forester Value fund, which owns the stock.

"Even a 20% share would be huge, given how big online ads promise to be," he says. They could exceed $30 billion by 2013, says the Yankee Group. And Forester thinks Microsoft could hit 15% to 20% in a couple of years.

Under a new deal, subject to government approval, Bing will power searches on Yahoo for a cut of revenue. "Bing should march toward profitability," says Edward Jones's Andy Miedler. "That's the real test."

Via CNN

Hot Stocks for October 1st week

The proposed $23-billion cash-and-share-swap deal between Bharti Airtel and South Africa's MTN has been called off. This is the second time in two years that talks between the two have failed. Bharti Airtel blamed the South African government for the latest breakdown in a deal which faced close scrutiny from regulators and politicians. The deal would have created the world's third-largest telecom company. A press release issued by Bharti said that the company would continue to explore international expansion opportunities.
Biocon will acquire the bulk pharmaceutical business undertaking of IDL Specialty Chemicals, located near Hyderabad. No other details were available.
Aksh Optifibre plans to raise up to $20 million on a private placement basis. The funds will be used to grow its internet protocol television and voice over internet businesses.
Mahindra & Mahindra may reportedly combine its two engine-making units, unlisted Powerol and Swaraj Engines, under one company to boost revenues from the businesses.
Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is replacing 30 offshore supply vessels. It has ordered 12 vessles and plans to replace the remaining 18 on a phased manner over the next three years.
United Spirits is reported to have got shareholder approval to raise funds. It will raise $300-$350 million, which would help it develerage its balance sheet.
Bajaj Auto is reportedly planning to expand capacity in two of its factories but did not disclose the quantum of investments.
Milestone Religare Investment Advisors, a private equity fund floated by Milestone Group and Religare is reportedly close to signing a deal to invest Rs 25-50 crore each in two south India-based hospitals.
Glenmark Generics, a unit of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, has reportedly filed regulatory application with the market regulator to raise Rs 550-600 crore via an initial public offering (IPO).
MRF India is reportedly likely to take a Rs 700-800 crore hit on its topline this year due to labour unrest that disrupted schedules at two of its plants in India.
Swaraj Mazda, which is implementing a Rs 260 crore expansion programme, has entered into technical agreements with Malaysian and Chinese firms for production of buses, bus bodies and procuring some parts.
Reliance Communication's tower unit Reliance Infratel is reportedly talking to its existing shareholders - George Soros, HSBC, New Silk, Galleon, DA Capital and GLG Capital among others - to rope them in as anchor investors in its forthcoming initial public offering.
Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) is reportedly looking to raise nearly $300 million via debt by the end of this fiscal to buy vessels. The funds will be used for vessel acquisitions, reports suggested, adding banks are more willing to lend to shipping firms now compared to last year.

Why Crude Shoots up

Prices rise on back of drop in gasoline inventory and weak dollar
Crude prices ended substantially higher at Nymex on Wednesday, 30 September, 2009. Prices rose as energy department reported unexpected drop in gasoline inventories for last week. The weak dollar also helped crude price go up. With today's gains, crude managed to eke out gains for the month and the quarter.
On Wednesday, crude-oil futures for light sweet crude for November delivery closed at $70.61/barrel (higher by $3.9 or 5.8%). Last week, crude ended lower by 8%.
For the month of September, 2009, crude ended higher by a marginal 0.9%. For the third quarter, crude ended higher by just 1%. Crude prices had rallied 40% and 11.3% in the second and first quarter of 2009 respectively.
Oil prices had reached a high of $147 on 11 July, 2008 but have dropped almost 65% since then. Year to date, in 2009, crude prices are higher by 45%.
In today's weekly inventory report, the EIA reported an increase of 2.8 million barrels in crude inventories and a buildup of 300,000 in distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil. The changes were largely in line with expectations. Gasoline inventories fell by 1.6 million barrels in the week ended 25 September, 2009 as demand rose 3.8% to 9.13 million barrels a day.
The report also detailed that crude imports also fell, down 2.7% to 9.5 million barrels a day, but weak refinery utilization rates offset the drop in imports, resulting in a modest buildup in crude inventories. Gasoline imports fell to 851,000 barrels a day last week, down 17% from a week ago.
In the currency market on Wednesday, Tuesday, the dollar slipped following upbeat economic data. The U.S. dollar remained lower after the government said U.S. real gross domestic product for the second quarter was revised to a decline of 0.7% annualized from the earlier estimate of a 1% drop. The dollar index, which measures the strength of dollar against a basket of other currencies, fell by almost 0.6%.
Among other energy products on Wednesday, October gasoline futures gained 9.78 cents, or 6%, to $1.7259 a gallon, and October heating oil rose 9.54 cents, or 5.6%, to $1.796 a gallon. Both contracts expired on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, November natural-gas futures fell 3.4 cents, or 0.7%, to $4.841 per million British thermal units.
Crude prices had ended FY 2008 lower by 54%, the largest yearly loss since trading began at Nymex.
At the MCX, crude oil for October delivery closed higher by Rs 127 (3.9%) at Rs 3,337/barrel. Natural gas for October delivery closed lower by Rs 6.7 (2.8%) at Rs 231/mmbtu.

