ArcelorMittal, Indiabulls in JV talks for steel project, mining

New Delhi: ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel-maker, is in discussions with Indiabulls Group to form a joint venture company for scouting and mining iron ore in Rajasthan and setting up a steel plant.


"The discussions are on (between ArcelorMittal and Indiabulls to form a JV company). ArcelorMittal is pitching for a majority stake in the JV company," a person in-the-know of the development told PTI.

"There are indications of iron ore in Rajasthan. It is a mineral-rich state. The JV company would seek to locate and develop it. Then, a steel plant would be developed in the state," the source said.

According to the source, the JV would be between an ArcelorMittal subsidiary or an investment arm of the Mittal family and an Indiabulls Group firm.

ArcelorMittal chief financial officer Aditya Mittal is said to be the brains behind the proposed venture, which aims at tapping the market for steel in North India, where there is no integrated steel plant.

"Promoters of ArcelorMittal and Indiabulls share a good relationship and the new venture would further their partnership," the source added.

Through LNM India Internet Ventures, it is said that L N Mittal already holds an 8.79 per cent stake in Indiabulls Power, which is developing various power projects across the country.

State-owned SAIL has already discovered iron ore deposits in the desert state.

The proposed investment in the JV could not be immediately ascertained. An ArcelorMittal spokesperson did not revert to a PTI query on the cost of the proposed venture.

ArcelorMittal had in July said it expects to start work on one of its proposed Rs 1.3 lakh crore India projects in early 2011.

The world's largest steel-maker, accounting for 8 percent of global production, announced plans to set up projects in Jharkhand in 2005 and in Orissa a year later. In June this year, it signed an MoU with the Karnataka government for a Rs 30,000 crore steel project.

"We believe that in 2011, in one of the projects, we will break the ground, we don't know which one... It is our hope that it should be in the first quarter or the second quarter,"

ArcelorMittal chairman and CEO L N Mittal had said.

Gujarat Gas: Stock that surged 10% in a strong mkt

Ahmedabad based leading private gas distributor, Gujarat Gas Company Limited's stock rose over 10% on the back of an increase in compressed natural gas (CNG) prices by the company to Rs 32.45 per kg. The stock surged 10.21%, or Rs 36.05 to end at Rs 389. It touched a 52-week high and an intraday high of Rs 403.40 and an intraday low of Rs 352.95. There were pending sell orders of 26 shares, with no buyers available.

Why the run-up?

Following a supply crunch from its conventional sources, and an increase in input costs, the company hiked the price of CNG effective September 5, 2010 to Rs 32.45 per kg, an 8% increase over the existing price of Rs 29.96 per kg in Bharuch, Ankleshwar and Surat in Gujarat.

In 2009, the company had raised CNG prices following a weak rupee and revised electricity tariffs in the state. Over 100,000 vehicles in these towns run on CNG.

The company has been a part of the British Gas Group, a global leader in natural gas, since 1997. BG Group has a 65.12% controlling stake in GGCL. FIs, FIIs and public hold the remaining 34.88% of shares.

Since January of this year, gas prices for industrial units have gone up almost 10%. A growing demand for natural gas has put the company in a sweet spot.

It has a strong presence in Gujarat, which offers good potential for natural gas across industries. As gas supply in India increases, natural gas could become a cheaper and a superior alternative to industrial fuels like naphtha, used in power, steel and fertiliser industries.

Also, the number of vehicles using CNG is expected to rise significantly over the next five years, according to estimates of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board. Gujarat Gas is strategically well placed to take advantage of this growing demand, combined with its focus on the industrial market on the retail side. The company also has long-term contracts with domestic suppliers which provides it good revenue visibility.

Chances of double dip recession in US raised: Roubini

Economist Nouriel Roubini has come out with yet another chilling prediction. Roubini warns that the chances of a double dip recession in the US have increased as the second half of the year is expected to be even worse, reports ONE OF THE NATIONAL NEWS CHANNEL.

“Compared to six months ago when the probability of double dip was very low, right now, I expect it to be very high,” Roubini warned.

“Growth in Q2 has been revised downwards from 2.4% to 1.6%, given the construction numbers will be revised down to 1.2%,” he added.

