Divestment hopefuls Bank of Maha, BoI, IOB shoot up on stock market charts, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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Public sector banks Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and the Central Bank of India, which are reportedly on the privatisation shortlist have risen manifold during the year.

The rally in PSU banks has strengthened in the last few days despite the yo-yoing markets due to the coronavirus pandemic wave.

Bank of Maharashtra shares have nearly doubled from Rs 13.55 at the start of the year to Rs 25.40 per share. It was up 2.21% over the previous close on Wednesday.

From 10.80 at the start of the year, Indian Overseas Bank’s shares have risen over 52% to 16.45. The shares were up 3.13% over the previous close on Wednesday.

From Rs 50.35 a share in January start, the Bank of India share price has climbed to 72.70 on Wednesday. It was up 4.76% over the previous close.

From 14.10 in January, the share price of Central Bank of India has jumped to Rs 18.45 on Wednesday. It was up 7.89% over the previous close.

The top PSU banks including SBI, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank and PNB are also outperforming over divestment hopes around PSU banks.

More upside seen

Traders see another 10-15% jump in PSB shares if the Nifty holds 14500 levels.

SBI is the top investment pick in case the Nifty holds 14,400, with others offering a good trading opportunity for greater upside on talks around divestment.

PNB, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda and SBI, which hold 74.63 per cent weight in the Nifty PSU Bank, have rallied between 4 per cent and 17.5 per cent in April 20-May 11, driving the index up by 15.05 per cent to 2,239.7 over the same period. This beats the Bank Nifty’s 6 per cent rally through 32,953 over the comparative period.

On May 12, when the Nifty and Bank Nifty corrected by more than 1 per cent, the Nifty PSU Bank closed up 3.2 per cent, underscoring the buying in these counters.

Futures prices of these stocks along with aggregate open interest change signal the market interest in these counters.

Canara Bank active futures contract has risen 17.5 per cent through 151 between April 20 and May 11. Over this period, the aggregate open interest, which measures traders’ outstanding buy-sell positions, rose 11.25 per cent, implying bullish sentiment on the counter.

Bank of Baroda’s 17 per cent gain in futures was accompanied by an 11.3 per cent decline in aggregate OI, signalling that bears were covering their sell positions. Likewise, SBI active futures contract, which has risen 11 per cent in the relevant period, was accompanied by an 8 per cent decline in aggregate OI, implying short covering. PNB futures, which rose 4 per cent, saw aggregate OI jump 40 per cent, suggesting bullish build-up.

The status

Indian Overseas Bank and Central Bank are under the Reserve Bank of India‘s stringent prompt corrective action framework.

These banks have reported net non-performing assets (NPAs) below levels that trigger PCA. However, on the proforma net NPA front, Central Bank falls short as its NNPA is 6.58% against the 6% required to be out of PCA.

The Reserve Bank of India is likely to delay regularising struggling state-run lenders that are under the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework as it has reservations over their capital adequacy levels.

Two public sector banks and one general insurance company are expected to be disinvested this year in addition to the divestment of IDBI Bank, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced during Budget presentation in February.



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Akshaya Tritiya 2021 Date/Time: Gold Purchase Timings in Major Cities in India

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Planning

oi-Sneha Kulkarni

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Investments made on this day are thought to bring prosperity, and gold, which is considered an ideal investment in India, is purchased across the country.

Gold prices are typically higher on this day and the days leading up to it, as demand from both buyers and retailers increases. The impact of the global bullion market, on the other hand, cannot be overstated, as it continues to influence how the metal is likely to be priced.

Akshaya Tritiya 2021: Gold Purchase Timings in Major Cities

On the consumer side, there are numerous offers and discounts available, with various jewellers likely to provide benefits such as “no making charges,” “wastage,” and other similar benefits.

We can see subdued demand for this Akshaya Tritiya due to the lockdown in most of the cities. However, interested people can invest in gold online. There are several avenues that can be considered for buying gold this Akshaya Tritiya.

