Vedanta, a conglomerate in mining and metals, has seen a surge in its share price on the back of multiple triggers. Its demerger appears to be on track, a strong non-ferrous commodity cycle is boosting margins, and silver bulls are interested in Hindustan Zinc, its subsidiary.
Mining major Vedanta's consolidated net profit plunged 58.69 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 1,798 crore in the second quarter of 2025-26 (Q2FY26), dragged down by exceptional losses booked during the period under review. The company had reported a net exceptional gain of Rs 1,160 crore in Q2FY25.
Corporate margins and profits in India remain vulnerable to changes in crude oil prices in the international market. Historical quarterly data from listed companies (excluding banks, finance and insurance, oil and gas, and power sectors) indicate an adverse correlation between corporate margins and crude oil prices.
Metal and mining companies, such as Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Hindalco, and Coal India, have been among the top-performing sectors on the bourses in recent months. The S&P BSE Metal Index is up 13 per cent in the past three months, rallying 29 per cent in the past year, outperforming the broader market. For comparison, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex has only seen a 1.7 per cent increase in the past three months, with a 15 per cent gain since the end of September last year.
Hindalco's first quarter (Q1FY23) results indicate healthy domestic volumes for aluminium and copper, and lower cost of production. Subsidiary Novelis saw weak volume trends but it managed to push operating profit margins on a better mix and pricing hikes. The weak global outlook on aluminium is a cause for ongoing concern.
The re-opening of the Chinese economy, as it moves away from its zero-Covid policy, could help stabilise commodity prices, according to some of the country's top metal companies. They view this as a positive for demand, at a time when markets such as the US and Europe have been largely weighed down by slowdown concern now. "Most of us in the metals business are hoping the Chinese economy picks up because half of any metal demand, including demand for aluminium, comes from China.
The next auction for bauxite blocks in Odisha may see heightened interest with Adani Group charting an entry into alumina refining and existing players looking to boost capacity. Hemant Sharma, principal secretary, Odisha industries department, said that three bauxite blocks have been scheduled for auctions this year. Adani Group - which will be setting up a 4-MMTPA alumina refinery and may enter aluminium production - is expected to bid for mines, though raw material linkages shall be available from Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).
Weakness in LME prices of copper and aluminium to hurt company in second half.
The US leaders approved a plan to prevent huge tax increases and delay spending cuts that together might have pushed the world's largest economy off the 'fiscal cliff' and into a likely recession.
The Nifty closed at 5,187, up 10 points. The market breadth was strong. Out of 2901 stocks traded on the BSE, there were 1859 advancing stocks as against 965 declines.
All the sectoral indices, led by oil and gas, metals realty and banking, were trading in the negative zone.
Base metals have recorded a sharp rise in prices as global demand picks up. Rising alongside are the share prices of the leading metal companies in the country like Sterlite, National Aluminium Company and Hindustan Zinc.
We have not suffered such huge price shocks across so many basic commodities, at the same time, in decades. Has the inflationary impact of all this been factored into stock prices as yet, asks Debashis Basu.
The NSE Nifty ended up 23 points, at 5,275.
ArcelorMittal does not favour futures trading in steel, as it could distort the prices of the commodity completely.
The Multi Commodity Exchange of India has decided to start a one-year full-time certificate course on commodities in March this year in Mumbai.
The markets opened strong on the back of buying in capital goods, bank and IT stocks
Hindustan Copper, a public sector major, raised the provisional prices of its products across the board by 15 per cent following a similar rise witnessed in the benchmark London Metal Exchange prices.
Rising prices of international coal - both coking and thermal - used in the making of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, respectively, are expected to have an impact on margins of metals companies in July-September quarter (Q2) as steel companies may see margins getting eroded, while the base firms could stand to benefit, said brokerages.
For the past few years, Avigo has been in talks with many strategic players, including private equity investors, to sell its stake in Spykar.
The FPI holding in India's top 100 companies, which are part of the Nifty 100 index, declined to 24.23 per cent on average at the end of March this year, from a high of 27.5 per cent at the end of March 2021. This is the lowest FPI holdings in India's top listed companies in at least three years. A general sell-off by FPIs has weighed on stock prices and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex is down 8.5 per cent, from its 52-week high made in October 2021. Most analysts expect FPI flows to remain weak in FY23 as well, given rising bond yields in the US and an expected earnings slowdown in India due to high inflation and commodity prices.
Jewellery stores remained deserted as buyers deferred their non-essential purchases awaiting softness in gold prices.
Sensex seems to be under pressure on weak cues.
Chinese alumina refining and metal smelting technologies have emerged as a match for the best anywhere in the world. In fact, Vedanta and Hindalco have bought technologies from China. Our aluminium makers will be haunted by twin fears of rising imports and low metal prices squeezing margins over a long time.
Just before the 2008 financial crisis made headlines, Indian companies were on a global buying spree. In the fifth part of the series, Dev Chatterjee and Krishna Kant discuss how the crisis came as a black swan event for some, changing the mood from exuberance to despair.
The laggards in the Sensex kitty were Vedanta, Tata Steel, M&M, HCL Tech, Bharti Airtel, Maruti Suzuki, L&T, Asian Paint and HDFC
Broader market outperformed the headline indices with BSE Midcap and Smallcap finishing the day 1.22%, and 1.54% higher, respectively
Rise in crude oil price and rally in global equities aided the sentiment
Company looking for acquisition of coal properties abroad.
Expectations of continued stimulus withdrawal by the US Federal Reserve added to the market's gloom.
Laxity in enforcing KYC and allied norms suspected; money laundering gaps also on probe panel's mind
The Sensex soared 402 points higher to end at 25,720 and the Nifty surged 130 points to close at 7,819.
Beijing did not announce expected policy support over the weekend
Firms that should borrow abroad do not do so enough, and those that should not borrow abroad do.
A common factor that binds all these men is greed.
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