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Informist, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Nifty 50 Aug ends at premium of 71.45 points to spot index

 

MUMBAI--1545 IST--The August futures contract of the Nifty 50 closed at a premium of 71.45 points to the spot index Thursday. Open interest in the contract rose 1.9% from Wednesday to around 12.80 million, according to provisional data.

 

--Nifty 50 closed at 24395.85 points, down 40.10 points or 0.2% vs Wednesday

--Nifty 50 August closed at 24467.30 points, down 3.20 points or flat vs Wednesday

 

Nifty 50 options, expiring Tue, with maximum change in open interest:

Call: 24800, Put: 24350

 

Nifty 50 options, expiring Tue, with maximum open interest:

Call: 25000, Put: 24000

 

(Eshitva Prakash)

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Equity Alert: Most indices in Europe up, UK's FTSE 100 down

 

MUMBAI--1515 IST--Most of the main stock markets in Europe were up Thursday though their moves were subdued. The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index was the only major index in the red. Metal and mining stocks dragged the 100-stock index down. Shares of major technology players in the region were either flat or down despite stocks in the sector having risen significantly in Asia earlier in the day.

 

The STOXX Europe 600 Technology was only slightly up. Shares of Infineon Technologies and STMicroelectronics fell around 1?ch. Aixtron fell almost 3%. Shares of one of the largest global technology investors, Prosus, were down almost 2%. However, software majors Amadeus IT Group and SAP were up 1?ch.

 

Among other buzzers, energy majors Shell and BP fell over 1% and almost 2%, respectively, as crude oil prices declined. Brent Crude Oil futures fell almost 3% from Wednesday's highs to around $87 per barrel. Shares of TotalEnergies were down around 0.6%. 

 

On the macroeconomic front, the UK's economy expanded 0.4% for the quarter ended June, lower than the 0.6% rise reported in the preceding quarter. For the month of June, its GDP grew 0.3% on month after showing no growth in May. Reuters had polled zero growth for June. "...The economy seems to have weathered the Iran war extremely well, with little sign of consumers or businesses curtailing activity in response to higher oil prices," Reuters quoted Thomas Pugh, chief economist at accountancy firm RSM UK, as saying. 

 

Following were the levels of key indices in the region at 1520 IST: 

 

Index	Level	Change in %
FTSE 100 Index	10797.34	(-)0.33
CAC 40	8696.70	0.25
MIB INDEX	53898.17	0.37
DAX PERFORMANCE-INDEX	26453.64	0.47
SLI	2330.34	0.37

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

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Equity Alert: Most indices in Asia close lower; S Korea, Japan mkts advance

 

MUMBAI--1404 IST--Most stock indices in Asia closed lower. While South Korea's benchmark index Kospi led the gains in the region, Japan's Nikkei 225 and Topix closed with around 1% gains. Gains in technology stocks lifted the Kospi and Nikkei. Chinese indices CSI 300 and the SSE Composite had opended higher but pared their gains to close in the red. 

 

The Kospi advanced for the fourth consecutive trading day. Shares of SK Hynix mildly came off earlier highs and closed almost 6% higher while Samsung Electronics Co. ended 5% higher. Shares of SK Square Co. rose around 9%. Among others, Taiwan's Taiex closed in the positive territory for the fourth straight session, up 1%. Key index constituent TSMC was up almost 1% and MediaTek over 5%.

 

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of Australia's restrictive stance and decision to tighten policy is working, Christopher Kent, the assistant governor for financial markets at the country's central bank, said in a speech earlier Thursday. Borrowing costs and mortgage payments have increased, conditions in the established housing market turned down, and the Australian dollar appreciated on a year-to-date basis, he said. These, he added, are "intended" and "needed to bring inflation back to target". The central bank's aim is for annualised inflation rate to remain between 2% and 3%. The Reserve Bank of Australia had left its interest rate unchanged at 4.35?rlier this week. The S&P/ASX 200 index closed lower for the second session in a row.   

 

Following are the levels of key indices in the region at 1404 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
Nikkei 225 Day	68308.59	1.16
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	4176.04	0.89
S&P/ASX 200 Index	9188.50	(-)0.23
KOSPI Index	6813.34	3.56
Hang Seng Index	25396.51	(-)0.17
CSI 300 Index	4663.9513	(-)0.57
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	5715.51	(-)0.09

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

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Equity Alert: Astral jumps 9.2% to over 2-mo high on robust Q1 PAT growth

 

MUMBAI--1325 IST--Shares of Astral rose over 9% intraday to their highest level in over two months at INR 1,598.70, after the company reported strong on-year growth in its consolidated net profit for the June quarter supported by broad-based revenue growth across segments and a low base effect in the pipes business. At 1324 IST, the stock traded 8.4% higher at INR 1,586.50, on the National Stock Exchange. It was among the top gaining stocks in both the Nifty 200 and Nifty 500. 

