CHAPTER Volatility in The Market Place and Factors Determining Prices
CHAPTER Volatility in The Market Place and Factors Determining Prices
CHAPTER Volatility in The Market Place and Factors Determining Prices
5.1 Objective:
Volatility in the market place is typical to any capital market across the globe. The
volatility factor adds to the uncertainty in the markets, for which there are many
The factors, which lead to the volatile price movements, can be fundamental,
technical as well as external factors. The fundamental factors are specific to the
The technical factors can also be specific to a particular stock or to the entire market
as a whole.
The external factors can be as varied as political, good monsoon, peace talks etc. It is
quite evident that it is pretty difficult to predict the extent of the volatile movements
There are various tools, which look and study the volatility factors and try to predict
the future movements. There are numerous concepts and tools, which studies the
The objective of the Chapter is to understand the various fluctuations that take place
not only in terms of stock prices but also other related barometers like fluctuations in
Price Earning (PE) Multiples, changing volumes of trade in Cash Market Segment
Volatile PE
Higher PE shows the higher market levels and lower PE indicates lower market
levels. PE shows the future earning potential of the companies vis a vis the price. The
higher the PE, the higher is the discounting that the market gives on the price of the
company.
PE depends on the future earnings potential, the quality of earnings, and most
importantly the quality of management in terms of professionalism, transparency etc.
So typically in the Indian context, MNC enjoy a much higher PE than its Indian
counterparts. For example HLL enjoys a much higher PE than its Indian counterparts.
In the Pharmaceuticals also the MNCs like Glaxo, Novartis enjoys a much higher PE
than its Indian counterparts
So the data clearly exhibits that PE has remained volatile over the years confirming
the fact the stock market plays and lives on volatility.
Month/ Year Turnover (Rs Cr) Average Daily Turnover (Rs Cr)
1994-95 1805 17
1995-96 67287 276
1996-97 295403 1176
1997-98 370193 1520
1998-99 414474 1651
1999-00 839052 3303
2000-01 1339510 5337
2001-02 513167 2078
2002-03 617989 2462
Apr-03 48971 2449
May-03 54690 2604
Jun-03 61586 2933
Jul-03 78878 3429
Aug-03 85347 4267
Source: National Stock Exchange - www.nseindia.com
Month End Dt Div Yield Month End Dt Div Yield Month End Dt Div Yield
Sep-03 1.87 Sep-02 2.23 Sep-01 1.64
Aug-03 1.93 Aug-02 1.95 Aug-01 1.37
Jul-03 2.23 Jul-02 2.2 Jul-01 1.17
Jun-03 2.62 Jun-02 1.34 Jun-01 0.89
May-03 2.95 May-02 1.39 May-01 0.81
Apr-03 2.98 Apr-02 1.42 Apr-01 0.6
Mar-03 2.93 Mar-02 1.34 Mar-01 1.13
Feb-03 2.46 Feb-02 1.27 Feb-01 1.12
Jan-03 2.51 Jan-02 1.73 Jan-01 1.15
Dec-02 2.4 Dec-01 1.55 Dec-00 1.24
Nov-02 2.49 Nov-01 1.5 Nov-00 1.25
Oct-02 2.21 Oct-01 1.61 Oct-OO 1.37
Sep-00 1.26
Note : Month End Date refers to the last trading day of the respective month
Source : National Stock Exchange website www.nseindia.com
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TABLE-IQ/ Market Capitalisation of Equities Segment
Price/Book Value
The Price /Book Value is one of the parameters by which the market levels are
judged. The lower the price/ book value the lower is the market levels and higher
the price/ book value the higher are the levels. So there is a direct relationship
between market levels and price/book value.
So the data shows that Price / Book Value has remained volatile over the years
confirming the fact the stock market plays and lives on volatility.
Beta denotes the degree to which the different portfolios or individual stock’s returns
change per unit change in the return of the market portfolio. To put it differently, the
systematic risks of various securities differ due to their relationship with the market.
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The Beta factor describes movement in a stock’s or portfolio returns in relation to that •-
For all practical purposes, the market returns are measured by the returns on the Index
(Nifty) or Return on BSE SENSEX etc since the index is a good reflector of the
market.
Bi = Cov (X.Y)
Var(X)
Where
Bp = YWiBi
i=1
Where
Standard Deviation is a statistical tool which measures the fluctuations in returns due
5.4.1 Speculation
with the object of making a profit by its sale or purchase at another time.
their yield and price. An investment transaction normally involves the actual
delivery of the security and payment of its fall price. Actually no stock exchange
can operate purely on the basis of investment buying and selling alone. Investment
payments of full price are rare. Instead, only the differences are paid. The
exchange is due to the fact, that the later involve a large volume of money, (as
possible with smaller amounts of money (as delivery of securities and payment of
have large volume of business. So it is very necessary for mobility and liquidity of
securities. In the absence of speculation demand and supply of any share may not
be equal and therefore there may be violent price fluctuations. For instance, if the
demand is very much more than the supply of share, the price of that share will
shoot up and the opposite will result when the supply exceeds demand. Speculator
help to promote the establishment of demand and supply equilibrium and stability
undertaken blindly and ignorantly by speculators who hope to reap rich rewards
considerable risk of loss to the genuine investors. The speculators themselves may
actually risk little since they operate largely on borrowed capital and without
capital at all.
