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What is Bank Nifty and How Does it Work?

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Synopsis:

Bank Nifty is one of the leading stock market indices in India. It is made up of the 12 most liquid and largest banking stocks in the country. Its constituents include HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Federal Bank, IDFC First Bank, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and AU Small Finance Bank.

By observing the ups and downs of Bank Nifty, you can estimate how the banking sector is likely to perform. Besides, as banks provide finance and other services to all sectors, Bank Nifty also helps you gauge the direction the overall Indian economy is expected to take.

Bank Nifty is an index that is made up of the 12 largest and most liquid banking stocks in India. It serves as a benchmark for the performance of the banking stocks listed in the Indian capital market.

As the stock prices comprising this index move up and down, the value of Bank Nifty changes as well. Consequently, the value of Bank Nifty changes frequently on a trading day, which helps market participants form their view on the banking sector in particular and the Indian economy in general. Having learnt what Bank Nifty is, let us take a deep dive into this topic.

Understanding Bank Nifty in Detail      

  • Meaning of Bank Nifty: Created by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in 2003, Bank Nifty serves as a benchmark to understand the performance of banking stocks in the share market. Its constituents are large and highly liquid stocks from the banking sector in India. As per the NSE, the free float capitalisation method is used to compute Bank Nifty. It means that only those shares that are available for public trading are used to calculate the market capitalisation of banks, which feature in Bank Nifty.

  • Importance of Bank Nifty in the Indian Stock Market: It serves as a benchmark for traders, investors, economists, and other stakeholders who want to gauge the performance of the Indian banking sector. By seeing the ups and downs of Bank Nifty, market participants can take a view on the banking sector, which in turn, helps them form an opinion about the overall Indian economy. Hence, Bank Nifty is one of the most actively tracked sectoral indices in India.

Components of Bank Nifty      

  • List of Bank Nifty Stocks: As per the information available on the NSE’s website, these stocks are the constituents of Bank Nifty.

  • Weightage of Each Stock in the Index: The top constituents of Bank Nifty by their weightage are shown in the table below:

Company's Name

Weightage (%)

HDFC Bank Ltd.

28.1

ICICI Bank Ltd.

23.81

State Bank of India

9.53

Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.

9.37

Axis Bank Ltd.

9.32

IndusInd Bank Ltd.

5.68

Federal Bank Ltd.

2.86

Bank of Baroda

2.74

AU Small Finance Bank Ltd.

2.46

Canara Bank

2.23

Source: https://www.niftyindices.com/Factsheet/ind_nifty_bank.pdf

How Bank Nifty is Calculated   

  • Calculation Methodology: The NSE uses the free float market cap methodology to select stocks that should comprise the Bank Nifty index. The index is made up of a maximum of 12 stocks. Its base date is January 1, 2000, and it has a base value of 1,000 points. But, to be considered for inclusion in Bank Nifty, companies must fulfil certain criteria. Companies must be from the banking sector. Their trading frequency must be at least 90% in the previous six months. As of the cut-off date, a company's minimum listing history should be one month. Only those companies that are permitted to trade in the futures and options (F&O) segment can be constituents of Bank Nifty.

  • Understanding the Calculation of the Bank Nifty Index: The market cap of a banking stock to be included in Bank Nifty is multiplied by its free float factor. The percentage of shares of a company that is available for trading is called its free float factor. This calculation is done for all stocks that make up the Bank Nifty index. The free float market cap of all such banks is added to arrive at the overall free-float market capitalisation, which is divided by the free float market cap of all these banks on the base date, i.e., January 1, 2000. The result is multiplied by 1000 to calculate the index value.

How Bank Nifty Index is Used    

Bank Nifty is used for multiple purposes, which are explained below:

  1. To analyse the health of the banking sector: Investors, traders, and other market participants use Bank Nifty to examine the health of the banking sector. If this index moves up, it reflects that the banking sector is expected to perform well, and vice versa.

  2. To examine which banking stock to buy, sell, or hold: Various types of investors compare their returns from individual banking stocks with that of Bank Nifty. If a banking stock has under-performed Bank Nifty on a regular basis, then it does not make sense to buy it. However, if it has provided better returns than Bank Nifty and is available at the right valuation, then it may make sense to buy it.

  3. To benchmark the performance of sectoral mutual funds (MFs) and exchange-traded funds (ETFs): While investing in a banking MF or ETF, how do you know whether it is worth investing or not? You should check whether that MF or ETF has consistently provided higher returns than Bank Nifty or not. If it has provided better returns, then it can be a candidate for investment; otherwise, you should not invest in it.

