Positive commentary and target price hikes from CLSA and Jefferies also buoyed the shares, helping the Nifty Metal index surpass the 9,000 mark to hit a lifetime high. The index ended at 8,999.60, up 1% over the previous trading session. Benchmark indices ended half a per cent higher each.
Hindustan Copper soared 11% to hit its 52-week high of Rs 366.40 on the NSE. The stock traded amid significant volumes with over 4.80 crore shares changing hands on the NSE around 1:30 pm.
Among base metals, Hindalco Industries rose more than 3% and scaled a 52-week high of Rs 603. National Aluminium Co rose over 1% to Rs 116.85. Steelmakers across the board gained, with Tata Steel, Steel Authority of India, and JSW Steel rising 1-2%. JSW Steel shares also hit a lifetime high of Rs 636.
Notwithstanding strong buying trends in metal stocks seen on Thursday, a wait-and-watch policy in metals is recommended by analyst Pankaj Pandey of Head Research, ICICIdirect.com even as he suggests investors to remain positive on this sector.
The metals stocks have had a spectacular run in the past year, but off late their shine is getting dimmer as inflation woes and the possibility of a crackdown by the Chinese government are weighing on commodity prices. The commodities like copper have soared nearly 100% in the last year to trade at all-time high levels while steel prices are at 10-year highs. Meanwhile, aluminium and nickel have jumped between 35-45%. But off late, metals prices witnessed a decline in the last one week. Nickel prices have corrected more than 4% followed by copper and aluminium.
Metal stocks naysayers say the rally wasn t supported by demand fundamentals but was rather led by the price rise. Even then, any investor who would have put money in the Nifty Metals index a year ago would have tripled their investment. As for individual stocks, the returns range between 35-850% in the past year. Even on a YTD basis, the Nifty Metals pack has rallied 57% as against a rise of 9% in the Nifty50 pack.