Hot News of October 1 2009

Bharti Airtel and MTN have called off talks after the South African government refused to soften its stance on the proposed deal structure. (ET)
ONGC-Hinduja Group alliance lost the rights to develop Iran’s South Azadegan oilfield to CNPC of China. (FE)
Government may allow GAIL to charge marketing margin on APM gas. (FE)
With a warchest of US$2bn, Oil India plans to acquire crude oil producing assets or oil companies in Australia, South East Asia, Africa, Russia and South America. (FE)
Tata Power willing to use Reliance meters for supply to Mumbai. (BL)
Dr Reddy’s is recalling four of its drugs used to treat ailments such as allergy, depression and high cholesterol from the US market. (ET)
HCC ties up with UK based AMEC to jointly provide consultancy for execution of nuclear power plants in India and is eyeing an annual revenue of Rs50bn. (FE)
1st phase of Durgapur Steel Plant of SAIL will go onstream in October 2011. (BS)
ArcelorMittal to change location within Jharkhand for its 12mn ton capacity plant. (BS)
United Spirits expects to raise up to US$350mn either through private equity or qualified institutional placement to pre-pay debt related to acquisition of Whyte & Mackay. (BL)
Top three food companies, ITC, Britannia and Parle Products, plan to increase their presence in the Rs90bn branded biscuits market. (FE)
BHEL has expanded its presence in the CIS region by bagging its first export contract from the Republic of Belarus worth Rs2.7bn. (ET)
TCS has signed a two year multi million dollar deal with Singapore based People’s Association for application management services. (ET)
Siemens won two orders worth Rs3.6bn from Power Grid for setting up substations at Gaya in Bihar and Ranchi in Jharkhand. (FE)
Torrent Power to foray into wind, solar power generation with a capacity addition of 9,500MW in next 5-7 yrs. (BS)
Maruti Suzuki’s R&D center is close to developing a dual fuel engine, running on petrol and CNG. (ET)
Maruti Suzuki expects its September sales to jump by 30% due to robust demand during the festive season. (FE)
USFDA’s decision to defer approval of Cervarix, GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine for cervical cancer may affect the vaccine’s sales in India. (FE)
Israeli drug firm Taro Pharmaceuticals has filed a lawsuit in the US district court against Sun Pharmaceutical alleging violation of non-disclosure agreement and misleading shareholders. (ET)
Reliance Communications announced its partnership with Microsoft for offering Windows Mobile solutions on its wireless networks. (FE)
Opto Circuits’ subsidiary, Criticare Systems, entered into an agreement with US based company to provide anesthetic gas monitoring technology. (FE)
MindTree launched its new multi-channel commerce solutions designed to help retailers adopt a more customer centric strategy. (FE)
Parsvnath has joined hands with private equity players to finance three of their projects. (FE)
Orchid Chemicals targets to become US$1bn in next 3 years (BS)
Dhabol has started to buy natural gas from Reliance Industries to cut electricity generation cost. (FE)
ICSA eyes 60% revenues from infrastructure services. (BS)
Harrisons Malayalam turns to engineering, construction to diversify its operations. (BL)
Reliance Infratel is talking to its existing shareholders in an attempt to rope them in as anchor investors in their forthcoming IPO. (ET)
Tata Teleservices and BSNL signed a 15 year infrastructure sharing deal across the country. (ET)
DB Realty has submitted the prospectus with SEBI to raise Rs15bn by selling 10% stake through an IPO. (ET)
Glenmark Generics, the generics arm of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, filed the draft prospectus with SEBI to raise Rs5.5-6bn from the primary market. (ET)
Emaar MGF and Sahara Prime City too have applied to SEBI for raising funds from the market, taking the total amount to be raised by realty companies to Rs110bn. (ET)
The government has consented to 10% divestment in MMTC, which can fetch it Rs170bn, and also plans follow on public offer of either NTPC or REC. (FE)
Satyam has sought time till March to restate its financial statements. (FE)
Shipping Corporation of India said it has put its plans to acquire vessels on hold. (FE)
CMPDIL, a subsidiary of Coal India, will invest over Rs1bn for acquiring advanced drilling equipments in the next two years. (FE)
Mr. H. M. Nerurkar will take charge of Tata Steel from Mr. B. Muthuraman. (ET)
Gee Kay Finance & Leasing buys Sigrun Realities for Rs3.4bn. (BS)
Marg gets board's nod to raise Rs30bn. (BS)
Air India pilots called off their strike after reaching a compromise with the management over a cut in incentives. (ET)
India’s balance of payment position improved considerably at the end of the first quarter as a slowdown in imports narrowed the current account deficit. (ET)
India’s fiscal deficit rose 35% in the first five months of the fiscal as the government continued tax cuts and increased public spending. (ET)
India’s external debt rose marginally by US$3.7bn during Q1 FY10 to US$227.7bn. (ET)
The government introduced an interest rate subsidy scheme that could help a home loan borrower save upto Rs10,000 in monthly payments. (ET)
State owned oil firms have slashed jet fuel prices by 2.1% in line with softening international rates. (ET)
India and Russia have decided to encourage high level bilateral investments in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, energy, IT, high technology co-operation, agro processing and gems and jewellery. (ET)
The Forwards Market Commission has taken strong objection to the introduction of term ahead contracts by IEX and PXI. (FE)
Despite strong demand and infrastructure spend, cement prices have fallen Rs60 per 50kg bag in some regions. (FE)
Government has increased the time frame for commodity exchanges to comply with the restriction of 5% stake by a foreign individual investor till March ’10. (FE)
Inflated estimates push down cost overruns for infra projects. (BS)
The CBDT has given effect to the budget declaration to tax all gifts in kind above Rs50,000 from October 1. (ET)

Where is market heading down or up

Whether one should be greedy at this stage is a BIG question after such a stunning rally. We’ve come a long way in a year. The journey from the brink of Great Depression has been spectacular. The moot point is where do we go from here?

The fact that so many people have missed the rally could ensure that the bulls maintain an upper hand. They will be aided by the flaring risk appetite and ample liquidity. But, can the earnings catch up with the bull run?

The real test will be when the stimulus is reversed. Inflation could be another party pooper. Valuations are definitely not cheap, though historic peak is still some way away. The question is whether one should wait for that long to realise one’s folly.

Today, we expect a soft opening as world markets are not particularly gung-ho. A long weekend is ahead of us before earnings start to roll in. There might be some consolidation and any fall is not likely to be too big.

We feel the market needs to pause to reflect the ground reality, which is that earnings growth may not be able to match the performance on the bourses. The economic recovery will be painfully slow. Though overall data points from across the globe have been encouraging, the real growth driven by increasing demand is yet to materialise.

