Market may open sharply higher

Market may open sharply higher

Key benchmark indices could rise today, 23 January 2015, after European Central Bank (ECB) announced larger than expected monetary stimulus. Trading of CNX Nifty futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could rise 83.50 points at the opening bell.

ECB in its meeting yesterday, 22 January 2015, left interest rates unchanged and announced larger than expected measures to stimulate the region's sagging economy. ECB will buy 60 billion euros worth of assets per month, more than markets had been hoping for. The ECB said it would purchase sovereign debt from this March until the end of September 2016. There are expectations that ECB's monetary stimulus for the euro zone economy will boost inflows from foreign funds into India.

UltraTech Cement, Colgate-Palmolive (India), Atul, Liberty Shoes, Omaxe Auto and Wabco India are set to announce their October-December 2014 earnings today, 23 January 2015.

Among corporate news, Cairn India's consolidated net profit fell 53.2% to Rs 1349.64 crore on 19.76% decline in total income to Rs 4020.57 crore in Q3 December 2014 over Q3 December 2013. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 22 January 2015.

Cairn India's revenue and profits declined sharply due to lower crude oil price realization as global crude oil prices fell sharply. Cairn India said that the company is well positioned in the current crude price environment, with low operating costs of $6 per barrel. Cairn India's Managing Director and CEO Mayank Ashar said that the company's cash rich balance sheet and best-in-class cost profile provide a solid foundation to operate its high margin core fields. This gives the company the optionality to be selective about growth projects, contingent upon the oil price environment, Ashar said. He further said that the company is uniquely positioned to generate positive free cash flows. The company has a strong balance sheet with net cash of Rs 17784 crore providing resilience.

Net revenue for Q3 December 2014, post profit sharing with the Government of India and the royalty expense in the Rajasthan block, was Rs 3504 crore down 12% over Q2 September 2014, on account of lower realizations of $68.1 per boe, which was down 25%, due to the softer crude prices. This was partially offset by 13% higher volumes and 2% rupee depreciation on sequential basis. During the quarter, total profit petroleum was Rs 1113 crore including Rs 949 crore for Rajasthan block. For the quarter, royalty for the RJ block was Rs 694 crore.

Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation was Rs 2113 crore for Q3 December 2014 compared to Rs 2701 crore in Q2 September 2014, impacted by softer realizations, higher cess on account of higher production and an increase in exploration expense in seismic surveys. The EBITDA margins came in lower at 60%. The company's operating costs at Rajasthan continue to remain in single digits at $5.7 per barrel.

Depreciation and Depletion charge for the quarter was higher at Rs 891 crore, compared to Rs 703 crore in Q2 September 2014, as a result of an increase in production, capitalization of assets and the impact of the accounting policy basis unit of production method. Other income for the quarter was lower at Rs 163 crore due to relatively lower realized gains. Total other income including unrealized gains is Rs 457 crore compared to Rs 464 crore in previous quarter.

Shares of fertilizer companies will be in focus after the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution after trading hours yesterday, 22 January 2015, said that the High Level Committee (HCL) on restructuring of Food Corporation of India (FCI) has in its report submitted to the government has suggested that farmers should be given direct cash subsidy of about Rs 7,000 per hectare and fertilizer sector can then be deregulated. This would help plug diversion of urea to non-agricultural uses as well as to neighbouring countries and help raise the efficiency of fertilizer use, the HLC said in its report. This type of direct cash subsidy to farmers will go a long way to help those who take loans from money lenders at exorbitant interest rates to buy fertilizers or other inputs, thus relieving some distress in the agrarian sector, the HLC said. Since the whole system of food management operates within the ambit of providing food security at a national as well as at household level, it must be realized that farmers need due incentives to raise productivity and overall food production in the country, the HLC said in its report. In India, urea prices are administered at a very low level compared to prices of DAP and MOP, creating highly imbalanced use of N, P and K, the HLC said.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL)'s wholly owned subsidiary Aurigene Discovery Technologies and Curis Inc. after trading hours in India today, 22 January 2015, announced that they have entered into an exclusive collaborative agreement focused on immune-oncology and selected precision oncology targets. The collaboration provides for inclusion of multiple programs, with Curis having the option to exclusively license compounds once a development candidate is nominated within each respective program. The partnership draws from each company's respective areas of expertise, with Aurigene having the responsibility for conducting all discovery and preclinical activities, including Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies and providing Phase 1 clinical trial supply, and Curis having responsibility for all clinical development, regulatory and commercialization efforts worldwide, excluding India and Russia, for each program for which it exercises an option to obtain a license.

