Markets end flat after choppy session; Metals, auto stocks shine, IT slide

Stock market highlights on March 18: Choppiness continued in the broader markets, too, with the BSE MidCap and Smallcap indices settling flat after see-sawing between gains and losses

4:07 PM

COMMENT:: Global policy makers expected to set market trend this week

"The Indian market followed the positive Asian peers with a mixed bias. Domestic issues, like mutual fund stress tests,  hardly brought any negative views, but premium valuation remains as a concern. Midcap & small caps are attempting to scroll up, however consolidation persists. Both DII & FIIs inflows are strong for large caps, hence sustaining their outperformance. Policy actions, this week, from global central banks, the US FED, BOJ, and BOE will dictate the market direction. Indication, by the FED, that rate cut may be probably in the latter half of CY24, should bring a mixed sentiment in the short term."

 

- Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services

4:06 PM

VIEW:: Nifty seems to have established short-term support at 21,900

"Nifty remained volatile throughout the day, oscillating between 21,900 and 22,100. Bulls have thus far managed to defend the 21,900 level successfully. However, a dip below 21,900 could strengthen the bears' position, although for now, any downturn is being met with buying activity. On the upside, a sustained upward movement beyond 22,100 may propel the index towards 22,250 and beyond. Support is established at 21,900, below which the index might decline towards 21,700."

 

- Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities

 

3:50 PM

Market breadth was neutral; 2,007 stocks advanced, while 1,933 declined on the BSE

3:48 PM

Sectoral ALERT:: Nifty Metal index surges 2.5%; Tata Steel, Jindal Steel lead

3:47 PM

BSE Smallcap Heatmap:: Manoj Vaibhav Gems, Navkar Corp zoom 20%; CoForge cracks 7%

3:44 PM

BSE Midcap Heatmap:: Lodha soars 12%; JSW Infra, Linde India rally up to 7%

3:40 PM

Broader Market Check:: MidCap, SmallCap indices end in red; VIX climbs 1.5%

3:38 PM

Nifty50 Top 5 Movers & Shakers:: Tata Steel, M&M shine; UPL, Infy whine

3:37 PM

Sensex 30 Heatmap:: Auto, metal stocks gain, IT shares decline

3:34 PM

CLOSING BELL:: NSE Nifty50 gains 32 pts, settles at 22,056

3:33 PM

CLOSING BELL:: S&P BSE Sensex ends 105 pts higher at 72,748

3:25 PM

Global check:: US, UK stock futures exhibit mixed trend

Source: Investing.com

3:18 PM

Pharma stock rallies 9% as Quant SmallCap MF buys 0.5% stake via bulk deal

The names of the seller were not known. Kopran's share price has rallied 170 per cent in the last one year from a level of Rs 104 touched on March 20, 2023. READ MORE

3:09 PM

ALERT:: RITES wins order from NSIC; stock gains 2%

RITES in an exchange filing said, the National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC) has given the Letter of Acceptance for engagement of the company as Quality Assurance Agency for quality inspection of 18 trades of Toolkits under PM Vishwakarma Scheme for a consideration of Rs 67.50 crore. 

2:57 PM

Steel stocks surge up to 5% on muted Chinese steel output

The stocks of domestic steel companies surged nearly 5 per cent on Monday, on the back of muted steel production data from China. Share prices of Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and SAIL moved up. READ MORE

2:48 PM

SBI to make complete disclosure of electoral bonds details by March 21: SC

The bench said the apex court had, in its verdict in the electoral bonds case, asked the bank to disclose all the details of the bonds and it should not wait for further orders on this aspect. READ MORE

2:37 PM

ALERT:: Shriram Properties sells 70% of new Bangalore project in opening weekend; stock up 3%

Shriram Properties in an exchange filing said, the company sold 70 per cent of Project Inventory in the recently launched “Codename Ultimate” in Bangalore in its

opening weekend. 