 

The pipes and adhesives maker's consolidated net profit for the June quarter jumped nearly 48% on year to INR 1.2 billion, in line with analysts' expectation. This also marked the sharpest on-year growth in net profit in 11 quarters. The company's consolidated revenue for the quarter rose nearly 16% on year to INR 15.78 billion, slightly below analysts' expectation of INR 15.94 billion.

 

Going forward, the company maintained its earlier guidance of achieving double-digit revenue growth in 2026-27 (Apr-Mar). The company had earlier guided for 20-25% revenue growth in FY27. Its management also guided for an earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation margin of 16-18% in the current financial year. With polyvinyl chloride prices going up, the company is hopeful that dealers will again fill up their inventory, its management said in a post-earnings call with analysts Wednesday. The officials said if this continued for long, their probability of raising the margin guidance from 16-18% might increase.
 

After the quarterly earnings announcement, brokerages Nuvama Institutional Equities and JP Morgan have upgraded their recommendation on the stock. Nuvama upgraded the stock to "buy" and raised its target price 6.6% to INR 1,675 per share, indicating an over 14% upside from the stock's Wednesday close. Similarly, JP Morgan upgraded the stock to "overweight" from "neutral" and raised its price target over 9% to INR 1,750, indicating an over 19% upside from the stock's Wednesday close, CNBC TV18 reported, citing the brokerage.

 

Global brokerage Citi also maintained its "buy" call on Astral with a price target of INR 1,900, indicating a 30% upside from Wednesday's close. The brokerage noted that Astral's chlorinated polyvinyl chloride backward integration is on track for the fourth quarter of FY27, which will support FY28 margin expansion and market share gains, CNBC TV18 reported. CLSA, on the other hand, retained its "hold" call on Astral with a price target of INR 1,490, saying that the guidance is maintained and viewed as largely achievable, according to the report. 

 

On Tuesday, global index provider MSCI in its August review excluded Astral from MSCI India Standard Index and moved it to the Small Cap Index. According to Nuvama Alternative and Quantitative Research, the move could result in potential outflows of around $138 million, Moneycontrol reported, citing the brokerage. The rebalancing will be effective from Aug. 31.  (Arya S. Biju)

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Equity Alert: Nifty 50 off lows, above 24400 pts; heavyweight ICICI Bk dn 1%

 

MUMBAI--1305 IST--The Nifty 50 index came slightly off day's low as more than half its constituents traded higher. The Nifty 50 index also managed to cross the 24400-point level by a few points. The BSE Sensex turned flat from its earlier fall of 0.3%. Shares of metal companies were largely down while those of realty and fast-moving consumer goods were up.

 

At 1225 IST, the Nifty 50 was at 24402.30, down 33.65 points or 0.1%. The Sensex was at 77994.23, up 27.88 points or largely flat from Wednesday's close. The India VIX fell further and was down nearly 2% at 11.4775 points. Broader market indices maintained their earlier levels of mixed performance. The Nifty Metal was down over 1% and was the worst hit among sectoral indices. The Nifty Realty and Nifty FMCG were up 0.5?ch.

 

Hindalco Industries, Grasim Industries, and UltraTech Cement remained the three major laggards in the 50-stock index, down 2–3%. Index heavyweight ICICI Bank fell 1.5%, limiting the index's rise. Its heavyweight peer Reliance Industries also fell around 1%.

 

Tata group companies gained the most in the Nifty 50 index. Tata Consumer Products and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles gained almost 2?ch. Tech Mahindra, Bharat Electronics, and Max Healthcare Institute gained over 1?ch.  (Arundathi A R)

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Equity Alert: Tata Motors PV up 2% ahead of Q1 earnings, PAT seen narrowing

 

MUMBAI--1300 IST--Shares of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles were 2% higher ahead of the company's earnings for the June quarter due later Thursday. The stock was among the top gainers in the benchmark Nifty 50 index. The company's wholly-owned luxury car subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover Automotive business is expected to have recovered slightly in the quarter after being hit by a major cyber incident in late August last year and a fire incident in the year-ago June quarter. 

