Net interest income for the quarter ended 31 December 2020 grew by 15.1% to 16,317.6 crore from 14,172.9 crore for the quarter ended 31 December 2019, driven by advances growth of 15.6%, and a core net interest margin for the quarter of 4.2%. The bank's focus on deposits helped in maintaining a healthy liquidity coverage ratio at 146%, well above the regulatory requirement.

Profit before tax in Q3 December 2020 stood at Rs 11,771.89, up by 18.9% from Rs 9,901.85 crore in Q3 December 2019. Tax expense increased by 21.3% YoY to Rs 3,013.60 crore in the third quarter.

On the asset quality side, gross non-performing assets (NPAs) stood at Rs 8,825.56 crore as on 31 December 2020 as against Rs 11,304.60 crore as on 30 September 2020 and Rs 13,427.25 crore as on 31 December 2019.

The ratio of gross NPAs to gross advances stood at 0.81% as on 31 December 2020 as against 1.08% as on 30 September 2020 and 1.42% as on 31 December 2019.

The ratio of net NPAs to net advances stood at 0.09% as on 31 December 2020 as against 0.17% as on 30 September 2020 and 0.48% as on 31 December 2019.

The bank's provisions and contingencies rose by 12.2% to Rs 3,414.13 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20. The bank held floating provisions of Rs 1,451 crore and contingent provisions of Rs 8,656 crore as on 31 December 2020. Total provisions were 260% of the reported Gross NPAs or 148% of proforma Gross NPAs as on 31 December 2020.

Pre-provision Operating Profit (PPOP) improved by 17.3% Rs 15,186.02 crore in the third quarter as compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

The total credit cost ratio was at 1.25% in the quarter ending 31 December 2020 as compared to 1.41% in the quarter ending 30 September 2020 and 1.29% in the quarter ending 31 December 2019.

Total advances as of 31 December 2020 were Rs 10,82,324 crore, an increase of 15.6% over 31 December 2019. Total deposits as of 31 December 2020 were Rs 12,71,124 crore, an increase of 19.1% over 31 December 2019. CASA deposits grew by 29.6% with savings account deposits at Rs 374,639 crore and current account deposits at Rs 172,108 crore. CASA deposits comprised 43% of total deposits as of 31 December 2020.

The bank's total Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) as per Basel lll guidelines was at 18.9% as on 31 December 2020 (18.5% as on 31 December 2019) as against a regulatory requirement of 11.075%.

HDFC Bank said that the impact of COVID-19, including changes in customer behaviour and pandemic fears, as well as restrictions on business and individual activities, has led to significant volatility in global and Indian financial markets and a significant decrease in global and local economic activity, which may persist. While there has been a gradual pickup in economic activity since the easing of lockdown measures, the continued slowdown led to a decrease in loan originations, the sale of third-party products, the use of credit and debit cards by customers and the efficiency in collection efforts.

The slowdown may lead to a rise in the number of customer defaults and consequently an increase in provisions there against. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact the bank's results will depend on ongoing as well as future developments, which are highly uncertain, including, among other things, any new information concerning the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and any action to contain its spread or mitigate its impact whether government-mandated or elected by the bank.

The bank holds provisions as at 31 December 2020 against the potential impact of COVID-19 based on the information available at this point in time. The provisions held by the bank are in excess of the RBI prescribed norms.

The Supreme Court of India, in a public interest litigation vide an interim order dated 03 September 2020, has directed banks that accounts which were not declared NPA till 31 August 2020 shall not be declared as NPA till further orders.

If the bank had classified borrower accounts as NPA after 31 August 2020, the bank's proforma Gross NPA ratio and proforma Net NPA ratio would have been 1.38% at 31 December 2020 (at 30 September 2020: 1.37%) and 0.40% at 31 December 2020 (at 30 September 2020: 0.35%), respectively.

As of 31 December 2020, HDFC Bank had a distribution network of 5,485 branches and 15,541 ATMs / Cash Deposit & Withdrawal Machines (CDMs) across 2,866 cities / towns.