He reasoned that based on the data the second half of the year is going to be worse than the first half 2 because all the tailwinds will become headwinds. He is concerned that if we finish Q2 with 1.2% then the second half will be worse.

“Once the growth rate is 1%, you are already in a growth recession, and then the risk is that the financial markets are going to have a downturn,” Roubini said.

Wall St week ahead: For stocks, Sept starts on upbeat note

US stocks could start next week with investors feeling a bit more optimistic about the economy, thanks to a stronger-than-expected jobs report, making further market gains more likely.

The government's nonfarm payrolls report on Friday was the latest of the week's data to suggest the economy may not be headed for another severe downturn, as many investors have feared.

All three major U.S. stock indexes rallied more than 1 percent on Friday. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index scored a gain of 3.8 percent for the week, marking its best week in eight, and starting September -- typically the weakest month for the market -- on a strong note. In contrast, for the month of August, the S&P 500 fell 4.7 percent.

"The data forces a re-evaluation of the underlying thesis of the economy, and how the stock market is priced," said Charles Lieberman, chief investment officer of Advisors Capital Management, LLC in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.

"The employment report is really the keystone. If the economy is producing jobs, the thesis of a decline in the economy goes out the window," he said.

Next week, the economic calendar will be light, especially since it will be a holiday-shortened week with the U.S. stock market closed for Labor Day on Monday. But the agenda will include the international trade deficit data, which investors will scrutinize for clues on spending, as well as the latest weekly jobless claims numbers.

High unemployment and weak consumer spending have been among the toughest hurdles to sustaining the economy's recovery from the worst downturn since the 1930s.

Though the stock market ended this week with gains, the S&P 500 was unable to break out of a trading range of between 1,040 and 1,130, and some analysts see that range-bound trend continuing.

"I think we're in rally mode. In no way do I see us going through new highs or breaking through the trading range, but I see strength after the holiday," said Alan Lancz, president of Alan B. Lancz & Associates Inc. in Toledo, Ohio.

"We still see this as a two-steps-forward, one-step-back type market ... but we'll take what we can get."


September's baggage
For the week, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 2.9 percent, while the S&P 500 advanced 3.8 percent and the Nasdaq gained 3.7 percent.

That's a promising start, but history shows that this month isn't one that Wall Street's denizens will "Try to Remember," a la the iconic song from "The Fantasticks" of Off-Broadway fame.

September is typically the weakest month for stock market performance, according to the Stock Trader's Almanac. The S&P 500 has declined 0.7 percent on average during September in the years since 1950, the Almanac says.

However, on the day after Labor Day, the Dow has risen in 12 of the last 15 times, the Almanac notes.

Friday's jobs report was the catalyst for a bullish end to the week for stocks because it showed that although overall payrolls shed jobs for the month of August, the decline was much less than expected. And providing a bright spot, private payrolls rose more than expected.

Analysts said the news gave a ray of hope for the recovery. Other data this week showed an unexpected rise in the Institute for Supply Management index on U.S. manufacturing, stronger-than-expected pending homes sales in July, and a second consecutive week of lower claims for initial jobless benefits.

The data means "we are probably not looking at a double dip," said Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. in San Francisco.

Next week's data includes reports on international trade on Thursday and wholesale inventories on Friday.

A surge in imports dampened growth in the second quarter.
U.S. government data next week is expected to show the international trade deficit narrowed somewhat to $47.2 billion in July, according to economists polled by Reuters, after rising to $49.9 billion in June, the highest since October 2008.

Analysts believe sluggish domestic demand should cause a moderation in the growth of imports in coming months, while they expect U.S. exports to strengthen. As a result, the trade gap should be less of a drag on the economy.

Initial jobless claims, also expected on Thursday, are seen dipping to a seasonally adjusted 470,000 for the week from 472,000 previously.

Wholesale inventories for July, due on Friday, are forecast to rise 0.4 percent, the Reuters poll showed, following June's gain of just 0.1 percent. That report also will shed light on wholesale sales, seen up 0.3 percent in July, following June's decline of 0.7 percent.