Indian shares fell on Monday as investors discounted deferment of proposed anti-tax avoidance rules, choosing to concentrate on macroeconomic woes like the fiscal and trade deficits. Dealers said the market was more worried on much-awaited reform measures as the political gridlock continued to weigh at a time of rising risk of a sovereign credit ratings downgrade.
India's fiscal deficit during the April-July period rose to 2.64 trillion Indian rupees ($47.5 billion) or 51.5 percent of the full fiscal year 2012/13, government data showed on Friday. Export data also showed that annual exports fell 14.8 percent to $22.4 billion in July, leaving a trade deficit of $15.5 billion, the trade ministry said in a statement on Monday.
Morgan Stanley cut India's economic growth forecast to 5.1 percent on Monday, the lowest among most private forecasters for the 2012/13 fiscal year, citing weak external demand, low private investment and poor government finances. "The market has already discounted GAAR, simply because FII money is the only financing available for current account deficit at this point, as exports and FDI inflows are falling," said G. Chokkalingam, Executive Director & Chief Investment Officer, Centrum Wealth Management, Mumbai India's benchmark BSE index fell 0.26 percent to end at 17384.40 points, while the 50-share NSE index ended lower 0.09 percent at 5253.75 points.
Goldman Sachs advised its clients to buy put option on National Stock Exchange's 50-share index as macro headwinds are likely to persist in the near term in India, driving its cautious view. Banking shares continued Friday's slide, after a stronger-than-expected GDP dashed hopes for rate cuts. HDFC Bank shares fell 0.82 percent, while Axis Bank lost 1.43 percent.
Reliance Industries ended 0.44 percent lower, falling 2.6 percent in two sessions. August auto sales witnessed a broad-based slowdown, with none of the reported companies throwing a positive surprise. The key negative was Mahindra & Mahindra's tractor sales, which dropped 17 percent on year, implying downside risks to the company's flat FY13 growth guidance.
M&M shares ended 0.8 percent down. Shares in India's No 3 steelmaker JSW Steel Ltd fell 3.26 percent on worries over earnings and value dilution as a result of the merger with JSW Ispat Steel Ltd. Shares in Zee Entertainment fell 1.4 percent. Shares of Jet Airways Ltd and SpiceJet Ltd fell after state-run oil marketing companies raised jet fuel prices. Aviation turbine fuel prices were increased by 5.3 to 7.6 percent, effective September 1, as per Indian Oil Corp Ltd's website. Jet Airways fell 4.3 percent, while SpiceJet eased 4.7 percent. Ambuja Cements fell 1.7 percent after the company said its August cement shipments were at 1.45 million tonnes versus 1.49 million tonnes last year.