Use the six and a half month rally to cleanse your portfolios. Get out of weak stocks and hold on to the ones with sound fundamentals. One could also consider locking in some profits and then waiting for some correction to resume purchases.

A word on the Bharti-MTN deal now. The land where India's father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi began his long and arduous political journey has dealt a blow to Bharti Airtel’s ambition of creating a mega telecom titan. The multi-billion-dollar cross border deal has been laid low by South African government's insistence on a dual listing for the merged entity, something which the Indian government could not facilitate.

Whether a dead deal is good for Bharti Airtel or no only time will tell. It could zero in on some other inorganic growth opportunity in some other corner of the world or it might altogether drop the idea of M&As. Right now its wait and watch. One also needs to see whether the Indian government is willing to amend its rules and laws to enable an increasingly ambitious India Inc. to realise its global dream.

Auto and cement stocks will be in the limelight as they release their monthly sales numbers. Both are expected to have maintained the recent scorching pace.

FIIs were net buyers of Rs10.75bn in the cash segment on Wednesday on a provisional basis. The local funds were net buyers of Rs1.59bn, according to figures published on the NSE's web site. In the F&O segment, the foreign funds were net sellers at Rs3.04bn. On Tuesday, FIIs were net buyers of Rs11.02bn in the cash segment. The net FII investments in Indian stocks this year have crossed $12bn.

US stocks closed lower for a second successive day on Wednesday, as weaker-than-expected reports on manufacturing and the jobs market prompted investors to lock in some gains. But the key US stock indices ended the month and the quarter on an upbeat note.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 30 points, or 0.3%, to 9,712.28. The S&P 500 index lost 3 points, or 0.3%, to 1,057.08. The Nasdaq Composite index lost just over 1 point, or 0.1%, to 2,122.42.

US stocks were volatile throughout the session as investors considered the economic news, a weaker dollar and a 6% spike in oil prices. End-of-quarter portfolio rebalancing may have also contributed to the choppiness.

Wednesday was the last day of the third quarter, during which the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all gained just over 15%. US stocks had slipped on Tuesday after a drop in consumer confidence added to worries about the sustainability of an economic recovery.

Since bottoming at a 12-year low March 9, the S&P 500 has gained just shy of 57%, and the Dow has gained around 49% (as of Tuesday's close). After hitting a six-year low, the Nasdaq has gained nearly 68%.

Bank of America said after the close that CEO and president Ken Lewis is retiring on Dec. 31 after 40 years with the company.

Also after the close, General Motors (GM) said that it is shutting down its Saturn division after a deal to sell it to Penske Automotive Group fell apart.

The Chicago PMI fell to 46.1 in September from 50 in August. Economists thought it would rise to 52. A reading below 50 signifies contraction in the manufacturing sector.

Another report showed that employers in the private sector cut 254,000 jobs from their payrolls in September after cutting a revised 277,000 jobs in August. Economists expected 200,000 job cuts.

The report, from payroll services firm ADP, is a lead up to Thursday's reading on announced jobs cuts and Friday's bigger government employment report.

Another report showed that the GDP shrank at a 0.7% annual rate in the second quarter versus the initially reported 1% and the 1.2% rate forecast by economists.

CIT Group sank 45% on worries that it may not be able to avoid bankruptcy after all. The lender's shares had rallied on Tuesday on reports that it was negotiating a new credit facility that could total $10 billion.

On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal said that CIT was negotiating a deal with its creditors that would give control of the company to bondholders and wipe out common shareholders. That sent shares tumbling.

Among other movers, shares of Discovery Laboratories surged 22.5% on renewed hopes that its treatment for certain respiratory illnesses affecting premature infants might get approval. The drug, Surfaxin, has already been rejected four times by the FDA. But on Wednesday, Discovery said that the FDA has agreed to its proposed plan for addressing those concerns.

The dollar fell versus the euro and yen, resuming the selloff that has pushed the US currency to one-year lows against a basket of currencies over the last few weeks.

US light crude oil for October delivery rose $3.90 to settle at $70.61 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after the government reported a surprise drop in inventories.

COMEX gold for December delivery rose $14.90 to settle at $1009.30 an ounce. Gold closed at a record high of $1,020.20 two weeks ago.

Treasury prices slumped, raising the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 3.30% from 3.29% late on Tuesday.

Earnings and economic news helped European stocks post one of their best quarters for years in the third quarter of 2009. Overall, the pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 index climbed 17.7% in the quarter, marking the best three-month performance in percentage terms for almost ten years. Only 2.7% of that gain was made in September.

Indian markets ended in the green extending gains for second straight trading session. The strong upswing was seen despite overnight losses on Wall Street and weak cues from the Asian markets.

The opening moments of today’s session was indeed dominated more by Oil Indias listing. However, as the day progressed the buying spree spread all over Dalal-Street. Bulls were on a roll led by the banking, Auto, Capital Goods and Metal stocks. Even the Mid-Cap and the Small-Cap stocks were in demand.

However, the FMCG and select Consumer Durables stocks were under selling pressure.

Heavyweights like SBI, ICICI Bank, Maruti and M&M lifted the Sensex and Nifty to end at new 52-week high.

The BSE Sensex surged 274 points or 1.6% at 17,126 after touching a high of 17,143 and a low of 16,868. The index opened at 16,868 against the previous close of 16,853. The NSE Nifty added 77 points to shut shop at 5,084.

In Asia, the Nikkei in Japan was up 0.3%, while Australia's S&P/ASX ended lower by 0.2% at 4,743. Shanghai SE Composite in China was up by 0.9% at 2,779. However, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong ended lower by 0.3% at 20,955.

In Europe, stocks were in the green. The FTSE in the UK was up 0.6%, The DAX in Germany was up 0.5% and the CAC 40 index in France added 0.6%.

Coming back to India, among the BSE sectoral indices, the Bankex index was the top gainer, adding 3.7%, followed by the Auto index that was up 2% and the BSE Capital Goods index was up 1.8%.