Shares of HDFC Bank shed 0.12% to Rs 1466.35 on Friday (15 January 2021).

Sales volume rose 7% to 11,445 tons in Q3 December 2020 as against Rs 10,712 tons in Q3 December 2019. Revenue from operations during the quarter increased by 28% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 128.1 crore.

EBITDA surged 138% to Rs 25.5 crore in the third quarter from Rs 10.7 crore in the same period last year. EBITDA margin was at 20% in Q3 December 2020 as against 11% in Q3 December 2019.

Profit before tax in Q3 FY21 stood at Rs 22.29 crore, up by 163% from Rs 8.47 crore in Q3 FY20. Tax outgo was in Q3 December 2020 was Rs 6 crore as against Rs 1.8 crore in Q3 December 2019.

Commenting on the company's performance for Q3 FY2021, Sameer Gupta, managing director, Apollo Pipes, said: We have reported an encouraging performance during the quarter led by a robust uptick in consumption in the domestic markets.

During the quarter, our sales volume grew by 7% to 11,445 MTPA, driven by a healthy contribution from the cPVC, HDPE pipe and value-added product segment of Fittings.

Cost-optimization measures and improved contribution from the high-margin fittings segment further resulted in a better gross margin performance during the quarter.

From an operational standpoint, our existing manufacturing facilities at Dadri, Ahmedabad and Tumkur are operating at steady utilization levels and we remain confident of further improving it to the optimal levels in the quarters ahead.

I am also happy to share that the plan to operationalize our Greenfield facility at Raipur is advancing well and we remain on track to commission this facility by March 2021. We are also progressing on our brownfield expansion plans at the three plants of Dadri, Ahmedabad and Tumkur.

In addition, our latest range of Water Storage Tanks are seeing strong acceptance in the domestic market and accordingly, we have already doubled the capacity for this product at our plant in Sikandarabad (Dadri) and also commissioned 1 unit at Tumkur. So, on the whole, the planned capacity additions should enable us to deliver improved sales momentum, going forward.

Apollo Pipes is a piping solution provider. The company's product profile includes over 1,000 product varieties of cPVC, uPVC, and HDPE pipes, Water storage tanks, PVC taps, fittings and solvents. The products cater to an array of industrial applications such as agriculture, water management, construction, infrastructure, and telecom ducting segments.

The scrip fell 1.20% to Rs 734.35 on Friday.

EBIDTA in the third quarter stood at Rs 278 crore, up by 2.21% over Rs 272 crore reported in the same period last year.

The listed infrastructure investment trust will distribute Rs 2.50 per unit for Q3 December 2020.

The trust has set 21 January 2021 as a record date for distribution and the distribution will be paid/dispatched to the unit holders on or before 30 January 2021.

With this, the cumulative distribution for 9 months in FY21 is now Rs 6 per unit, which includes Rs 4.80 per unit as an interest component and Rs. 1.20 as return on capital. The cumulative distribution of cash flow for 9 months of FY21 is Rs 348 crore, which includes the cash flow distribution of Rs 145 crore for Q3 FY21.

IRB InvIT Fund said that the toll collection was above pre-COVID 19 levels. It further said that the electronic toll collection was in the range of 75% to 80%; likely to go up further, post FASTags will be made mandatory from February 2021.

While commenting on the occasion, the spokesperson, IRB Infrastructure, said: It is encouraging to see the traffic rebound across all our projects resulting in toll collections increasing beyond pre-COVID 19 levels. In ensuing months, we expect it to improve further corresponding to the recovery in economy. Additionally, increasing FASTag penetration across the projects helps in managing higher traffic in more efficient and transparent manner.

IRB InvIT Fund is the trust settled by its sponsor, IRB Infrastructure Developers and is registered under the SEBI's Infrastructure Investment Trust Regulations 2014.

The trust, set up to own, operate and maintain portfolio of toll road concessions, is managing seven operational road assets at present, with an aggregate value of approximately Rs 72.5 billion spread across the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Punjab. The weighted average life of assets under InvIT portfolio is approximately 16 years.

The scrip rose 0.50% to Rs 47.98 on Friday.

