The Nifty Metal Index is made up of some of India's biggest and most successful metals and mining firms. Its objective is to depict the performance of the metals and mining sector.
The launch date of the index is July 12, 2011. Meanwhile, it has a base value of 1,000. And, January 1, 2004 is its base date. Some of its leading constituent stocks are JSW Steel, Hindalco Industries, Tata Steel, Vedanta, and Adani Enterprises.
If you are keen on this sector, you should read this blog, as it digs deep into this topic and tells you how to invest in the Nifty Metal Index.
Understanding the Nifty Metal Index in Detail
The Nifty Metal Index is a barometer for India’s metals and mining sector. It helps all kinds of market participants examine the health of leading metals and mining stocks in the country.
It comprises 15 metals and mining stocks listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), which are Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Hindalco Industries, Vedanta, Adani Enterprises, Jindal Steel & Power, APL Apollo Tubes, NMDC, Jindal Stainless, National Aluminium Co. Ltd. (NALCO), etc.
As you can see from its list of constituent stocks, the Nifty Metal Index includes a wide array of companies from the metals and mining industry. For example, it has companies that manufacture steel and steel alloys (JSW Steel, Tata Steel, and SAIL). Then, it has companies that extract, refine, and process aluminium, like Hindalco and NALCO. Besides, it has companies in the zinc and copper industry.
How is the NIFTY Metal Index Calculated?
Before we discuss how the index is calculated, we should talk about its base year and base value. The Nifty Metal Index’s base date is January 01, 2004 and its base value is 1,000.
The index's calculation starts with the selection of 15 constituent stocks. How those stocks are selected is explained under the next heading. Then, the weightage of each stock in the index is calculated using the free-float market capitalization method.
Under this method, only those shares of a company are considered that are available for public trading. Certain categories of stocks are not available for public trading, which includes shares owned by insiders or strategic investors. Such shares are excluded when using the free-float market capitalization method.
Then, the formula given below is used to calculate the value of the NIFTY Metal Index:
Index value = [Current market capitalization/Base market capitalization] * (Base Index Value)
How are Stocks Selected for Inclusion in the Nifty Metal Index?
The following criteria are used to select stocks for inclusion in the Nifty Metal Index:
To be included in the index, a stock should be from the metals and mining industry.
A stock must form part of the Nifty 500 when the review is conducted. Should the number of eligible stocks belonging to the metals and mining sector within Nifty 500 be less than 10, the remaining stocks will be chosen from within the top 800 stocks.
A stock must have a trading frequency of a minimum of 90% in the preceding 6 months.
As of the cutoff date, it should have a minimum listing history of 1 month.
The free-float market capitalization method is used to select stocks to be included in the index.
No stock should have more than 33% weightage in the index. Moreover, the weightage of the top 3 stocks when combined should not be more than 62% when rebalancing takes place.
How to Invest in the Nifty Metal Index?
There are two main ways to invest in the Nifty Metal Index. The first one is meant for passive investors, who instead of managing their investments on their own want a fund manager to do it for them.
Such investors can invest in an index fund or an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tries to mirror the Nifty Metal Index. In other words, such funds strive to hold the stocks in similar proportions in which they are held in the Nifty Metal Index.
The second method of investing in the index is for active investors, who can decide on their own as to which stock they want to buy and which one they want to sell. Such investors can perform financial and valuation analyses themselves to decide which constituent stock(s) of the Nifty Metal Index they want to buy or sell.
What is the Objective of the Nifty Metal Index?
The objective of the Nifty Metal Index is to provide a bellwether index to anyone keen on tracking the metals and minerals industry. There is no denying that this industry is at the core of the Indian economy, as it provides important products and metals for a wide range of industrial applications.
As the Indian economy is set to grow, this industry too is likely to expand at a significant rate. However, in the absence of a well-functioning index, it becomes difficult to track it.
Hence, the Nifty Metal Index helps all kinds of investors by allowing them to assess how the metal industry is performing. If an investor is keen to buy a metal stock, all he has to do is check whether it is over- or under-performing the index to take a call.