Among the major losers were, BSE FMCG index down 0.5% and BSE Consumer Durable index marginally down 0.3%.

The BSE Mid-Cap index gained 1% and the BSE Small-Cap index was up 1%.

Among the 30-components of Sensex, 26 stocks ended in the green and 4 ended in the negative terrain. Among the major gainers were SBI, ICICI Bank, Maruti, M&M, Sterlite and Wipro.

On the other hand, ONGC, ITC, Grasim and Bharti Airtel were among the major laggards.

Outside the frontline indices, the big gainers in the broader market were Central Bank, Bhushan Steel, BEL, OBC, IOB and UCO Bank. On the other hand, losers included REI Agro, Marico, GSPL, MRPL and Dabur.

Shares of Oil India which began trading on the Indian bourses at Rs1,105 per share finally ended recording healthy gains. The stock surged to end at Rs1140 translating into a premium of 8.5%

The initial public offer of Oil India had received robust response, it got subscribed nearly 31 times, generating demand for shares worth over Rs855.76bn.

The portion reserved for qualified institutional buyers got subscribed 54 times, while the non-institutional and retail investors bid for 9.77 times and 114 times respectively of the shares on offer.

Shares of Wockhordt Pharma shot up by over 7.5% to Rs194 after the company received tentative approval from the US FDA for marketing the 0.4mg capsules of Tamsulosin Hydrochloride, which is used for treating Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH or non-cancerous enlargement of prostate).

Tamsulosin is the generic name for the brand Flomax, marketed in the United States by Boehringer Ingeiheirn. The patent on this product will expire on April 27. 2010 and Wockhardt will launch the product immediately thereafter.

The stock opened at Rs184 and made an intra-day high of Rs197 and a low of Rs183. Total traded volumes stood at 0.3mn shares.

BHEL won an order worth Rs2.7bn for a 120 MW Cogeneration Power Plant, to be set up at Grodno in Belarus, has been received from Grodnoenergo, which is a state enterprise of Republic of Belarus.

Shares of BHEL gained by 2.3% to Rs2325. The stock opened at Rs2279 and made an intra-day high of Rs2334 and a low of Rs2279. Total traded volumes stood at 0.14mn shares.

Shares of L&T gained by 2.2% to Rs1683 after reports stated that the company was planning to raise US$600mn from institutions through equity issuance. Reports also stated that the company has developed expertise to manufacture nuclear power plants of 3,000-4,000MW says Chairman, AM Naik.

Reliance Communications & Microsoft have entered into a strategic partnership to offer Windows Mobile Solution on Reliance’s wireless networks.

According to this agreement, Microsoft will offer its productivity solutions to Reliance customers including push email support, chat, photo-sharing, content back-up and other applications.

Shares of RCom gained 3% to end at Rs308. The stock opened at Rs300 and made an intra-day high of Rs310 and a low of Rs299. Total traded volumes stood at 2.4mn shares.

Siemens bagged two orders from Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd amounting to Rs3.6bn for turnkey 756KV substations each at Gaya in Bihar and Ranchi in Jharkhand. The projects will be commissioned in 27 months.
Shares of Siemens edged higher by 0.5% to Rs557. The stock opened at Rs555 and made an intra-day high of Rs561 and a low of Rs550. Total traded volumes stood at 0.14mn shares.

HCC signed a MoU with the international engineering and project management company AMEC plc (AMEC) to jointly explore the application of consulting and EPC services for the establishment of nuclear power plants in India.

The stock gained 1% to end at Rs131.5, it opened at Rs131 and made an intra-day high of Rs133 and a low of Rs128. Total traded volumes stood at 1.7mn shares.

Gold and silver register good gains for September

Precious metal prices ended higher on Wednesday, 30 September, 2009. Prices rose today following the greenback's weakness and rising crude price.
Generally, a stronger dollar pressures demand for dollar-denominated commodities, such as crude oil and gold, which become more expensive for holders of other currencies and also vice versa.
On Wednesday, gold for December delivery ended at $1,009.3, higher by $14.9 (1.5%) an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier during the day, it rose to a high of $1,010.8. Last week, gold ended lower by 1.9%. Year to date, gold prices are higher by 14.5%.
Gold ended September, 2009 higher by 5.9%. For the third quarter it ended higher by 8.7%. Before this, for the second quarter, gold ended higher by 0.5%. The metal had gained 4.3% in the first quarter of this year.
On 17 March, 2008 prices had skyrocketed to a high of $1,034/ounce. But prices have dropped somewhat (4%) since then.
On Wednesday, Comex silver futures for December delivery rose 48 cents (3%) to $16.658 an ounce.
Silver ended 11.8% higher for September, 2009. Year to date, silver has climbed 48% this year. For 2008, silver had lost 24%.
In the currency market on Wednesday, Tuesday, the dollar slipped following upbeat economic data. The U.S. dollar remained lower after the government said U.S. real gross domestic product for the second quarter was revised to a decline of 0.7% annualized from the earlier estimate of a 1% drop. The dollar index, which measures the strength of dollar against a basket of other currencies, fell by almost 0.6%.
In 2008, gold prices ended higher by 5.5%. The dollar index had gained 12% that year.
At the MCX, gold prices for October delivery closed higher by Rs 146 (0.94%) at Rs 15,668 per 10 grams. Prices rose to a high of Rs 15,679 per 10 grams and fell to a low of Rs 15,513 per 10 grams during the day's trading.
At the MCX, silver prices for December delivery closed Rs 487 (1.9%) higher at Rs 26,486/Kg. Prices opened at Rs 26,085/kg and rose to a high of Rs 26,525/Kg during the day's trading.

Breaking News : Bharti Airtel & MTN Deal off

The much-anticipated deal between India's Bharti and South Africa's MTN that aimed to merge the two telecom giant has failed yet again. The contentious issue of dual listing proved to be the deal breaker, learns CNBC-TV18.
Bharti, in a statement, said, the company has decided to disengage itself from the deal. “We hope the South African government will review its position in the future and allow both the companies an opportunity to re-engage.” The statement further said that the South African government had expressed its inability to accept it in the current form. Also, it stated, Bharti would continue to explore international expansion opportunity and could also re-look at the deal if the SA government changes position.

via CNBC-TV18

Sensex crossed 17k, whats next !