At the same function, Rajnath Singh, also virtually launched the Aerospace Assembly Hangar, situated within BEML's Bangalore complex, and unveiled first indigenously manufactured Tatra Cabin by BEML.

The driverless metro trains are being manufactured at BEML's Bangalore complex. The cars will operate on 25 kV AC traction power and equipped with CCTV surveillance and will have the provision to carry passenger bicycles in the coaches. The cars are made up of stainless‐steel body with a capacity of carrying 2280 passengers in 6 cars Metro train‐set.

BEML bagged a total order of 576 cars for MMRDA's MRS1 project, the largest order ever. The supply is scheduled progressively upto January 2024.

BEML's order book position looks healthy at over Rs 12,000 crore. With the government's push for 'Atmanirbharta' it may grow further, the company said.

On a consolidated basis, BEML posted a net profit of Rs 17.22 crore in Q2 September 2020 as against net loss of Rs 27.20 crore in Q2 September 2019. Net sales stood at Rs 663.72 crore in Q2 FY21, falling 3.4% from Rs 687.11 crore in Q2 FY20.

BEML is a multi-technology schedule 'A' company under the Ministry of Defence. The company operates in three verticals viz. defence & aerospace, mining & construction and rail & metro. As on 31 December 2020, the government held 54.03% stake in BEML.

Shares of BEML fell 1.78% to Rs 945.30 on Friday (15 January 2021). The scrip has surged 155.76% from its 52-week low of Rs 369.60 hit on 24 March 2020.

Net sales declined 29.7% to Rs 715.97 crore in Q3 December 2020 over Q3 December 2019. Pre-tax loss stood at Rs 32.33 crore in Q3 December 2020 as against a pre-tax profit of Rs 61.63 crore in Q3 December 2019. The Q3 result was declared after trading hours yesterday, 15 January 2021.

The festive demand during Q3 FY21, coupled with a quantum leap in the company's digital journey, enabled the business to move forward during the quarter. This was evident in its footfall across stores and online website. Apart from this, Shoppers Stop's efforts to reach out to customers, and service them through constant engagement resulted in a better recovery, the company mentioned in its press release. Conversion and memo sizes continued to be higher than last year. The East zone performed better and so did Tier II and Tier III cities as compared to the metropolitan cities. Delhi NCR was impacted in December 2020 due to the local unrest.

The company reported a positive EBITDA after three quarters, driven by a recovery in demand and various initiatives on costs optimization. As per GAAP income Statement, EBITDA dropped 38.31% to Rs 125.90 crore in Q3 FY21 over Rs 204.10 in Q3 FY20. The company's savings continue and as on date, it have saved Rs 390 crore as against last year, despite eleven new stores that were added during the last year.

Commenting on the Q3 performance of the company, Venu Nair, the customer care associate, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Shoppers Stop, stated: Business recovery during the festival period has been encouraging. The festive period helped footfall into stores and also generated higher digital sales. Our focus on digital initiatives such as, White Glove Service (video assisted initiative), Yellow Messenger services (chat enabled), Appointment Services (through website and app), etc. has engaged customers to a new level and contributed to our growth in Q3.

Post lockdown, there has been sequential growth month-on-month (M-o-M), accentuating its digital journey. Omni-channel sales reported 3x growth year-on-year (Y-o-Y). Servicing its customers from store chain, apart from warehouses, has enabled to service its omnichannel customers faster; which helped omni-channel sales to contribute 6% of total sales, an increase of 440 bps over last year. Shoppers Stop continues to optimize the user interface on its app/website, page download optimization, advanced analytics to achieve personalization and reduction in delivery time to its customers.

Shoppers Stop's rights issue worth Rs 299.17 crore was over-subscribed, which helped the firm to repay its debts aggregating to Rs 125 crore. After a gap of two quarters, the firm is back to being a debt free company, with a net cash balance of Rs 46 crore. The company's cash and bank deposits are at Rs 224 crore as of 31 December 2020.

Shares of Shoppers Stop declined 2.75% to close at Rs 206.75 on Friday, 15 January 2021.

