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Heatwave, reduced wheat production credit negative for India: Moody’s Investors Service

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High climatic temperatures affecting northwest India curbing wheat production and possible extended power outages exacerbating already high inflation and hurting growth is credit negative, said Moody’s Investors Service on Monday.

The credit rating agency in a report said: “Over the longer term, India’s highly negative credit exposure to physical climate risks — which contributes to the country’s highly negative environmental risk issuer profile score and credit impact score — means its economic growth will likely become more volatile as it faces increasing, and more extreme, incidences of climate-related shocks,” Moody’s said.

The Indian government has revised down its estimates for wheat production by 5.4 per cent to 105 million tonnes for the crop year ending June 2022, given lower yields amid higher temperatures, Moody’s said.

The lower production, and fears that a surge in exports to capitalise on high global wheat prices would add to inflationary pressures domestically, has prompted the government to ban the export of wheat and to divert it toward local consumption instead.

Although the move will partially offset inflationary pressures, it will hurt exports and subsequently growth. The ban comes at a time when India — the world’s second-largest wheat producer — could have been capitalising on the global output gap from wheat following the Russia-Ukraine military conflict, Moody’s said.

Global wheat prices have jumped 47 per cent since the conflict began in late February.

According to Moody’s, the wheat export ban is likely to induce further surge in wheat prices in importing countries like Bangladesh, which absorbed 56.8 per cent of India’s wheat exports in fiscal 2021, Sri Lanka-8.3 per cent, UAE – 6.5 per cent and Indonesia – 5.4 per cent.

Additionally, elevated power demand amid the heatwave and an uptick in economic activity — resulting in higher domestic power prices — prompted India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to cap power prices at Rs 12 per kilowatt-hour in the electricity exchanges.

With suppliers importing coal at market rates to fill the shortfall and inadequate supply to meet peak demand, at least 16 out of 28 states experienced 2-10 hours of power outage per day in April, Moody’s said.

After the price ceiling was introduced on April 1, India’s total domestic coal actual stock fell 23 per cent by mid-May, with days of actual stock declining to 7.8 days from 10 days.

Further drawdowns in coal inventory could lead to prolonged power outages in industrial and agricultural production, leading to significant cuts to output and weighing further on India’s economic growth — particularly if the heatwaves continue beyond June.

Inflation will be partially alleviated by keeping wheat production for domestic consumption and the cap in power prices in exchanges, as well as the Reserve Bank of India’s 40-basis-point policy rate rise in early May.

However, given the prominence of cereals and food more generally in India’s consumption, elevated food prices could add to social risks if they persist.

Business

Sensex – Nifty Open Lower Amid Weak FII Sentiment, Midcap & Smallcap Stocks Lend Market Support

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Key Highlights:

– Sensex fell 171 pts, Nifty down 35 pts; midcaps, smallcaps held strong.

– FIIs sold Rs 3,694 crore worth of stocks; DIIs bought Rs 2,820 crore.

– Nifty’s bearish engulfing pattern suggests continued caution; 25,000 key support.

Mumbai: Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty began Friday’s session in the red, weighed down by selling pressure in large-cap stocks. At 9:25 am, the Sensex declined by 171 points or 0.21 percent to trade at 82,087, while the Nifty dropped 35 points or 0.14 percent to 25,075.

Heavyweights Drag, Broader Market Holds

Major drag on the indices came from key constituents such as Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and HDFC Bank. Financial stocks, FMCG, and private banking segments were under pressure. However, midcap and smallcap segments outperformed, providing resilience to the overall market.

Gainers on the Sensex included M&M, Tata Steel, Power Grid, L&T, Infosys, and Maruti Suzuki, reflecting strength in sectors like auto, metals, and infra.

Sectoral Picture Mixed

On the sectoral front, gains were recorded in auto, IT, PSU banks, metals, realty, energy, media, infrastructure, and commodities. Meanwhile, financial services, FMCG, and private banking faced losses.

Technical indicators showed bearish signals, with Nifty completing a bearish engulfing candle on Thursday. Analysts highlight 25,000 as a key support and 25,340 as a vital resistance level.