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Manipulative speculation is carried on in our stock exchanges by main methods
which are generally condemned and which are not permitted either by law or by
the rules governing the practices of the stock exchanges. Some of the important
Wash sales for example are not genuine transactions at all but are transactions by
the manipulators with themselves (that is buying and selling of shares from and
themselves) with the purpose of impressing the gullible investing public about the
Option is a method by which the speculator prospects him from risk and loss, but
in process he may manipulate the market. Inside collusion refers to the collusion
between the manipulators and members of stock exchange with the purpose of
adopting certain practices that are detrimental to the interests of their own
officials of companies to manipulate the earnings, dividends and the assets or their
companies in such a manner as to cause the great fluctuations in the price of their
shares.
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Comers refer to the buying of a major portion or the entire amount of the shares of
a company by one party, with the purpose of pushing up the price of the share
later or to get control over the management of a company. The classic case was
the attempt of NRI Swaraj Paul’s cornering of the shares of Escorts and DCM in
the eighties.
In all the above instances the speculators manipulate the market by unfair
practices, spread false rumours and often give wrong and misleading information
periods as during 1991-92 when stocks and shares are rising in prices either in a
natural way or through manipulation by brokers, the spirit of get rich quick enters
into every man’s head. As a result accepting the cool-headed, well informed
experienced and expert dealers in the stock market who are qualified to gauge the
reckless and weak and afraid begin to speculate. These speculators being ignorant
of the Market conditions are ultimate losers both individually and as a class. This
has been the position in India in 1991-92 ran away boom and the inevitable crash.
Rash speculation ultimately resulting in crash of the market leads to heavy losses
to insurance companies, mutual funds and other financial institutions that invest a
crisis. The classic example was the Wall Street crash resulting in sudden decline
in the prices of shares, which ultimately lead to the great depression of 1929-33.
investor community. But there is no doubt about the fact that legal methods of
speculation whether in the Cash or the derivative segment is essential for the
Presently as the Badla system has been abolished it has been replaced with
Futures and Options. This has changed the rules of the game as regards the old
It has now become much more organised, transparent and most importantly all
these Derivative products has very strict and well defined Risk Management
measures in place.
These risk management measures are followed very strictly by the Exchanges and
they protect the investor from the colossal losses they used to suffer during the old
The Speculation is now based on scientific tools that has been followed in the
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that exists based on the obvious price differential between the Cash and the
Derivative Segment. For example say the price of a particular stock is Rs 100 in
the Cash Segment and Rs 110 on the Derivative Segment, then the speculator will
buy on the Cash Segment and sell on the Derivative segment, thus taking
transactions which is also true in the global markets. It has made speculation a
more scientific game and has also aided in the development and growth of the
price movements.
Whenever political earthquakes hit Delhi. The after shocks are felt in Mumbai, the
countries financial capital stock markets are wary of turmoil, and political stability
hits them hard. Over the past six years as the country entered the era of coalition
It all began in 1994 when the P. V. Narasimha Rao Govt, faced a no confidence
motion in the Loksabha. Since then every subsequent Govt, in Delhi has lunched
from crisis to crisis. In 1996b the ascent of Dava Gowda Govt, to power and its
fall next year then rise and fall of the I. K. Gujral Govt, the coming to power of
Vajpayee Govt, in 1998 and the troubled relationship with AIDMAK until 1999 -
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and the Mamata Banerjee resignation have all found their reflection in the stock
markets.
While the political drama plays out in Delhi, bulls and bears slug it out in
Mumbai. The patterns are interestingly similar. While economics and politics
have always been intricately linked. The relationship has come much closer in the
past 10 years. Spread of the equity cult and dawning of the information age have
also contributed to the increasing convergence between Markets and Politics. This
is particularly because the stakes are much higher now than they ever were.
Market reaction to any political development is very sharp these days due to news
travelling faster.
We discussed the four major political upheavals in the past 16 years and analysed
how the markets behaved after the crisis. We find that after a volatile movement
the sensex has moved upward. This could be due to various reasons, while it can
be said that political troubles lead to a shake out and hence a technical correction.
It also appears that the markets do not favour any political party.
