After a fall in more than a third of its value in the six months of CY2008, the Sensex has rebounded remarkably to become the best-performing index amongst major indices in the last month.
Easing of crude prices has provided some relief to the bulls who have been battling a flood of negative newsflow for the past few months. The price of crude has fallen by 20% from its peak of close to $150 a barrel. This has reduced the inflationary pressures to some extent, though experts feel it is too early to celebrate.
Indian shares, one of the worst performers in the first six months of the year, is gradually regaining some of its lost ground. A return to a degree of political stability after the trust vote as well as the strengthening rupee made Sensex the outperformer in the list of major global indices. The BSE Sensex recorded a rise of 18% in the period since July 15 — the day when all global markets were at their latest bottom. Capital goods, banks and realty — the sectors most impacted in the crash propelled the resurgence. Those sectors possess a high beta — indicating a greater correlation to the benchmark index, which entails that these sectors outperform the index in good times.