Shoppers Stop is a leading premier retailer of fashion and beauty brands established in 1991. Spread across 89 department stores in 44 Cities, the company also operates premium home concept stores (11 stores), 132 Specialty Beauty stores of M.A.C, Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Smash box, Jo Malone and Arcelia, occupying an area of 4.5 million sq. ft.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 177.26 points lower, or 0.6%, at 30,814.26. The S&P 500 dipped 0.7% to 3,768.25, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.9% to end the day at 12,998.50.

Biden's proposal, called the American Rescue Plan, includes increasing the additional federal unemployment payments to $400 per week and extending them through September, direct payments to many Americans of $1,400, and extending the federal moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures through September.

The plan also calls for $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, $70 billion for Covid testing and vaccination programs and raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Among major banks, JPMorgan reported better-than-expected earnings. Wells Fargo and Citigroup posted earnings that beat analyst expectations.

MSTC will sell the assets through e-tender-cum-e-auction on MSTC's website. The agreement shall remain valid till either party terminates it by giving advance written notice of three months to the other party for reasons to be furnished.

Recently, the media reported that the Union Cabinet will soon take a call on shutting down Scooter India. Subsequently, MSTC, will be tasked with the responsibility to sell the assets of Scooters India as well.

MSTC undertakes marketing of ferrous and miscellaneous scrap arising from integrated steel plants, engineering companies, refineries, power plants, coal and transport sector, defence and other government departments / private sector organisations in the domestic market.

On a consolidated basis, the company's net profit declined 1.9% to Rs 28.76 crore on a 21.6% fall in net sales to Rs 209.45 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019.

Shares of MSTC jumped 16.7% to Rs 257.15 on Friday.

On Thursday (T day), the OFS received subscription for 74,74,60,041 shares or 413% against the base non-retail offer size of 18,07,10,481 shares.

Following the strong response on T day, the government decided to exercise the oversubscription option of 20,65,26,264 equity shares (5% equity) in addition to the base offer. Accordingly, the final share sale was 41,30,52,528 shares, which aggregates to Rs 2,664 crore, constituting 10% of the paid-up equity share capital of SAIL.

As on 15:30 IST on Friday (T+1 day), the OFS received total bids for 13,49,88,973 shares or 522.89% of the base retail offer size of 2,58,15,783 shares.

The retail segment received bids for 12,48,35,009 shares or 483.56% of the base retail offer size. The non-retail segment received bids for 1,01,53,964 shares or 39.33% of the base retail offer size.

The Government of India held 75% stake in SAIL as of 30 September 2020. The SAIL OFS is part of the government's disinvestment programme through which it is targeting to raise a record Rs 2.1 lakh crore in the current fiscal ending 31 March 2021.

SAIL is engaged in the manufacturing of flat products, such as hot rolled (HR) coils, HR plates, cold rolled (CR) coils, pipes and electric sheets, and long products, such as thermo mechanically treated (TMT) bars and wire rods.

The PSU steel maker reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 436.52 crore in Q2 September 2020 as compared to a net loss of Rs 285.92 crore in Q2 September 2019. Total income rose 21.21% to Rs 17,393.86 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019.

Shares of SAIL jumped 4.39% at Rs 70.20 on Friday.

The Hyderabad based drug maker further said that the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) reviewed the safety data from the phase 2 clinical trial of the vaccine and recommended the phase 3 recruitment. In its report, the DSMB concluded that no safety concerns were identified and the study met the primary endpoints of safety.

Commenting on the development, G V Prasad, Co-chairman and MD said, This is an important milestone in the progress of this pivotal clinical trial of the vaccine. We expect to commence the phase 3 study within this month and will continue to fast-track our efforts to bringing in a safe and efficacious vaccine for the Indian population.