The first two programs under the collaboration are an orally-available small molecule antagonist of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) in the immuno-oncology field and an orally-available small molecule inhibitor of Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) in the precision oncology field. Curis expects to exercise its option to obtain exclusive licenses to both programs and file IND applications for a development candidate from each in 2015.

In connection with the transaction, Curis has agreed to issue to Aurigene approximately 17.1 million shares of its common stocks, or 19.9% of its outstanding common stock immediately prior to the transaction, in partial consideration for the rights granted to Curis under the collaboration agreement. The shares to be issued to Aurigene will be subject to a lock-up agreement until 18 January 2017, with a portion of the shares being released from such lock-up in equal installments between now and such date.

The agreement provides that the two companies will collaborate exclusively in immuno-oncology for an initial period of approximately two years, with the option for Curis to extend the broad immuno-oncology exclusivity.

In addition, Curis has agreed to make a payment of up to $52.5 million per program to Aurigene for the first two programs, including $42.5 million per program for approval and commercial milestones, plus specified approval milestone payments for additional indications, if any. For the third and fourth programs, Curis has agreed to make a payment of up to $50 million per program, including $42.5 million per program for approval and commercial milestones, plus specified approval milestone payments for additional indications, if any. For any program thereafter, Curis has agreed to make payment of up to $140.5 million per program, including $87.5 million per program in approval and commercial milestones, plus specified approval milestone payments for additional indications, if any.

Curis has agreed to pay Aurigene royalties on any net sales ranging from high single digits to 10% in territories where it successfully commercializes products and will also share in amounts that it receives from sublicensees depending upon the stage of development of the respective molecule.

Key equity benchmark indices in India registered modest gains yesterday, 22 January 2015. The S&P BSE Sensex rose 117.16 points or 0.41% to settle at 29,006.02, a record closing high for the index.

Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 592.79 crore yesterday, 22 January 2015, as per provisional data.

Stock market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) yesterday, 22 January 2015, announced that 25% of the issue price must be received upfront where partly paid shares are issued through public issue and rights issue. The balance consideration shall continue to be received within 12 months if the issue size is less than Rs 500 crore. Where the issue size exceeds Rs 500 crore and the issuer has appointed a monitoring agency, the period can be decided by the issuer as per the existing regulatory framework, Sebi said. In respect of warrants issued along with public or rights issue of specified securities, 25% of the consideration shall be received upfront by the issuer and tenure of such warrants shall be 18 months as against 12 months presently, Sebi said.

Asian stocks rose after ECB's stimulus move. Key benchmark indices in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan were up by 0.19% to 0.97%.

US stocks ended higher yesterday following ECB's stimulus announcement. Separately, the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week from a seven-month high, pointing to continued improvement in labour market conditions. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 307,000 for the week ended 17 January 2015, the Labour Department said yesterday.

US President Barack Obama arrives on a visit to India this weekend. The US President is the Chief Guest for India's Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on 26 January 2015.

Meanwhile, uncertainties over the status of Greece including its possible exit from the eurozone are likely to persist until the early election in the country on 25 January 2015. Greece is set to hold snap elections on 25 January 2015 after it failed to elect a new president in a third round of voting late last year. The Greek leftist opposition party Syriza leads opinion polls ahead of national elections on 25 January 2015. Syriza has demanded debt relief from the eurozone and promised to roll back the austerity and reform measures that the country has undertaken in exchange for the international bailout that the government negotiated in 2012.