Akshaya Tritiya Gold Purchase Timings May 2021

The Akshaya Tritiya Gold Purchase Period runs from May 14, 2021, at 05:38 a.m., to May 15, 2021, at 05:30 a.m. The total time will be around 23 hours 52 minutes.

Akshaya Tritiya Date May 14, Friday 2021
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat 5.30 AM -12.18 PM
Beginning of Tritiya 5.30 AM, May 14
Ending of Tritiya 7.59 AM, May 15

Gold Purchase Timings in Major Cities

New Delhi- 5.30 am – 12.18 pm
Noida- 5.30 am – 12.18 pm
Gurgoan- 05:38 AM to 12:18 PM
Chandigarh- 05:38 AM to 12:19 PM
Jaipur- 05:40 AM to 12:23 PM
Ahemdabad- 05:59 AM to 12:36 PM
Mumbai- 06:04 AM to 12:35 PM
Pune – 06:01 AM to 12:31 PM
Kolkata- 04:56 AM to 07:59 AM, May 15
Hyderabad- 05:44 AM to 12:12 PM
Chennai- 5.44 AM – 12.05 PM
Bengaluru- 5.55 AM – 12.16 PM

GoodReturns.in



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Central Bank of Bahrain, Bank ABC, and J.P. Morgan to partner on digital currency settlement solution, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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CBB is partnering with J P Morgan and Bank ABC in a pilot scheme to introduce instantaneous cross border payment solution leveraging state of the art technology and digital currency.

For payments from buyers to suppliers, Bank ABC and J.P. Morgan will pilot the transfer of funds in US dollars from and to the Kingdom of Bahrain. As a result, suppliers will be paid faster, and buyers will be able to make payments in shorter periods of time holding funds in advance. The Central Bank of Bahrain will act as a close partner in the pilot between Bank ABC and J.P. Morgan and going forward would look to extend the collaboration to Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

Ali Moosa, Vice Chairman of Wholesale Payments at J.P Morgan, said, “JP Morgan ONYX has been setup with the mandate to lead the buildout of next generation clearing and settlement infrastructures, and we are excited to collaborate with a leading central bank and regulator like the CBB, as well as an innovation-focused partner like Bank ABC, to do so.”

Bank ABC’s Deputy Group CEO, Mr. Sael Al Waary commented, “We’re excited to work with the CBB and JP Morgan on this groundbreaking pilot to build a more efficient payments infrastructure that addresses current cross-border payment limitations. We anticipate significant changes around the world as a result of digital currencies, which will be critical in enabling future digital economies.”

H.E. Rasheed Al-Maraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain, said, “The Central Bank of Bahrain is delighted to announce this partnership, which is in line with our vision and strategy of continuously developing and enriching the capabilities extended to stakeholders in the Kingdom’s financial services sector through emerging technologies. Through this pilot with J.P Morgan and Bank ABC, we aspire to address the inefficiencies and pain-points which exist today in the traditional cross-border payments arena.”



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4 SIPs To Invest Based On High Ratings

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Canara Robeco Bluechip Equity Fund

Canara Robeco Bluechip Equity Fund has been rated 5-star by both CRISIL as well as Morning Star. Value Research too has accorded the same 5-star rating. Individuals can commence a Systematic Investment Plan with a sum of Rs 1,000.

The performance of the fund has been good, which is one of the reasons that it has been highly rated. The corpus of the fund like some other bigger peers is not too high at around the Rs 2,500 crores. Almost 97 per cent of the funds are parked in equity, while the balance are placed in cash and cash equivalents.

The fund has given a 1-year returns of as much as 53%, while the 3-year returns has been 15% on an annualized basis. Canara Robeco Bluechip Equity Fund is a large cap fund and funds are invested in companies with a high capitalization.