Key indices touched new record highs today with Sensex touching the high of 17143 (crossing 17000 first time after May 2008) and Nifty crossing its 5088 level again on intra-day basis.
The market resumed at 16852.91 marginally up on firm global cues and the mood remained upbeat on strong buying in banking, automobile and capital goods (CG) stocks. Sensex added 274 points to its kitty to close at 17127, while Nifty added 77 points to close at 5084
Number of advancing shares outdid declining shares. On BSE, 1,598 stocks advanced, while 1,183 stocks declined. Seventy-seven stocks remained unchanged. Banking, automobile and CG stocks saw buying interest with BSE Auto and BSE CG rising by 3.69% and 2.13% respectively. BSE FMCG and BSE CD were down marginally.
Among major gainers, State Bank of India flared 5.01% to Rs2,195.70, ICICI Bank added 4.63% to Rs904.80, Maruti Suzuki India shot up by 3.70% to Rs1,698.90, Mahindra & Mahindra rose 3.46% to Rs881.20, Sterlite Industries moved up 3.46% to Rs775.35, Wipro advanced 3.30% to Rs601.75, while Reliance Communications, DLF, Bharat Heavy Electricals, Larsen & Toubro, HDFC Bank were up by 2-3%. Among scrips that were down were ONGC that dropped 1.25% to Rs1,171.30, ITC that slipped 1.07% to Rs231.90, Grasim Industries that shed 0.73% to quote at Rs2,768.35 and Bharti Airtel down that was down by measly 0.07% to trade at Rs418.55.
Ispat Industries was the most actively traded share, with over 81.42 lakh shares changing hands on BSE followed by GTL Infrastructure (73.44 lakh shares), Unitech (66.10 lakh shares), Suzlon Energy (63.24 lakh shares) and Ambuja Cement (62.65 lakh shares).

NSE Bulk Deals to Watch - Sep 30 2009

Date,Symbol,Security Name,Client Name,Buy/Sell,Quantity Traded,Trade Price / Wght. Avg. Price,Remarks
30-SEP-2009,3IINFOTECH,3i Infotech Limited,LIFE INSURANCE CORPORATION OF INDIA,BUY,794761,79.00,-
30-SEP-2009,DISHMAN,DISHMAN PHARMA & CHEM LTD,TNTBC AS THE TRUSTEE OF NOMURA INDIA STOCK MOTHER FUND,BUY,880000,258.79,-
30-SEP-2009,DOLPHINOFF,Dolphin Offshore Enterpri,MADHUKAR CHIMANLAL SHETH,BUY,234726,285.00,-
30-SEP-2009,EVERONN,Everonn Education Limited,CELEBRATE INDIA TOURISM LIMITED,BUY,80500,434.54,-
30-SEP-2009,EVERONN,Everonn Education Limited,JP MORGAN FUNDS,BUY,265046,426.01,-
30-SEP-2009,EVERONN,Everonn Education Limited,MBL & COMPANY LTD.,BUY,78490,433.81,-
30-SEP-2009,EXCELINFO,Excel Infoways Limited,PARESH SANATKUMAR RACHH,BUY,192152,78.24,-
30-SEP-2009,FAME,Fame India Limited,SETU SECURITIES LTD,BUY,298258,34.08,-
30-SEP-2009,FAME,Fame India Limited,THIRDWAVE BUSINESS AIDS PVT. LTD.,BUY,200490,33.97,-
30-SEP-2009,FCSSOFT,FCS Software Solutions Li,DSN SECURITIES LTD.,BUY,88000,96.06,-
30-SEP-2009,FCSSOFT,FCS Software Solutions Li,OM INVESTMENTS,BUY,72531,97.18,-
30-SEP-2009,FCSSOFT,FCS Software Solutions Li,TRANSGLOBAL SECURITIES LTD.,BUY,79407,96.34,-
30-SEP-2009,ISPATIND,Ispat Industries Limited,JAYPEE CAPITAL SERVICES LTD.,BUY,7565092,23.40,-
30-SEP-2009,ITI,ITI Ltd.,BP FINTRADE PRIVATE LIMITED,BUY,161295,45.33,-
30-SEP-2009,ITI,ITI Ltd.,PRAGYA EQUITIES PVT. LTD.,BUY,118671,43.78,-
30-SEP-2009,ITI,ITI Ltd.,SETU SECURITIES LTD,BUY,271603,45.32,-
30-SEP-2009,ITI,ITI Ltd.,SHRI VIDYASAGAR INVESTMENT ARPIT PATODI,BUY,114866,44.87,-
30-SEP-2009,PVP,PVP Ventures Limited,CITI GROUP GLOBAL MARKETS MAURITIUS PVT LTD,BUY,2700000,42.50,-
30-SEP-2009,SADBHAV,Sadbhav Engineering Limit,EMERGING INDIA FOCUS FUNDS,BUY,117000,871.00,-
30-SEP-2009,VARUN,Varun Industries Limited,SETU SECURITIES LTD,BUY,163578,189.99,-
30-SEP-2009,ZYLOG,Zylog Systems Limited,MADHU CHHAPARIA,BUY,89475,333.28,-
30-SEP-2009,ZYLOG,Zylog Systems Limited,OM PRAKASH SARAOGI,BUY,83189,333.48,-
30-SEP-2009,ZYLOG,Zylog Systems Limited,STHITHI INSURANCE SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED,BUY,199972,334.33,-
30-SEP-2009,3IINFOTECH,3i Infotech Limited,ICICI BANK LIMITED - INVESTMENT,SELL,2935000,80.05,-
30-SEP-2009,ANSALHSG,Ansal Housing and Constru,MERRILL LYNCH CAPITAL MARKETS ESPANA S.A. SVB,SELL,94000,60.01,-
30-SEP-2009,DOLPHINOFF,Dolphin Offshore Enterpri,CLEARWATER CAPITAL PARTNERS (CYPRUS) LIMITED,SELL,239406,285.03,-
30-SEP-2009,DOLPHINOFF,Dolphin Offshore Enterpri,MADHUKAR CHIMANLAL SHETH,SELL,34672,303.49,-
30-SEP-2009,EVERONN,Everonn Education Limited,MBL & COMPANY LTD.,SELL,78490,433.84,-
30-SEP-2009,EXCELINFO,Excel Infoways Limited,PARESH SANATKUMAR RACHH,SELL,87479,78.74,-
30-SEP-2009,FAME,Fame India Limited,SETU SECURITIES LTD,SELL,282341,33.82,-
30-SEP-2009,FAME,Fame India Limited,SHAIL INVESTMENTS PVT. LTD.,SELL,350000,33.79,-
30-SEP-2009,FCSSOFT,FCS Software Solutions Li,DSN SECURITIES LTD.,SELL,68000,96.65,-
30-SEP-2009,FCSSOFT,FCS Software Solutions Li,OM INVESTMENTS,SELL,72531,97.26,-
30-SEP-2009,FCSSOFT,FCS Software Solutions Li,TRANSGLOBAL SECURITIES LTD.,SELL,78407,96.33,-
30-SEP-2009,ISPATIND,Ispat Industries Limited,JAYPEE CAPITAL SERVICES LTD.,SELL,7652242,23.41,-
30-SEP-2009,ITI,ITI Ltd.,BP FINTRADE PRIVATE LIMITED,SELL,121066,45.04,-
30-SEP-2009,ITI,ITI Ltd.,PRAGYA EQUITIES PVT. LTD.,SELL,118671,44.21,-
30-SEP-2009,ITI,ITI Ltd.,SETU SECURITIES LTD,SELL,230397,45.09,-
30-SEP-2009,ITI,ITI Ltd.,SHRI VIDYASAGAR INVESTMENT ARPIT PATODI,SELL,114866,45.17,-
30-SEP-2009,POLARIS,Polaris Software Lab Ltd,ORBITECH LIMITED,SELL,688550,151.23,-
30-SEP-2009,PVP,PVP Ventures Limited,PVP MALAXMI ENERGY VENTURES PRIVETE LTD,SELL,2700000,42.50,-
30-SEP-2009,SADBHAV,Sadbhav Engineering Limit,GAMMON INDIA LTD,SELL,117000,871.00,-
30-SEP-2009,VARUN,Varun Industries Limited,SETU SECURITIES LTD,SELL,164985,189.53,-
30-SEP-2009,ZYLOG,Zylog Systems Limited,MADHU CHHAPARIA,SELL,89475,334.38,-
30-SEP-2009,ZYLOG,Zylog Systems Limited,OM PRAKASH SARAOGI,SELL,83189,334.45,-
30-SEP-2009,ZYLOG,Zylog Systems Limited,STHITHI INSURANCE SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED,SELL,199972,333.32,

