Bulk deals vs block deals: Meaning, size, timings, purpose, other essential things to know

Bulk deals vs block deals: While bulk deals and block deals both involve the buying or selling of a large number of shares, there are some basic differences between the two. For instance, bulk deals pose a smaller impact on the market price than block deals, as bulk deals are executed at the market price whereas block deals are executed at a negotiated, pre-determined price that may be different from the market price.

Also, bulk deals are smaller in size than block deals. 

Here are some of the key differences between bulk deals and block deals: 

Bulk deal vs block deal: Size

A transaction involving at least 0.5 per cent of a listed company's total equity is known as a bulk deal. 

On the other hand, a transaction involving at least 5 lakh shares or a minimum Rs 10 crore worth of shares of a company is known as a block deal.

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Timings

While bulk deals take place during normal market hours, block deals occur in a special trading window, known as the 'block deal window'.

Bulk deals are visible in volume data on trading platforms but block deals are not. 

The block deal window is operated in two sessions of 15 minutes each:

• From 8:45 am to 9:00 am
• From 2:05 pm to 2:20 pm 

Purpose

Retail and institutional investors, such as mutual funds, insurers and FIIs, are typical partipants in bulk deals, for purposes such as portfolio management and trading.

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Block deals are normally carried out by entities such as institutional investors, high net-worth individuals (HNIs), and promoters, for a variety of reasons.

Reporting

While both types of large deals must be reported to the exchanges within specific timeframes, block deals must be reported within a shorter period than bulk deals.

Market impact

Block deals usually pose a greater impact on the market price of a security as they may take place at a negotiated, pre-determined price, different from the current price, and also because they are normally larger than bulk deals.

Bulk deals involve a relatively smaller portion of a company's equity than block deals, and hence are less likely to trigger market price fluctuations.

Disclosure

The names of buyers and sellers are required to be disclosed to the public within 24 hours of execution in both cases. 

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