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Informist, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Indices turn green after opening dn amid geopolitical tensions

 

MUMBAI--0944 IST--Benchmark equity indices turned positive after opening lower on Tuesday amid rising geopolitical uncertainties. The doubling of import tariffs on India by the US to 50% to stop the former from buying crude oil from Russia continues to weigh on sentiment. Weak corporate earnings for the June quarter have also turned investors cautious about investing in equities, according to analysts.

 

At 0938 IST, the Nifty 50 and the BSE Sensex were 0.2% higher at 24628.05 points and 80731.64 points, respectively. Index heavyweight Reliance Industries helped the Nitfy 50 gain and contribute nearly 0.1% to the rise in the index. The stock was up almost 1%. Volatility in the market seems to have eased a bit with India VIX, the market's fear gauge, at 12.1275, down 0.7%.

 

Broader market indices defied the trend and were higher in early trade. However, after benchmark indices turned positive, broader market indices reversed their initial gains. The Nifty Midcap 50 was down 0.3%, the most among its peers. 

 

Sectoral indices were a mixed bag with the Nifty IT gaining nearly 1%, followed by Nifty Media, which was 0.9% higher. Traders likely booked profits in defence stocks after a sharp rise in these stocks Monday. The Nifty India Defence had risen over 3% Monday but was down 0.8% Tuesday, being the worst-hit sectoral index. 

 

Praj Industries fell nearly 8% and was the worst hit in the Nifty 500 after the company's consolidated net profit for the June quarter plunged 94% on year. Astral was down nearly 6%, among the worst performers in the Nifty 500 as the company's consolidated net profit for Apr-June missed the Street's expectations. 

 

Shares of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise were slightly down ahead of the company's June quarter earnings. Oil and Natural Gas Corp was slightly up ahead of its quarterly results. Hindalco Industries was among the biggest losers in the Nifty 50 and was down 0.7% ahead of its Apr-Jun earnings.  (Simran Rede)

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Equity Alert: Mkt's near-term gains seen capped on caution amid US tariffs

 

MUMBAI--0820 IST--The fog around US tariffs is keeping investors cautious for the near term even though the market rose sharply on Monday. The meeting this week between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be closely monitored at a time when Trump has been putting pressure on trading partners, including India, to reduce their crude oil imports from Russia. 

 

"We don't know where the market can go from here in the short term, especially as the environment has become increasingly uncertain. Valuations are expensive and earnings are not that great," a head of research at a domestic broking firm said. "But we are insulated from a major hit (from tariffs). The noise around tariffs is unlikely to settle soon but I'm hopeful that our market will outperform most others," the analyst said.

 

The benchmark indices closed sharply higher Monday, recovering most losses from last week. The Nifty 50 and the BSE Sensex ended 0.9% higher each at 24585.05 points and 80604.08 points, respectively. The support for the Nifty 50 is seen at 24450-24350 points for the near term and resistance at 24650-24800 points. 

 

Domestic investors have been supporting the market while foreign investors continue to offload equities and increase their short positions in index futures. Monday, DIIs net bought nearly INR 60 billon worth of equities while foreign investors net offloaded shares worth more than INR 12 billion. 

 

The easing of global crude oil prices has also been providing some comfort for investors. Brent crude prices, which had crossed above $80 per barrel in June, have eased to less than $70 per barrel in August amid optimism about US-Russia talks and also on hopes that India will likely sign a favourable deal with the US in the coming months.  (Anjana Therese Antony)

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Equity Alert: Most Asia indices up; Australia, Japan mkts hit record highs

 

MUMBAI--0812 IST--Most Asia-Pacific indices were higher in early trade Tuesday, with both the Australian and Japanese markets hitting all-time highs, as investors in the region assessed the US extended the tariff truce with China till Nov. 10. Gains on the Japanese bourses were led by technology stocks. China's CSI 300 was up 0.6?ter the tariff extension.