ETC NETWORKS zooming

We recommend a buy in the stock of ETC Networks from a short-term perspective. It is apparent from the charts that the stock found support at Rs 50, a key long-term support level in March, and reversed direction. Since then it has been on an intermediate-term uptrend. Following a short-term correction, the stock resumed its intermediate-term uptrend from the middle of July. Later on, it breached its 50-day moving average and is trading well above it. The stock broke through a key medium-term resistance at Rs 150 by jumping 10 per cent with above average-volume on September 29. Both daily and weekly relative strength indices (RSI) are featuring in the bullish territory. The daily moving average convergence and divergence indicator has signalled a buy and is hovering in the positive territory. Considering that the intermediate-term up trendline of the stock is intact, we are bullish from a short-term horizon. We expect the stock to rally until it hits our price target of Rs 174. Traders with a short-term perspective can buy the stock while maintaining a stop-loss at Rs 150.

via BL

OIL India News

The opening moments will be dominated more by Oil India’s listing. The market will be keen to see how the stock behaves after a tepid debut for Adani Power and NHPC. We expect another positive start though Asian stock markets are mixed after overnight losses on Wall Street. If global cues remain indecisive the market might just turn choppy again being a curtailed week.

Chief economic advisor says India will grow at 7% this fiscal. It’s become a habit for top bureaucrats and government officials to talk about GDP growth. Take each prediction with a pinch of salt. Still, there is no denying that India will do well, notwithstanding the deficit monsoon. Fund flows are likely to remain strong as money tends to chase visibility in growth and earnings.

The tricky part is the market has already had a terrific run in anticipation of the imminent rebound. So, it remains to be seen how long the current momentum continues. The scope for further advance does appear to be limited and every rise will be interrupted with periodic falls. Overall the mood remains upbeat.

A slew of real estate players are planning IPOs. This includes a few dodgy names. So buyers beware. India Inc’s money raising binge continues with more and more companies feeling confident about approaching investors.

The Government has stuck to its borrowing programme for the second half. Fiscal deficit may or may not shoot up depending on how the economy shapes up. The Centre will release the latest fiscal deficit figures today. The RBI will come out with the Balance of Payment and Current Account Deficit data.

The RBI's monetary policy stance going ahead will hinge on the intensity and pace of an impending spike in inflation. Most experts expect it to be among the first central banks in the world to start raising rates. The story is different in other parts of the world, where inflation is yet to rear its ugly head. In fact, prices are declining in advanced economies like the US, Europe and Japan.

FIIs were net buyers of Rs7.14bn in the cash segment on Monday on a provisional basis. The local funds were net buyers of Rs917.7mn, according to figures published on the NSE's web site. In the F&O segment, the foreign funds were net buyers at Rs6.97bn. On Friday, FIIs were net buyers of Rs33.12bn in the cash segment. The net FII investments in Indian stocks this year have crossed $11.8bn. Mutual Funds were net sellers of Rs1.07bn on Friday.

