Skip to main content

News - Banking and Finance

Banks preparing to hike discounts to their PLRs(The Hindu Business Line 3rd Jan 2008)In a bid to stimulate credit offtake in the peak seasons, banks are preparing to offer discounts to their respective benchmark prime lending rates (BPLR).
Currently, only highly rated corporates are raising bank funds at discounts to the BPLR, that currently ranges 12.75 per cent to 13.5 per cent. The discounts, even for these corporates, are barely about 100 basis points. Yet despite the discounts, the average cost of borrowings was close to 11 per cent.
Bankers said that one of the major factors that prevented corporate credit offtake was the high rates. The only other sector drawing credit at low rates was the farm sector. Farm loans are dispensed at 7 per cent, as banks are entitled to a Government subsidy of another 2 per cent, taking the effective yield on the advances to 9 per cent. Bankers said that the discounts were likely to be raised by another 50 to 100 basis points in the coming weeks, if offtake did not improve. More
Short-term rates fall on surplus cash (Business Standard 3rd Jan 2008)
Short-term interest rates fell substantially today following an improvement in the liquidity situation.
It resulted in the cut-off yields at the auction of 91-day and 364-day treasury bills dropping to 7.02 per cent and 7.38 per cent respectively. During December, the cut off yield on the 91-day t-bill was fixed at 7.52 per cent and the 364-day bill at 7.71 per cent.
After ruling tight since mid December, the system was once again flush with liquidity following outflows towards advance taxes and the government borrowing programme, according to dealers. More

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jyoti Structures bags Rs 253 cr worth orders

Jyoti Structures on Tuesday said it has bagged two orders worth Rs 253 crore from Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd and Eskom Enterprises (Pty) Ltd for construction of transmission lines. The company has bagged Rs 160-crore order from Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd for construction of transmission lines and sub-stations. Besides, the company's joint venture company Jyoti Structures Africa (Pty) Ltd has bagged a contract for Eskom Enterprises (Pty) Ltd, the electricity utility of South Africa for construction of transmission line. The scope of the order from Uganda Electricity Transmission Company includes supply and erection of Bujagali Interconnection Project, the manufacturer of transmission line towers informed the Bombay Stock Exchange. The contract valued at around $39.64 million (Rs 160 crore) is to be executed in 24 months, the company said, adding the company would construct 220 kV and 132 kV transmission lines and substations.

Company News

ITI Ltd seeks Rs2,000 crore aid from government (Live mint.com 26th Dec 2007) The funds are being sought to wipe out accumulated losses of Rs2,225 crore and to obtain working capital for telecom equipment manufacturing. According to a company official who did not wish to be named, a committee has been set up by the Centre to finalize the package. More

Inflation hits 42-week high of 7.57%

Inflation rose to a 42-week high of 7.57 per cent in the 12 months to April 19, higher than the previous week’s annual rise of 7.33 per cent, largely on account of an increase in food, metal products and industrial fuel prices, official data showed. Analysts said that the inflation of 7.57 per cent was “slightly higher” than their expectations and this could be due to price increase in tea and certain items in the steel group. India’s wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation now stood highest since November 13, 2004, when it was 7.68 per cent. Economists expressed confidence that the recent fiscal and monetary measures would yield results in the coming weeks. They, however, noted that inflation was unlikely to return to the comfort zone of the Reserve Bank of India any time this fiscal. “There could be some easing of food inflation given the good wheat production and likelihood of good monsoon. I see some temporary relief on food side. But commodities are tough to predict. The infla...