More Stories

Informist, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

---

Equity Alert: Most Asian indices dn as pharma cos fall on US tariffs on drugs

 

MUMBAI--0824 IST--Most indices in Asia were lower in early trade Friday as US President Donald Trump announced 100% tariffs on branded and patented pharmaceutical products, which affected Asian pharmaceutical stocks. An upward revision in US GDP growth for the June quarter and lower-than-expected US jobless claims data turned traders cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting in October.

 

The US President took to his social media platform Truth Social to announce the much anticipated pharmaceutical tariffs and said that pharmaceutical companies that are building manufacturing units in the US will be exempt from the levies. 

 

The CSI 300 index was 0.3% lower in early trade. President Trump signed an executive order overnight approving a proposal which would see the ownership of short-video application Tik Tok pass to US hands. 
 

South Korea's benchmark index Kospi fell more than 2% due to a severe decline in pharmaceutical companies. Shares of Samsung Biologics and SK Bio Pharmaceuticals were down 2-3%. Pharmaceutical companies listed in Hong Kong were also having a rough start to the session. Among other losers in the same sector, shares of Wuxi Biologics, Alibaba Health Information Technology, and Sino Biopharmaceutical fell 2–3%. The Hang Seng Index lost 0.6% in early trade.

 

Japan's Topix was up 0.6%, hitting another intraday record. However, shares of Daiichi Sankyo, Chugai Pharmaceutical, and Sumitomo Pharma tumbled 2-5%. The Nikkei 225 Day index also fell. 

 

In a separate social media post, Trump said that the imports of heavy trucks will also invite a levy of 25%. Kitchen, cabinets, bathroom and other such products will be charged a 50% tariff and a 30% tariff will be charged for upholstered furniture. Traders will monitor US personal consumption expenditure data, due later in the day, which could provide clarity on interest rate cuts.

 

Following were the levels of key Asian indices at 0821 IST: 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4581.75	(-)0.26
Hang Seng Index	26320.06	(-)0.62
Nikkei 225 Day	45629.79	(-)0.27
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3198.32	0.41
KOSPI	3396.09	(-)2.16
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	4282.91	0.21
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8779.2	0.07

 

 

(Eshitva Prakash)

---

 

Equity Alert: Nomura starts coverage on Titan with 'buy', INR 4,275 price aim

 

MUMBAI--0814 IST--Shares of Titan Co. will be in focus after Nomura Global Markets Research initiated coverage on the stock with a 'buy' rating and a target price of INR 4,275, implying an upside of nearly 27% from the stock's latest close. On Thursday, the stock ended at INR 3,378.50 on the NSE, down 1.2%. 

 

Headwinds for the company are largely behind and sales margin is resetting to a new normal, CNBC-TV18 cited the brokerage as saying. The September quarter may be weak for the company, but it could be a good entry point for investors, with a recovery seen in the second half of the current financial year, the brokerage said. 

 

It expects the company's earnings per share to grow at a compounded annual rate of 24% over 2025-26 (Apr-Mar) and FY28. The stock, valued in line with 10-year average at 60 times the EPS estimates for the September quarter of 2027, is better placed compared to peers on a risk-adjusted basis, the brokerage said. 

 

Titan has notched a gain of nearly 4% so far in 2025 despite gold prices hitting multiple record highs on US tariff-related uncertainties. In comparison, other jewellery retailers such as Kalyan Jewellers India, PC Jeweller, and Senco Gold have fallen 15-40% during this period.  (Akash Mandal)

---

Equity Alert: Sentiment likely to remain weak; pharma, IT sectors in focus

 

MUMBAI--0754 IST--Benchmark stock indices are likely to move in a range Friday and the Nifty 50 will face a tough time to reclaim the psychologically crucial 25000 level. Sentiment is likely to stay bearish with pharmaceutical stocks in focus after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imports of branded and patented pharma products from Wednesday. 

