More Stories

Informist, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

---

Equity Alert: To open higher; seen volatile on monthly expiry of Nifty 50 F&O 

 

MUMBAI--0845 IST--Benchmark equity indices are seen open higher Tuesday amid positive cues from the finalisation of a trade deal with the European Union. Indices are also likely to be volatile due to the expiry of the monthly derivatives contract of the Nifty 50. An overhang of tariff-related uncertainties and intense selling by foreign investors are likely to keep the investors cautious, analysts said. Market participants will keenly focus on the December quarter earnings of Asian Paints and Tata Consumer Products, due later in the day.
 

The GIFT Nifty contract suggests the Nifty 50 index may open higher on Tuesday. At 0844 IST, the GIFT Nifty's January contract was at 25194.50 points, nearly 146 points higher than the Nifty 50's close of 25048.65 points on Friday. The BSE Sensex closed at 81537.70 points, down 769.67 points or 0.9%. "We might see another volatile trading session as traders will rollover and adjust their derivatives positions on scheduled monthly derivatives expiry for NSE (National Stock Exchange)," Vipin Kumaar, derivatives and technical analyst at Globe Capital Market. He pegged resistance for the Nifty 50 at 25200-25260 points and support at 24900-24800 points.

 

On the earnings front, UltraTech Cement reported a consolidated net profit of INR 17.25 billion, up nearly 27% on year and 40% on quarter. Its revenue from operations for the reporting quarter was INR 218.30 billion, up nearly 23% on year and more than 11% on quarter.

 

Kotak Mahindra Bank reported a net profit of INR 34.46 billion, up over 4% on year for the December quarter, slightly missing the Street's estimate. The lender's total income for the reporting quarter was INR 167.41 billion, up over 4% on year. 

 

Axis Bank's net profit for the December quarter rose nearly 3% on year to INR 64.90 billion, beating analysts' estimate by a wide margin. But pressure on the bank's margins capped on-year growth in its bottom line at 3%.

 

US indices closed higher Monday, with the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite ending with gains for the fourth straight session. The indices closed higher ahead of the quarterly earnings of major information technology companies Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Tesla later this week, according to a Reuters report. Investors will also keenly watch out for the Federal Reserve's update on interest rate policy later this week. All Asian indices were higher in early trade Tuesday, with South Korea's KOSPI leading the gains.  (Arundathi A R)

---

Equity Alert: Nuvama upgrades Axis Bank to 'buy', ups target price by 27%, 

 

MUMBAI--0830 IST--Nuvama has raised the target price on the stock of Axis Bank by 27% to INR 1,500 from INR 1,180 along with an upgrade in the recommendation to 'buy' from 'hold'. The brokerage said the sequential growth in the pre-provision operating profit and net interest margin was the highest among its peers for the December quarter. 

 

The bank reported a net profit of INR 64.9 billion for the reporting quarter, up 28% on quarter and beat analysts' view of INR 60 billion. The total income rose 2% on quarter to INR 385 billion. The net interest margin slipped to 3.64% from 3.93% in the previous quarter.

 

"Axis has outperformed peers on deposit/loan growth over two quarters," Nuvama said. Loans grew better than expected at 4% sequentially and 14% on year, driven by corporate and small and medium enterprises, the brokerage said. The retail segment continued to lag at 1% sequentially. Within the corporate segment, fund-based exposure to power and infrastructure grew sharply, Nuvama added.

 

Net interest margin fell 9 basis points on quarter due to a higher share of corporate, an earlier rate cut, and lower current accounts and savings accounts, according to Nuvama. The brokerage expects the net interest margin to fall in the March quarter and the pace of decline to be much lower. The bank has been providing for new labour codes since the third quarter in 2020-21 (Apr-Mar) and due to this, the catch-up in provision in the March quarter was at INR 254 million, which is lower than its peers, Nuvama said. The bank already has a cumulative provision of INR 4.3 billion. The staff cost of Axis Bank fell 11% sequentially and 7% on year due to a reduction in headcount and better productivity, the brokerage said.

