Indian Indices Trade Strong; Yes Bank Tanks 20% -

Indian Indices Trade Strong; Yes Bank Tanks 20%

Sep 21, 2018Jeremy ParkinsonFinance, No picture0

After opening the day in green share markets in India are trading on a positive note and are presently trading above the dotted line. Sectoral indices are trading on a mixed note, with stocks in the and stocks in the witnessing maximum buying interest.

The BSE Sensex is trading up by 204 points (up 0.6%) and the NSE Nifty is trading up by 50 points (up 0.5%). Meanwhile, the BSE Mid Cap index is trading down by 0.2%, while the BSE Small Cap index is trading down by 0.8%. The rupee is trading at 71.79 to the US$.

The government is mulling a strategic sale of four of its subsidiaries to raise funds and help cut debt.

The potential list includes its passenger and cargo-handling business, MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) business, hotels and its regional airline. At the moment, only the cargo-handling business – Air India Air Transport Service (AIATSL) delivers profits for India’s national airline.

Strategic sale of AIATSL, which provides ground handling services, is being planned as part of the turnaround scheme for Air India which is reeling under a debt burden of Rs 480 billion at end of March 2017.

In 2016-17, AIATSL clocked a profit of over Rs 334 million, earning Rs 6.2 billion in revenues from its handling operations. Both its revenues and profits dipped as compared to the previous year, but the company hasn’t run a loss since it started operations as a separate subsidiary of Air India in 2013.

Earlier it was reported that the government was planning a relief package for the national carrier.

In April, the government had invited bids for a 76% stake in Air India, along with a 100% stake in subsidiary Air India Express, and 50% in Air India SATS Airport Services. However, it did not receive any bids since investors were wary of potential government interference as it would retain a 24% stake. As part of the plan, the government sought to reduce the airlines’ costs. In addition, the government also assured the debt-ridden national carrier – Air India of Rs 21 billion in the form of guaranteed borrowing from the government.