Earlier in September 2020, Dr. Reddy's partnered with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct the clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine and for its distribution rights in India. Sputnik V developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology was registered by the Ministry of Health of Russia and became the world's first registered vaccine against COVID-19 based on the established human adenoviral vector platform. The vaccine's efficacy is confirmed at 91.4% based on data analysis of the final control point of clinical trials in Russia. Currently, the vaccine's clinical trials are underway in the UAE, Egypt, Venezuela and Belarus while it has been registered in Algeria, Argentina, Belarus, Bolivia and Serbia for inoculation.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is an integrated pharmaceutical company. On a consolidated basis, Dr Reddy's Laboratories' net profit dropped 30.30% to Rs 771.80 crore on 2% increase in net sales to Rs 4,896.70 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019.

Shares of Dr. Reddy's fell 1.93% at Rs 5207.60 on Friday.

As part of this engagement, Wipro said it will source and build a talent pool of more than 1000 skilled consultants and technologists for FCA ICT India who will help develop capabilities around futuristic technologies. Wipro further added that the hub will showcase world-class high-performance engineering skills and digital best practices. Wipro's global expertise in the automobile sector will enable FCA to acquire the best talent and achieve digital transformation at scale.

Commenting on this partnership, Ashish Saxena, Head of Manufacturing, Wipro Limited said, “The automotive industry needs a robust digital infrastructure that will accelerate the pace of innovation and change it is currently experiencing. We are thrilled to partner with FCA and bring a collaborative operating model that will allow them to build customized digital solutions for their customers. We will help catalyze FCA's transformation and innovation by leveraging our global technology partnerships, in-house IPs and accelerators in the automobile sector. Furthermore, this alliance will create new career opportunities in Hyderabad.”

Wipro is a global information technology, consulting and business process services company. The IT major reported 20.37% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 2,968 crore on a 3.68% increase in revenue to Rs 15,670 crore in Q3 December 2020 (Q3 FY21) over Q2 September 2020 (Q2 FY21).

Shares of Wipro fell 3.53% to Rs 438.40 on Friday (15 January 2021).

On the same day, the company's board will also consider the earnings for the quarter ended on 31 December 2020. The announcement was made during market hours yesterday.

The scrip shed 0.28% to Rs 14891.60 on Friday. In the past one year, the stock has zoomed 260.46% while the benchmark Sensex added 17.10% during the same period.

Dixon Technologies (India) is a design-focused products and solutions company. The firm engages in manufacturing products in the consumer durables, lighting and mobile phones markets in India.

The company reported 22% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 52.36 crore on a 17% rise in net sales to Rs 1638.74 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019.

PVR's other income surged to Rs 274.73 crore in Q3 December 2020 from Rs 8.15 crore in Q3 December 2019. PVR in its notes to accounts said that it has invoked Force Majeure clause in various lease agreements owing to COVID-19 pandemic for its cinema properties, for a complete waiver of rent expenses during the lockdown period. The company said it has been successful in getting relief from majority of landlords, whereas in some cases discussions are still in progress. The company thus followed a prudent practice and has recognized the rebates/concessions with applicable accounting standard.

PVR posted a pre-tax loss of Rs 72.91 crore in Q3 December 2020 as against pre-tax profit of Rs 58.33 crore in Q3 December 2019. The consolidated adjusted EBITDA loss for the quarter ended December 2020 was Rs 197 crore as against a positive adjusted EBITDA of Rs 315 crore in the same period last year.

The company said that it has taken significant steps to mitigate the adverse impact of COVID-19 on business. It has resorted to temporary salary cuts across various levels in the organisation during the period of lockdown, reduced headcount by way of layoffs / retrenchment and deferred on the decision of increment. PVR has reached settlements with landlords for 88% of cinemas for complete or partial waiver for the lockdown period. PVR has reduced overheads by suspending contracts of housekeeping and security and curtailing non-essential expenses.

The company has significantly reduced its capex outlay during the lockdown with minimal capex spends on projects that have been in advanced stage of construction. The company is continuously evaluating the evolving situation before it recommences its capex program. PVR said that these efforts resulted in fixed cost reductions of 63% in Q3 December 2020 as compared to Q3 December 2019.

Commenting on debt service obligations, PVR said, The company has reasonable liquidity to meet all its debt and interest obligations for next few months and in continuous engagement to augment it further by raising resources to keep sufficient liquidity available.