 

Friday, shares of Axis Bank ended nearly 3% lower at INR 1,258 on the National Stock Exchange. The bank announced its December quarter results on Monday when the Indian equity indices were closed on account of Republic Day.  (Adhithya Aji)

---

Equity Alert: Indices in Asia higher; KOSPI recovers after US tariff threats

 

MUMBAI--0824 IST--Equity indices in Asia were higher on Tuesday. South Korea's KOSPI index was trading higher after reversing losses amid threats by US President Donald Trump that he would raise tariffs on the country. 

 

Trump Monday said he would increase tariffs on imported auto, pharmaceutical, and lumber products from South Korea to 25% from 15?cause of the latter's legislature delaying the approval of a trade deal reached between the two countries last summer, CNBC reported. Shares of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. fell as much as 4% and 5%, respectively, according to the report. However, shares of the two companies seemed to have come off lows, with Hyundai Moto Corp and Kia Corp. trading around 1-2% lower.   

   

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Eastroc Beverage has begun its initial public offering to raise $1.3 billion, the largest listing seen this year in Hong Kong that has already witnessed a dozen companies raise around $4.5 billion, a report by South China Morning Post said. In Japan, markets are prepared for more volatility in bonds as the risk of government intervention in currency markets and the swing in stock prices come amid the start of campaigning for snap elections, according to a report by Bloomberg. Every aspect of debates regarding government spending and tax relief is being dissected after anxiety over government spending provoked a meltdown in bonds, affecting investors, and also threatened to jack up the government's debt servicing bill, the report said. 

 

Following are the levels of key Asian indices at 0820 IST:

 

INDEX	LEVEL	CHANGE IN %
CSI 300 Index	4724.95	0.38
Hang Seng Index	27077.81	1.17
KOSPI	5028.58	1.60
Nikkei 225 Day	53017.71	0.25
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3555.32	0.08
FTSE Singapore Straits Times	4906.96	0.95
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8945.90	0.97

 

(Akshat Saksena)

---

Equity Alert: US indices end higher Mon; Nasdaq, S&P 500 up for 4th session

 

MUMBAI--0739 IST--Equity indices in the US ended higher on Monday, with the Nasdaq Composite index and the S&P 500 index closing higher for the fourth straight session. Indices in the country continue to monitor political developments as US President Donald Trump uses tariffs to further his geopolitical ambitions on the global stage. 

 

Trump warned Canada that it would have to face 100% tariffs if the country enters into a trade deal with China. "If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.," he said in a Truth Social post, according to CNBC. Trump also implied that China would use Canada as a way to avoid paying import tariffs. "If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a 'Drop Off Port' for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken," he was reported as saying. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the country had no intention of signing a trade deal with Bejing.  

 

Shares of Intel Corp. ended nearly 6% lower despite beating expectations for the quarter as the company gave a softer guidance for the current quarter. Intel's Finance Chief David Zinsner said the company's soft guidance was partially because the company lacked the supply it needs for seasonal demand, which is likely to improve in the next quarter, according to CNBC. Shares of Jet Blue ended nearly 4% lower amid mass disruptions in flights due to a winter storm in the country, Reuters reported.

 

Shares of GEO Group and Core Civic, prison operators that have contracts with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, fell sharply as US Senate Democrats said they would oppose a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. This comes as a fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis has escalated a public backlash against Trump's approach towards immigration, Reuters said.

 

Investors will monitor the US Federal Reserve Bank's meeting, which starts on Tuesday. There's a 96.1% probability of the US central bank keeping interest rates unchanged, according to CME FedWatch. Investors will await cues on the future rate path of the US Federal Reserve. Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Tesla are expected to announce their quarterly results later in the week, setting up the test for the rally seen by shares of artifical intelligence companies, Reuters said. 

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Monday:  

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6950.23	0.5
NASDAQ Composite	23601.36	0.43
Dow Jones Industrial Average	49412.40	0.64

 

(Akshat Saksena)

 

US$1 = INR 91.95

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

 

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.

 

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.