SumanSpeaks: The Information Super Highway

Satya Seva Foundation and their Social Service Myself with Ajit Gupta, 2nd from Right   Yesterday (30 March), I went to Boisar for some work, apart from withdrawing money from an ATM.  I had the  Bank of Baroda, ATM, but unfortunately many of the non BOB ATMs in Boisar either didn't have cash or no connectivity. After hopping for at least 5 ATMs at sundry locations I could withdraw money from one Dena Bank ATM,  but that too, after lot of hassles. Twice the money didn't come out of the ATM to be delivered on to my hand. I was dressed,.shabbiest - worst, since I felt, not to be styled - up,  as there hardly any traffic on the roads, to appreciate my attire or get up (if any)..... Anyway, as I was returning home, I saw some young me ,  shouting at some truck drivers. "Aap Ka Khana Ho Gaya Kya"? [Have you finished your meals] Other members of Satya Seva Foundation  Those drivers whose respond was negative, were given cooked fo...

Coronavirus and insanity of draconian Lockdown  Before, I begin let me put a few statistics on the plate so that you can understand how an issue has been pumped up so much that common people thinks that there is no cure for Covid -19: Most of the data has been taken from WHO and other authentic websites : #An estimated 45% of all deaths from rabies occur in south east Asia. The situation is especially pronounced in India, which reports about 18 000 to 20 000 cases of rabies a year and about 36% of the world’s deaths from the disease #A total of 1.5 million people died from TB in 2018 (including 251 000 people with HIV). Worldwide, TB is one of the top 10 causes of death and the leading cause from a single infectious agent (above HIV/AIDS). In 2018, the 30 high TB burden countries accounted for 87% of new TB cases. Eight countries account for two thirds of the total, with India leading the count, followed by, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pak...

Draconian Lockdown and Coronavirus  ~ ~Sumon Mukhopadhyay  Indian has perhaps adopted the Chinese model to contain the spread of coronavirus. But China is a communist country where state plays a major role in providing social security to its citizens. In comparison, even after around 6 years of Narendra Modi's rule, our economy is in shambles. During,  the NDA government's rule the Indian economy has gone from bad to worse.  Recently the FM has spoken about Rs.1.70 lakh crore package for the poor and distressed. This has made the Sensex and Nifty rally. While apparently this may look good on papers, but with factories closing down and government distributing free cash, we could be heading toward a demand pull inflation if this Lockdown continues beyond 15th April,  2020. Already, the price of essential commodities have started to inch up and this is likely to get more severe in the coming days, as India starts to grapple with no fresh product...

Sumon Speaks on: Coronavirus and wearing of masks Boisar Station on 25 March, 2020 from my mobile Camera.  You must be aware that 25 March,  2020 night around 11 pm near Boisar (Bridge), Mumbai Metropolis, when there was virtually no one on the street, except a few speeding vehicles and cars I was harassed and abused by Maharashtra police; who even misbehaved with me.  If they had politely told me that you need to wear a mask, I would have bought the same from a nearby medicine shop. But they went on abusing me and misbehaving with me, asking me to pay a hanky over my nose. This is was the banality which hit my sentiments very hard. In fact it was me,  who suggested to buy a mask,  if it was at all necessary in a road, where there was  hardly any sign of human presence as it was around 11 pm. The point is Indians are already disturbed by the coronavirus epidemic, spreading across the length and breadth of the country and if a person emplo...

Coronavirus and police misbehaviour in Boisar (Mumbai Metropolis) Photo : India Railinfo Boisar is the largest industrial suburb in Mumbai Metropolitan Region of Maharashtra and adjacent to Gujarat state. It was earlier a part of Thane district but now comes under newly form Palghar district. Its Tarapur industrial area has factories of some of the well known companies like: Jindal Steel, Tata Steel, Lupin, Viraj, Everest Kanto Cylinders,  etc. etc. Tarapur has an atomic power station, under the supervision of BARC. Till now the city has no Coronavirus patient: though I have seen people putting big signboards asking outsiders or strangers not to enter housing societies and cul - de - sacs. The latest news from the coronavirus outbreak  shows that Italy and Spain have overtaken China as far as the number of deaths are concerned.  The government of India has declared a 21 day Lockdown in India to avert any escalation of the  crisis. But has done preciou...