FIIs Remain Net Sellers

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued their selling trend, offloading equities worth Rs 3,694 crore on July 17 — marking the second consecutive session of net selling. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs), however, remained net buyers, purchasing Rs 2,820 crore worth of shares for the ninth straight session.

According to Dr. VK Vijayakumar of Geojit Financial Services, FIIs have shown a clear pattern of selling in July after buying in the previous three months. Without positive triggers, the downtrend could persist.

Global Cues Offer Some Relief

Asian markets traded mostly higher on Friday, with Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Jakarta in the green, although Tokyo and Seoul lagged. The US markets ended positively on Thursday, driven by upbeat investor sentiment.

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Indian Equity Indices Open Flat As Markets Await Fresh Triggers To Break Out Of Consolidation Phase

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Mumbai: The Indian equity indices opened flat on Thursday, as markets looked for new triggers to break out of the consolidation range.

At 9.2 am, c was down 15 points at 82,619 and Nifty was down 2 points at 25,210. Buying was seen in the midcap and smallcap stocks. Nifty midcap 100 index was up 123 points or 0.18 per cent at 59,741 and Nifty smallcap 100 index was up 70 points or 0.37 per cent at 19,210.

On the sectoral front, auto, pharma, FMCG, metal, realty, energy, infra and PSE were major gainers, while IT, PSU bank, financial services and media were major losers.

In the Sensex pack, Sun Pharma, M&M, Trent, Kotak Mahindra, Tata Motors, NTPC, BEL, Titan and Power Grid were major gainers. Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Eternal, Axis Bank, Infosys and HUL were major losers.

According to analysts, an India-US interim trade deal has been discounted by the market, leaving no scope for a sharp rally decisively breaking the range.

“One positive and surprise factor that can trigger a rally is a tariff rate much below 20 per cent, say 15 per cent, which the market has not discounted. So, watch out for developments on the trade and tariff front,” said Dr VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited.

Most Asian stocks traded in a flat-to-low range. Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok and Jakarta were trading in the green while Hong Kong and Seoul were in the red.

The US market closed in the green on Wednesday due to positive market sentiment.

On the institutional front, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued to reduce exposure in India, selling equities worth Rs 1,858 crore on July 16. In contrast, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) remained consistent buyers for the 8th straight session, infusing Rs 1,223 crore, lending crucial support to the market amid global uncertainties.

The broader trend remains optimistic as long as key support levels are respected, said analysts.

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Tesla Mumbai Showroom Now Open, Bookings For Model Y Begin

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Elon Musk’s Tesla has flagged off its India operations with its first showroom in Mumbai now open. The showroom is located in Mumbai’s premium Bandra Kurla Complex area. It will be showcasing the popular Model Y and Model 3 cars at the venue. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis arrived at the first Tesla showroom in India, to commemorate the occasion.

The new Mumbai showroom opening marks the entry of Tesla in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing automobile markets. The showroom, at Maker Maxity in BKC, is around 4,000 sq ft large and is said to cost Rs. 35 lakh per month. While customers will be able to book their cars starting today, delivery is said to commence sometime in August. Delivery and registration are only limited to Delhi, Gurugram and Mumbai for now.

The experience centre is located near the Apple flagship store in BKC. Tesla is said to open a showroom isn Delhi as well. While this is a soft launch, the company is expected to do a grand inauguration as well. To book the Model Y or the Model 3, consumers will need to head to the Mumbai experience store.

Musk’s company has imported all the cars fully assembled from China, paying heavy taxes (approximately 70 percent) on the same. The cars are said to be priced starting at around Rs. 40 lakhs in India.

The spotlight will be on the Model Y, which is the most popular variant of Tesla across the world. The SUV is available globally in two variants, Long Range RWD and Long Range AWD (Dual Motor). It claims to offer up to 574 km and goes from 0 to 100 kmph in just 4.6 seconds.

The Model 3, Tesla’s most affordable offering in the Indian market, will also be showcased but is expected to go on sale later in 2025. The top variant of the Model 3 clocks 0 to 100 kmph in 3.1 seconds, has a range of 507 km, and a top speed of 162 kmph.

Tesla India has reportedly leased a 24,500-square-foot space in Mumbai’s Kurla West to set up a service centre, located close to its upcoming showroom in BKC.

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