Mirae Asset Emerging Bluechip Fund

Mirae Asset Emerging Bluechip Fund

This is another fund that been rated 5-star by Crisil, Morning Star and Value Research. An SIP of Rs 10,000 each month for the last three years would have given a corpus of a solid Rs 5.38 lakhs. The annualized 3-year returns from the fund is 17%, while the 5-year returns is as high as 20%.

The fund has holdings in prominent banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Infosys and Axis Bank. The top 10 holdings of the fund forms almost 50% of the holdings. One can start an SIP through an amount of Rs 1,000 each month. One can also invest lumpsum, where the minimum amount required would be Rs 5000.

This is one of the larger equity schemes with assets under management of more than Rs 16,000 crores.

Invesco India Midcap Fund

Invesco India Midcap Fund

For those willing to take higher risk for higher returns, one can consider midcap funds. The Invesco India Midcap Fund is rated 5-star by Crisil and has a 4-star rating from Value Research. The fund also has a 5-star rating from Morning Star.

Given that this is a midcap fund stocks invested and holdings are largely in midcap companies. Among the top 5 holdings of the Invesco India Midcap Fund includes names like Vintani Organics, Gland Pharma, Mphasis, Voltas and Endurance Technologies. The minimum SIP that one can invest is Rs 500. The net asset value under the growth plan is currently Rs 69.50. A sum of Rs 10,000 invested each month for the last 36 months would have yielded a sum of Rs 5.04 lakhs currently.

Axis Small Cap Fund

Axis Small Cap Fund

This fund has been rated 5-star by Crisil, Morning Star and Value Research. Small cap equity mutual funds are probably the riskiest class of equity assets and hence one should be careful. Returns can be volatile and hence if an individual has an appetite for risk, only he should invest.

The net asset value under the growth plan is currently Rs 46.98. The scheme has holdings in stocks like Galaxy Surfacants, Tata Elxi, Fine Organics, Brigade Enterprises etc.

About the author

Sunil Fernandes has spent 26 years covering business and finance in India and abroad. Sunil has worked with frontline daily newspapers including Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald and Gulf Times. He has also worked with investment magazines like Dalal Street Investment Journal and Oman Economic Review. His forte remains stocks, mutual funds and tax planning.



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Fed’s Rosengren says important to understand trade-offs of digital currencies, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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The Federal Reserve is exploring the technology that would be required to establish a central bank digital currency, but more research needs to be done before it would move forward with a currency, Boston Fed Bank President Eric Rosengren said on Wednesday.

“It is important to highlight that this is exploratory work, and any decision to move forward with such a currency would depend on a variety of factors beyond the technological feasibility and implementation,” Rosengren said in remarks prepared for a virtual event organized by Harvard Law School.

A central bank digital currency could improve financial inclusion, reduce the cost of cross-border financial transactions and provide more flexibility for implementing monetary policy, he said.

But Fed officials would need to fully consider the policy implications and trade-offs that come with using a digital currency, including possible threats to financial stability, Rosengren said.

“It is important to highlight that this is exploratory work, and any decision to move forward with such a currency would depend on a variety of factors beyond the technological feasibility and implementation,” Rosengren said

They plan to release a white paper and open source code early in the third quarter of this year, and later phases of the research project will focus on privacy, anti-money laundering and other issues.

“It is important to understand what problems a central bank digital currency is being designed to solve, and whether other technologies could more cheaply or efficiently address those problems,” Rosengren said.



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RBI, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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MUMBAI: The country’s foreign exchange reserves surged to $576.98 billion as on March 31, 2021 from $544.69 billion at September-end last year, an RBI report said.

Foreign currency assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves, increased to $536.693 billion as at March-end 2021 from $502.162 billion, the report noted.

On balance of payments basis (excluding valuation changes), foreign exchange reserves increased by $83.9 billion during April-December 2020 as compared with $40.7 billion in the year-ago period, it said.

Foreign exchange reserves in nominal terms (including valuation changes) increased by $108 billion during April-December 2020 as against $47 billion in the corresponding period of 2019-20.

