(The Hindu Business Line 1st April 2008) Stocks in the banking sector took a severe hit on Monday, leading the market fall. The BSE Bankex was down a 5.89 per cent, sliding more than the Sensex which declined by over 4 per cent. In the bear run in the recent weeks, the BSE-Bankex index has been the hardest hit; it has shed close to 2400 points in the last one month. Inflation figures are a big cause for worry for the banking sector as a whole, said analysts. Inflation has shot up to 6.68 per cent, its highest in more than a year. “With such high inflation figures, the chances of a reduction in the interest rates have become even less. The buzz in the market is that this might lead the RBI to hike the CRR rate to curb inflation,” said Ms Anita Gandhi, Head Institutional Business, Arihant Capital Markets. Another reason, marketmen said, is that the cues for growth in the fourth quarter for banks seem weak. “In the third quarter, the banks declared good profits, but we will see a reversal...
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