NSE to auction investment limits for Rs 3,000-cr govt bonds

Leading bourse National Stock Exchange (NSE) will on Monday auction investment limits for overseas investors for purchase of government bonds worth over Rs 3,000 crore.

The auction will be conducted on NSE's e-bid platform from 1530 hrs to 1730 hrs after the close of market hours, the exchange said in a circular.

The auction quota gives overseas investors the right to invest in debt up to the stipulated limit.

Till yesterday, the total investment in the corporate debt category reached Rs 1,86,626 crore, which is 98.38 per cent of the total permitted threshold of Rs 1,89,700 crore, as per the latest update with depositories.

Consequently, the exchange has decided to conduct an auction for the allocation of unutilised debt limits to the tune of Rs 3,074 crore on December 18.

To make trading members accustomed to the bidding platform, the exchange would be conducting a mock bidding session today.

In an auction conducted last month, investment limits for corporate bonds had attracted bids to the tune of Rs 5,139 crore by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) against Rs 3,930 crore put on offer.