Asian stock markets are higher today as Japanese and Hong Kong shares show gains. The Nikkei 225 is up 0.6% while the Hang Seng is up 1.4%. The Shanghai Composite is trading up by 1.5%. Meanwhile, the benchmark US S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq index rose on Monday as a jump in 10-year bond yields boosted financial sector stocks and investors anticipated continued strength in corporate earnings and US economic growth.
Back home, India share markets opened the day on a firm note. The BSE Sensex is trading up by 112 points while the NSE Nifty is trading up by 27 points. The BSE Mid Cap index opened up by 0.4% while BSE Small Cap index opened the day up by 0.3%.
The rupee is currently trading at 68.85 to the US$.
All the sectoral indices have opened the day in green with metal stocks and PSU stocks witnessing maximum buying interest.
In the news from the telecom sector. In the latest development, putting an end to the speculation on whether or not the Vodafone-Idea Cellular merger would be delayed over the spectrum charge demand made by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the two companies have deposited a total of Rs 72 billion in cash and bank guarantee.
With the financial dues out of the way, the merger of Vodafone and Idea Cellular is likely to be approved in the next few days.
The companies have deposited a bank guarantee of Rs 33.2 billion for one-time spectrum charges and Rs 39.3 billion cash for spectrum liberalisation.
Having made the payment, the merged entity, to be called Vodafone Idea, could still challenge the dues, the reports noted.
The firms have sought a recalculation of dues, but the DoT is yet to respond. To avoid a delay, the companies decided to pay the whole amount demanded by the government.
Any further delay could have cost the two debt-ridden firms heavily.
Vodafone Idea will be the country's largest telecom operator, with a revenue market share of around 37.4% and more than 438 million subscribers. The UK-headquartered telecom major, Vodafone, had announced the merger of its India operations with Kumar Mangalam Birla-led Idea Cellular in March last year.
The companies were hoping to complete the merger by the end of June but the process got delayed by a month. The DoT had given a conditional nod to the merger a couple of weeks ago if they paid up Rs 72 billion as spectrum charges.
After issuing the final letter of approval, the DoT will transfer Vodafone India's licences to Idea Cellular. The department will also start transferring Vodafone's bank guarantees for deferred spectrum payments to Idea Cellular.
The merger of Vodafone Idea is expected to alter the telecom market in the country, making it a three-player universe of two big incumbents and disruptor Reliance Jio.
In just 18 months of commercial operations, Jio has captured a revenue market share of around 20%.
Recently, Bharti Airtel (India) CEO Gopal Vittal had said that the telecom sector was set to have just three big players holding similar market share.
If that theory holds, Vodafone Idea could lose some market share as Airtel and Jio are expected to continue to exert pressure on margins. The combined debt of Vodafone India and Idea, estimated at around Rs 1.1 trillion, will be an added burden on the margins, the reports noted.
Speaking of telecom sector, the whole telecom business has been an underwhelming story so far. While the telecom subscriber base has increased from 300 million in 2008 to 1.2 billion in 2017, investors have little to cheer. The BSE Sensex has gone up 3.25 times in nine years, but the BSE Telecom Index has not moved from its levels of 2008, as can be seen from the chart below:
Telecom Sector: A Decade of Underperformance
Here's what we wrote about the struggling telecom sector in one of our issues of The 5 Minute WrapUp:
- Telecom companies are straddled with high debt, intense competition, and lack of pricing power. High spectrum costs and regulatory issues have hampered the sector. While consumers have benefited from low costs and new players fighting for their share, investors have suffered.
With the entry of Reliance Jio, the competition has intensified further. Reliance Jio's low cost offerings and strategy of capturing market share will further dent the sector. The sector has been a classic 'valuet trap'. While it always looks cheap compared to other sectors, it has failed to provide any reasonable returns. We also believe the situation is unlikely to change in the near future. For an investor, it's important to differentiate between 'value' and 'value traps'.
Idea Cellular share price opened the day up by 3.3%.
Moving on to the news from oil & gas sector. As per an article in a leading financial daily, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd would invest a total of around Rs 120 billion in the Haldia refinery and pipeline infrastructure in West Bengal.
Reportedly, the Haldia refinery's capacity would be increased from 7.5 mmtpa to 8 mmtpa, and will undertake the transition to BS-VI compliant fuel by April 2020.
Further, the state-owned company would invest Rs 76 billion in the refinery.
LPG bottling plants at Durgapur and Kalyani would be connected by pipeline, which would be brought from Paradeep via Haldia. The Budge plant would be connected later. This would entail an investment of Rs 43.3 billion.
IOC share price opened the day up by 1.1%.
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This article was originally published in English at www.equitymaster.com
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