Aditya Birla Group's Hindalco Industries on Friday reported a 21.3 per cent year on year rise in its consolidated net profit to Rs 4,741 crore in the second quarter of 2025-26 (Q2FY26), driven by its Indian business and its US-based subsidiary, Novelis.
'First-time or conservative investors should avoid narrow sectoral funds.'
The takeover surpasses the previous LBO record -- the $45 billion buyout of Texas utility TXU Energy in 2007 -- and underscores investors' long-term bet on blockbuster gaming franchises.
The heightened global uncertainty due to the US "reciprocal tariffs" on India may cause near-term corrections and market turbulence, but the long-term outlook remains constructive, market experts said on Thursday. The US has announced 27 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India, citing high import duties imposed by New Delhi on American goods.
Private-sector lender Federal Bank on Friday announced that New York-based Blackstone will invest Rs 6,196.51 crore in the bank through its affiliate Asia II Topco XIII Pte Ltd via a preferential issue on a private placement basis.
Inflation data, quarterly earnings and global trends will be the major driving factors for stock markets this week, analysts said. Moreover, the trading activity of foreign investors would also influence the equity market trends.
Trading sentiment in the equity market will be guided by macroeconomic data announcements, global trends and quarterly earnings from IT major TCS this week, analysts said. Stock markets would also be tracking trading activity of foreign investors who remained net sellers of Indian equities in September.
These losses increase insurance premiums for customers and reduce insurer margins on the other.
Global index provider MSCI has announced the addition of four Indian companies-including Fortis Healthcare and Paytm - to its Global Standard indices. According to Nuvama Alternative & Quantitative Research, each of these companies is expected to see passive inflows exceeding $400 million. Shares of Paytm rose 4.3 per cent on Thursday, while Fortis Healthcare dipped 1.1 per cent.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday said it was not the regulator's job to take decisions for bank boards, speaking in the context of the wide range of enabling reforms announced for lenders during the October monetary policy review, and emphasised that financial stability remained the regulator's focus.
From the Sensex firms, Reliance Industries climbed 3.52 per cent after the firm on Friday reported a 9.6 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit for the September quarter, driven by strong performance in its consumer-facing retail and telecom businesses and a recovery in its core oil-to-chemicals segment. Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, State Bank of India, Tata Consultancy Services, Titan and Bharti Airtel were also among the gainers. However, ICICI Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Eternal, Adani Ports and Power Grid were among the laggards.
'Defence, capital goods, engineering, capital market-related stocks, autos, and cement sectors are my bullish bets for Samvat 2082.'
'Geopolitics will be the most important driver of financial markets in 2025.'
But selectively, with regulatory scrutiny and special approval, points out Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
Foreign investors withdrew Rs 10,355 crore from the country's equity markets in the last four trading sessions this month due to sweeping tariffs imposed by the US on most nations, including India. The outflow occurred after a net investment of Rs 30,927 crore in the six trading sessions from March 21 to March 28. This infusion helped reduce the overall outflow for March to Rs 3,973 crore, according to data from the depositories.
LG Electronics India saw its net profit decline by 27.3 per cent due to margin pressures witnessed in the second quarter. Its net sales in the quarter marginally rose 0.9 per cent to Rs 6,170.4 crore in the July-September quarter.
Market experts say India's IPO ecosystem has matured to support both primary and secondary issuance, rendering the mix less consequential.
Among Sensex firms, Mahindra & Mahindra was the biggest gainer, gaining 1.7 per cent after the October sales data. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) rose by 1.69 per cent. Eternal, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel and Kotak Mahindra Bank were also among the major gainers.
'In the long run, India's strong growth story and reforms to make assets globally attractive will determine the rupee's resilience.'
The average daily turnover (ADTV) in the derivatives market rose to a 12-month high in October, touching 506 trillion - up nearly 46 per cent since June - as volatility picked up and concerns over further regulatory tightening eased. Derivatives activity had slumped earlier this year after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) capped weekly expiries to two days and discontinued weekly contracts on non-benchmark indices.
Among Sensex firms, Tata Motors, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, Power Grid, Bharat Electronics, ITC, UltraTech Cement and Tata Consultancy Services were the major laggards. However, Adani Ports, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv and Axis Bank were among the gainers.
