Market Bizzz

Banks showed little interest in the Reserve Bank of India’s 30-day reverse repo operation. This occurred even as banking system liquidity reached a near five-year high. Treasury heads avoided locking funds at the current interest rate. Many expected a future rate hike, seeking better returns. The Reserve Bank will conduct an overnight auction to manage liquidity.

Investor interest is particularly strong in the two NSE SME issues, with Ashutosh Fibre and Shanti Inorganics commanding healthy grey market premiums (GMPs) ahead of their listings.

The Rs 680-crore IPO, which opened for subscription on August 31 and closed on September 2, was subscribed 1.29 times overall. Retail investors led the demand, with their portion subscribed 1.57 times, followed by qualified institutional buyers (QIBs), whose quota was subscribed 1.44 times. The non-institutional investor (NII) category was subscribed 84%.

The latest escalation came on Saturday when U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers, according to U.S. Central Command. One of the vessels was hit off the coast of Kharg Island, near Iran’s key oil export hub.

Tata Motors has launched a €14.1-per-share cash tender offer for Iveco Group, valuing the Italian commercial vehicle maker at €3.82 billion. Backed by Iveco’s largest shareholder Exor, the deal targets full acquisition and delisting, amid strong Tata Motors commercial vehicle sales.

Foreign investors returned strongly to Indian equities, with August FPI inflows exceeding $3.2 billion. Consumer Services, Financials and Healthcare led buying. HSBC estimates up to $25 billion could enter India if global funds restore neutral allocations, while strong GDP growth, earnings and rupee stability support the outlook.

Kotak Securities estimates ITC’s tobacco business is valued at just 11X forward earnings, suggesting potential undervaluation. The brokerage sees stronger growth in non-tobacco businesses and believes splitting ITC’s tobacco and non-tobacco operations could unlock significant shareholder value.

Mukesh Ambani is pitching Jio Platforms as more than a telecom company ahead of its IPO, highlighting thousands of patents, AI and proprietary technology. But questions remain over the commercial value of its intellectual property and whether its technology ambitions justify a potential $120-140 billion valuation.

Wall Street closed lower on Friday as a stronger-than-expected US jobs report lifted expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike this month. Investors now await next week’s CPI and PPI data for clues on inflation and the Fed’s policy path, while Lululemon and Adobe shares fell on company-specific developments.