Here are some interesting and lesser-known facts about Indian stocks and the Indian stock market:
1. Oldest Stock Exchange in Asia
• The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), established in 1875, is the oldest stock exchange in Asia and one of the oldest in the world.
• It started under a banyan tree where brokers would meet to trade.
2. World’s Fastest Stock Exchange
• The BSE is known for its speed and efficiency, with a trading speed of 6 microseconds, making it one of the fastest stock exchanges globally.
3. The “Sensex” Origin
• The Sensex, BSE’s benchmark index, stands for the “Sensitive Index” and was introduced in 1986.
• It comprises 30 of the largest and most actively traded stocks on the BSE.
4. The Most Expensive Stock in India
• MRF (Madras Rubber Factory) is the most expensive stock on Indian exchanges, trading at over ₹1,00,000 per share.
• Despite its high price, it is one of the most stable stocks, and the company rarely splits its shares.
5. Nifty 50 Facts
• The Nifty 50, introduced in 1996, is the benchmark index of the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
• It is based on the performance of 50 large-cap companies across 13 sectors.
6. T+1 Settlement
• India is among the few countries with a T+1 settlement cycle for stocks, meaning transactions are settled within a day. This boosts liquidity and efficiency in the market.
7. IPO Mania
• The largest-ever IPO in India was by Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) in 2022, raising over ₹21,000 crore.
• The IPO of Reliance Power in 2008 was oversubscribed 73 times, creating a frenzy among investors.
8. Reliance Industries’ Market Dominance
• Reliance Industries became the first Indian company to cross a market capitalization of ₹10 lakh crore in 2019.
• It continues to dominate with its diverse business portfolio, including energy, telecom (Jio), and retail.
9. The “Circuit Breaker” Incident
• On May 17, 2004, known as “Black Monday”, both the Sensex and Nifty hit their lower circuit limits twice in a single day due to political instability. Trading had to be halted temporarily.
10. Multibagger Stories
• Eicher Motors, the maker of Royal Enfield bikes, was trading at just ₹20 in 2001. Today, it trades in thousands, offering over 10,000x returns to its long-term investors.
• Titan Company, once seen as a risky bet, has turned into a wealth generator for investors over decades.
11. Foreign Investment in Indian Markets
• The first Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) in India was Capital International, which made its investment in 1992, paving the way for global investment in Indian equities.
12. Sectoral Trends
• The IT sector, led by companies like TCS, Infosys, and Wipro, became a darling of investors after the Y2K boom in the late 1990s.