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Informist, Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Mkts open higher as crude oil eases on US plan for ceasefire  

 

MUMBAI--0950 IST--Benchmark indices opened higher Wednesday after crude oil prices eased following media reports that the US is floating a month-ceasefire in West Asia. Washington has sent a 15-point plan to Iran for discussion, raising hope of resumption of oil exports out of the Persian Gulf. Financial services and automobile stocks were the major gainers in the indices.

 

At 0938 IST, the Nifty 50 was at 23207.95, up 295.55 points or 1.3% and the BSE Sensex was at 74956.85, up 888.40 points or 1.2%. The May futures contract of Brent crude oil was over 4% lower at $99.93 per barrel. 

 

"Hope is returning to the market with indications of de-escalation in the conflict. Remarks from President Donald Trump and from the Iranian regime indicate that the conflict might end soon," V.K. Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist, at Geojit Investments said in a note. 

 

Shriram Finance was the top gainer in the 50-stock index, up 4%. Shares of its peers Bajaj Finance, Jio Financial Services, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, and HDFC Life Insurance Co. rose 2?ch. Automobile companies Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki India, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Bajaj Auto, and Eicher Motors rose 2-3%. Among individual stocks, UltraTech Cement, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Adani Enterprises, Grasim Industries, and Eternal rose 2-3%. 

 

On the other hand, information technology companies Tech Mahindra and Infosys were the worst hit stocks in the index. They were down over 2% and nearly 1%, respectively. HCL Technologies and Tata Consultancy Services fell marginally. 

 

Among the Nifty 200 constituents, Housing & Urban Development Corp. and ITC Hotels were the top gainers. These stocks rose over 5?ch. Meanwhile, shares of Oil India and Persistent Systems fell around 1?ch in the index.

 

In the Nifty 500, PCBL Chemical was the top gainer, up nearly 13%. Shares of PG Electroplast were among the top gainers in the Nifty 500. The stock rose nearly 6?ter the company said it got an alternative solution to liquefied petroleum gas for production units and normalised the making of room air conditioners. Shares of Onesource Specialty Pharma were the worst hit in the index, down over 3%.  (Adhithya Aji)

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Equity Alert: United Spirits shrs to be in focus after 100% stake sale in RCB

 

MUMBAI--0844 IST--Shares of United Spirits are likely to rise Tuesday after the company sold 100% stake in the popular Indian Premium League franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, for INR 166.6 billion. The team was owned and operated through its wholly-owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports and was sold to a consortium comprising Aditya Birla Group, The Times of India group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone. 

 

On Tuesday, Rajasthan Royals was acquired by tech entrepreneur Kal Somani for $1.65 billion or INR 155 billion. The brokerage said that Rajastha Royals was valued at around $1.2 billion–$1.3 billion, but the sale sharply exceeded this view. Post this, Nomura valued Royal Challengers Bengaluru at INR 110 billion, 30% lower than the valuation bagged by Rajasthan Royals. However, RCB was sold at INR 166.6 billion, sharply higher than Nomura's valuation.

 

Nomura believes that the premium will re-rate the benchmark valuations for IPL franchises and reset market expectations against which all other teams, especially the stronger ones, will be compared. Sun TV Network is another listed entity that owns an IPL franchise, Sun Risers Hyderabad. India Cements owns Chennai Super Kings, while Reliance Industries owns Mumbai Indians.  

 

On Tuesday, shares of United Spirits ended over 4% higher at INR 1,328 on the National Stock Exchange.  (Adhithya Aji)

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Equity Alert: Asian indices rise as report says US floats peace plan to Iran

 

MUMBAI--0835 IST--Asian stock indices were up in early trade as oil prices tumbled following reports of the US floating a 15-point peace plan end the conflict with Iran. Taiwan's Taiex led the gains in early trade, climbing 3%.

 

Futures contracts tied to major US indices rose 0.7-0.8%. At 0756 IST, the May futures of Brent crude oil were at $98.30 per barrel, down over 6%. However, oil prices are still 40% higher from their pre-conflict levels and remain a pressure point for Asian equities due to the heavy dependence on oil from West Asian countries.

 

A resolution to the conflict in West Asia would result in the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz, the key trade route that controls 20% of global oil shipping. However, the impact of the oil and energy infrastructure damaged during the conflict is still unclear.

 

Japan's Nikkei 225 and broad-market Topix were up over 2?ch, led by gains in the shares of metal and chipmaking companies. Mitsui Kinzoku was up over 4% and Tokyo Electron was nearly 5% higher. Investors remain wary of the developments between the US and Iran and are keenly watching the Japanese government's response to shortage of energy and petrochemical products.

