Resistance at 5,330The market pushed to a new high and then eased back to the previous week’s levels. The Nifty closed at 5,290.5 points for a nominal gain of 0.2 per cent while the Sensex was up 0.3 per cent at 17,644 points. The Defty rose 1.1 per cent as the rupee continued to strengthen.
Breadth was neutral and volumes remained on the low side. Smaller stocks outperformed the pivotals. The Junior was up 1.3 per cent while the Midcaps rose 0.7 per cent and the BSE 500 was up 0.7 per cent as well.
FIIs continued to be strong net buyers while domestic institutions remained net sellers in small quantities.
Outlook: The market established a new 52-week high but momentum and background signals were quite weak. There is strong resistance at 5,330 levels with strong support between 5,200 and 5,250. Most likely the market will remain confined to range-trading between 5,200 and 5,350. If volumes remain low, a downside breakout is more likely. A close below 5,200 could push the market down till 5,100.
Rationale: An uptrend that is not backed by volumes or by significant breadth is unlikely to be sustainable. Momentum indicators aren’t strong either. The intermediate trend has been up for nine weeks now and it could be due for a reversal. The major market trend is confirmed as bullish due to the new high, but that doesn’t preclude a reversal in intermediate or short-term trends.
Counter-view: It is a major bull-market. DII selling allied to trader selling has been a dampening factor despite strong FII buying. There could be more domestic money flowing into stocks with the new fiscal commencing. The usual tax-related liquidity crunch may be easing. Intermediate trends can last up till 12-14 weeks if they are aligned with the major market trend, as in this case. The short-term trend isn’t clearly negative. One chart reading would suggest an upside till 5,450 is possible. At the risk of tedious repetition, the issue is volumes. A volume expansion is required to force the market up.
Bulls & Bears: The bulls cycled through various sectors, buying, booking profits and moving on. At various times, financials, energy, real estate, metals, cement, engineering and construction and auto stocks saw support. All the above sectors also saw selling. If this choppy pattern continues, we will see tightly ranged trading with very stock-specific movements.
IT was the one sector that took a hammering through the week and it was by far the worst performer. The CNXIT lost 2.7 per cent with all the majors hit. This is a bad signal since Infosys and TCS will soon be coming through with 2009-10 and March quarter results and 2010-11 advisories. However, there was short-covering ahead of the long weekend. The picture with respect to banks is mixed. Private sector majors like ICICI and HDFC underperformed the PSUs and pulled the BankNifty back.
MICRO TECHNICALS
ABAN OFFSHORE
Current Price: Rs 1,199 Target Price: Rs 1,300
The stock has hit reasonable support and is now picking up volumes as well as seeing a price rise. It has the potential for a pullback till around the Rs 1,300 level. Keep a stop at Rs 1,165 and go long. Increase the position beyond Rs 1,220.
BHARTI AIRTEL
Current Price: Rs 302 Target Price: Rs 290
The stock has seen heavy selling in the past two sessions. It has a little support at current levels but if it closes below Rs 300, it will probably drop to at least Rs 290 and maybe, lower, till around Rs 280. Keep a stop at Rs 307 and go short. Increase the position below Rs 299. Book 75 per cent profit at Rs 290 and reset the stop to Rs 293.
RELIANCE INDUSTRIES
Current Price: Rs 1,092 Target Price: Rs 1,070
The stock is hitting resistance at around the Rs 1,100 mark. It is likely to slide till support at around Rs 1,070 and there is a good chance if it closes below Rs 1,070 that it will fall till around Rs 1,020. Keep a stop at Rs 1,105 and go short. Book 50 per cent profit at Rs 1,070 and reset the stop loss to Rs 1,080.
TCS
Current Price: Rs 807.80 Target Price: Rs 755
The stock has broken several supports amidst heavy selling. It is likely to slide till around the Rs 755-760 mark. Keep a stop at Rs 815 and go short. Increase the short position below Rs 795. Start booking profits below Rs 765. Be prepared for extra volatility.