 

2:26 PM

This auto ancillary stock surged 14% on Monday on healthy outlook

Shares of Gabriel India recovered 27 per cent from their recent lows. They had tanked 37 per cent from the 52-week high level of Rs 440, touched on December 6, 2023. READ MORE

2:15 PM

Canada-based firm Fairfax offers all-cash deal to acquire IDBI Bank

IDBI Bank's disinvestment process began in October 2022, with LIC and the government selling their respective shares of 30.24% and 30.48%. READ MORE

2:00 PM

Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy gifts shares worth Rs 240 cr to grandson

N R Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys, has given shares valued at over Rs 240 crore to his four-month-old grandson, Ekagrah Rohan Murty, potentially making him India's youngest millionaire, according to an exchange filing by the company on the exchanges. READ

1:46 PM

Baazar Style Retail files draft papers with Sebi to raise funds via IPO

The proposed IPO is a combination of a fresh issue of equity shares worth Rs 185 crore and an Offer for Sale (OFS) of up to 16.8 million by promoter group entities and other selling shareholders. Read

 

1:33 PM

How Sebi's trial run of same-day settlement for 25 stocks impacts you

There's some good news for investors. Market regular Sebi is looking to move towards a "T+0" settlement cycle. Currently, settlements (when you receive or deliver the stocks/bonds you buy/sell) happen on T+2 (two days after the trade). Read

1:19 PM

Better growth supports the case for small-caps in Asia: Jefferies

Better growth prospects for small-caps has made Jefferies bullish on this market segment in the Asian region. In the Indian context, it has highlighted 15 stocks as potential multibaggers. Read

1:06 PM

Explained: Should smallcap funds' stress-test results concern you?

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) conducted a stress test on smallcap mutual funds in India. Think of it like a fire drill for your investments. The market regulator wanted to see if these funds could handle a situation where many investors suddenly wanted their money back (redemptions). Here's the catch: smaller companies, which these funds often invest in, can be trickier to sell quickly compared to larger firms. Read

12:52 PM

Reliance Infra hits 5-year high; stock zooms 41% in 3 days

Shares of Reliance Infrastructure hit a five-year high of Rs 260.80, as they rallied 10 per cent on the BSE in Monday’s intraday trade, on the back of heavy volumes. In the past three trading days, the stock has zoomed 41 per cent as the company signed a settlement agreement with ICICI Bank. The shares were quoting at their highest level since June 2019. Read

12:39 PM

Public-sector banks asked to submit three-year business plans by March-end

The Centre on March 18 directed Public-Sector Banks (PSBs) to submit their business plans till 2026-2027 (FY27) by the end of March, The Economic Times reported. The proposed plans will then be assessed on a quarterly basis by government-nominated directors on the banks' boards, the report said, citing an official. Read

12:26 PM

Can LS elections, IPL revive mood in media stocks? Here's what charts say

After performing in line with the NSE Nifty 50 benchmark, up 20 per cent for the calendar year 2023, the Nifty Media index has seen a drastic change in fortune and so far in 2024 has been one of the worst sectoral performers. Read

12:10 PM

Street Signs: Market on edge, unveiling fund manager strategies, and more

In addition to regulatory actions against small and midcaps, tighter liquidity conditions are another headwind that stocks are facing this month. Market observers say advance tax outflows and capital gains-related adjustments will weigh on the markets in the near term. Read

11:56 AM

Torrent Power leaps 8%, nears 52-week high on 300 MW solar, wind project

Shares of Torrent Power surged 7.6 per cent to Rs 1,249.25 per share on the BSE in Monday's intraday trade, in an otherwise volatile market, on the back of Rs 3,650-crore project win.
 

At 11:05 AM, shares of the company were ruling 5 per cent higher at Rs 1,219 per share as against 0.07-per cent dip in the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex. The stock's intraday high was close to its 52-week high level of Rs 1,288.45, hit on March 11, 2024. Read

11:40 AM

India's oil imports to be disrupted as US-Venezuela tensions escalate

Indian imports of cheap Venezuelan oil, the country’s fifth-biggest crude supplier in 2019, may face disruptions from April as the US and the South American country are embroiled in a dispute over renewing a six-month permission for crude exports. Read