Tit - bits The US Stocks surged on Tuesday, rebounding from their worst day in more than three decades — as Wall Street cheered White House plans that could inject $1 trillion into the U.S. economy to cushion the damage caused Sue to the outbreak  of the coronavirus. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 1,048.79 points higher, or 5.2%, at 21,237.31. It briefly dipped below 20,000 for the first time since February 2017 before bouncing back. The S&P 500 was up 6% to use at 2,529.19 while the Nasdaq Composite gained 6.2% to end the day at 7,334.78. Meanwhile, Australian share market finished sharp higher on Tuesday, 17 March 2020, as investors ran for bottom fishing across the board, thanks to Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) injection of A$8.8 billion liquidity into the system and promised to announce a new package of stimulus measures on Thursday... Back home, the Nifty 50 index lost 230.35 points or 2.50% to settle at 8,967.0...

Tit - bits Yesterday, the 30-share BSE Sensex settled 2,919.26 points or 8.18% lower at 32,778.14 while the broader Nifty slumped 868.25 points or 8.30% to close at 9,590.15. It is interesting to note that while the Nifty marked its biggest intraday drop since October 2012, the Sensex recorded its largest daily fall in over a decade. Though the immediate  support levels for Nifty are placed at 9,385/ 9,180, I feel the Nifty is likely to test 8700 on the downside due to panic created by Choronavirus outbreak.  You may buy 8700 put at around Rs.85/90 for targets of Rs.120. Photo : Frontline   #A sell call was given in Yes Bank Ltd (Rs.25.05) in my last post when the share price tanked to Rs.17.45 yesterday, before closing at Rs.25.05. Meanwhile, there are media reports that The State Bank of India (SBI) will buy YES Bank’s shares worth Rs.7,250 crore at Rs.10 per share, subject to regulatory approvals. This is a peanut considering the p...

Tit - bits In the US,  the S&P 500 ended yesterday, 4.9% lower at 2,741.38 and just short of a bear market. The Nasdaq Composite fell 4.7% to 7,952.05 and was also about 19% below its all-time high -- a 20% decline is considered a bear market on Wall Street. Losses intensified on Wednesday's trading after the World Health Organization declared the  coronavirus outbreak an official global pandemic. The number of coronavirus cases around the world totaled more than 100,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S. alone, more than 1,000 cases have been confirmed.  This increase in cases though adds fears of further escalation of the disease and calls for government intervention but I feel will have little effect on global growth.  Back home, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 62.45 points or 0.18% to close at 35,697.40. The index rose 386.56 points, or 1.08% to hit the day's high of 36,021.51 in afterno...

Tit bits The SGX Nifty is trading at 10,395 down 120 Photo : Seeking Alpha points, while the Asian markets are mixed (Straight Times, Taiwan and Shanghai Composite is in Green). Though the threat of coronavirus is hanging over our head like Damocles sword, but for the time being the Nifty is expected to get support around 10900/10200 ranges, where you should think of short term buying. Today,  also we could see a bounce back, which in all probability is likely to get sold off.  #Today Nifty could open gap, down near 10400, where you can buy Nifty futures corresponding to the spot price, for intraday target of 10560. #Since gas price cut could take place next month, buy the fundamentally strong shares from the Fertilizer and Power sectors. Some of the names from the fertilizer sector has already been discussed in this blog, you can choose a scrip depending upon your risk profile. #Buy the shares of Infosys Ltd (Rs.704.45) near Rs.697/700, for short term targe...

Tit - bits On Tuesday, the Dow Jones swung nearly 1,400 points from its low to its high point over the course of the day. At one point, the index was down by 997 points. However, it recovered and finished down 786 points, or 2.9%, retracting Monday's buoyant rally, during which it recorded its best-point gain in history. The sharp fall came after the US Federal Reserve slashed interest rates by a half-point to help insulate the US economy from the global coronavirus outbreak. It's is to be remembered that lower interest rates are good for stock market as it makes borrowing cheaper, giving a forward kick to credit growth. Also, USD normally falls when interest rates come down. This could ease global growth concerns and also help stem the further depreciation of INR. The US markets have only adjusted to the mean value after that whirlwind rally on Monday.   Though this fall in Dow along with NASDAQ, the latter nosediving to 8,684.09 or down by 26...

Tit - bits The BSE Sensex is now trading at 38,393.27 up 249.25 points (+0.65%) while the Nifty is seen at  11,244.70 up 111.95 points (+1.01%). The broader market advanced. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.87%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.78%. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was positive. On the BSE, 1094 shares rose and 717 shares fell. A total of 86 shares were unchanged.  However, there are so many conflicting parameters that it has become very difficult to predict the market movement in the near time, though most TV analysts are talking of either reducing positions or go for intraday shorts.   I feel in such a situation it would be better, if you be stock specific and avoid some sectors like Metals, Banks, NBFCs, Gems and Jewellery and Real Estate, while remaining biased on FMCG,  Consumer Durables, Paints, Agri Chemicals, Speciality Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Power, Auto and Fertilizer...