Indices extend slide in volatile trade

Volatility ruled the roost in afternoon trade as the key benchmark indices once again extended losses after seeing a brief intraday recovery. At 13:19 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 194.99 points or 0.53% at 36,331.15. The Nifty 50 index was down 48.35 points or 0.44% at 10,959.95. The Nifty was trading below the 11,000-level after sliding below that level in early trade.

Trading sentiment continued to be weak after the rupee dropped to a new low amid sustained foreign fund outflows and surging crude oil prices. Investors were also cautious ahead of the three-day Reserve Bank of India (RBI) policy review scheduled to begin Wednesday.

Among secondary barometers, the BSE Mid-Cap index was down 0.06%. The BSE Small-Cap index was up 1.09%.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On BSE, 1,564 shares rose and 910 shares fell. A total of 127 shares were unchanged.

Yes Bank (up 7.7%), Vedanta (up 4.92%), Coal India (up 2.05%), ONGC (up 1.76%) and Tata Steel (up 1.35%) edged higher from the Sensex pack.

M&M (down 4.4%), TCS (down 3.49%), Axis Bank (down 2.6%), Asian Paints (down 1.6%) and Bharti Airtel (down 1.46%) edged lower from the Sensex pack.

Eicher Motors was down 5.29% after it reported production loss of 10,000 motorcycles in September after a section of its workforce did not report to work since September 24 at its Oragadam factory near Chennai, Eicher Motors said in an exchange filing. Meanwhile, its sales rose 2% to 71,662 units last month, the filing added.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 73.02, compared with its close of 72.91 during the previous trading session. Rupee hit a record low of 73.4175 against the dollar in early deals amid worries that surging oil prices will stoke inflationary pressures and widen India's current and trade deficits.

The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will meet between 3 to 5 October 2018 for the fourth bi-monthly monetary policy for 2018-2019. The resolution of the MPC will be unveiled at 14:30 pm on 5 October 2018.

Overseas, European stocks moved higher on Wednesday as investors kept an eye on Italian politics and spending plans. Most Asia stocks declined. Markets in China and South Korea are closed for a public holiday.

In the UK, the Conservatives' annual party conference was under way with Prime Minister Theresa May facing pressure over her proposal for future UK-EU relations, known as the Chequers plan, which has already been rejected by EU leaders. Any additional signs of political instability in Europe could weigh on the US, where multinational firms have a large amount of revenue exposure to the region.

Further in Europe, Italy last week unveiled a 2019 budget deficit target that has met stiff opposition from European Union officials, who say it will violate the bloc's fiscal rules. Italy's coalition government proposed a budget that would increase the deficit to 2.4% of gross domestic output in 2019, well above the initial target of 0.8% proposed by the country's previous centre-left government. The current target range for this year is 1.6%. The deficit blowout revived fears of the eurozone debt crisis and put pressure on the euro.

In US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record high on Tuesday as it rallied for a second day, boosted by gains in Intel and optimism around global trade. Stocks were coming off strong gains from the previous session after Canada joined the US and Mexico in a new trade deal. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or "USMCA" for short, will see all three countries compromise on certain trade aspects. More market access will be granted to US dairy farmers, while Canada has agreed to effectively cap automobile exports to the States.

Trade war remains in focus for the markets. Following the new USMCA deal to replace the current North American Free Trade Agreement, eyes are now on Washington's ongoing trade fight with China. Investors will be looking to China, to see if Beijing and Washington can compromise on certain trade elements.

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