Share markets in India are presently trading marginally lower.

The BSE Sensex is trading down by 8 points, flat at 49,894 levels.

Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty is trading down by 26 points.

M&M and Cipla are among the top gainers today. Tata Steel and Hindalco are among the top losers today.

The BSE Mid Cap index is trading down by 0.2%.

The BSE Small Cap index is trading down by 0.6%.

On the sectoral front, stocks from the metal sector, are witnessing most of the selling pressure.

On the other hand, stocks from the real estate sector, are witnessing most of the buying interest.

US stock futures are trading lower today, indicating a negative opening for Wall Street.

Nasdaq Futures are trading down by 26 points (down 0.2%) while Dow Futures are trading down by 31 points (down 0.1%)

The rupee is trading at 73.14 against the US$.

Gold prices are trading down by 0.4% at Rs 48,474 per 10 grams.

Gold prices fell today in Indian markets while silver extended decline to the third straight day, tracking lackluster global cues. On MCX, gold futures were down 0.3% to Rs 48,520 while silver was off 0.4% to Rs 72,073 per kg.

In the previous session, gold had hit an over 3-month high of Rs 48,700 per 10 grams.

Speaking of the precious yellow metal, how lucrative has gold been as a long-term investment in India?

The chart below shows the annual returns on gold over the last 15 years...

As you can see, barring just two years - 2013 and 2015, gold has delivered positive returns in 13 of the last 15 years.

The recent price volatility in the bullion market has rattled many traders. Even with the recent volatility in prices, gold remains among the best-performing commodities this year to combat the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

To know more about gold, check out our article on how to invest in gold here: How to Invest in Gold?

Moving on to stock-specific news...

Among the buzzing stocks, today is Tanla Platforms.

Cloud communications firm Tanla Platforms on 19 May reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 1 bn for the quarter ended March (Q4FY21). The company had posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 891 m in the year-ago period.

The company's total income increased by 23.6% year-on-year (YoY) during the quarter to Rs 6.5 bn as against Rs 5.3 bn in the corresponding quarter last year, the company said in a statement.

Tanla added 68 new customers during the reported quarter.

"We delivered another fantastic quarter to cap a record-breaking 2021 across all key parameters, with over Rs 23 bn in full-year revenue.

"These stellar results continue to demonstrate Tanla's strong platform and enterprise offerings, our focus on customer success, and commitment to enable their communication needs," Tanla Platforms Chairman and CEO, Uday Reddy said in the statement.

For the year FY21, Tanla Platforms posted a profit of Rs 3.6 bn. The company had registered a loss of Rs 2.1 bn in FY20. The annual income of the company improved by around 21% to Rs 23.6 bn in FY21 compared to Rs 19.6 bn in FY20.

Tanla and its subsidiaries also added a total of 259 customers during the year that enhanced the company's revenues by Rs 950 m.

We will keep you posted on updates from this space. Stay tuned.

At the time of writing, shares of Tanla Platforms were trading down by 0.4% on the BSE.

In news from the finance sector...

Indiabulls Housing Finance Q4 Results: Profit Jumps Two-Fold to Rs 2.8 bn 

Mortgage financier Indiabulls Housing Finance on 19 May reported a two-fold jump in its net profit to Rs 2.8 bn for the quarter ended March, helped by stable asset quality. The company had reported a net profit of Rs 1.4 bn in the corresponding quarter last year."The quarter was very good. We have been focussing on asset quality, which is very robust. Overall, there has been above 100% increase in our profit from Rs 1.4 bn in Q4FY20 to Rs 2.8 bn this year (Q4 FY21)," the company's Vice Chairman, Managing Director, and CEO Gagan Banga said.

The lender's net non-performing assets (NPAs) were stable at 1.59% while the provisions to loan book stood at 3.7%. The cost to income ratio declined to 12.8% in FY21 from 16.2% for FY20 on the back of measures taken to improve cost efficiency.

The lender said that its funding costs have moderated with incremental funds being raised at sub 8% per annum levels. This has helped bring down the cost of funds on books to 8.5%. Its spread on the book has expanded to 2.7%Overall, in FY21, it raised over Rs 340 bn through equity, bank lines, bonds, and loan sell downs. As a result, its capital adequacy ratio (CAR) stood healthy at 30.7% with Tier 1 Capital at 24%. The company has entered into a strategic co-lending partnership with HDFC to offer housing loans to homebuyers at competitive rates. It will originate retail home loans as per jointly drawn-up credit policy and retain 20% of the loan on its books and 80% will be on HDFC's books.

"In FY22, with our co-lending partnerships in place, especially the one with HDFC, we are now set to grow the retail loan book and grow profitability through our technology-leveraged, retail-focused asset-light business model," Banga said.

How the company performs in the next quarter remains to be seen. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more updates from this space.