The headline equity benchmarks continued their downward trend on Thursday, marking the sixth consecutive day of losses. The Nifty 50 index settled below the 23,550 mark, having reached a days high of 23,675.90 during the morning session. FMCG, PSU banks, and pharma shares fell, while auto, media, and realty stocks gained.
The disappointing performance of Indian companies during the September quarter has dampened investor sentiment. Persistent FII selling, exacerbated by China's recent stimulus package, has added pressure to the market. Rising US bond yields and a stronger US dollar, coupled with concerns over the potential impact of new US economic policies, have further impacted market sentiment.
The S&P BSE Sensex declined 110.64 points or 0.14% to 77,580.31. The Nifty 50 index lost 26.35 points or 0.11% to 23,532.70, sliding below its 200-day simple moving average. The 50-unit index has fallen 3.89% in five sessions.
Hindustan Unilever (down 3.07%), Nestle India (down 2.33%) and ITC (down 1.33%) were major drags.
The broader market outperformed the benchmark indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.41% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.83%.
The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,145 shares rose and 1,813 shares fell. A total of 92 shares were unchanged.
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The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, dropped 4.27% to 14.78.
Economy:
Indias wholesale inflation, based on the Wholesale Price Index, accelerated to a four-month high of 2.36% year on year in October due to elevated food prices, government data released on Thursday showed. The wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation was 1.84% in September 2024. It was (-) 0.26% in October, last year.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper rose 0.30% to 6.938 as compared with previous close 6.917.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 84.4550, compared with its close of 84.3950 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 5 December 2024 settlement fell 1.21% to Rs 73,584.
The US Dollar index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was up 0.47% to 106.98.
The United States 10-year bond yield added 0.40% to 4.471.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for November 2024 settlement rose 1 cent or 0.01% to $72.29 a barrel.
Global Markets:
Most European stocks advanced as investors assessed the global inflation outlook and the possible trajectory of central bank rate cuts.
Most Asian markets ended lower on Thursday despite the U.S. October consumer price index reading reinforced expectations that the Fed would cuts rates again in December.
The initial post-election rally in US equities appears to be waning. On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.11%, while the S&P 500 index climbed 0.02%, and the NASDAQ Composite index lost 0.23%.
US consumer price index (CPI) data for October came in line with expectations, but still indicated persistent inflationary pressures. The annual CPI rose to 2.6% from 2.4% in September. Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, increased to 3.3% year-over-year.
While these figures still support the case for a December rate cut by the Federal Reserve, the longer-term outlook for interest rates remains uncertain, especially given the potential inflationary impact of Trump's policies.
Investors are now awaiting a speech by Fed Chair Jerome Powell for further guidance on monetary policy. The Fed cut rates by 25 basis points last week and reaffirmed its data-dependent approach to future easing.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Varun Beverages added 1.49% after the companys board has approved the opening of qualified institutional placement (QIP) of equity shares with the floor price of Rs 594.56 per share.
Eicher Motors jumped 6.46% after the company's consolidated net profit increased 8.27% to Rs 1,100.33 crore on 3.8% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 4,186.38 crore in Q2 FY25 over Q2 FY24.
Shilpa Medicare surged 5.67% to Rs 886.25 after the drug maker's consolidated net profit soared 1042.68% to Rs 17.94 crore on a 9.85% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 343.80 crore in Q2 FY25 over Q2 FY24.
Apollo Tyres rallied 4.17%. The company reported 37.27% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 297.46 crore in Q2 FY25 as against Rs 474.25 crore recorded in Q2 FY24. However, revenue from operations grew by 2.50% to Rs 6,437.03 crore in the quarter ended 30 September 2024.
SpiceJet jumped 3.24% after the firm fully settled a $90.8 million (Rs 763 crore) dispute with Export Development Canada (EDC) for a total of $22.5 million, resulting in a substantial saving of $68.3 million (Rs 574 crore).
Vodafone Idea shed 0.41%. The telecom service providers consolidated net loss narrowed to Rs 7,175.9 crore in Q2 FY25 as compared with Rs 8,737.9 crore reported in Q2 FY24. Revenue from operations rose 2.01% year on year (YoY) to Rs 10,932.2 crore in the quarter ended 30 September 2024.
AstraZeneca Pharma tumbled 5.50% after the pharmaceutical firms net profit declined 26.62% to Rs 38.43 crore in Q2 FY25 as compared with Rs 52.37 crore posted in Q2 FY24. Revenue from operations jumped 31.16% year on year (YoY) to Rs 408 crore in the quarter ended 30 September 2024.
Ipca Laboratories advanced 2.02% after the companys consolidated net profit jumped 58.2% to Rs 229.48 crore on 15.78% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 2,354.90 crore in Q2 FY24 over Q2 FY23.
Torrent Power declined 5.19% after the companys consolidated net profit slipped 8.63% to Rs 495.72 crore in Q2 FY25 as against with Rs 542.55 crore posted in Q2 FY24. Revenue from operations grew by 3.09% year on year to Rs 7,175.81 crore in the quarter ended 30 September 2024.
New Listing:
Shares of Niva Bupa Health Insurance Company were at Rs 74 on the BSE, matching its issue price.
The scrip listed at Rs 78.50, a premium of 6.08% to the issue price. The stock hit a high of 80.94 and a low of 73.60. On the BSE, over 28.87 lakh shares of the company were traded in the counter.
IPO Update:
The initial public offer (IPO) of Zinka Logistics Solutions received bids for 72,15,696 shares as against 2,25,67,270 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 17:00 IST on 14 November 2024. The issue was subscribed 0.32 times.
The issue opened for bidding on 13 November 2024 and it will close on 18 November 2024. The price band of the IPO is fixed between Rs 259 to Rs 273 per share. An investor can bid for a minimum of 54 equity shares and in multiples thereof.
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