A Negative End to a Dull Day

Tue, 22 Dec Closing

   Previous Close   

   Pre-Open   

   09:30 am   

   11:30 am   

   01:30 pm   

Indian equity markets began the day's proceedings on a tentative note as the morning session saw them oscillate to either side of yesterday's close. However, post noon selling activity intensified and this was sustained till the closing bell. While the BSE Sensex today closed lower by 145 points, the NSE Nifty closed lower by 49 points. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Mid Cap index and the S&P BSE Small Cap index too closed the day lower by 0.3% and 0.02% respectively. Losses were largely seen in IT and metal stocks.

Asian markets finished mixed as of the most recent closing prices. The Shanghai Composite gained 0.26% and the Hang Seng rose 0.18%. The Nikkei 225 lost 0.16%. European markets are higher today with shares in London leading the region. The FTSE 100 is up 0.65%, while Germany's DAX is up 0.42% and France's CAC 40 is up 0.12%. The was trading at 66.30 against the US$ in the afternoon session.

Stocks from oil & gas sector finished the day on a mixed note with Gujarat Gas Ltd and Gujarat State Petronet witnessing majority of the buying activity. According to a leading financial daily, India's fuel consumption in November stood at 14.8 million tonnes which is 6.4% higher than 13.9 million tonnes consumed in the same month a year ago. Diesel, the most consumed fuel in the country, however, saw a tapering in demand growth to 1.5%, rising from just over 6 million tonnes in November 2014 to 6.1 million tonnes this year.

According to reports, petrol sales surged 17% to 1.77 million tonnes, while naphtha consumption was up 39% at 1.05 million tonnes. LPG consumption was up 2.8% at 1.61 million tonnes but kerosene sales were down 13% at 518,000 tonnes. Petrol sales have risen in double digits every month this year except in May and June when it was 9% and 9.7% respectively. In September they had risen by a record 25.4%.

During the first six months of this year the total merchandise exports in the country fell by 16.4% in comparison to the same period in 2014. A major reason for the drop in the prices was due to the decline in oil prices. At the beginning November 2014, the price of Indian basket of crude oil was at around US$81 per barrel. Since then price of oil has fallen to US$34 per barrel a fall of around 58%.

Given the plunge in oil prices during the year, companies from the downstream segment (retail) have seen their stock prices rise, while those of the upstream segment (exploration and refining) have been battered. 2015 has been a mixed year for the stocks from the . In one of our recent edition of The 5 Minute WrapUp Premium, we have discussed companies that have outperformed the Indian benchmark (Subscription Required) and how oil prices play an important role in determining the fortunes of companies in the energy space.

According to a leading economic daily, NTPC is likely to shelve the plan to take over Damodar Valley Corporation's (DVC) 2,520 MW Raghunathpur plant in West Bengal after the railways conveyed that it wasn't interested in buying power from the utility. This move could jeopardize the state-run thermal power producer DVC's debt reduction strategy.

Reportedly, the deal is unlikely to get the board's approval at this moment although NTPC had been conducting due diligence on the project for a final takeover for quite some time in December. The first phase of the Raghunathpur plant was scheduled for commissioning in 2010 but even after a delay of nearly five years and a revised cost estimate of Rs 75 billion, the utility continues to suffer from issues related to land acquisition for the rail and water corridors.

It may be noted that NTPC is the leading power generator of India. The total installed capacity of the company exceeds 45,000 MW which accounts for 25% of all India generation. The company is one of the seven Maharatnas and clocked the third highest profit amongst Public Sector Units (PSU) in FY15. Of its own capacity, 85% is coal based, operated through 18 coal power stations, 13% is gas based and the remaining 2% constitutes of solar and hydro power plants. Here is the detailed analysis of NTPC in our recent StockSelect report (Subscription Required).

For information on how to pick stocks that have the potential to deliver big returns, download our special report now!

