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Informist, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Nifty 50 opens tad dn post 4-day gain; IT, FMCG cos major drag

 

MUMBAI--0945 IST--The Nifty 50 index opened a tad lower Tuesday, snapping the four-day gains. The index gave up its gains from the previous sessions following a slight rise in crude oil prices to $85 a barrel amid ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran. The BSE Sensex, however, managed to open higher for the session with marginal gains.

 

At 0918 IST, the Nifty 50 was at 24610.40, down 163.90 points or 0.7%. The BSE Sensex was at 78781.17, up 142.14 points or 0.2%. The volatility index, India VIX, rose marginally to 11.9400 points. Barring the Nifty Smallcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 250, all broader market indices were down 0.1–0.5%.

 

"From a technical perspective, the market structure continues to remain positive as long as the Nifty holds above the 24500 support zone," said Rajesh Palviya, head of research at Axis Direct, said in a note. "Immediate resistance is placed near 24900, and a decisive close above this level could pave the way towards 25150."

 

Monday, the August futures of Nifty 50 closed at a discount of 109.40 points to that of the spot index, following the new closing auction mechanism for the equity cash segment. When the continuous trading ended the previous day, the 50-stock index had ended at 24573.35 points, up 0.8% from Friday. Post the closing auction session, the index ended at 24774.30 points, up 390.70 points or 1.6%.

 

Under the new rules, the continuous trading session ends at 1515 IST for these selected stocks, and the closing auction session runs between 1528 IST and 1530 IST. The price band during the closing auction session is capped at 3?ove or below the stock's reference price.

 

Most sectoral indices were down in early trade, with only Nifty Metal and Nifty Energy gaining among them. The Nifty Realty was the worst hit sectoral index, down 1.5%. Indices tracking information technology and fast-moving consumer goods stocks were down almost 1% each.

 

Only nine Nifty 50 constituents were higher in early trade. Grasim Industries was the top drag on the index, down over 3%. Bajaj Auto and Titan Co. shed over 2?ch in the index.

 

FMCG stocks Tata Consumer Products and Hindustan Unilever were down 1.5?ch. IT stocks Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, and HCL Technologies were down 0.7–1.5%. Banking and financial services stocks were also down with Axis Bank, SBI Life Insurance Corp., and HDFC Life Insurance losing over 1?ch.

 

On other hand, metal stocks gained the most, with Hindalco Industries being the top performer. The stock was up over 1% and extended its gains for a fifth straight session. Tata Steel was up 0.5%, while Adani Enterprises gained 0.4%.  (Arundathi A R)

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Equity Alert: Asian indices open mixed, yen slips against dollar

 

MUMBAI--0805 IST--Asian indices opened mixed amid signs of de-escalation in the US-Iran war. Mainland China's CSI 300 and Singapore's FTSE rose marginally, while South Korea's Kospi and Japan's Nikkei 225 fell marginally. The broader Japanese index Topix was also slightly down.

 

Meanwhile, Japan's yen slipped 0.2% to 157.39 per dollar early Tuesday after appreciating in the previous sessions. This comes after the Japan intervened in the currency market, with finance ministry conducting a co-ordinated yen-buying session with the US treasury on Friday. 

 

Major movers in South Korea such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix fell around 2% each. Japan's Advantest fell more than 3% and Disco Corp. fell slightly. Others such as SoftBank Group and Toyota Motors fell more than 3% and 1%, respectively.

 

On the macroeconomic front, South Korea's July Consumer Price Index stood at 119.77, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics of South Korea. The CPI rose 2.8% in July against 3.2% in June. South Korea's consumer inflation has softened to a three-month low. 

 

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs' chief China equity strategist Kinger Lau is increasingly constructive on Hong Kong-listed internet and software companies, arguing that their earnings outlook was improving, CNBC reported.

 

"We still like the AI trade fundamentally, particularly hardware proxies. But at the same time, we think that the risk reward for some of the soft tech or application-oriented names, particularly those listed in Hong Kong, the investment case is just getting a little bit better," Lau told CNBC's China Connection.