The US employment recovery is not in sight until next year, which is a major cause for concern as subdued American consumers is bad news for the global economy. On the other hand, there are a few worries on China's method of pump-priming and whether it can sustain the pace. This reinforces a growing view that the world economic recovery will be a gradual one rather than a swift one. The next batch of quarterly earnings will provide more clues. Meanwhile, the recent pick-up in M&As does bode well.

US stocks ended lower on Tuesday as a surprise drop in consumer confidence offset a better-than-expected housing market report. That added to lingering concerns about the strength of an economic recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 47 points, or 0.5%, to 9,742.20. The S&P 500 index lost 2 points, or 0.2%, to 1,060.61. The Nasdaq Composite index shed 2 points, or 0.2%, to 2,124.04.

US stocks turned lower after the release of the consumer confidence report. By afternoon, stocks turned volatile.

After sliding last week, US stocks had bounced back on Monday as investors welcomed multi-billion dollar M&A news involving Abbott Labs and Xerox. But the advance was short lived, with investors again showing caution after a seven-month rally that has left the leading indexes at nearly one-year highs.

Since bottoming at a 12-year low March 9, the S&P 500 has gained just shy of 57% and the Dow has gained around 49%, as of Tuesday's close. After hitting a six-year low, the Nasdaq has gained nearly 68%.

In the day's main economy news, consumer confidence dropped in September, potentially a bad sign ahead of the critical holiday retail sales period. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index fell to 53.1 from 54.5 in August. Economists were expecting the index to rise to 57.

The pace of falling home prices continued to slow, according to a report released before the markets opened. The Case-Shiller 20-city home price index rose 1.6% in July from June, more than triple what economists were expecting.

Prices dropped 13.3% in July versus a year ago, a decline that was slower than the drop of 14.2% economists were expecting. Prices fell 15.4% year-over-year in June.

CIT Group, fighting to pay off debt and avoid bankruptcy, is reportedly negotiating a new credit facility that could total $10 billion. Shares of the lender jumped 31%. Earlier, reports said that hedge fund manager John Paulson was considering merging CIT with failed mortgage lender IndyMac.

Dell unveiled its newest high-end, super-thin personal computer late on Monday. Called the Latitude Z, the 4.5-pound PC will retail for $1,999. Dell shares fell 3%.

JPMorgan Chase said it is shuffling some of the management responsibilities of its successful investment banking and asset management units. Shares were little changed.

Drugstore chain Walgreen reported weaker quarterly earnings and higher quarterly revenue, both of which topped analysts' estimates. Shares rose 9%.

Sequenom's board said it has removed most of its management team, including the CEO, following a scandal involving mishandling of research and results on its prenatal Down syndrome test. Shares of the genetic analysis product developer fell 39% in unusually active NYSE trading.

The dollar rose versus the yen and euro, pushing higher after repeatedly hitting one-year lows against a basket of currencies over the last few weeks.

US light crude oil for October delivery fell 13 cents to settle at $66.71 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for December delivery rose 30 cents to settle at $994.40 an ounce. Gold closed at a record high of $1,020.20 two weeks ago.

Treasury prices slumped, raising the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 3.29% from 3.28% late on Monday.

Tuesday is the first anniversary of the Dow's biggest one-day point loss of all time, when the average plummeted 777.68 points and the broad market knocked out $1.2 trillion in value. The plunge followed the House of Representatives' decision to reject the government's then $700 billion bank bailout plan.

The crash followed a brutal two-week roller-coaster, triggered by the near-meltdown of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

European shares advanced, led by gains in financials such as French-headquartered BNP Paribas after it said that it will sell 4.3 billion euros ($6.27 billion) of shares in a rights issue to help it repay the French government's investment in the bank.

The pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 index advanced 0.2% to 243.61, extending the 1.8% gain when deal making moved back on the global stage.

The French CAC-40 index slipped 0.3% to 3,814.10, the UK's FTSE 100 index eased 0.1% to 5,159.72 and Germany's DAX index dropped 0.4% to 5,713.52.

After enjoying an extended weekend, the Indian markets were back to winning ways right from the first minute. After initial gains, markets traded in a narrow range throughout the day and managed to hold on to it till the end. The NSE Nifty ended above the 5,000 mark again led by gains in the index heavyweights like ICICI Bank, Infosys and ONGC.

The IT and the Pharma stocks were among the top gainers followed by the Oil & Gas and select telecom stocks. Even the Mid-Cap and the Small-Cap stocks participated. On the other hand the Realty stocks suffered marginal losses.

Global cues also were quite supportive; US markets ended in the green for the first time in 3 days, stocks in Asia also ended in the positive terrain except Shanghai SE Composite index in China which fell by half a percent.

Finally, the BSE Sensex gained 160 points or 1% at 16,853 after touching a high of 16,907 and a low of 16,801. The index opened at 16,829 against the previous close of 16,693. The NSE Nifty added 48 points to shut shop at 5,006.

In Asia, the Nikkei in Japan was down 1%, while Australia's S&P/ASX ended higher by 1.6% at 4,753. Shanghai SE Composite in China was down by 0.3% at 2,754. However, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong ended higher by 2% at 21,013.

In Europe, stocks were in the red. The FTSE in the UK was down 0.3%, The DAX in Germany was down 0.5% and the CAC 40 index in France was down 0.4%.
Coming back to India, among the BSE sectoral indices, the IT index was the top gainer, adding 2.2%, followed by the Oil & Gas index that was up 1.5% and the BSE Teck index was up 1.5%.
Among the major losers were, BSE Realty index down 0.8% and BSE Auto index marginally down 0.2%.

The BSE Mid-Cap index gained 0.5% and the BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.7%.

Among the 30-components of Sensex, 19 stocks ended in the green and 11 ended in the negative terrain. Among the major gainers were ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, Infosys, ONGC and TCS.

On the other hand, SBI Grasim, JP Associates, RCom and ITC were among the major laggards.