 

Tata Motors PV's revenue from operations is expected to rise 6% on year to INR 925.70 billion, as per the average of 10 estimates. Revenue predictions do not vary too much. The highest estimate is of INR 949.84 billion from Nuvama Wealth Management and the lowest of INR INR 911.45 billion from YES Securities (India). 

 

The Sierra maker's consolidated net profit is expected to be over 51% lower year-on-year at INR 12.54 billion. Unlike revenue, its expectations for profit vary widely – from a high of INR 19.58 billion from ICICI Securities to a low of INR 6.66 billion from HDFC Securities. The company's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation are expected to be INR 64.24 billion, according to the average of seven estimates. High input costs are expected to weigh on its EBITDA for the June quarter. 

 

At 1252 IST, shares of the carmaker were 1.7% higher at INR 348.70 on the NSE. Though more than 7 million shares of the company changed hands on the bourse, trading volumes were over 50% lower compared to the same time Wednesday.  (Ruchira Kagita) 

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Equity Alert: Max Health up 1% ahead of Q1 results; PAT seen 28% higher YoY

 

MUMBAI--1202 IST--Shares of Max Healthcare Institute rose over 1% on the National Stock Exchange ahead of the company's earnings for the June quarter, due later in the day. 

 

Max Healthcare is expected to report a consolidated net profit of INR 3.95 billion, up over 28% on year, according to the average of estimates from 11 brokerages. Revenues are expected to rise 34% to INR 27.2 billion. Sequentially, its profit and revenue are seen rising around 15% and 27%, respectively. Multiple brokerages expect the company's average revenue per occupied bed to rise on a yearly basis. 

 

The hospital chain's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation are estimated to rise over 16% on year for the reporting quarter to INR 6.88, as per the average of 10 estimates. The company's bed occupancy during the quarter and its average revenue per occupied bed will be key to watch.

 

At 1201 IST, shares of the company were trading 1.2% up at INR 1,020 on the NSE with trading volumes of over 591,000. This is lower than volumes of over 1.1 million witnessed until the same time Wednesday.  (Ruchira Kagita) 

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Equity Alert: Indices stay in the red; UltraTech down over 2%

 

MUMBAI--1115 IST--Domestic equity indices continued to remain in the red with the majority of Nifty 50 stocks falling. The Nifty 50 fell below the crucial level of 24400 points, which analysts expect will lead to a further drop in the index.

 

At 1115 IST, the Nifty 50 was at 24320.05 points, down 115.90 points, or 0.5%. The BSE Sensex was at 77703.81 points, down 262.54 points, or 0.3%. India VIX fell nearly 1% to 11.6250 points. Small-cap indices gained slightly in the broader market, while mid-cap indices were marginally down each.

 

The Nifty Oil & Gas index fell almost 1% among sectoral indices. Indices tracking metal and consumer durables sectors were also down 1?ch. The Nifty Realty, Nifty Media, and Nifty FMCG were the sole gainers among sectoral indices.

 

UltraTech Cement was the biggest laggard among the Nifty 50 stocks, down over 2%. Hindalco Industries and Grasim Industries were down around 2?ch. Tube Investments of India fell the most in the Nifty 200 index, down nearly 3%. Page Industries and Zydus Lifesciences were down over 2?ch.

 

In the Nifty 500 index, shares of Aditya Infotech hit 5% lower circuit at INR 3,704.20. Chennai Petroleum Corp. was down over 4% in the Nifty 500 index.  (Arundathi A R)

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Equity Alert: Tata Motors up; Q1 PAT beats view, analysts bullish on demand

 

MUMBAI--1025 IST--Shares of Tata Motors jumped 6% to their highest level in over five months of INR 485, after the company reported its earnings for the June quarter, wherein its net profit was above analysts' expectations. Brokerages are confident of demand for medium and heavy commercial vehicles to sustain in the medium term, but pressure on margin due to high input costs will be a key thing to monitor. 

 

Nomura upgraded the stock to "buy" from "neutral" and hiked its target price by almost 38% to INR 554 apiece. This target implies an over 21% upside from its closing price Wednesday. The company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation for the June quarter were 5-6% ahead of its own and consensus estimates, Nomura said. The company's margin is expected to improve further due to price hikes, it said. The company had reported an EBITDA of INR 23 billion for the quarter. "With a 2.5% price hike taken in July, we believe margins will improve from here on," according to Nomura. Tata Motors reported an EBITDA margin of 11.7% for the quarter ended June. 

