Market seeing high intraday volatility

Volatility ruled the roost in mid-afternoon trade as the key benchmark indices once again regained strength after reversing intraday losses. At 14:21 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 65.38 points or 0.19% at 34,370.81. The Nifty 50 index was up 13.10 points or 0.12% at 10,541.45. Pharma stocks declined. Auto stocks saw mixed trend. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting normal monsoon pushed the domestic bourses higher for the ninth day in a row.

Stocks opened higher as sentiment was boosted after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted normal monsoon this year. However, after an initial volatility, the key benchmark indices drifted higher and hit fresh intraday high in morning trade. Stocks trimmed gains in mid-morning trade. Key indices bounced from the day's low in afternoon trade.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.13%, underperforming the Sensex. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.26%, outperforming the Sensex.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was positive. On the BSE, 1,324 shares rose and 1,209 shares fell. A total of 144 shares were unchanged.

Pharma stocks declined. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (down 1.3%), Cadila Healthcare (down 0.26%), Cipla (down 0.21%), Dr Reddy's Laboratories (down 0.18%), Alkem Laboratories (down 0.57%), GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (down 0.42%), Aurobindo Pharma (down 0.57%) and Wockhardt (down 0.35%) fell. Lupin (up 1.54%) and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals (up 0.1%) rose.

Auto stocks saw mixed trend. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) (up 1.29%), Escorts (up 0.9%), Bajaj Auto (up 0.75%) and TVS Motor Company (up 0.63%) rose.

Hero MotoCorp (down 0.37%), Tata Motors (down 0.74%), Maruti Suzuki India (down 0.7%), Eicher Motors (down 0.22%) and Ashok Leyland (down 0.99%) fell.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted the south-west monsoon (June to September) to be at 97% of the long period average (LPA) with a margin of error of +/- 5%. Rainfall between 96% and 104% of LPA during the June-September monsoon period is considered normal. The forecast was made after market hours yesterday, 16 April 2018.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues operational forecast for the southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall for the country as a whole in two stages. The first stage forecast is issued in April and the second stage forecast is issued in June.

Overseas, European stocks edged up as attention shifted to the first-quarter earnings season and deal-making. Most Asian stocks fell as investors sought fresh leads after weeks of volatility sparked by trade frictions and geopolitical conflict.

China's gross domestic product rose 6.8% from a year earlier in the first quarter, holding steady from the 6.8% growth in the fourth quarter of last year, China's National Bureau of Statistics said today, 17 April 2018.

Meanwhile, industrial production grew just 6% in March, compared with 7.2% in the first two months of the year, and 6.8% overall for the quarter. In other data, January to March fixed asset investment growth slowed to 7.5% from a year ago, down from 7.9% in the first two months of the year.

US stocks closed sharply higher yesterday, 16 April 2018 with major indexes rallying in a broad advance as the first-quarter earnings season pointed to strong growth and geopolitical tensions showed signs of easing.

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