But the clear winner between them is yet to emerge.
Global fund managers remain bullish on the Japanese stock markets, which is now their most preferred destination in the Asian region. Both Morgan Stanley and Jefferies in their recent reports, have cited their preference for the Land Of The Rising Sun, which is fast becoming the land of the rising equities, too.
The US' move to raise the tariff on most Indian goods to 50 per cent could drag India's GDP growth for FY26 by 35 to 60 basis points, according to various economists. One basis point (bp) is equal to 0.01 per cent.
ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company has set a price band of Rs 2,061- Rs 2,165 per share for its Rs 10,600-crore initial public offering (IPO) that will open on Friday. At the upper end of the band, the country's largest asset manager will command a valuation of Rs 1.07 trillion.
Shares of apparel retail major Trent fell over 8.6 per cent to ~4,048 apiece at the close of trade on Tuesday. Trading near its 52-week low, the stock has shed about 43 per cent over the past year. Sentiment around the Tata group company weakened after it reported lower than expected revenue for the third quarter (October-December/Q3) of 2025-26 (FY26). Brokerages expect the stock to remain under pressure in the near term.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd has spent $13 billion on acquisitions in the past five years across new energy, telecom, retail and media business to script a pivot away from core oil and petrochemicals business to clean energy and consumer facing verticals. Last week, Reliance bought oncology platform Karkinos Healthcare for Rs 375 crore, adding another stack to its diagnostic and digital healthcare ecosystem, Morgan Stanley said in a report.
With several $500 million-plus deals in the pipeline -- including ICICI Prudential AMC, Lenskart, PhonePe, Groww, PhysicsWallah, Meesho, Pine Labs, and Zepto -- investment bankers look poised for another year of hefty bonuses in 2025.
Attributing to Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, the report by the Financial Times said that the company plans to boost its under-performing securities business by hiring several hundred traders over the next few years.
Indian information technology (IT) service providers are expected to deliver low single-digit sequential growth in the first quarter (April-June) of 2025-26 (FY26), even as macroeconomic uncertainties continue to persist due to the volatile geopolitical environment.
The big question is whether Trump is any longer in command of the situation. For all practical purposes, the war seems set to cascade as the US is preparing for a potential ground operation in Iran and threatens to destroy 'bridges next, then electric power plants', points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Reliance holds 67.03% of Jio Platforms Limited and the public listing would provide an exit to many investors.
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.
The sweeping tariffs proposed across sectors by US President Donald Trump are scheduled to be imposed starting April 2, with most analysts worried about their impact on companies, and in turn the financial markets. Recently, the US administration signaled that it will impose sectoral tariffs on energy, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, agriculture, copper, and lumber.
Digital payments provider PhonePe has filed draft papers with markets regulator Sebi for its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) using the confidential pre-filing route. On Wednesday, the company's spokesperson said, "PhonePe Ltd has filed the Pre-filed Draft Red Herring Prospectus with Sebi and the stock exchanges, under...the Sebi ICDR Regulations in relation to the proposed initial public offering of its equity shares on the main board of the stock exchanges".
Analysts have sharply reduced cigarette maker ITC's earning estimates for the next two years, fearing a significant dent in the company's profitability and margins. This is owing to a steep hike in excise duty on tobacco by the government.
There are hopes of a turnaround in overall corporate earnings after six quarters of single digit growth.
The IPO wave of 2025 is here, and it's bigger than ever. From fintech unicorns to financial powerhouses and infrastructure giants, some of India's biggest names are all set to make their stock market debut. PhonePe, Zepto, Tata Capital, NSE, NSDL, and JSW Cement are just a few of the highly awaited listings that have investors and analysts buzzing with excitement.
Morgan Stanley, which separated from its Indian partner Nimesh Kampani's JM Financial, has poached four senior executives including managing director of investment banking V K Bansal, from its erstwhile partner.
'What the government is doing would be a drop in the ocean. It has to be matched by investments by industry.'
The general elections in April/May 2024 are expected to add volatility to the Indian markets, keeping investors on their toes.
'We don't make films for profit and that's exactly why profit follows.'
InterGlobe Aviation promoter Rakesh Gangwal and his family trust on Tuesday sold a 5.7 per cent stake in the airline for about Rs 11,385 crore ($1.33 billion) through a block deal, according to sources. Apart from Gangwal, the Chinkerpoo Family Trust, whose trustees are Shobha Gangwal and JP Morgan Trust Company of Delaware, has also participated in the transaction for divesting its stake in IndiGo, the country's largest airline, the sources said.
'Trade deal will act as a strong trigger for market sentiment, not just for domestic investors but also for FIIs.'
The outcome of the general elections, the Morgan Stanley note says, has enough firepower to sway the markets on either side.
The benchmark National Stock Exchange Nifty has rallied 4 per cent, or 750 points, from this month's low to end at 19,732 on week ending November 17. Technical analysts say the market could consolidate around the current levels as it is nearing the resistance zone. "The near-term uptrend status of the market remains intact, but there is a possibility of some more consolidation or minor weakness for the Nifty in the next one to two sessions.
Several companies across sectors like finance, healthcare, wellness, retail technology, and asset management are bracing up to hit the D-street. With an unprecedented 1.7 lakh crore raised in 2025, the momentum is likely to sustain in 2026.
Two top investment banks, Enam Financial Services and JM-Morgan Stanley, have backed out from the high-profile initial public offering by real-estate developer DLF Universal
After the massive sell-off since October, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) are no longer the biggest non-promoter-shareholders in top Indian companies. This has happened for the first time in over a decade. "At 25.6 per cent ownership of India's largest 75 companies, domestic investors are now larger holders than FPIs for the first time since 2010," said Morgan Stanley strategists Ridham Desai, Sheela Rathi and Nayant Parekh in a note.
A person familiar with the matter said the deal could be finalised in a month.
She said that earlier governments used to sell dreams to people while the present regime is fulfilling the dreams.
Domestic households are grossly underexposed to equities.
India hosts the event from a position of unprecedented strength with a string of titles under its belt.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney currently is valued at $20 billion on Citigroup's books, which is $ 5 billion more than it is on Morgan Stanley's, the report said citing Credit Suisse's analyst Howard Chen.
The initial public offer of Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the Indian arm of South Korean automaker Hyundai, got subscribed 2.37 times on the third day of the bidding on Thursday, helped by institutional buyers. This is the largest IPO in the country, surpassing LIC's initial share sale of Rs 21,000 crore. The Rs 27,870 crore initial share sale got bids for 23,63,26,937 shares against 9,97,69,810 shares on offer, translating into 2.37 times subscription, as per NSE data.
Mint Road's proposals on banks' M&A funding are cautious even as entrants root for more elbow room, and weigh business models.
'I would not suggest buying these stocks in the dip, as the upside in profit is dented without a safety net for a rainy day.'