Read the latest Market Commentary

Top Gainers TodayTop Gainers over 1-WeekTop Gainers over 1-MonthTop Gainers over 1-YearTop Gainers over 3-YrsTop Gainers over 5-YrsTop Losers TodayTop Losers over 1-WeekTop Losers over 1-MonthTop Losers over 1-YearTop Losers over 3-YrsTop Losers over 5-YrsOnly BuyersOnly SellersMost Active StocksMost Popular Stocks52 Week High Stocks52 Week Low Stocks

INDICESBSE (Rs 0 to 1)BSE (Rs 1 to 2)BSE (Rs 2 to 4)BSE (Rs 4 to 10)BSE (Rs 10 to 20)BSE (Above Rs 20)BSE - AllBSE-30BSE-100BSE-200BSE-500BSE AutoBSE BankexBSE Capital GoodsBSE Consumer DurablesBSE FMCGBSE HealthcareBSE ITBSE MetalBSE Oil & GasBSE PSUBSE TeckBSE RealtyBSE PowerBSE A GroupBSE B GroupBSE Mid-CapBSE Small-CapBSE Basic MaterialsBSE Consumer DiscretionaryBSE IndustrialsBSE UtilitiesBSE Sensex 50BSE Sensex Next 50BSE Bharat 22BSE 150 MidCapBSE 250 SmallCapBSE 250 LargeMidCapBSE 400 MidSmallCapBSE AllCapBSE LargeCapBSE SmallCap SelectBSE 100 LargeCap TMCBSE InfraBSE ManufacturingBSE CPSEBSE Private BankBSE Diversified FinancialsBSE MomentumBSE Low VolatilityBSE QualityBSE Enhanced ValueBSE Divident StabilityS&P BSE IPOBSE SMEIPOBSE 100 ESGBSE CarbonexBSE GreenexNSE (Rs 0 to 10)NSE (Rs 10 to 20)NSE (Above Rs 20)NSE - AllNSE-50NSE ITNSE Nifty Midcap 50NSE JR. NiftyNSE Bank NiftyNIFTY Next 50NIFTY 100NIFTY 200NIFTY 500NIFTY MidCap 100NIFTY SmallCap 250NIFTY SmallCap 50NIFTY SmallCap 100NIFTY LargeMidCap 250NIFTY MidSmallCap 400NIFTY AutoNIFTY Consumer DurablesNIFTY FinanceNIFTY FMCGNIFTY MediaNIFTY MetalNIFTY PharmaNIFTY Private BankNIFTY PSU BankNIFTY RealtyNIFTY Oil & GasNIFTY SME EmergeNIFTY CommoditiesNIFTY CPSENIFTY EnergyNIFTY India ConsumptionNIFTY InfraNIFTY MNCNIFTY PSENIFTY Serv SectorNIFTY100 Liquid 15NIFTY Midcap Liquid 15NIFTY Midcap 150 Quality 50NIFTY50 Equal WeightNIFTY100 Equal WeightNIFTY100 Low Volatility 30NIFTY100 Alpha 30NIFTY Alpha 50NIFTY Dividend Opportunities 50NIFTY High Beta 50NIFTY Low Volatility 50NIFTY200 Quality 30NIFTY 500 Value 50NIFTY 100 Quality 30SECTORSAgricultureAirlinesAluminiumAsset Management CompaniesAutomobilesAuto AncillariesBanks (Private)Banks (PSU)BankingCementChemicalsDefenceDiagnosticsDronesEngineeringElectric VehicleElectric Vehicle BatteryEnergy SourcesESGEthanolFertilizersFintechFMCGFoodGreen HydrogenHotelsInfrastructureInsuranceInvestment and FinanceInvITIT (Large)IT (Others)LogisticsMediaMetalMiningIndia's Big Tech StocksIndian PharmaMNC PharmaPSUPaintPaperPlasticPowerRating AgenciesReal EstateREITsRenewable EnergyRetailingSemiconductorShippingSteelSugarSupply ChainTelecomTextilesTravel Support Services

10 results 25 results 50 results 100 results All results

Indian Share Market Update: Top Gainers and Losers