Indian equities declined on Friday, with the benchmark Nifty posting its worst weekly fall since September, as foreign investor sentiment remained weak amid tepid earnings growth and little progress on the India-US trade front.
'A breakout above 158,000 to 160,000 could trigger the next leg higher toward 165,000 to 170,000.'
FPIs net sold equities worth Rs 1.7 trillion in 2025 -- the highest annual net sale on record.
Worries about global politics and trade are pulling the Nifty 50 down. Experts say the market could drop further low.
Retail investors' equity portfolios have significantly underperformed benchmark indices over the past 16 to 18 months.
Fundraising through pre-initial public offerings (pre-IPOs) more than doubled in 2025 compared with the previous year, but remained below the peak seen in 2023. The narrowing gap between pre-IPO and IPO pricing is the reason for the decline in both the number and value of such deals over the past two years.
The surge has come alongside a decline in average issue sizes and more muted listing-day returns compared with last year.
'Retail portfolios were going nowhere even as headline indices moved higher, prompting investors to sell holdings and shift money to IPOs, attracted by listing-day gains.'
Shares of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) tumbled on Tuesday, posting its biggest single-day decline in 19 months, amid controversy over its purchase of Russian oil and profit-booking after recent gains.
The number of rights issues more than doubled and hit a 28-year high in 2025, even as qualified institutional placements (QIPs) shrank amid a broader market correction and the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) revised framework for rights issues.
Over 50 per cent, or 660 stocks, from the BSE 1000 index recorded negative returns during CY25.
'Only four or five original companies remain; the rest have been replaced every decade as sectors evolve or leadership shifts.' 'Companies that fail to adapt -- like many textile mills from the 1970s and shipping firms from the 1980s -- disappear.' 'Benchmark indices reward those who reinvent themselves in line with economic demands.'
The milestone crowns a record year for the domestic primary market where IPO mobilisation is set to cross Rs 1.7 trillion.
Investing in gold trumped most other asset classes in terms of compounded annualised returns over the long term, suggests a report by FundsIndia.
Retail investors are moving away from a buy-and-hold approach and towards more informed short-term positioning, recent investment patterns show.
The Nifty 50 index could rise around 24 per cent from current levels to 32,032 by December 2026 in a bull-case scenario, Kotak Securities said in a recent note. "We value Nifty at a 10 per cent premium (at 22x) to the 10-year average price-to-earnings of 20x on 2027-28 estimated (E) earnings per share (EPS) of Rs 1,456, and arrive at a December 2026 Nifty target of 32,032," the analysts wrote.
Equity markets fell on Monday, with benchmark indices recording their worst session in over two months amid caution ahead of the US Federal Reserve's (Fed's) policy announcement and renewed uncertainty over the US-India trade deal. Sustained selling by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) also weighed on sentiment.
Unless the primary market momentum slows, smallcap stocks will stay subdued.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday delivered a 25 basis point (bps) repo rate cut analysts expected, driven by the strong 8.2 per cent GDP growth in the September quarter. However, analysts do not expect a runaway market rally as the impact of US tariffs continues.
Companies are primarily using funds raised through fresh equity issuance to repay existing debt, followed by allocation for capital expenditure, according to a study by Bank of Baroda of over 200 filings with the market regulator between April and October 2025. The report stated that of these filings with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) - covering both funds already raised in FY26 and future intent - 189 companies provided clear data on the purpose of the fund-raising.
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