Barometers pare losses; metal shares advance

The domestic equity indices erased all earlier losses and traded with minor gains in afternoon trade. Market participants remained focused on corporate earnings. The Nifty traded above the 25,500 level. Metal, PSU bank, and financial services shares advanced, while IT, FMCG, and pharma stocks declined.

In the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 32.02 points or 0.04% to 83,343.03. The Nifty 50 index added 20.60 points or 0.08% to 25,528.40.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.21%, while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index shed 0.11%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,850 shares rose and 2,155 shares fell. A total of 176 shares were unchanged.

Gainers & Losers:

Shriram Finance (up 3.56%), Adani Enterprises (up 3.22%), Bajaj Finance (up 2.84%), Tata Steel (up 2.15%) and ICICI Bank (up 1.49%) were the major Nifty50 gainers.

Bharti Airtel (down 3.96%), InterGlobe Aviation (down 1.64%), Apollo Hospitals Enterprise (down 1.39%), Tech Mahindra (down 1.33%) and Wipro (down 1.32%) were the major Nifty50 losers.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) added 1.48% after the company announced that it has received an order worth over Rs 6,650 crore from NTPC for the execution of an EPC package at the Darlipali Supercritical Thermal Power Project Stage-II in Sundargarh district, Odisha.

Pricol surged 7.96% after its consolidated net profit jumped 41.97% to Rs 63.99 crore in Q2 FY26 as against Rs 45.07 crore posted in Q2 FY25. Revenue from operations increased 51.97% year on year (YoY) to Rs 987.93 crore in Q2 FY26.

Cummins India shed 0.72%. The company reported a 41.51% surge in standalone net profit to Rs 637.69 crore in Q2 FY26, compared to Rs 450.61 crore posted in Q2 FY25. Revenue from operations jumped 27.49% to Rs 3,121.58 crore in the quarter ended 30 September 2025.

NHPC declined 2.10%. The company reported consolidated net profit of Rs 1,021.44 crore in Q2 FY26, up 13.48% as against Rs 900.03 crore in Q2 FY25. Revenue from operations jumped 10.26% year on year (YoY) to Rs 3,365.26 crore in the quarter ended 30 September 2025.

Genus Power Infrastructure shed 0.42%. The companys standalone net profit surged 162.44% to Rs 148.15 crore, while revenue from operations climbed 135.99% to Rs 1,149 crore in Q2 FY26 over Q2 FY25.

DAM Capital Advisors rallied 5.50% after the companys consolidated net profit surged 140.66% to Rs 52.15 crore on a 69.06% increase in total income to Rs 107.05 crore in Q2 FY26 over Q2 FY25.

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) tanked 2.53% after the company's consolidated net profit slumped 25.26% to Rs 47.78 crore in Q2 FY25 from Rs 63.93 crore in Q2 FY25. Revenue from operations rose 31.71% to Rs 960.74 crore in Q2 FY26, compared with Rs 1,406.91 crore in Q2 FY25.

Global Markets:

European stocks traded mixed, while Asian markets declined on Friday, reflecting Wall Streets losses as renewed concerns over stretched valuations in artificial intelligence (AI) stocks weighed on investor sentiment.

Investors across the region are now awaiting Chinas October trade data, expected later in the day. Media reports indicate that exports may have grown just 3% year-on-year, slowing sharply from 8.3% in September, while imports are forecast to fall 3.2% after rising 7.4% previously.

The slowdown reflects weak domestic demand, prolonged pressure from the property downturn, rising job insecurity, and the fading impact of earlier consumption stimulus.

On Wall Street, AI-linked stocks extended their recent declines, dragging major indices lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 398.70 points (0.84%) to 46,912.30, while the S&P 500 dropped 1.12% to 6,720.32.

The Nasdaq Composite tumbled 1.9% to 23,053.99, with the Nasdaq 100 down more than 2% for the week its steepest decline since early April.

Adding to investor unease, October layoffs surged to 153,000, nearly triple Septembers figure and 175% higher year-on-year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The spike in job cuts, combined with the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, now over a month old, has further clouded the outlook for the U.S. economy.

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