(Bloomberg) -- India stocks fell, joining markets across Asia, as investors remained risk averse ahead of the outcome of key state elections that may set the tone ahead of the national ballot in 2019.
The S&P BSE Sensex dropped to a one-week low, falling 1 percent to 35,528.63 as of 9:59 a.m. in Mumbai. The NSE Nifty 50 Index slipped 1.1 percent. Markets across Asia traded in the red as the U.S. Treasury yield curve edged closer toward inversion - a sign many investors flag as a risk of an impending recession.
The Reserve Bank of India’s monetary policy committee Wednesday kept its key policy rate unchanged while sticking to its “calibrated tightening” stance that allows it to either hold or increase interest rates. It, however, lowered its inflation forecasts for the second half of the fiscal year and signaled it’s open to adjusting monetary policy if risks of faster inflation don’t materialize.
The Numbers
- All 19 sector sub-gauges compiled by BSE Ltd. slipped, led by the S&P BSE Realty Index’s 2.3% loss.
- ICICI Bank Ltd. and Reliance Industries Ltd. were the biggest drags on the Sensex.
- Vedanta Ltd. and Yes Bank Ltd. were the worst performers on the benchmark index.
- Results of the five state elections will be known on December 11, with exit polls expected from local television after market Friday.
Strategic View
- “We see caution setting in among investors as the last of the states go to polls tomorrow,” said Jitendra Panda, managing director at Peerless Securities Ltd. in Kolkata. “Investors are expecting mixed results in the elections and are staying in cash until results are out.”