TATA MOTORS
Current Price: Rs 777.65 Target Price: Rs 815
The stock has bounced from around Rs 715 and is likely to test resistance in the Rs 815-820 zone again. Keep a stop at Rs 765 and go long. Be prepared for a little extra volatility. Clear the position above the Rs 810 mark.
*****************************************
Top 5 picks I
Mid term picksBull's Eye: Cairn, Bhushan Steel, Infosys, DB CorpSmall-cap stocks offer best bet for investorsStocks to open strong; Nifty resistance seen at 5330-5395
Bull's Eye: Cairn, Bhushan Steel, Infosys Technologies, DB Corp
5 Apr 2010, 0716 hrs IST
Here are the analysts' picks: Cairn, Bhushan Steel, Infosys Technologies, DB Corp.
US: Lehman-style accounting tricks under lens
5 Apr 2010, 0642 hrs IST
The good news this week from the Securities and Exchange Commission is that it’s on the hunt for companies that have used Lehman-style accounting tricks to make themselves look less leveraged than they really are.
High portfolio risk a concern for JM Basic
5 Apr 2010, 0639 hrs IST, Bakul Chugan Tongia
Notwithstanding JM Basic’s outstanding performance in the rallies, its high portfolio risk and inability to cushion fall in the downturn remain a concern.
Japan's $15 trillion not enough
5 Apr 2010, 0634 hrs IST
Every few years, investors get all enthusiastic about Japan. This time the recovery is for real, they argue. This time real change is afoot. This time buy yen-denominated assets and don’t look back, they conclude.
Cost of LIC's Jeevan Surabhi high
5 Apr 2010, 0630 hrs IST, Bakul Chugan Tongia
Though LIC’s Jeevan Surabhi offers a plenty of features,a closer study of the plan reveals that the cost of investing in it is rather high.
Some sectors to look for in the current fiscal
5 Apr 2010, 0629 hrs IST
As the markets touched two-year high and more and more stocks near their higher valuations, it would be difficult to take a smart investment decision.
Nifty's confidence likely to get tested near 5400
5 Apr 2010, 0623 hrs IST, Devangi Joshi
As the Dow Jones Industrial Average is aiming to conquer 11000; a one and a half year high; the Nifty's confidence is likely to get tested near 5400.
Idea Cellular to benefit from expansion in long term
5 Apr 2010, 0616 hrs IST, Ranjit Shinde
While Idea Cellular’s stock may suffer in the short run due to low tariffs and competition, the company is poised to benefit from its recent expansion in the long term.
Slow uptrend persists in markets: Deepak Mohoni
5 Apr 2010, 0616 hrs IST, Deepak Mohoni
All the indices are in an intermediate uptrend which is now nearly eight weeks old.
*****************************************
| 'Coking coal prices to remain firm' | 05-APR-10 | | Gujarat NRE Coke, which is the leading player in the Indian met coke industry, has been the key beneficiary of growing demand from the domestic steel industry. | | |
|
| Drilling profits | 05-APR-10 | | Cairn India’s stock has delivered smart returns to investors in the last six months vis-a-vis the BSE Sensex. | | | |
| |
| Resistance at 5,330 | 05-APR-10 | | The market pushed to a new high and then eased back to the previous week’s levels. | | | |
| |
| Analysts' corner | 05-APR-10 | | Driven by the 2.3 MTPA greenfield capacity expansion involving captive metallics and HR coils and the expected 10-12 per cent growth in the auto and consumer durables sectors, expect Bhushan Steel’s EBITDA/tonne to increase significantly to $320 in 2011-12 from $210 now. | | | |
| Markets at a glance | 05-APR-10 | | Key benchmark indices closed higher in a truncated week on account of Good Friday. | | | |
| |
| The healthcare opportunity | 05-APR-10 | | The US healthcare reform bill with its focus on cutting costs is likely to be beneficial for generic and CRAMS players. | |
*******************************************
Src: ET and DP blog and Business-Standard