Shares of PVR were trading 2.39% higher at Rs 1469.30. PVR, a theatre chain operator, is the market leader in terms of screen count in India.

L&T Technology Services Ltd, Indiamart Intermesh Ltd, Firstsource Solutions Ltd and Emami Ltd are among the other losers in the BSE's 'A' group today, 15 January 2021.

Dishman Carbogen Amcis Ltd tumbled 5.87% to Rs 148.2 at 14:48 IST.The stock was the biggest loser in the BSE's 'A' group.On the BSE, 93707 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 85588 shares in the past one month.

L&T Technology Services Ltd crashed 5.70% to Rs 2532.1. The stock was the second biggest loser in 'A' group.On the BSE, 17531 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 40100 shares in the past one month.

Indiamart Intermesh Ltd lost 4.70% to Rs 7812.5. The stock was the third biggest loser in 'A' group.On the BSE, 15279 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 12878 shares in the past one month.

Firstsource Solutions Ltd shed 4.57% to Rs 90.9. The stock was the fourth biggest loser in 'A' group.On the BSE, 3.82 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 6.17 lakh shares in the past one month.

Emami Ltd fell 4.53% to Rs 463.3. The stock was the fifth biggest loser in 'A' group.On the BSE, 51650 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 99932 shares in the past one month.

Orient Abrasives Ltd, SPL Industries Ltd, Onward Technologies Ltd and Kaya Ltd are among the other losers in the BSE's 'B' group today, 15 January 2021.

Palm Jewels Ltd crashed 8.55% to Rs 41.2 at 14:33 IST.The stock was the biggest loser in the BSE's 'B' group.On the BSE, 869 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 3933 shares in the past one month.

Orient Abrasives Ltd tumbled 7.86% to Rs 25.8. The stock was the second biggest loser in 'B' group.On the BSE, 1.53 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 53504 shares in the past one month.

SPL Industries Ltd lost 7.38% to Rs 45.15. The stock was the third biggest loser in 'B' group.On the BSE, 53422 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 36679 shares in the past one month.

Onward Technologies Ltd shed 6.80% to Rs 96.7. The stock was the fourth biggest loser in 'B' group.On the BSE, 39682 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 48000 shares in the past one month.

Kaya Ltd corrected 6.61% to Rs 342. The stock was the fifth biggest loser in 'B' group.On the BSE, 14704 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 13669 shares in the past one month.

Shares of GAIL (India) were down 2.43% at 140.50. The buyback price of Rs 150 per share is 4.1% premium to Thursday's closing price of Rs 144. As of 8 January 2021, the Government of India held 51.76% stake in GAIL (India).

Further, the board also approved an interim dividend of Rs 2.5 per equity share. The company has fixed 28 January 2021 as a record date for determining the shareholder eligible for dividend and share buyback.

GAIL (India) is an integrated energy company in the hydrocarbon sector and is engaged in gas marketing. Its consolidated net profit slipped 8.51% to Rs 1,068.16 crore on 24.32% drop in revenue from operations to Rs 13,809.86 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019.

Nippon Life India Asset Management Ltd, Steel Authority of India Ltd, Procter & Gamble Health Ltd, Gujarat Alkalies & Chemicals Ltd are among the other stocks to see a surge in volumes on NSE today, 15 January 2021.

ICRA Ltd clocked volume of 33959 shares by 14:14 IST on NSE, a 7.1 times surge over two-week average daily volume of 4784 shares. The stock gained 0.09% to Rs.2,850.00. Volumes stood at 1957 shares in the last session.

Nippon Life India Asset Management Ltd notched up volume of 56.79 lakh shares by 14:14 IST on NSE, a 4.45 fold spurt over two-week average daily volume of 12.77 lakh shares. The stock rose 5.34% to Rs.329.50. Volumes stood at 11.66 lakh shares in the last session.

Steel Authority of India Ltd clocked volume of 2826.3 lakh shares by 14:14 IST on NSE, a 3.62 times surge over two-week average daily volume of 781.47 lakh shares. The stock gained 3.87% to Rs.69.80. Volumes stood at 3203.55 lakh shares in the last session.