The "Sky Factory" will be one of the world's largest for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), a manufacturing and assembly process to make electric aircraft that can take off, hover, and land vertically. It will put India on the "map of next-generation aviation" and marks one of the most ambitious eVTOL initiatives in the world, said a state government statement.
Equity mutual funds witnessed a remarkable surge in inflows to nearly Rs 4 lakh crore in 2024, more than double the amount recorded in the preceding year, reflecting strong investor confidence and a continued shift towards long-term investing, particularly through Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs).
Among Sensex firms, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finance, Eternal, Infosys, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Bajaj Finserv were the major gainers. However, Tata Steel, Adani Ports, Power Grid and Titan were among the laggards.
South Africa's stunning three-day win over India at Eden Gardens has drawn reactions from some of cricket's biggest names, with AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn celebrating the historic result while Kevin Pietersen used the collapse-filled Test to launch a scathing critique of modern batting.
More than a third of 83 mainboard IPOs this year ended their debut sessions in the red, with losses of up to 35 per cent.
A US court's $1.07-billion default judgment against Byju Raveendran can't be enforced directly in India because the US isn't a "reciprocating territory." Creditors must file a new case in an Indian court.
Domestic benchmark equity indices may see a positive trading sentiment on Friday thanks to a spectacular rally in world markets after the US President Donald Trump announced to put tariff hikes on hold for 90 days, excluding China from the reprieve. Indian stock markets were closed on Thursday for Shri Mahavir Jayanti. Trump has declared a three-month pause on reciprocal tariffs on non-retaliating countries marking a rather unexpected U-turn after record high levies he imposed led to global stock market meltdown.
'There'll be extended periods where things aren't working in your favour. But if you believe in the cause profoundly, then you simply persevere.'
The Indian government has expressed its disagreement with the IMF staff's 'baseline' assumption that the 50 per cent US tariffs on its goods exports 'would remain in place indefinitely', based on which the staff pegged the country's GDP growth at 6.6 per cent this year, and pared its 2026-27 projection by 20 basis points to 6.2 per cent.
'In the past six months, capital markets have seen a dip, and realty is struggling. The stock-market investor will be cautious of putting that investment in real estate when there may be a slowdown coming.'
Billionbrains Garage Ventures, the parent company of stock broking firm Groww, on Thursday fixed a price band of Rs 95-100 per share for its upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO), targeting a valuation of over Rs 61,700 crore (about $7 billion). The company's Rs 6,632 crore IPO would open for public subscription on November 4 and conclude on November 7, according to a public announcement.
Among the Sensex firms, State Bank of India, Maruti Suzuki India, Axis Bank, NTPC, BEL, Adani Ports, Eternal, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Power Grid, ITC, UltraTech Cement, Trent, HCL Technologies, Mahindra & Mahindra, and HDFC Bank were the major gainers. On the other hand, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Titan, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Motors, Bharti Airtel and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards.
Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower in a highly volatile trade on Thursday amid relentless foreign fund outflows and selling in blue-chip ICICI Bank. Falling for the second day in a row, the 30-share BSE Sensex declined 148.14 points or 0.18 per cent to settle at 83,311.01.
Officials from both India and the US in the recent past have indicated that a "fair deal" will be concluded soon, with Indian officials holding that more formal rounds of talks are not needed.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
From the Sensex firms, Adani Ports, NTPC, Power Grid, HCL Tech, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma, Trent and Asian Paints were among the major gainers. However, Bharat Electronics, Eternal, Mahindra & Mahindra and Maruti were among the laggards.
Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC's) Q2FY26 operating profit of 14,600 crore beat Street estimates and was up 16 per cent on a sequential basis. It surged 287 per cent over the year-ago quarter on account of an improved refining performance.
Equity mutual funds witnessed an inflow of Rs 35,943 crore in November, marking a drop of 14 per cent on a month-on-month basis, amid heightened volatility in stock markets driven by various macroeconomic factors, geopolitical events and US election results. Despite this, it marked the 45th consecutive month of net inflows into equity-oriented funds, reflecting the growing popularity of mutual funds among investors, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) released on Tuesday.
'What the government is doing would be a drop in the ocean. It has to be matched by investments by industry.'