 

Japanese stocks rose after Japan and the US partially addressed their dispute on how to execute a trade deal reached on Jul. 22, with the US agreeing to revise its executive order so that Japan's "reciprocal" tariff is calculated in a way that results in a lower effective rate, The Japan Times reported. SoftBank Group soared 7?ter Reuters reported the conglomerate was selecting banks for a US listing of its payments app operator PayPay. Semiconductor heavyweights Advantest and Lasertec jumped more than 5?ch. Japan's Nikkei 225 and Topix were up 2.4% and 1.4%, respectively.

 

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 also rose to a record high ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's policy decision later in the day. The index was up 0.1%. The central bank is expected to cut rates by 25 basis points, having lowered rates by 50 bps already in 2025. Gains in the Australian market were led by financials and discretionary stocks, with Star Entertainment jumping nearly 30%, Reuters reported. 

 

At 0802 IST, the FTSE Singapore Straits Times was down 0.3% and was the only index in the red.

 

Following are the levels of key Asian indices at 0802 IST:

 

INDEX	LEVEL	CHANGE IN %
CSI 300 Index	4146.6012	0.58
Hang Seng Index	24906.78	0
Nikkei 225 Day	42823.29	2.40
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3067.47	1.43
KOSPI	3231.58	0.77
FTSE Singapore Straits Times	4221.41	(-)0.27
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8855.80	0.12

 

(Akash Mandal)

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Equity Alert: US indices end lower on caution ahead of inflation data

 

MUMBAI--0800 IST--Indices in the US ended lower Monday in a choppy session as investors were cautious ahead of the July inflation data, due later in the day. Investors assessed tariff-related developments after US President Donald Trump officially extended a truce with China over tariffs by another 90 days, hours before triple-digit tariffs were to take effect on the Asian country. Traders also await talks between the US and Russia, scheduled for Friday, to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

 

Investors especially await the US inflation data, which will lend cues on when the Federal Reserve is likely to cut interest rates again. A majority of traders expect at least a 25-basis-point rate cut in the Fed's September meeting amid a set of adverse economic data over the past month, especially the non-farm payrolls data. The CME Fedwatch tool showed an 85% probability of a 25-bps rate cut in September, lower than 89?ay ago and further lower than the 90% probability a week ago.

 

"If, however, softer US CPI readings materialise, including the core goods figures, this would likely challenge the dollar too by supporting the case for further Fed easing, and perhaps see greater criticism from the US administration towards Fed Chair Powell," Reuters reported Paul Mackel, global head of foreign exchange research at HSBC, as saying.

 

CFRA Research's Sam Stovall, however, said the expectations of the market are too high. "I'm getting a little concerned that the market is going to end up being disappointed...the Fed will have a conundrum to deal with if inflation remains sticky and if the consumer remains willing to spend — where is the need to cut rates?" CNBC reported Stovall as saying. 

 

On the stocks front, healthcare company Owens & Minor plunged 35?ter it said that stranded costs will continue to rise, and it will focus on reducing such costs to improve profits, CNBC reported. Elf Beauty surged 10?ter Morgan Stanley upgraded the beauty brand to 'overweight' from 'equal-weight'. Hershey's fell 5?ter cocoa futures surged 10%. The likes of BlackRock, Electronic Arts, eBay, Cummins, and Nasdaq, all hit new all-time lows during the session. 

 

Global brokerage UBS raised its price target for the S&P 500 to 6100 from 5500 by the end of 2025. "This (geopolitical headwinds) drives us to call the market lower in the near term and to expect it to remain below current levels even by end 2025...we then see a smart recovery in H2 2026," it said.

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Monday:

 

INDEX	LAST LEVEL	CHANGE IN %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	43975.09	(-)0.45
NASDAQ Composite	21385.404	(-)0.30
S&P 500	6373.45	(-)0.25

 

(Akash Mandal)

 

US$1 = INR 87.66

 

End

 

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

All prices from National Stock Exchange, unless otherwise specified.

All percentage changes for share prices are rounded off to the nearest whole number; percentage changes for index values are rounded off to one decimal place.

All times are Indian Standard Time.

 

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