All Things Markets

On September 11, market regulator SEBI has made it mandatory for multi-cap schemes to have at least 25% holding each in large-, mid- and small-cap stocks. Investors are expecting a strong rally in small and midcap stocks led by mutual fund buying after SEBI’s allocation mandate. Will this rally sustain? Tune in and find out.

Contrasting data signals from economy and corporates are stocking fears that the stock markets rally may not be sustainable. Though fund managers and analysts are still reluctant to declare the rally to have entered bubble territory, Indian markets have become most expensive since the Global Financial Crisis. So today, I am in conversation with Amit Shah, head of India equity research, BNP Paribas to understand what are the big concerns of markets and if this rally is sustainable.

Markets watchdog SEBI has made two major regulatory changes from 1 September: the method of pledging stocks, and upfront margin requirements. But, according to broker body ANMI, brokerage firms and individual big brokers are not fully ready to adapt to the robust change. To understand how transactions and trading methods have changed post 1 September I am in conversation with Jimeet Modi, CEO, Samco Securities.

The India volatility index (VIX) or fear index has cooled off drastically from the March highs and is hovering around six-month low. Join Nasrin and Chandan Tapadia as they analyse the index and trends in this episode.  Tune in for more...

Sebi data showed that investors opened a record 2.4 million Demat accounts in the three months after a lockdown in March or 5.6% of the total number of such accounts, reflecting the growing retail participation in stock markets. In the six months ended June, 3.9 million accounts were added, totaling 43.2 million. To talk about this growing phenomenon in stock markets, I am in conversation with Vinay Agrawal, CEO, Angel Broking.

Millions of young Indians are dabbling in stocks for the first time as they remain stuck at home, with many of them trying their hands at trading shares to boost income amid pay cuts and job losses. Sebi data showed that investors opened a record 2.4 million demat accounts in the three months after lockdown in March or 5.6% of the total number of such accounts, reflecting the growing retail participation in stock markets. In the six months ended June, 3.9 million accounts were added, totalling 43.2 million. To talk about this growing phenomenon in stock markets, I am in conversation with Vinay Agrawal, CEO, Angel Broking.

In July equity mutual funds saw a net monthly outflow for the first time in more than four years as investors booked profits after a sharp rally in markets while some worried about the recent exuberance in stock prices ploughed the money back into safer assets such as gold funds. July saw a net outflow of ₹2,480.35 crores from equity mutual funds, the first such sell-off since March 2016. To discuss the trends and way forward I am in conversation with G Pradeepkumar, CEO, Union AMC.

Few better-than-estimated June quarterly earnings have bolstered hopes that Indian companies may recover faster than previously expected. Management commentaries suggest companies are implementing cost rationalization measures across key sectors to protect EBITDA margins and the bottom line given the uncertainty. So, what does the June quarter earnings so far indicate. To understand that I am joined by Pankaj Panday, Research Head, ICICI Direct.

Despite the covid-19-led disruptions, India Inc raised Rs 1.04 trillion from the capital markets between January and June. The fundraising activity was dominated by Reliance Industries’ mega Rs 53,124.20 rights issue in May, which was oversubscribed 1.6 times. Going forward, there are couple of companies lined for raising funds in capital markets. Mint’s Nasrin Sultana speaks to Pranav Haldea, MD, Prime Database group talks about what to expect in the second half of 2020.

Indian spot gold prices surged over Rs 50,000 per 10 gram for the first time ever on Wednesday. Investors have embraced gold in 2020 as a key portfolio hedging strategy. Gold had a remarkable performance in the first half of 2020, increasing by 16.8% in US-dollar terms and significantly outperforming all other major asset classes by June. Though equity markets around the world rebounded sharply from their lows, the high level of uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the ultra-low interest rate environment supported strong flight-to-quality flows. However, gold ETF inflows in India have fallen around 50% in June. So, what’s the outlook on gold. To discuss that I am joined by Chirag Mehta, Senior Fund Manager, Alternative Investments, Quantum Mutual Fund.