At the end of December 2020, the foreign exchange reserves cover of imports increased to 18.6 months from 17.1 months at September-end 2020, RBI said in its report on management of foreign exchange reserves — October 2020-March 2021, released on Wednesday.

The net forward asset (receivable) of the Reserve Bank in the domestic foreign exchange market stood at $68.2 billion as at March-end 2021.

As on March 31, 2021, the Reserve Bank held 695.31 metric tonnes of gold.

“While 403.01 metric tonnes of gold is held overseas in safe custody with the Bank of England and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), 292.30 tonnes of gold is held domestically,” the report said.

In value terms (USD), the share of gold in the total foreign exchange reserves decreased from about 6.69 per cent as at September-end 2020 to about 5.87 per cent as on March 31, 2021. Gold reserves stood at $33.88 billion at end-March 2021 as against $36.429 billion by September 2020, the report said.



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Elon Musk sends bitcoin tumbling with shock u-turn on payments, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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Tesla Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said the electric-vehicle manufacturer is suspending purchases with Bitcoin, triggering a slide in the digital currency.

In a post on Twitter Wednesday, Musk cited concerns about “rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions,” while signaling that Tesla might accept other cryptocurrencies if they are much less energy intensive. He also said the company won’t be selling any of the Bitcoin it holds.

The largest cryptocurrency dropped as much as 15% in Asian trading, sliding below $50,000, before paring some of the drop. It was down about 8% to $50,190 as of 10:53 a.m. in Tokyo. The were reports of outages at digital-token exchanges as people rushed to sell.

Musk’s move comes after Tesla disclosed in February that it had purchased $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and planned to accept it as a payment. That announcement added legitimacy to the cryptocurrency as an increasingly acceptable form of payment and an investment, especially coming from a large member of the S&P 500 with a high-profile CEO who commands a big following among retail investors and the general public.

Tesla’s website, which had a support page dedicated to Bitcoin, noted that Bitcoin was the only cryptocurrency that Tesla accepts in the continental U.S. Musk has also tweeted frequently about Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency started as a joke in 2013 — and he quipped about being the “Dogefather” before and during his stint hosting the “Saturday Night Live” show on May 8. He tweeted on Tuesday, “Do you want Tesla to accept Doge?”

Tesla’s addition of Bitcoin to its balance sheet was the most visible catalyst during this year’s rally in the digital currency. Bitcoin jumped 16% that day, the biggest one-day gain since the Covid-19 inspired financial markets volatility in March 2020.

Optimism grew after Mastercard Inc., Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and other firms moved to make it easier for customers to use cryptocurrencies, fueling the mainstream resurgence that took Bitcoin from about $29,000 at the end of last year to as high as almost $65,000 in April.

Bitcoin mining is consuming 66 times more electricity than it did back in late 2015, and the carbon emissions associated with it will likely face increasing scrutiny, according to a recent Citigroup Inc. report.

Musk is no stranger to considering the issue of crypto’s environmental impact.

Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment Management LLC published a report last month saying cryptocurrency mining can drive investment in solar power and make more renewable energy available to the grid. Twitter Inc.’s Jack Dorsey retweeted a post on the white paper with the comment that Bitcoin “incentivizes renewable energy.” Musk replied to Dorsey’s tweet, saying simply, “True.”

Musk’s tweet on Wednesday took many in the cryptocurrency community by surprise, including Nic Carter, a partner at Castle Investment Management, and a leading voice among defenders of Bitcoin’s energy use.

“Surely he would have done his diligence prior to accepting Bitcoin?’ Carter said. “Very odd and confusing to see this quick reversal.”

It’s unclear what prompted the decision and Musk and Zachary Kirkhorn, Tesla’s chief financial officer, did not immediately respond to an email inquiry for comment.



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SBI invites bids for selling NPAs worth Rs 217 crore

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Therefore, some of the accounts below Rs 500-crore exposure are being identified by the bank to be sold to existing ARCs.

Largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) on Wednesday invited bids for selling two non-performing assets (NPAs) worth Rs 217 crore on a 100% cash basis. The NPA sale assumes significance at a time when National Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) or the bad bank is getting a final shape. SBI has set a reserve price of Rs 42.5 crore for two accounts, implying a haircut of 80%. The two accounts are – Khare and Tarkunde Infrastructure and Heavy Metal and Tubes.

According to sources, SBI is likely to put more NPAs accounts on sale this month, which will not be sent to National ARC. The proposed National ARC is expected to take over legacy stressed assets larger than Rs 500 crore in total exposure from banks. Therefore, some of the accounts below Rs 500-crore exposure are being identified by the bank to be sold to existing ARCs.

In the sale notice put up by SBI on Wednesday, the bank said bidders can submit expressions of interest till May 17, 2021. The process of e-bidding for two NPA accounts will be conducted on June 6, 2021. SBI has also specified to use the Swiss challenge method for auctioning. “The auction for above accounts is under Swiss challenge method, based on an existing offer in hand, who will have the right to match the highest bid,” SBI said in its sale notice.

Banks had put up NPAs worth Rs 5,140 crore for the sale to ARCs during the March quarter. Out of that, SBI had put bad loans worth Rs 1,337 crore up for sale to ARCs.

In a first step to set up the bad bank, Padmakumar M Nair, chief general manager at SBI, was appointed CEO of National ARC on Tuesday. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Budget for 2021-22 had announced that an asset reconstruction company would be set up to consolidate and take over existing stressed assets of lenders and undertake their resolution.

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Reserve Bank of India – Press Releases

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The Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds. The Sovereign Gold Bonds will be issued in six tranches from May 2021 to September 2021 as per the calendar specified below:

Sr. No. Tranche Date of Subscription Date of Issuance
1. 2021-22 Series I May 17–21, 2021 May 25, 2021
2. 2021-22 Series II May 24–28, 2021 June 01, 2021
3. 2021-22 Series III May 31-June 04, 2021 June 08, 2021
4. 2021-22 Series IV July 12-16, 2021 July 20, 2021
5. 2021-22 Series V August 09-13, 2021 August 17, 2021
6. 2021-22 Series VI August 30-September 03, 2021 September 07, 2021

The Bonds will be sold through Scheduled Commercial banks (except Small Finance Banks and Payment Banks), Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices, and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange Limited.

(Yogesh Dayal)     
Chief General Manager

Press Release: 2021-2022/203

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India added 42.3 tonnes gold to its reserves in FY21

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India’s gold reserves went up by 42.3 tonnes in the one-year period ended March 31, 2021, against 40.45 tonnes in the year-ago period.

As at end-March 2021, the Reserve Bank held 695.31 tonnes of gold as part of its foreign exchange reserves management against 653.01 tonnes as at March-end 2020, as per the central bank’s “Half Yearly Report on Management of Foreign Exchange (Fx) Reserves.”

During the half year period (October 2020 – March 2021) under review, India’s Fx reserves increased from $544.69 billion as at end-September 2020 to $576.98 billion as at end-March 2021.

In value terms (US Dollar), the share of gold in the total Fx reserves decreased from about 6.69 per cent as at end-September 2020 to about 5.87 per cent as at end-March 2021, the report said.

As at March-end 2021, while 403.01 tonnes of gold (360.71 tonnes as at March-end 2020) was held overseas in safe custody with the Bank of England and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), 292.30 tonnes of gold (unchanged from March-end 2020) was held domestically, RBI said.

At the end of December 2020, the foreign exchange reserves cover of imports increased to 18.6 months from 17.1 months at end-September 2020, the report said.

As per the report, the ratio of short-term debt (original maturity) to reserves, which was 18.9 per cent at end-September 2020, declined to 17.7 per cent at end-December 2020.

Further, the ratio of volatile capital flows (including cumulative portfolio inflows and outstanding short-term debt) to reserves declined from 68.0 per cent at end-September 2020 to 67.0 per cent at end-December 2020.

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