Bank Nifty Index: A Comprehensive Overview

Amongst all the indices, Bank Nifty plays a crucial role not only in determining the banking sector’s performance but also in indicating the performance of other sectors as every industry depends on the banking sector, isn’t it? This article thus will entail the details of the Bank Nifty index, its constituents, selection criteria, steps for investing in the index, and more. 

NIFTY Bank Index – Overview & Constituents 

The nifty bank index is an index of 12 banking sector stocks. These stocks are the largest in the sector and most liquid as well and listed on the NSE. The objective of this index is to offer investors a benchmark of the performance of Indian banks. 

It was first created on 15 September 2003 with a base value 1000. The rebalancing of the bank nifty index is done semi-annually and the calculation frequency is real-time. 

The constituents of the nifty bank are as follows – 

1. HDFC Bank Ltd
2. ICICI Bank Ltd
3. State Bank of India
4. Axis Bank Ltd
5. Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd
6. Bank of Baroda
7. Punjab National Bank
8. IndusInd Bank Ltd
9. Canara Bank
10. IDFC First Bank Ltd
11. AU Small Finance Bank Ltd
12. Federal Bank Ltd

Selection Criteria

For the Bank nifty index’s stock selection, the free-float market capitalization method is followed as the most significant players in the market have to be chosen. Here are the factors that are taken into account for stock selection under this method. 

1. Traded Volume: The primary criterion for picking a stock for the nifty bank index is trading volume. This index wants to offer ultimate liquidity to investors and traders interested in investing and trading in the banking sector, so the higher the trading volume, the higher the liquidity. 
2. Trading Frequency: Apart from trading volume, the trading frequency is also observed while picking stock for the Bank nifty index. The stock must be traded regularly and actively. 
3. NSE Registration: The stock needs to be listed on NSE which will ensure transparency and regulatory compliance.
4. Listing Duration: The stock must have been listed long ago to have a solid history and details to gauge its stability and performance. 
5. Sector Representation: Stocks picked for this index must represent both types of banks which are public sector banks and private sector banks. 

Factors Affecting Bank Nifty Index

The key factors that influence the performance of the nifty bank index include – 

1. Economic Indicators
   1. GDP Growth: If an economy is growing, it will boost the demand for its banking products and services. 
   2. Employment rates: If an economy has a higher employment rate, it means, there is higher disposable income, which in turn improves the loan repayment capacity, helping the banking sector grow. 
   3. Inflation Rate: When the inflation is high, the interest rate goes up to curb the inflation, thus demand for loans decreases, and vice versa. 
2. Interest rate 
   1. Monetary Policy Changes: The Bank’s profit margins get impacted when RBI changes the repo rate, reverse repo rate, and other interest rates and reserve ratios. 
   2. Yield curve: As banks also borrow money, the yield curve also affects their profitability. 
3. Regulatory Environment
   1. Changes in RBi regulations: The next key factor that can affect the bank’s nifty and the banking sector as a whole is RBI regulations amendments and changes which include capital adequacy norms, risk management guidelines, and other changes. 
   2. Changes in government policies: Fiscal policies play a crucial role in the banking sector, and so are the changes in the taxation system as they influence consumer spending and demand. 
4. Credit growth: Then comes the quality of assets and demand for loans. If the demand for loans is high, profitability goes up however, the asset quality also needs to be considered that is whether there is a higher NPA along with a higher demand for loans or not. 
5. Market sentiment: Global market sentiment as well as domestic market sentiment both affect the bank’s nifty index and the overall sector and the stock market. Positive news regarding banking and financial services and, a stable economy, can boost the index and the sector and vice versa. 
6. Corporate Performance: Financial reports of the banks, merger and acquisition activities, and other corporate actions also affect the nifty bank index as they affect the constituent banks. 
7. Foreign Investments: Finally, investments from FIIs play an important role and affect the banking sector stocks which in turn affect the bank’s nifty index. Foreign economic changing interest rates and trade policies also have some effect on the banking sector stocks as they affect the global capital flows. 

Bank Nifty Index Calculation Method

The steps for calculating Bank Nifty Index is as follows – 

1. Market Capitalization Calculation: The total number of shares of each constituent bank is multiplied by their share price. 
2. Free-float adjustment: Then the free-float factor is calculated which determines the shares that are available for trading in the market. 
3. Summing up all the banks: The next step is to add all the free-float adjusted market capitalization of each of the constituting banks. 
4. Index Determination: A base market capitalization is taken and a base index value for this Index calculation and then the value obtained in step three is divided by base market cap and the result is multiplied by a base index value. 

Example: For instance, there are two banks, with 1000 shares outstanding and the price of Bank A shares is Rs. 50 while that of Bank B is Rs. 70. 

So, Market capitalization would be – 

Bank A = 1000*Rs. 50 = Rs. 50000

Bank B = 1000*Rs. 70 = Rs. 70000

Suppose the free-float percentage is 80% for Bank A and 90% for Bank B, the adjusted market cap would be – 

Bank A = 80% of Rs. 50000

= Rs. 40000

Bank B = 90% of Rs. 70000

= Rs. 63000

Now, summing up both the market cap adjusted for free-float = Rs. 40000 + Rs. 63000 

= Rs. 103000

Suppose the base market capitalization is set at Rs. 150000 and the base index value at 1000

Then Bank Nifty Index would be = (Rs. 103000/Rs.150000)*1000 = 686

Performance and Returns

The performance of Bank Nifty has been robust over the years. The Nifty index consisting of large-cap banks has delivered some whopping returns to investors in past years. The YTD return of the nifty bank index has been 6.17% while that of the past year is 18.93%. The three-year return of the index stands at 27.27% while the five-year return is phenomenally high at 74.20%. 

Risk and Volatility

Since the banking sector is dependent on government policies, global and domestic market sentiments, interest rate changes, economic events both domestic and global, foreign investments, and other factors, volatility is evident for Bank Nifty. However, since the index has the most popular and largest banks in it, they are comparatively stable, and highly liquid which reduces the risk quotient of the nifty bank index. 

How to Invest in the Bank Nifty Index?

You can invest in the Bank Nifty index using ETFs, or index funds, or you can trade them on the trading platform. You can also trade Bank Nifty futures, and options in the F&O section of Shoonya’s app. To do so, you have to add the index to your watchlist following these steps – 

1. Open the Shoonya app.
2. Head to the “Watchlist” tab located at the bottom of your screen.
3. In the search bar, type “NIFTY IN” or “SENSEX IN” add it to the watch-list, and then you will be able to see the indices.
4. Once you find your desired index, click on add option given on the right side
5. Now you can see the index on the watchlist.

Top ETFs Following Nifty Bank Index

The top ETFs that track the Bank Nifty Index, (as per their last five years’ return) include – 

• ICICI Prudential Nifty Bank ETF – 78.92%
• Nippon India ETF Nifty Bank  – 77.48%
• SBI ETF Nifty Bank – 76.79%
• Kotak Nifty Bank ETF – 76.42%
• Aditya Birla Sun Life Nifty Bank ETF – 59.73%

Conclusion

Bank Nifty is one of the most popular indices which offers great investment opportunities to different types of investors and traders. You can invest in it via mutual funds or ETFs for the long term or trade bank nifty futures or bank nifty option chain for the short term. However, it is important to keep an eye on the factors affecting to keep the investments safe and make wise investment choices. 

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FAQs | Bank Nifty Index

Source: MoneyControl

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Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risks; read all the related documents carefully before investing.