More Stories

Informist, Monday, May 25, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

---

Equity Alert: Sundaram Finance slightly down ahead of Q4 results

 

MUMBAI--0945 IST--Shares of Sundaram Finance were slightly down ahead of the company's March quarter earnings, due later in the day. The company is expected to report a year-on-year a fall in net profit for the March quarter due to moderate growth resulting from concentration in south Indian markets, limiting geographic diversification benefit, according to Nirmal Bang Equities Pvt. Ltd.

 

The company is expected to post a 7% on year fall in its net profit to INR 5.08 billion for the March quarter, according to Nirmal Bang Equities Pvt. Ltd. Its net interest income is expected to grow nearly 20% to INR 8 billion, according to Nirmal Bang.

On the other hand, Prabhudas Lilladher Pvt. Ltd. expects the net profit to fall nearly 12% on year to INR 4.82 billion for the March quarter, as the West Asia war is likely to negatively impact the profit. Its net interest income is expected to grow over 15% to INR 7.71 billion.

 

Both brokerages expect the disruption in the micro, small, and medium enterprises ecosystem caused by the war in West Asia to affect the asset quality of the company. Its assets under management are expected to grow 17% to INR 602.51 billion year on year for the reporting quarter, according to Prabhudas Lilladher.

 

For the December quarter, Sundaram Finance's net profit was INR 4.03 billion on revenue of INR 19.11 billion. At 0937 IST, shares of the company were 0.2% lower at INR 4,485 on the NSE. Out of two brokerage recommendations that Informist has on the company, both have a "hold" recommendation with an average target price INR 5,660 per share.  (Suryash Kumar)

---

Equity Alert: May open higher on US-Iran deal hopes, oil price at $99/bbl

 

MUMBAI--0825 IST--Benchmark equity indices may open higher Monday on hopes of a potential US-Iran peace deal and a fall in crude oil prices to $99 a barrel. The indices are expected to track early gains in Asian markets as well, with Taiwan's TAIEX gaining the most at 3%. All the three major US indices also closed higher Friday. 

 

US President Donald Trump said a memorandum of understanding on an agreement with Iran has been "largely negotiated" and would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil chokepoint closed since the US and Israel launched their war in February, Al Jazeera reported. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the next round of negotiations between the US and Iran will happen "very soon," according to Al Jazeera's report. Trump had also instructed negotiators "not to rush into a deal" with Iran and said the US blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would "remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and ‌signed," according to news reports. At 0805 IST, the July futures contract of Brent crude was over 4% lower from its previous close at $99.00 a barrel.

 

At 0821 IST, the June futures contract of the GIFT Nifty was nearly 1% higher at 23969.50 from its previous close. This was 250 points higher from the Nifty 50's previous close of 23719.30. The May futures contract of GIFT Nifty was also almost 1% higher at 23939 from its previous close and was over 210 points higher from Friday's close of the Nifty 50.

 

"The Nifty 50 is expected to face resistance at 24000–24100 levels and find support at 23650 levels in Monday's session," Ruchit Jain, technical research head at Motilal Oswal, said. The Indian rupee settled at 95.69 a dollar Friday.

 

Indian Oil Corp. Monday hiked the retail price of petrol by INR 2.61 to INR 102.12 per litre in Delhi. It raised diesel prices by INR 2.71 to INR 95.20 per litre.

 

Nifty 50 stock NTPC detailed its March quarter earnings Saturday. The company posted its net profit growth for the period at the highest pace in 20 quarters despite the revenue from operations falling for the fourth straight quarter. NTPC reported an over 51% growth in its bottom line for the March quarter to INR 87.47 billion. Of this, the company received a tax write-back of INR 87.37 billion. Its top line was at INR 431.11 billion, down nearly 2% on year.

 

Friday post market hours, Eicher Motors and Hindalco Industries detailed their March quarter earnings. Eicher reported a consolidated net profit of INR 15.20 billion, up nearly 12% on year, for the March quarter. Its top line stood at INR 60.80 billion, up 16% on year. Both metrics beat the Street's view. Hindalco's consolidated profit for the March quarter halved on year due to the impact of a one-time cost of INR 41.71 billion. Its net profit declined almost 51% on year to INR 25.97 billion, and revenue from operations rose over 20% on year to INR 781.33 billion.  (Arundathi A R)

---

Equity Alert: Asian markets rise on renewed hopes of peace between US, Iran

 

MUMBAI--0814 IST--Stock indices in Asia climbed higher Monday as signs of a peace deal between the US and Iran improved. US President Donlad Trump said over the weekend that an agreement was "largely negotiated". Brent Crude oil futures slipped below $100 per barrel after 10 sessions and hovered around 4% lower near $99 per barrel levels. Iran, however, did not confirm the progress in talks. 

 

"I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side. The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and get it right," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 

 

Indices in Japan outperformed the other markets in the region. The benchmark Nikkei 225 touched a new all-time-high and breached the 65000 mark for the first time. Shares of heavyweights Advantest Corp. and Softbank Group Corp. were 4% and 6% higher, respectively. The broader market TOPIX was up 1.2%. the Japanese yen also appreciated slightly against the US dollar. It appreciated 0.3% to 158.6920 Monday. 

 

Australia's S&P ASX 200 and the FTSE Singapore Strait Times advanced for the third consecutive session. China's CSI 300 and the SSE Composite indices also gained. Meanwhile, markets in South Korea and Hong Kong's are closed Monday on account of Buddha's birthday. 

 

The following were the levels of major Asian indices at 0814 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4890.4272	0.94
Nikkei 225 Day	65110.79	2.80
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3937.28	1.15
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	5096.85	0.57
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8711.00	0.62

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

---

Equity Alert: US futures climb as US-Iran peace deal prospects improve

 

MUMBAI--0740 IST--US futures climbed Monday as the prospects of a peace deal between the US and Iran improved. US President Donald Trump said over the weekend that an agreement with Iran was "largely negotiated" and that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened soon. At 0726 IST, the E-mini Dow futures were higher by almost 1%. Brent crude oil futures slipped below $100 per barrel, down over 6% from the previous trading session's highs.

 

"An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed. Separately, I had a call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, which, likewise, went very well," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one," he said in another post, while adding that is yet to be finalised.

 

"Notwithstanding all the caveats and risks that remain to the peace deal and Strait of Hormuz, there is now some light at the end of the tunnel, which will bring some near-term oil price relief," Saul Kavonic, an analyst at MST Marquee, told Reuters.

 

On Friday, all the three major US indices ended in positive territory, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average notching a fresh record high of 50830.24 points. For the week, the index was 2% up. On a weekly basis, the S&P 500 gained for the eighth consecutive week. Technology stocks supported the gains. Shares of Qualcomm closed almost 12% higher, and Advanced Micro Devices was 4% up. 

 

In other news, Kevin Warsh was sworn in as the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Given the economic fragility due to the war in West Asia, Warsh is likely to be faced with significant inflationary pressure. Expectations of a rate cut have reduced, and those of an interest rate hike have increased. "I really mean this, I want Kevin to be totally independent. Don't look at me, don't look at anybody, just do your own thing and do a great job," Trump said at the swearing-in ceremony, the BBC reported. 

 

Following were the closing levels of major US indices on Friday:

 

US Indices	Levels	Change in %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	50579.70	0.58
NASDAQ Composite	26343.97	0.19
S&P 500	7473.47	0.37

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

 

US$1 = INR 95.38

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.

 

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. 2026. All rights reserved.