Understanding BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange)

BSE stock classifications

SIX HEADERS- A, B, T, S, TS and Z

Hi there ,
Do you know that he BSE classifies stocks under six headers?

The Bombay Stock Exchange classifies stocks under six grades — A, B, T, S, TS and Z — that scores stocks on the basis of their size, liquidity and exchange compliance and, in some cases, also the speculative interest in them. You can look up any stock’s grade in the ‘Stock Reach’ page in the BSE Web site, under the head ‘Group’. Alternately, you can also follow the link below:

http://www.bseindia.com/about/list_comp.asp

A GROUP – HIGHLY LIQUID

• These are the most liquid counters among the whole lot of stocks listed in the BSE.
• These are companies which are rated excellent in all aspects.
• Volumes are high and trades are settled under the normal rolling settlement (i.e. to say intraday buy-sell deals are netted out).
• These are best fit for a novice investor’s portfolio considering that information about them is extensively available. For instance, all the 30 stocks in Sensex are ‘A’ grade stocks.

T GROUP – TRADE TO TRADE

• The stocks that fall under the trade-to-trade settlement system of the exchange come under this category.
• Each trade here is seen as a separate transaction and there’s no netting-out of trades as in the normal rolling system.
• The trader needs to pay to take delivery for his/her buys and deliver shares for his/her sells, both on the second day following the trade day (T+2). For example, assume you bought 100 shares of‘T’ grade scrip and sold another 100 of it on the same day. Then, for the shares you have bought, you would have to pay the exchange in two days. As for the other bunch that you sold, you should deliver the shares by T+2 days, for the exchange to deliver it to the one who bought it.
• Failure to produce delivery shares against the sale made would be considered as short sales. The exchange will, in that case, on the T+3rd day, debit an amount that is 20 per cent higher than the scrip’s closing price that day. This means unless the scrip’s price falls more than 20 per cent from the price of your sale transaction, you would have to pay a penalty for the short sale so made.
• Even so, there will be no credit made to you in the case of substantial fall in the share price. The exchange will, instead, credit the gain to its investor fund.
• Stocks are regularly moved in and out of trade-to-trade settlement depending on the speculative interest that governs them.

S GROUP – SMALL AND MEDIUM

• These are shares that fall under the BSE’s Indonext segment.
• The BSE Indonext comprises small and medium companies that are listed in the regional stock exchanges (RSE).
• S’ grade companies are small and typically ones with turnover of Rs 5 Crore and tangible assets of Rs 3 Crore. Some also have low free-float capital with the promoter holding as high as 75 per cent.
• Besides their smaller size, the other risk that comes with investing in them is low liquidity. Owing to lower volumes, these stocks may also see frenzied price movements.

TS GROUP – A MIX OF T AND S GROUPS

• Stocks under this category are but the ‘S’ grade stocks that are settled on a trade-to-trade basis owing to surveillance requirements.
• This essentially means that these counters may not come with an easy exit option, as liquidity will be low and intraday netting of buy-sell trades isn’t allowed either.

Z GROUP – CAUTION

• ‘Z’ grade stocks are companies that have not complied with the exchange’s listing requirements or ones that have failed to redress investor complaints.
• This grade also includes stocks of companies that have dematerialisation arrangement with only one of the two depositories, CDSL and NSDL.
• These stocks may perhaps be the riskiest in terms of various grades accorded. For one, not much information would be available in the public domain on these companies, making it tough to track them. Second, the low media coverage that keeps them relatively hidden from public scrutiny also makes them more vulnerable to insider trading. Third, these companies already have a poor score in redressing investor complaints.

B GROUP – LEFT BEHIND

• This category comprises stocks that don’t fall in any of the other groups.
• These counters see normal volumes and are settled under the rolling system. In all respects these stocks resemble their counterparts in ‘A’ but for their size. Typically, stocks of mid- and small market capitalisation come under this grade.

SLB GROUP 

Securities Exchange Board of India, in 2007, has announced the introduction of Securities Lending & Borrowing Scheme (SLBS). Securities Lending & Borrowing provides a platform for borrowing of securities to enable settlement of securities sold short. There are 207 companies in the SLB list. Investors can sell a stock which he/she does not own at the time of trade. All classes of investors, viz., retail and institutional investors, are permitted to short sell.

OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS

• The “F” Group represents the Fixed Income Securities.
• Trading in Government Securities by the retail investors is done under the “G” group.

That’s about stock classifications in BSE.
When you invest, be aware of the category in which the stock falls.

have a nice day !!