(Bloomberg) -- India stocks fell amid selling by foreigners as investors weighed their positions ahead of the outcome of general elections due next week.
The S&P BSE Sensex slipped 0.6% to 37,114.88 in Mumbai in the last half an hour of trade after an initial surge of as much as 0.7%. The NSE Nifty 50 Index also declined 0.6%. Overseas investors were sellers for the four consecutive sessions through May 13, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Stock volatility has been steadily increasing in the last two months as the marathon election in the world's largest democracy enters its final stage. The last phase of voting will take place on May 19 while the results will be announced on May 23.
Strategist View
- “The election outcome remains an overhang in the market. The pullback in the last session was led by value-buying by domestic investors as the index had corrected substantially,” said Anita Gandhi, a Mumbai-based director at Arihant Capital Markets Ltd. “Macro concerns relating to weak factory output numbers, a pick up in food inflation also remain in focus.”
The Numbers
- Sixteen of 19 sector sub-indexes compiled by BSE Ltd. fell, led by a measure of metal companies
- Housing Development Finance Corp contributed the most to the index decline.
- Yes Bank had the largest drop, falling 8.3% after the RBI named an additional director on the lender's board
- Bajaj Finance provided the biggest boost to the index and had the largest gain, advancing 4.2%.
- Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. fell 6.9%; company said rumors about resignation of company director from board were false.
Analyst Notes
- Nestle's Focus on New Launches to Drive Volume Growth: Edelweiss
- Kajaria Ceramics' Market Share Gains to Continue: Yes Securities
To contact the reporter on this story: Nupur Acharya in Mumbai at nacharya7@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Divya Balji at dbalji1@bloomberg.net, Margo Towie, Naoto Hosoda
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