Telecom stocks wash out gains; down 4.3% on profit-booking
Telecom stocks surged on the back of the FDI announcement. But it fell later almost to 4.3 percent as investors booked profits and washed out all gains.
July 17, 2013 / 18:43 IST
Telecom stocks today surged as much as four percent after government allowed 100 percent FDI but the euphoria did not last long as investors booked profits washing out all gains.
At the close of trade, telecom stocks ended with as much as 4.3 percent loss. Shares of Idea Cellular tanked 4.26 percent to Rs 150.75 on the BSE. Intra-day, the scrip had touched its record high of Rs 163.50.Also read: FDI in telecom hiked to 100%After touching its 52-week high earlier, Reliance Communications fell 2.06 percent to Rs 142.90. Bharti Airtel too was down 1.68 percent to Rs 315.85, after notching up nearly 2 percent rise intra-day. "Telecom shares erased early gains due to profit booking," said CNI Research CMD Kishor Ostwal. Telecom shares, which were in the spotlight for the last couple of days, saw huge profit-booking, said brokerage India Infoline.However, state-run MTNL closed nearly 3 percent higher. Yesterday, the government allowed 100 percent FDI in the telecom sector, meeting a key demand of the fund-starved industry.Earlier, FDI limit in the sector was 74 percent where 49 percent was done through automatic route and rest required nod from Foreign Investment Promotion Board.The idea behind the decision to increase FDI limit in telecom sector is to help the industry get fresh funds to lower financial burden.The move also brings relief for foreign partners in telecom companies as they can have complete ownership of the business. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