Procter & Gamble Health Ltd notched up volume of 28763 shares by 14:14 IST on NSE, a 3.15 fold spurt over two-week average daily volume of 9141 shares. The stock rose 0.22% to Rs.6,797.85. Volumes stood at 5942 shares in the last session.

Gujarat Alkalies & Chemicals Ltd witnessed volume of 3.2 lakh shares by 14:14 IST on NSE, a 2.54 times surge over two-week average daily volume of 1.26 lakh shares. The stock dropped 0.06% to Rs.345.10. Volumes stood at 54967 shares in the last session.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Consumer Discretionary Goods & Services index, Kaya Ltd (down 4.63%), Team Lease Services Ltd (down 3.79%),Jay Bharat Maruti Ltd (down 3.58%),Shalimar Paints Ltd (down 3.43%),Balkrishna Industries Ltd (down 3.37%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were Balaji Telefilms Ltd (down 3.29%), Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd (down 3.25%), Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri Ltd (down 3.13%), Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (down 3.08%), and Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd (down 2.9%).

On the other hand, V2 Retail Ltd (up 4.99%), IFB Industries Ltd (up 4.97%), and Orient Electric Ltd (up 4.93%) turned up.

At 13:48 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 264.44 or 0.53% at 49319.72.

The Nifty 50 index was down 70.1 points or 0.48% at 14525.5.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 102.94 points or 0.55% at 18779.29.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was down 42.94 points or 0.68% at 6299.6.

On BSE,1100 shares were trading in green, 1789 were trading in red and 150 were unchanged.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Capital Goods index, Bharat Electronics Ltd (down 3.45%), Honeywell Automation India Ltd (down 2.63%),Bharat Forge Ltd (down 2.19%),Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (down 1.8%),Grindwell Norton Ltd (down 1.56%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were GMR Infrastructure Ltd (down 1.48%), AIA Engineering Ltd (down 1.25%), Thermax Ltd (down 1.19%), Larsen & Toubro Ltd (down 1.14%), and Havells India Ltd (down 1.07%).

On the other hand, Carborundum Universal Ltd (up 1.73%), Timken India Ltd (up 1.46%), and Adani Green Energy Ltd (up 0.98%) turned up.

At 13:48 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 264.44 or 0.53% at 49319.72.

The Nifty 50 index was down 70.1 points or 0.48% at 14525.5.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 102.94 points or 0.55% at 18779.29.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was down 42.94 points or 0.68% at 6299.6.

On BSE,1100 shares were trading in green, 1789 were trading in red and 150 were unchanged.

Among the components of the S&P BSE IT Sector index, L&T Technology Services Ltd (down 5.52%), 3i Infotech Ltd (down 4.88%),Coforge Ltd (down 3.38%),Indiamart Intermesh Ltd (down 3.34%),Tech Mahindra Ltd (down 3.32%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were Cerebra Integrated Technologies Ltd (down 3.14%), Firstsource Solutions Ltd (down 3.04%), Cigniti Technologies Ltd (down 2.43%), Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd (down 2.42%), and Wipro Ltd (down 2.42%).

On the other hand, Aptech Ltd (up 5.58%), Majesco Ltd (up 4.83%), and Brightcom Group Ltd (up 4.19%) turned up.

At 13:48 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 264.44 or 0.53% at 49319.72.

The Nifty 50 index was down 70.1 points or 0.48% at 14525.5.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 102.94 points or 0.55% at 18779.29.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was down 42.94 points or 0.68% at 6299.6.

On BSE,1100 shares were trading in green, 1789 were trading in red and 150 were unchanged.

Shares of NTPC were down 0.54% at Rs 101.60.

NTPC is a Maharatna company operating in the power generation business. The principal business activity of the firm is electric power generation through coal based thermal power plants. As of 30 September 2020, the Government of India held 51.02% stake held in NTPC.

NTPC's consolidated net profit slipped 7.7% to Rs 3,494.61 crore on 7.8% rise in net sales to Rs 27,707.76 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019.