 

Further, Nomura expects volumes of medium and heavy commercial vehicles in the second half of the financial year 2026-27 (Apr-Mar) to be 4.5% higher at over 230,000. Demand for light commercial vehicles is also strong, and the company is likely to benefit from its focus on electric vehicles and exports, the brokerage said in its report. The brokerage also raised its EBITDA estimates by 10-13% for FY27 and FY28, and it pegs the automaker's EBITDA margin at 12.8% and 13.9% this financial year and in FY28, respectively. The company's deal with IVECO is expected to be complete by November, and its EBIT margin for FY27 is seen at 2.8%. 

 

However, Tata Motors' EBITDA missed Emkay Global Financial Services estimates amid rising commodity costs. The 2.5% price hikes the company undertook in July should help offset the hit from inflationary costs, the brokerage said. Healthy demand for commercial vehicles and momentum in electric vehicles should also support margin growth, it added. Given these reasons, the brokerage kept its expectations for the commercial vehicle seller's earnings per share unchanged. Emkay Global maintained its "buy" call on the stock with an unchanged target price of INR 700. 

 

Elara Securities (India) raised its estimates for the company's earnings per share by 4% for FY27 to INR 17.5 and by 3% for FY28 to INR 19.5 on the back of better-than-expected volume growth in the June quarter. The brokerage also raised its target price to INR 508 from INR 423 while maintaining its "accumulate" stance. A "double-digit" growth in volumes of medium and heavy commercial vehicles is likely to continue in the September quarter, it said. 

 

Exports are expected to grow 77.5% in volumes in FY27 due to ramp-up of order deliveries in Indonesia and domestic volumes are seen rising 5% in the latter half of this fiscal year, JM Financial Institutional Securities said. The brokerage also raised its EBITDA guidance for FY27 by 30 basis points to 12.3%. The brokerage raised its target price to INR 535 from INR 475 and retained its "buy" call. "Multiple data points collectively signal continued demand momentum for the CV (commercial vehicle) segment," it said.  (Ruchira Kagita) 

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Equity Alert: Nifty 50 opens tad lower, below 24500 points; Hindalco down 2%

 

MUMBAI--0945 IST--The Nifty 50 index opened a tad lower Thursday and went below the 24500-point level at open for the second session. The BSE Sensex turned lower after opening slightly higher. Though crude oil prices fell slightly from the previous high of $90 per barrel, they are expected to continue weighing on the market sentiment.

 

At 0932 IST, the Nifty 50 index was at 24324.90, down 111.05 points or 0.5%. The Sensex was at 77742.03, down 224.32 points or 0.3%. Broader market indices were mixed during early trade. All small-cap indices were marginally up, while mid-cap indices fell marginally. Investors were less nervous on the expiry day of the Sensex's weekly derivatives contract. The India Volatility index was down marginally at 11.6775 points.

 

Barring the Nifty Media and Nifty Auto, all sectoral indices accounted for a loss in the early trade. The Nifty Metal fell the most, down nearly 1%. The Nifty Oil & Gas and Nifty Consumer Durables were also down nearly 1?ch.

 

Hindalco Industries was the worst-hit Nifty 50 stock, down over 2%. Grasim Industries and UltraTech Cement were down almost 2?ch. In the Nifty 200 index, National Aluminium Co. was the top drag, down 3%. Chennai Petroleum Corp. fell the most in the Nifty 500 index, down 5%.

 

Among gainers in the 50-stock index, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles led the pack. Shares of the company gained over 2% ahead of its June quarter results, scheduled for later in the day. Tata Motors PV is expected to report a consolidated net profit of INR 12.54 billion for the June quarter, down over 51% on year. Its revenues for the quarter are expected to be INR 925.70 billion, up 6% on year.

 

In the Nifty 200 as well as Nifty 500 indices, Astral emerged as the top performer, up 7%. Shares of the company rose after its June quarter consolidated net profit came in line with analysts' expectations.  (Arundathi A R)

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Equity Alert: Indices may open dn, move in range; focus on oil price, Tata cos

 

MUMBAI--0825 IST--Domestic equity indices are likely to open a tad lower Thursday as suggested by the movement of the GIFT Nifty levels. The market sentiment was hurt due to the recent escalation of war in West Asia and the consequent rise in crude oil prices. Analysts see indices moving in a range on the expiry day of the Sensex's weekly derivatives contract and see the 24400-point level as a crucial mark, a fall below which will lead to further drop in the market.  
 

Brent crude oil for October delivery fell slightly to $88 a barrel from the previous day's high of $90 a barrel. At 0743 IST, the October futures contract of Brent crude oil was over 1% lower at $87.96 a barrel. It was almost 21% higher than the pre-war levels. Crude oil prices fell after gaining for the past six sessions. The October delivery of the commodity gained over 12% during this period.  

