Expert Zone
Straight from the Specialists
How election years affect the stock market
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)
The ongoing stock market rally has been primarily supported by foreign investors. The rupee also rose to a near three-month high against the dollar on Friday.
It is rather unusual for the Indian market to jump in pre-election months, particularly after 1996 when coalitions became the new political strategy to make up for shortfalls in parliamentary majority. In most election years, the market had actually fallen just before the elections – in 2004, by more than 10 percent.
There are reasons why the Sensex is behaving differently now.
The market has its own fears and hopes. First, the market detests uncertainty, which is at its peak in coalition times with regional parties vying for power.
Second, the market would like the communist parties to be drowned in political backwaters. Though a few regional parties want to assert their right to influence the government at the centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can still command a good number of seats from the states that it already rules as well as others. This has generated some confidence in investors who are looking to make some quick gains.
India Markets Weekahead: Markets move into pre-election rally
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)
A spectacular rally in the last few days has put the market in a pre-election mode, buoyant with hopes of a stable and reform-oriented government. Led by institutional buying and the resultant short squeeze, the markets rallied more than 3 percent in the last two trading sessions – closing the week at 6526, a record high for Nifty. The markets seemed to have moved into a new territory with metals, realty, banking, capital goods, infrastructure and energy sectors participating in the rally.
Generally, the data points for a pre-election rally are the developments on political activities and opinion polls. The economic data takes a backseat in this “rally of hope” and markets take a keen interest in electoral analysis.
India Markets Weekahead: Markets back on track for pre-election rally
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)
The week started on a sombre note but with institutional activity picking up, the Nifty closed with gains of 1.97 percent at 6276 despite a mid-week trading holiday. Political activity also gained momentum with 11 parties coming together to form a Third Front to oppose both national parties.
The Election Commission may announce election dates in the coming week — the code of conduct coming in will halt any policy decisions.
Is gold a good investment once again?
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)
The increase in gold prices in the last two months has rekindled interest in the yellow metal as a vehicle for investment. It was after the 2008 global financial crisis that gold became the most preferred asset, with prices doubling in four years.
Why was gold preferred? It was not so much as a hedge against inflation but as an insurance against uncertainty. When the economy is faltering and the future looks bleak, gold becomes a preferred asset.
India’s disrupted democracy
(This piece comes from Project Syndicate. The opinions expressed are the author’s own)
India’s 15th Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) passed into history ignominiously this month, following the least productive five years of any Indian parliament in six decades of functioning democracy. With entire sessions lost to opposition disruptions, and with frequent adjournments depriving legislators of time for deliberation, the MPs elected in May 2009 passed fewer bills and spent fewer hours in debate than any of their predecessors.
Tough to get the math right in 2014/15 interim budget
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram went more by economic considerations than political ones in manoeuvring his pre-election budget, the focus being on fiscal consolidation with an eye on rating agencies.
The 2014/15 interim budget did not have any new populist measures. The minister may have been convinced that such gimmicks just before elections do not yield votes. Also, there was hardly any time to effectively roll out a new scheme.
Why the Fed is not worried by emerging market moves
(The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not represent those of Reuters)
Several emerging market central banks have been forced to react to market events already this year. Interest rate increases in India, Turkey and South Africa followed bond or currency market volatility. Argentina has endured dramatic moves in its currency, and Brazil has been forced to tighten policy.
Slow pick-up in India’s GDP growth
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)
GDP estimates by the Central Statistics Office for the 2013-14 fiscal year show an improvement over the previous year. But the extent of improvement is too small for comfort. Possibly, in the final revision, that small margin may disappear or even turn negative.
This year, India’s GDP is expected to be up 4.9 percent from 4.5 percent the previous year. This additional growth has come mainly from agriculture, due to a favourable monsoon. Agricultural growth was three times the previous year. Production of non-food grains (like vegetables and fruits), and animal products (like meat and eggs), did not increase adequately in spite of the inflated demand and will continue to be the main source of inflation.
India Markets Weekahead: Time to size up portfolio
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)
After a scare earlier in the week, the markets showed resilience at lower levels and bounced back, showing the confidence of participants. Though Nifty closed 26 points lower for the week at 6063, sentiment was much better than the previous week.
Interest rates likely to remain high
(Rajiv Deep Bajaj is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Capital Ltd. The views expressed in this column are his own and do not represent those of Thomson Reuters)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised its benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points to 8 percent at its policy review meet in January. The reverse repo rate rose to 7 percent while the bank rate and marginal standing facility rate climbed to 9 percent. This is the third hike in repo rate since RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan assumed office in early September.