 

Following are the levels of key indices in the region at 0802 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
Nikkei 225 Day	63407.16	(-)0.6
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3936.25	(-)0.6
S&P/ASX 200 Index	9121.20	1.1
KOSPI Index	6249.86	(-)0.1
Hang Seng Index	25885.89	(-)0.5
CSI 300 Index	4564.26	0.5
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	5621.89	0.2

 

(Deesha Jadhav)

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Equity Alert: To open dn on rise in oil; closing auction mechanism in focus

 

MUMBAI--0825 IST--Domestic equity indices are expected to open lower Tuesday, as suggested by movement in the August futures contract of GIFT Nifty following a slight rise in the crude oil prices from Monday's levels. Indices are likely to open lower, after rising 1–2% Monday, amid ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran. Market participants will Tuesday shift their focus on how the new closing auction mechanism functions for the equity cash segment.

 

Stock exchanges Monday implemented the new closing auction mechanism for the equity cash segment, applicable to stocks in which futures and options trading is permitted. However, a divergence occurred between the closing levels of the Nifty 50 and the Sensex on Monday after the prices were determined under the new closing auction mechanism. Monday, when the continuous trading ended, the 50-stock index had ended at 24573.35 points, up 0.8% from Friday. Post the closing auction session, the index ended at 24774.30 points, up 390.70 points or 1.6%.

 

According to a press release by the National Stock Exchange released Monday, on the first day of CAS implementation itself, 515 trading members participated, and they placed orders for 56,773 unique Permanent Account Numbers. "It was more than today's pre-open call auction session where 403 trading members participated who placed orders for 42,822 unique PANs," according to the release. The exchange said the participation levels were very good, given the first day, and it is expected to mature and increase with time.

 

The NSE also mentioned the index graph on the exchange during the CAS session needs to be properly interpreted, as there is no sudden change in the index at 1530 IST but the order collection, cancellation, and matching follows a process. As there is no continuous order matching between 1515 IST and 1530 IST, the index value is constant as it is based on traded values. "However, the indicative values are displayed just besides that get quote on the Exchange website, based on the indicative values derived from the equilibrium prices calculated continuously during 1515 IST and 1530 IST," according to the release.

 

At 0825 IST, the August futures contract of GIFT Nifty was marginally higher from its previous close at 24649.50. This was over 120 points lower than the Nifty 50's previous close of 24774.30. "Gift Nifty is indicating towards a flat opening for the domestic markets," Vipin Kumar, assistant vice president of research at Globe Capital Market, said. "Going ahead, sustenance above 24600 hold the key for a sustainable move to 24800 and higher levels in the near term. Conversely, fall below 24400 spot will confirm the further consolidation in the benchmark index."

 

On the earnings perspective, Bharti Airtel and Oil and Natural Gas Corp. will be tracked as the companies will detail their June quarter earnings later in the day. Bharti Airtel is expected to post consolidated net profit at INR 85.51 billion, up 44% on year. Its revenues are expected to grow nearly 16% on year to INR 572.89 billion.

 

All three major US indices settled higher Monday with significant gains. The NASDAQ Composite closed over 2% higher, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 closed above 1% higher each. Asian equity indices were mixed in early trade, with the S&P/ ASX 200 Index up 1%.  (Arundathi A R)

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Equity Alert: US mkts cheer W Asia war de-escalation, Dow Jones hits new high

 

MUMBAI--0701 IST--Major US indices closed higher Monday as signs of de-escalation in the West Asia war lifted sentiment. Positive expectations for corporate earnings due this week also supported market sentiment. Barring the shares of Apple, all the other magnificent seven stocks posted gains. Amazon breached the $3 trillion level in market capitalisation and shares of the company closed around 5% higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a fresh high Monday, and it closed above the 53000 mark for the first time in 19 trading sessions. The Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 closed 2% and 1% higher, respectively. 

 

Among the 11 major sectoral indices, the S&P 500 Communication Services was the best performer, which closed over 4% higher. Gains in major movers such as Meta Platforms and Alphabet boosted the index; both closed more than 6% and 4% higher, respectively. Of the S&P 500 companies, 304 companies reported their earnings and showed a 29.3% growth, according to a Reuters report.  

 

Ahead of earnings for the quarter ended June, SpaceX ended 5% up and those of Caterpillar around 2%, while those of McDonald's closed 2% lower. Shares of Bristol Myers Squibb closed slightly higher after a report suggested that the company is in talks for a merger with UK drugmaker AstraZeneca. The deal could value the companies together at around $400 billion.

 

Following were the closing levels of major US indices Monday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	53178.41	1.3
NASDAQ Composite	25913.90	2.1
S&P 500	7600.5	1.5

 

(Deesha Jadhav)

 

US$1 = INR 95.25

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

 

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

 

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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