Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint, your weekday newscast that brings you five major stories from the world of business. It's Monday, August 13, 2024. My name is Nelson John. Let's get started:

Indian benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty 50 ended Monday's session flat amid mixed global cues.    

Retail investors like us, once mere spectators in the stock market, are now major players. Just last July, a staggering 4.5 million new demat accounts popped up, a big jump from the 3.5 million monthly average of the past year. To put it in perspective, back in 2019, we only saw about 400 thousand new accounts monthly. Now, 43% of companies listed on the NSE have over 50,000 retail shareholders, a significant increase from just 441 companies in March 2020. Even more impressive, 54 firms now have over a million retail shareholders—almost five times more than four years ago. So where is this inflow from retail investors headed? Are they betting big on blue-chip giants, or taking risks on smaller companies? Niti Kiran from Mint’s data team takes a look.  

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s top boss, Akihiro Fukutome, is flying to India this week, eyeing a big slice of Yes Bank. Three people aware of the development told Mint’s banking editor Gopika Gopakumar, that Fukutome is thinking about snapping up a whopping 51% stake, pegging the deal at 5 billion dollars. Fukutome's trip includes meetings with top officials from the Reserve Bank of India and the State Bank of India, which currently holds a 23.99 per cent stake in Yes Bank. The discussions are critical, as SMBC has started the due diligence process, leveraging the financial expertise of JPMorgan and legal guidance from J Sagar Associates. But why Yes Bank? Well, SMBC sees a lot of promise in the private lender and is keen to make a major play in India’s banking scene. 

Airfares for the upcoming Independence Day weekend have surged by as much as 50% due to a combination of holiday timing and slow fleet expansion. Independence Day and the Parsi New Year on August 15, followed by Rakshabandhan on Monday, have created a perfect storm for a long, five-day weekend, encouraging many to take extended breaks. This has led to a spike in bookings, particularly for popular destinations like Bengaluru, Delhi, Srinagar, and Leh. Mint’s Anu Sharma reports that the rise in airfares is partly due to the slow pace at which new aircraft are being added to India's fleets, even as the demand for travel significantly outpaces supply. Industry insiders point to a shortage of spare parts and delayed aircraft deliveries as key factors keeping capacity from meeting the surging demand.

The Hindi film industry, which traditionally relied heavily on the star power of individual male leads, is shifting gears. As solo star vehicles falter at the box office, producers are increasingly turning to ensemble casts, betting on the combined drawing power of multiple big names to lure larger audiences and ensure robust ticket sales. Take, for instance, Ranveer Singh's upcoming untitled movie that stars not just him but also Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, and R. Madhavan. Similarly, the latest installment of the Housefull series boasts a lineup that includes Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, and Abhishek Bachchan. At the same time, Kumar's other project, Welcome 3, packs an even more star-studded cast. Mint’s media correspondent Lata Jha spoke to trade experts who suggest that films with ensemble casts draw from the fan bases of each star, potentially ensuring grand openings.

For more than a year, the Indian equity market has witnessed an unusual divergence—Bank Nifty has consistently underperformed compared to the benchmark Nifty. Typically, these two indices move closely together, so this gap suggests something is off balance. The prime suspect for this underperformance? HDFC Bank, which holds significant weight in the Bank Nifty. But it's not just about one bank; the entire banking sector in India is facing several challenges, as evident from recent financial results. Mint’s Abhishek Mukherjee takes a deep dive into the banking sector’s struggles with systemic challenges, evident in its first quarter results.  

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Show notes:

Analysis: Retail investors remain undaunted, but what are they betting on?

This Japanese lender's chief is visiting India to discuss buying Yes Bank stake

Travelling by air this weekend? Prepare to shell out more

Ensemble cast back in vogue as filmmakers spread bets across stars

War for deposits: Banks’ biggest headache now coming for investors?

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