 

Amid mixed signals regardng US-Iran negotiations, Asian currencies could face volatility, Dow Jones Newswires reported, quoting MUFG Bank's Michael Wan. "We are ultimately cautious in reading too much into what the US side is claiming at this point in time," Wan said. "The longer the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the greater the chance of fuel shortages showing up across Asia," he adds. Wan highlighted that domestic fuel prices were now much higher in Asia, pointing to diesel and gasoline pump prices in the Philippines jumping 60-90% in March.

 

Following are the levels of key Asian indices at 0822 IST:

 

INDEX	LEVEL	CHANGE IN %
CSI 300 Index	4522.63	1.07
Hang Seng Index	25205.61	0.57
KOSPI	5688.81	2.43
Nikkei 225 Day	53616.45	2.61
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3644.77	2.39
FTSE Singapore Straits Times	4885.20	0.47
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8543.60	1.96

 

(Shruti Nair)

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Equity Alert: Indices may open higher as crude dn on US' peace plan for Iran

 

MUMBAI--0830 IST--Headline indices are expected to open higher on Wednesday, as crude oil prices fell after reports said the US is seeking a month-long ceasefire in its war on Iran, and has sent a 15-point plan to Tehran for discussion, raising hopes for resumption of oil exports out of the Persian Gulf. The May futures contract of Brent crude oil on the Intercontinental Exchange plunged over 7% in early trade to a low of around $97 per barrel. At 0808 IST, the futures contract traded around 6% lower at $98.44 per barrel. 

 

The US has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war, via Pakistan, whose army chief has emerged as the key interlocutor between the US and Iran, the New York Times reported, citing sources. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said talks to end the war are happening "now" and people that the US were in discussions with "want to make a deal so badly." The US is also said to have proposed a one-month cease-fire, according to an Israeli media outlet, Channel 12. It's unclear if Iran, which has denied any talks, would accept the plan as a starting point for negotiations. Nor was it clear whether Israel, which has been bombing Iran together with the US, was on board with the proposal, the New York Times report said. 

 

In another development, the Iranian mission in New York, in a post on 'X', said "non-hostile" vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz, "in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities." The mission said the vessels could travel the waterway if they "neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran" and comply with safety and security regulations. However, the US, Israeli and Iranian strikes continued and reports said that the US is expected to send thousands of soldiers from the US Army's elite 82nd Airborne Division to West Asia. 

 

Wednesday, the Nifty 50 index is expected to open on a positive gap-up note, Sundar Kewat, technical and derivative analyst at Ashika Institutional Equities said. "The 23000 (points) level is likely to act as a strong technical as well as psychological support, and any dip towards this zone could be viewed as a buying opportunity, potentially pushing the index (Nifty 50) towards 23500 (points). On the upside, 23500 (points) is expected to act as a key resistance level, where the index may face some consolidation or selling pressure," Kewat said. (Arya S. Biju)

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Equity Alert: US futures rise on signs of resolution to US-Iran hostilities

 

MUMBAI--0750 IST--Futures contracts of US indices rose around 1?ch after reports suggested that the US had approaced Iran for a resolution to the conflict in West Asia. On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that the US had sent a 15-point plan to Iran to end the war, although it was unclear if Israel, which has been attacking Iran alongside the US, had agreed to this plan.

 

Oil prices fell sharply after the report, leading to gains in the futures market. At 0745 IST, Brent crude oil May futures were down more than 6% at nearly $98 per barrel.

 

Major US Indices closed lower on Tuesday after Iran initially denied being in talks with the US to end the war. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite was the worst hit among its peers. Energy was the top-performing sector in the S&P 500 on Tuesday, rising 2%. It was the only sector in the S&P to record gains on a month-to-date basis, rising more than 9% in that timeframe, Reuters reported.

 

Investors remain wary of Trump's comments as Iran had refuted similar comments made by Trump on Monday. Since then, Israel and Iran exchanged strikes even as the US postponed strikes on Iran's power infrastructure by five days due to alleged negotiations. Another report by The Wall Street Journal claimed that the Pentagon would deploy 3,000 additional troops in West Asia to support operations against Iran.

 

Amid the uncertainty, 2-year US treasury yields rose more than 9 basis points on Tuesday to 3.925?ter a weak auction with the bid-to-cover ratio at 2.44, the narrowest since May 2024, CNBC reported. The auction saw the weakest participation by direct bidders since March 2025.

 

Concerns about the private credit sector resurfaced following a report that Ares Management had limited redemptions at its private credit fund to 5% as did Apollo Global Management amidst surging withdrawal requests. While shares of Apollo ended 0.7% higher, those of Ares Management and peer Blackstone ended around 1% lower.

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Tuesday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6556.37	(-)0.37
NASDAQ Composite	21761.89	(-)0.84
Dow Jones Industrial Average	46124.06	(-)0.18

 

(Shruti Nair)

 

US$1 = INR 93.92

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

 

Edited by Vandana Hingorani

 

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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