There are certain statistical methods, which indicate the direction of price
fluctuations and help to understand the future trends. One very important thing to
note here is that technical factor only takes prices into consideration and nothing
else. The important statistical tools and techniques of forecasting are as follows:
(a) Extrapolation
The prices are extremely sensitive and susceptible to situational changes. The law
important fact that when the supply of any security is limited the price of that
security increases.
particular date play an important role in. the movement of the prices. The technical
factors show as to whether the stock is in a over bought position or over sold
position. This can be tracked by means of charting. The overall positions i.e. over
determining the stock prices. The technical charts indicates as to which way the
The moving average data for the previous periods which may range between 5
days to 6 months on the prices, quantity traded during this period is part of the
The Candlestick theory in the techical analysis also plays an important role in the
price forecasting.
The higher tops and higher buttoms is one of the technical factor which shows that
The Technical chart does not take the fundamentals of the Company into
consideration.
All these technical factors play an important role as regards price movements of
the stocks. At times, the markets also go against the technicals, but on most of the
times they usually follow the overall technical dynamics that exists.
But it is not alone the technical factors, which determines the volatility or the
stock price movements, but can be said to be one of the primary factors affecting
the market.
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5.4.4 Liquidity Factors:
Liquidity plays a dominant role in determining the prices of stocks and also to the
volatility of the market. It has been typically seen that lower interest rates makes
the investment in the Equity Market more attractive. As the interest rates drops,
the investment in equities looks more attractive. This is due to the fact that
typically the returns associated with Equity are much higher than in the fixed rate
In the present Indian context also as the interest rates dropped significantly to
about 8-9%, the equity market revived. The retail as well as the institutional
investors found the equity market more attractive at these levels of interest.
The liquidity driven markets takes the prices of the stocks to higher levels as more
money chases the same stocks. It then typically becomes a position of demand and
As the funds gets diverted to the Equity market from the fixed income market, the
The liquidity comes from all segments like Fils, Mutual Funds, Financial
In times of reverse flows from the equity market by way of transfer to the Bonds
and debentures, redemption of mutual funds, liquidation by Fils, the prices and
There are also other varieties of factors affecting the prices of secirities. The
conditions prevailing and expectation have a direct relationship with the factors
responsible for such fluctuations in prices. Some of the important factors are given
below:
(1) Rate of interest in the Market: Rate of interest has a powerful influence on
(2) Foreign Exchange Currency fluctuations: Share prices are also linked with
components in the final product with the increase or decrease in the prices of
(3) Political Situations: The political developments both at home and abroad
the stock market. Share prices are also adversely affected during war, which
that are termed trade cycles or Booms and slumps. The cyclical changes affect
share prices to a considerable extent. During boom period the prices of shares
tend to move up whereas during slumps the tendency to dullness prevail in the
market.
(5) Government Policies: Govt, plays a dominant role in all aspects of the life of
a nation. The Govt, governs and regulates the activities of the security market.
The ideology and policies of the Govt, have direct bearing on the prices that
rule on the stock exchanges. Govt, policies regarding taxes, price control,
any industry has direct relationship with the increase or decrease in prices.
(6) Intrinsic situation of a company: The major cause of share price variation is
relations.
(7) Market psychology and whims of the operators; Market psychology plays
operators favour at one time one scrip it may result in the increase of the price
of that scrip. ACC and Apollo tyres were the fevoured shares of share dalal
Harshad Mehta at one time. There may or may not be any assignable reason
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(8) Changes in the regulatory provisions of the Stock Exchanges: Changes in
the regulatory provisions regarding stock exchanges may also affect the share
various regulatory provisions and has its effect on prices in the stock
exchange. Share prices also increase when settlement period is sifted from one
date to another.
(9) Inter relationship between Stock Exchanges: Stock Exchanges all over the
world is inter related and inter dependent. If the price at one stock exchange
(10) Floatation of New Issues: If an existing company floats new issue of capital
then its capital base increases which results in the decease in the price of the
share. The company prevents such loss to the existing shareholders by giving
agricultural production which is directly related with the industrial output and
1992, Insider means any person who is or was connected with the company or
is deemed to have been connected with the company and who is reasonable
(13) Budgetary Factors: In developing countries like India the Govt, budgets
have a very significant influence over the economy. The Budget is an estimate
of the Govt, expenditure and revenue for the coming financial year. The tax
provisions and relaxations given in the budget have been found to have a
5.5 Conclusion
There are many factors, which contribute to the volatility and the price movements.
Speculation, Technical factors, political factors, liquidity factor and a host of other
plays an important role in determining the prices of the stocks over a sustained period
of time.
Volatility is the key to any stock market and in Indian Capital market also it is the
same. The examples of the leading stocks and how they have fared over time as
Volatility affects the market Capitalisation, the PE Multiples, the Price to Book Value
ratios. Liquidity also plays an important role in determining the price levels.
Volatility and price levels are therefore affected by host of other factors other than
fundamentals. _______
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REFERENCE
• Economic Times