Asian stock markets are higher today as Japanese and Hong Kong shares show gains. The Nikkei 225 is up 0.1% while the Hang Seng is up 0.2%. The Shanghai Composite is trading up by 0.3%. Meanwhile, technology stocks pushed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq higher on Thursday, driven by Apple shares as the iPhone maker became the first publicly traded US company worth a trillion dollars.
Back home, India share markets have opened the day in green. The BSE Sensex is trading up by 206 points while the NSE Nifty is trading up by 65 points. The BSE Mid Cap index opened and BSE Small Cap index opened the day up by 0.6% & 0.5% respectively.
The rupee is currently trading at 68.36 to the US$.
All sectoral indices have opened the in green with realty stocks and automobile stocks witnessing maximum buying interest.
In the news from the oil & gas sector. In the latest development, ONGC on Thursday reported its highest quarterly net profit in over four-and-a-half-years on sharp rise in prices for oil and gas it produced.
Its net profit of Rs 61.4 billion in the first quarter of the 2018-19 fiscal was 58.1% higher than Rs 38.8 billion in the year-ago period. The net profit is highest since December 2013 when earnings had hit Rs 71.3 billion.
ONGC realised US$71.48 for every barrel of crude oil it produced in the April-June quarter of the current fiscal, up 47.6% over US$48.42 a barrel in the year-ago period.
For natural gas, it got Rs 3.06 per million British thermal unit as compared to Rs 2.48 per mmBtu. ONGC said its crude oil production dropped 5.3% to 5 million tonnes in the quarter. This was partly made up by a 2.5% rise in output from joint venture fields, that pumped 0.8 million tonnes oil.
Natural gas production was however 3.4% higher at 5.9 billion cubic metres. Its revenue from operations rose 42.7% to Rs 272.1 billion for the quarter under review.
Further, ONGC said it deposited Rs 27 billion service tax and GST under protest as it believes such taxes are not applicable on royalty paid by the firm to the government.
Oil producers like ONGC are required to pay 12.5% royalty on crude oil to the state governments for on-land areas and at 10% to the central government for shallow water areas. The tax department is seeking payment of service tax on these royalty payments.
ONGC share price opened the day up by 1.3%.
Moving on to the news from economy. India plans to delay the imposition of retaliatory duties on US goods, the trade ministry said on Thursday, to allow time to resolve disputes that worsened after President Donald Trump imposed tariff hikes on steel and aluminium.
The move comes at a time when the US on Monday elevated India's status by placing it in the Strategic Trade Authorization (STA) Tier 1 list-comparable to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) allies-that eases export of high-tech defence items to it without individual licenses.
On Wednesday, the US Congress amended an Act that will provide waiver to India and other allies from sanctions if they conduct strategic defence purchases from Russia.
In June, New Delhi, incensed by Washington's refusal to exempt it from these new tariffs, announced it would raise import tax on some US products including almonds, walnuts and apples.
Reportedly, the government had proposed to put the new tariffs, which were due to go into effect on 4 August.
Note that, trade differences between India and the United States have been rising since Trump took office.
Bilateral trade rose to US$115 billion in 2016, but the Trump administration wants to reduce its US$31 billion deficit with India, and is pressing New Delhi to ease trade barriers.
Notably, the country's steel industry was just coming out of a rough patch.
Demand was picking up. Steel prices were on the rise. Buyers were lining up to pick up stressed assets. With the expected pick up in the investment cycle, the sector was on the upswing.
India's Steel exports were on a roll.
Is the Steel Sector's Recovery Under Threat?
Then Donald Trump spoiled the party. The US government plans to impose a 25% tariff on steel and a 10% tariff on aluminium.
India produces a lot of both commodities but internationally, we are not a big player. The US imports only 2.4% of steel and 2% aluminium from India.
Co-head of Research & editor of StockSelect at Equitymaster, Tanushree Banerjee, wrote about the trade war a few months back. Here's what she said:
- Trade wars can cause short-term pain. But it can't change the long-term trend of the market. Only earnings can do that.
Back in India, we too have suffered a lot; wars, droughts, riots, terrorism, corruption, corporate frauds, political assassinations, multiple government changes, failed economic policies...
But corporate earnings have grown by about 15% annually and the BSE Sensex has delivered about 15% annualised over the long-term.
That's the important thing. I'll never tire of repeating it.
In the long-term, only earnings can drive stock prices.
This is true.
During times like these, the best thing you can do is to identify stocks that can ride out the storm.
This article was originally published in English at www.equitymaster.com
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