 

At 0806 IST, the August futures contract of GIFT Nifty was largely flat from Wednesday at 24424.50. This was down over 11 points from the Nifty 50's previous close of 24435.95, suggesting a lower opening. "Index could trade rangebound, expect stock specific momentum," Ruchit Jain, head of technical research at Motilal Oswal, said.

 

"Going forward, holding below 24400 spot levels could drag it (Nifty 50) towards 24130–24050 in the near term," Vipin Kumar, assistant vice president of research at Globe Capital Market, said. "Conversely, sustained trading above 24500 will strengthen the chances of further consolidation in the near term."

 

Shares of Tata group companies will continue to be under focus as Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said he will not seek reappointment at the company's annual general meeting, scheduled to be held Tuesday, because of the lack of consensus in the board on his continuation. Tata group companies were the major drags on the Nifty 50 index Wednesday, with Tata Consultancy Services shedding 4%.

 

Shares of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Max Healthcare Institute will be in focus as they will announce their June quarter results later in the day. Tata Motors PV is expected to report a consolidated net profit of INR 12.54 billion for the June quarter, down over 51% on year. Its revenues for the quarter are expected to be INR 925.70 billion, up 6% on year. Max Healthcare Institute is expected to report a consolidated net profit of INR 3.95 billion, up over 28% on year. The company's revenue from operations is seen up 34% on year at INR 27.2 billion.

 

Barring the Dow Jones Industrial Average, other major US indices settled higher Wednesday. Asian equity indices were mixed in early trade with South Korea's KOSPI gaining over 4%.  (Arundathi A R)

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Equity Alert: Most Asia mkts up, buying in tech stocks helps Kospi, Nikkei 

 

MUMBAI--0802 IST--Asian indices opened on a mixed note with South Korea's benchmark Kospi and Japan's Nikkei 225 leading the gains. Australia's S&P/ASX 200, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, Indonesia's IDX Composite were lower. The rise in technology stocks in the US stock markets overnight likely supported the Kospi and the Nikkei 225.

 

Kospi was higher for the fourth session in a row. Heavyweights SK Hynix Inc and Samsung Electronics were up over 7% and 5%, respectively. Shares of companies involved in semiconductor equipment manufacturing such as HANMI Semiconductor Co. and Jusung Engineering were up 4%, Jusung Engineering and those of ISU Petasys Co. rose over 8%. 

 

The Nikkei was up around 1.5% and Topix was up 0.5%. Among the constituents of Japan's key 225-stock stock index, Advantest Corp. and Disco Corp. were up over 5% and Tokyo Electron almost 4%. Shares of computer memory chip manufacturer Kioxia Holdings Corp. rose as much as almost 10%. 

 

Following are the levels of key indices in the region at 0803 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
Nikkei 225 Day	68601.73	1.60
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	4161.59	0.55
S&P/ASX 200 Index	9163.20	(-)0.50
KOSPI Index	6857.74	4.24
Hang Seng Index	25414.33	(-)0.10
CSI 300 Index	4722.0785	0.66
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	5695.28	(-)0.45

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

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Equity Alert: Nasdaq, S&P 500 close higher as tech stocks rebound

 

MUMBAI--0745 IST--US indices ended mixed with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling for the third trading session in a row. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite and the broader market S&P 500 closed higher after ending the red for two straight session due to gains in stocks linked to artificial intelligence. 

 

On the sectoral front, eight of the 11 S&P 500 sector indices ended in the green. The S&P 500 Real Estate and the S&P 500 Information Technology performed the best and closed 1.07% and 1.06% higher, respectively. 

 

The US retail inflation rate dipped 3.4% on year for July, a tad lower than 3.5% for June. The index for energy increased 14.7% on an yearly basis and the gasoline index rose 24.6% over the same period. Core inflation, which excludes the volatile food and energy prices, rose 2.5% on year 0.2% on month. Inflation remains, however, remains above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. 

 

"Even though there's going to be another release before the September meeting, I think there's already enough here to take that September hike off the table," State Street economist Simona Mocuta was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal. The probability of rates being unchanged at the September policy stood at 59.9%, up from 51.6?rlier. 

 

Following were the closing levels of major US indices Wednesday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	53770.27	(-)0.04
NASDAQ Composite	26588.48	0.54
S&P 500	7748.50	0.26

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

 

US$1 = INR 95.44

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.

 

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