Outside the frontline indices, the big gainers in the broader market were MRPL, GSPL, Chennai Petro, Petronet LNG, Mphasis and EKC. On the other hand, losers included Tulip Tele, Shriram Transport, Union Bank, Ackruti and Thermax.

Shares of Cipla gained by 5% to Rs279. The stock opened at Rs269 and made an intra-day high of Rs281.5 and a low of Rs268. Total traded volumes stood at 1.1mn shares.

Cipla raised ~Rs6.71bn through a QIP of shares to fund expansion and retire debt. The shares were sold an average price of Rs263.75 a piece, resulting in an equity dilution of around 4%.

The company would require capital expenditure of around Rs6bn this financial year and the company’s debt stands at Rs9.4bn. Around Rs9.2bn of debt is repayable this year. CLSA, JP Morgan and Kotak Mahindra Capital were arrangers to the issue.

Shares of Abbott India shot up by over 18% to Rs679 after the company announced that it plans to purchase Solvay Pharmaceuticals unit for about US$6.6bn in cash.

The buyout will give Abbott a 100% stake in its TriCor/Trilipix cholesterol franchise, medicines it had been co-marketing with Solvay.

The Solvay buyout is expected to bolster Abbott's presence in emerging markets. Solvay has a "significant presence in key markets" including Russia, India and Brazil, "where Abbott has also been building its presence," chairman and CEO Miles White said during a conference call.

Meanwhile, shares of Solvay Pharma rallied by over 17% to Rs959 and on the other hand, Dishman Pharma have advanced by over 10% to Rs227.

MindTree has signed an agreement with Kyocera Wireless Corp. (KWC) to acquire Kyocera Wireless (India) Pvt Ltd, its Indian subsidiary. The acquisition is subject to legal and statutory requirements, as well as certain closing conditions.

Under the agreement, MindTree will make an upfront payment of approximately US$6mn, and further payments linked to revenues in financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12.

MindTree expects this acquisition to contribute approximately US$9mn in revenues for the period October 2009 to March 2010, with Profit After Tax expected to be in the range of 13-15%.

Shares of MindTree gained 4.5% to Rs619. The stock opened at Rs603 and made an intra-day high of Rs632 and a low of Rs602. Total traded volumes stood at 0.11mn shares.

Shares of Era Infra staged a smart recovery and gained 2% to Rs165. The stock fell over 8% hitting an intra-day low of Rs140 per share.

~4.62mn equity shares or 3.2% of equity changed hands in 10 transactions. The stock opened at Rs156 and made an intra-day high of Rs171 and a low of Rs140. Total traded volumes stood at 10.6mn shares.

Shares of Unity Infraprojects gained by 1% to Rs408 after the company announced that it received a project worth Rs545.6mn by Amanora Park Town for construction of six towers, RCC works and upto gysum finish - (R21) Sector, Amanora Park Town, Hadapsar, Pune to be completed in 29 months.

The stock opened at Rs406 and made an intra-day high of Rs414 and a low of Rs402. Total traded volumes stood at 46,000 shares.

Videocon Ind gained by 3% to end at Rs253.8 after the company clarified stating that they have not taken any decision to spin off oil, gas assets. The stock opened at Rs250 and made an intra-day high of Rs258 and a low of Rs246. Total traded volumes stood at 1.8mn shares.

Shares of Usher Agro gained by 1.5% to Rs41.2 after the company announced that it has planned to increase the rice milling capacity by another 300,000 M.T.P.A. at the company`s existing rice milling complex at Chhata, Dist. Mathura, U.P.

The company’s products offering include rice, wheat, wheat products, foodstuffs and food grains. The company has its two rice mill plants located at Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and has one unit at Buxar in Bihar.

Shares of Hanung Toys were locked at 10% upper circuit at Rs93.30 on the back of huge volumes. The stock opened at Rs85.2 and made an intra-day high of Rs93.3 and a low of Rs84.75. Total traded volumes stood at 0.33mn shares.

The stock hit 52-week high of Rs162 on Sept 26, 2008 and a 52-week low of Rs24.25 on January 23, 2009.

Strong dollar keeps prices under control Copper remains almost unchanged

Copper prices remained almost unchanged on Tuesday, 29 September, 2009 at Comex but dropped at LME. Prices fell today once again due to the strong dollar.
At USA, copper futures for December delivery ended up by 0.2 cents (0.04%) to 2.729 a pound. Copper fell 1.6% last week. Copper ended August, 2009, higher by 7%.
On the London Metal Exchange, copper for delivery in three months ended lower by $35 (0.6%) at $5,975 a metric ton. On 3 July, 2008, prices had touched an all time intra day high of $8,940.
After August, it was the eighth straight monthly gain for copper. Prices gained 23% in the second quarter. On a year to date basis, prices are higher by 89%. In September, prices are headed for the first monthly drop in FY 2009.
The U.S. buys about 13% of the 17 million metric tons of copper sold annually and China buys about 20%.
In the currency market on Tuesday, the dollar remained extremely volatile. The dollar gained ground especially against the Japanese currency after the nation's finance minister hinted at the possibility of intervention to arrest the yen's rise. The dollar index, which measures the strength of dollar against a basket of other currencies, rose by almost 0.2%.
In FY 2008, copper prices dropped by 54%. Prior to 2008, copper prices ended FY 2007 with a gain of mere 5.5% after a whopping 44% gain in FY 2006. The price of copper gained every year since 2002 as global economic growth boosted demand for the metal used in pipes and wires.
At the MCX, copper for November delivery closed at Rs 289.9/Kg. The closing price was Rs 1/Kg (0.34%) lower than previous closing price. Prices rose to a high of Rs 292.8/ Kg and fell to a low of Rs 286.5/Kg during the day's trading.
Among other metals traded in the LME on Tuesday, lead fell marginally to $2,204 a ton and zinc rose marginally to end at $1,882 a ton. Nickel added 0.6% to end at $16,850. Aluminium fell 0.3% to $1,827 a ton.