It's the first time in my memory that I have seen a negative expected return for equities, notes Akash Prakash. Hopefully, this implies the consensus is being too negative, and markets, as usual, will surprise everyone and deliver the least likely outcome.
The biggest bounce is in the realty sector, where the industry index jumped 80%. There's been a turnaround also in automobiles and ancillaries (up 45%). The pharma and health care indices have a welcome return of roughly 35%.
After a strong run in the midcap and smallcap indices, which surged 46 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively, on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) during Samvat 2080, analysts suggest that the rally in these segments may pause to catch its breath in Samvat 2081.
'At least 25 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of plastic chewing gum gets dumped.' 'And because the way people spit it out, there's no possible way this plastic can be recycled.'
'New record for the Nifty50 is only a question of when.'
Among major Sensex movers, ITC rose the most by 1.70 per cent, Wipro by 1.43 per cent, Tech Mahindra by 1.36 per cent and Nestle India by 1.27 per cent. Other gainers included HCL Tech, Asian Paints and Reliance. On the other hand, ICICI Bank, NTPC, UltraTech Cement and Tata Steel traded with a loss of up to 0.82 per cent.
Since March 31, 2022, the PSBs' market cap has risen 43.7 per cent, from Rs. 7.29 trillion to Rs. 10.47 trillion. It's time for the government, the majority owner of public sector banks, to reap the benefit of the rally in bank stocks, recommends Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is likely to report muted results in the fourth quarter of 2024-25 (Q4FY25) due to weakness in urban consumption. The weakness may persist through the first half of 2025-26 (H1FY26).
'The markets will correct, and they are bound to correct. The boom will turn into bust.' 'When this bust happens, people would lose like they have lost in the past.' 'Whatever you have made possibly in the last couple of years, you may lose in a couple of weeks. That's very much possible.'
Stock market investors became richer by a whopping Rs 77.66 lakh crore in 2024, helped by an overall optimistic trend in equities, where the BSE Sensex surged over 8 per cent. Analysts said the year witnessed a tug of war between the bulls and bears marked by volatility but, despite the uncertainties around the world, the Indian markets sustained the pressure and delivered impressive returns.
Emerging market equities have delivered stellar returns over the last few years, outperforming their developed market peers since this new bull market began in end 2002.
'This is a good time to restructure your portfolio because the sectors and stocks that performed in the last bull market may not perform as much now.'
Zomato emerged as the biggest gainer, followed by Reliance, Nestle, Asian Paints and Power Grid.
'Like all long-term bull markets, the Indian stock market will continue to climb the proverbial wall of worry.'
The Indian market is a bull market and the current weakening is merely a correction, says Apoorva Shah, executive vice president & fund manager (equity), DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund.
Food delivery and quick commerce (qcom) service application (app), Zomato, now commands a market capitalisation (mcap) higher than automobile giants Tata Motors and Bajaj Auto. Zomato, whose shares closed 1.18 per cent lower on Thursday at Rs 288.45 per share, has an mcap of Rs 2.78 trillion, according to BSE data. By comparison, Tata Motors' mcap stood at Rs 2.74 trillion, while Bajaj Auto's was Rs 2.5 trillion on the BSE.
Market reaction to the Union Budget was overall neutral. The income tax "gift" wasn't enough to move the needle. There was some apparent rationalisation of Customs duty structure as well as cuts on import duties of some key components for the telecom and IT industry and duty cuts on vehicle imports. Other proposals related to development of agriculture and rural economy and renewables seem to be generally positive.
A novel approach that identifies funds that have done well in both rising and falling markets
Gold prices have been on an uptrend in the last few months, rising nearly 28 per cent to $2387 per ounce now. This rise in gold price, according to Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies, is attributed to the demand from China amid lack of investor euphoria as regards the yellow metal. "Recent developments show a distinct lack of investor euphoria as regards gold, the question remains what is driving the current rally.
In recent past, midcap stocks have performed well, say experts.
Bear markets are often shorter in duration than bull markets but they can have a devastating impact.
The automobile segment is our preferred area, and old favourites such as Tata Motors, Bajaj and Maruti Suzuki continue to entice us.
These stocks offer the best combination of maximum 'buy' recommendations from brokerages and share price upside over the next 12 months.
HCL Technologies was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 5.58 per cent, followed by Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys, State Bank of India, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, NTPC and Wipro. In contrast, Nestle, Bharti Airtel, Maruti and ITC were among the laggards.
In a falling market almost every diversified portfolio or mutual fund will lose money and an investor who expects a decline should be out of stocks altogether
Gold price outlook 2025: Gold prices that have climbed over 30 per cent so far in 2024 to Rs 7,300 per gram in the Indian markets (up 28 per cent in dollar terms till November-end), are set for their best calendar year performance in 10 years, suggests a recent report by World Gold Council (WGC). However, this stellar run, analysts believe, may not carry through till the end of 2025 in the backdrop of economic and geopolitical headwinds.
Dalal Street minnows stole the show in 2024, giving handsome returns to investors, helped by a largely optimistic trend in the stock market and impressive retail investors' participation. Analysts attributed the positive trend in the equity markets, where the benchmark indices shattered many records this year, to robust domestic liquidity, strong fundamentals of the Indian economy, and policy continuity.
Cost averaging is the best possible way to weather the volatility.
'Sell part of your portfolio where you're making good money, especially in small caps and mid caps.' 'The money which you take home is yours. The money which is there on paper is not yours.
The markets had been on an upward trajectory since August 2013.
Indian equity markets had a good run in the first half of calendar year 2023 (CY23), with the S&P BSE Sensex and the National Stock Exchange Nifty50 hitting fresh 52-week highs. While the Sensex scaled up to a peak 64,718, the Nifty50 hit Mt 19,189. As the markets now prepare to enter the second half (H2) of CY23, all eyes are on global central banks, especially the US Federal Reserve, as to when they will pause and pivot as regards their interest-rate cycle.
The primary market is expected to remain vibrant, with at least 10 companies, including supermart major Vishal Mega Mart and Blackstone-owned diamond grading firm International Gemmological Institute (India) Ltd expected to raise a combined Rs 20,000 crore in the next month, merchant bankers said. Education-focused NBFC Avanse Financial Services, TPG Capital-backed Sai Life Sciences, hospital chain operator Paras Healthcare, and investment bank DAM Capital Advisors are also among the companies planning to launch their IPOs in December, they added. The companies aim to raise a total of Rs 20,000 crore through their public offerings.
From the 30 Sensex firms, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, Kotak Mahindra Bank, UltraTech Cement, Adani Ports, and Tata Steel were the biggest gainers. ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, and Larsen & Toubro were among the laggards.
Uncertainty in equity markets and a waning investor response have led to a slowdown in new demat accounts, a key gauge of retail investors' sentiment towards the market. Sluggishness in the primary market has added to the woes as a large number of investors generally tap equity markets through IPOs.
Market analysts are divided over the current fall in stock prices. While some say it is a healthy sign of a mature bull market, others feel the Indian markets may have entered a corrective phase, which can last for one to two quarters.
The average ticket size for a systematic investment plan (SIP) is edging up, even as the pace of new account openings remains strong. SIP ticket sizes had been shrinking in recent years, as mutual fund (MF) penetration grew. However, the average ticket size has started to climb again after a steep drop in the post-pandemic period, as the industry has doubled its investor base in the past four years.
'Consider your household's financial health and all your other goals.' 'Buying a house might seem like an urgent goal, but it is rarely the only one.'