 

In a social media post, Trump said companies building pharma manufacturing plants in the US would be exempted from this tariff. Indian pharma majors are likely to face pain from the move, as India is the biggest exporter of generic drugs to the US.

 

Information technology stocks will also be in focus with global IT bellwether Accenture's muted guidance seen weighing on the sector. The September contract of the GIFT Nifty indicates a muted start for the market. At 0742 IST, the contract was at 24938.50 points, up just 11 points from its previous close. On Thursday, the Nifty 50 closed at 24890.85 points, down 166.05 points or 0.7%, ending below the crucial support of 25000 points for the first time in 10 sessions. The BSE Sensex ended at 81159.68 points on Thursday, down 555.95 points or 0.7%. 

 

The 50-stock index slipped below the 20-day simple moving average, which indicates further short-term weakness, Reliance Research said in a note. The index needs to recover above the 25000 level to regain bullish momentum, the brokerage added. 

 

Indices in the US retreated for the third straight session as better than expected jobless claims data and strong GDP data dented hopes of a rate cut by the US Federal Reserve. Most Asian indices were lower in early trade Friday tracking the recent decline in the US market.  (Akash Mandal)

---

Equity Alert: US indices dn; rate cut uncertainty grows on labour, GDP data

 

MUMBAI--0740 IST--Stock indices in US closed lower Thursday after better than expected jobless claims data and an upward revision to US GDP growth for the June quarter complicated the US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. Traders' expectations of another 25-basis-point cut at the central bank's October meeting are now at 86%, down from about 92% Wednesday, according to the CME FedWatch tool. 

 

First-time filings for jobless benefits were at a seasonally adjusted 218,000 for the week ended Sept. 20, according to the US Labor Department. The jobless claims are below the 235,000 that economists polled by Dow Jones had estimated and 14,000 less than the previous week's revised initial unemployment claims.

 

US GDP expanded at a revised 3.8% rate in the June quarter, the fastest since the third quarter of 2023, the US Commerce Department said in its final GDP estimate. Previous data had shown 3.3% GDP growth for the same quarter. Analysts polled by Reuters had maintained that the GDP growth would be unrevised. 

 

The S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower for the third consecutive session. Shares of Oracle fell 5.6% as traders continued to be cautious about artificial intelligence-related companies. Among other laggards, shares of Tesla fell more than 4%.

 

Shares of Intel jumped nearly 9?ter The Wall Street Journal reported that Intel had approached Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company about investments in manufacturing or partnerships. Shares of consulting firm Accenture fell nearly 3?spite the company's quarterly top line growth exceeding expectations. Shares of CarMax fell 20.1?ter the used-car retailer reported a lower June quarter profit. 

 

US President Donald Trump Friday announced 100% tariffs on branded and patented pharmaceutical products, effective Oct. 1. The fresh levies will not be applicable for companies that have started constructing their manufacturing plants in the US, Trump said on social media platform Truth social.

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Thursday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6604.72	(-)0.5
NASDAQ Composite	22384.70	(-)0.5
Dow Jones Industrial Average	45947.32	(-)0.38

 

(Eshitva Prakash)

 

End

 

US$1 = INR 88.67

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

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.

 

NSE: National Stock Exchange

NYSE: New York Stock Exchange

NYMEX: New York Mercantile Exchange

SEBI: Securities and Exchange Board of India

RBI: Reserve Bank of India

 

Internet links:

Securities and Exchange Board of India - http://www.sebi.gov.in

Bombay Stock Exchange - http://www.bseindia.com

National Stock Exchange of India - http://www.nseindia.com

Directory of Indian government websites - http://goidirectory.nic.in

Indian Ministry of Finance - http://www.finmin.nic.in

Reserve Bank of India - http://rbi.org.in

Controller General of Accounts, Government of India - http://www.cga.nic.in

Government's Press Information Bureau - http://www.pib.nic.in

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2025. All rights reserved.