Factors Influencing Bank Nifty Trading

The main factors that impact Bank Nifty trading are explained below:

  • Economic Indicators Affecting Bank Nifty: Economic indicators, like interest rates, GDP growth rate, inflation, and unemployment data affect Bank Nifty on a regular basis. Let us say that India’s GDP is poised to grow at a high rate. This means that leading corporates too will expand, which will require finance from banks. Hence, a high expected growth in GDP may result in Bank Nifty moving up. On the other hand, if inflation is expected to rise, it may result in people cutting their expenditures, causing a decline in the sales of the Indian corporate sector. This may require companies to borrow less from banks. Hence, Bank Nifty may fall in response to an expectation of rising inflation.

  • Global Market Trends and Their Impact: Global market trends can have favourable or unfavourable impacts on Bank Nifty. For example, if the global financial market is bullish, then it may result in more people investing in Indian stocks. This can result in Bank Nifty moving up. At the same time, global geopolitical events like war can affect supply chains, thereby increasing the prices of many products, which can affect the overall demand. This can push down the prices of Indian stocks and Bank Nifty.

Having learnt the factors that influence Bank Nifty trading, let us understand the risks involved.

Risks Involved in Trading in Bank Nifty    

While investing in Bank Nifty can be rewarding, you should also understand the risks inherent in it.

  • Market Volatility and Its Implications: Bank Nifty can be more volatile than Nifty 50. This is because Bank Nifty is made up of only banking stocks, while Nifty 50 is made up of stocks from many sectors. Hence, the latter is more diversified than the former. Consequently, Bank Nifty can witness higher ups and downs than Nifty 50. This means that a trader can make higher gains and even incur higher losses while trading Bank Nifty than the larger Nifty 50.

  • Risk Management Strategies: While trading Bank Nifty, a trader can use several risk management strategies. If a trader expects Bank Nifty to fall, he can sell a futures contract to profit from the decline in the value of Bank Nifty. When he sells a futures contract on Bank Nifty, the other party will be under an obligation to buy Bank Nifty from him at a predetermined price. If that price is higher than the market price, the trader will gain. Hence, if a trader has a long position on Bank Nifty, he can sell a futures contract on it to hedge his risk.

Conclusion

If you are keen on investing in Bank Nifty, you should learn what Bank Nifty is and the factors that influence Bank Nifty trading, as it is one of the most important stock market indices in India. By keeping an eye on Bank Nifty, you will not only be tracking some of the largest stocks in India but you will also be able to gauge how the banking sector and the Indian economy are likely to perform. Remember that banks lend to all businesses and hence their performance can help you understand how those businesses may perform in the future.

Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risk, read all related documents carefully before investing.

This content is for educational purposes only. Securities quoted are exemplary and not recommendatory.

For All Disclaimers Click Here: https://bit.ly/3Tcsfuc

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Bank Nifty?

Answer Field

Bank Nifty serves as the benchmark for the Indian banking sector. It is made up of some of the largest and highly liquid banking stocks listed on the NSE.

How is Bank Nifty calculated?

Answer Field

It is based on the free float market capitalisation of banking stocks in India. The free float market cap of stocks comprising Bank Nifty is calculated and then divided by its corresponding value on the base date, i.e., January 1, 2000, to calculate Bank Nifty’s values.

What are the key components of Bank Nifty?

Answer Field

The key components of Bank Nifty include HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Punjab National Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and IndusInd Bank.

How does Bank Nifty impact the stock market?

Answer Field

As Bank Nifty comprises listed stocks, movements in the index impact the stock market. Besides, banking is an extremely important sector in an economy, as it provides finance and other services to all sectors. Hence, movements in Bank Nifty can help predict changes in the economy and the stock market.

What are the trading hours for Bank Nifty?

Answer Field

Market participants can trade in Bank Nifty during usual trading hours, i.e., 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday to Friday.

How can I trade Bank Nifty?

Answer Field

You can use several instruments to trade Bank Nifty, like, options, futures, and ETFs. But, before you do that, you need to open a trading account with a broker that allows you to trade such instruments.

What is the main difference between Bank Nifty and Nifty 50?

Answer Field

Both Nifty 50 and Bank Nifty are stock market indices. Nifty 50 comprises the 50 biggest large-cap companies in India. However, Bank Nifty is made up of some of the largest and most liquid banking stocks in India.

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