It has been testing times in the recent months for investors who were fortunate enough to have been a part of the spectacular rally witnessed in the stock markets.
Indian equity benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, ended marginally lower in a volatile trading session, surrendering early gains due to profit-taking in blue-chip stocks and persistent macroeconomic concerns, despite positive global cues.
Indian investors have seen their wealth erode by a staggering Rs 48.29 lakh crore since the West Asia war began on February 28, leading to a significant downturn in the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty, driven by geopolitical tensions and rising crude oil prices.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower in a volatile session due to profit-taking in banking and financial shares, despite earlier gains driven by easing geopolitical tensions. Analysts suggest investors remain cautious and are not aggressively chasing the recent rally.
Fixed deposits from nationalised banks delivered higher returns than equities, outperforming both inflation and stock market benchmarks.
Macroeconomic data announcements, global trends and trading activity of foreign investors would be major driving factors for market movement this week, analysts said. Unabated capital infusion by domestic institutional investors have supported the positive trend in the stock market last week, traders said.
With global economy still firmly on the growth path, equity markets do not seem to be in any serious danger.
Fintech unicorn Razorpay has confidentially filed draft documents with SEBI for an Initial Public Offering, with market sources estimating the issue size between Rs 5,000-6,000 crore. This move comes as a rival firm, PhonePe, has paused its IPO plans.
Titan Company's ambitious roadmap to achieve a 20 per cent revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) by financial year 2030 (FY30) has garnered a positive outlook from analysts, who highlight the company's strong brand, sourcing capabilities, and diversified portfolio as key strengths.
Indian stock markets extended their gains for a third consecutive day, with the Sensex climbing 753 points and the Nifty closing above 24,550, driven by a drop in crude oil prices and optimism surrounding potential peace talks between Iran and the US.
NSE's draft prospectus discloses a legal dispute over 5,000 shares allegedly transferred by mistake into an individual investor's demat account.
Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty surged nearly 1 per cent, driven by strong earnings reports from FMCG and auto sectors, alongside a rally in Asian markets and signs of de-escalation in geopolitical tensions.
Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty dived sharply by nearly 2 per cent on Sunday after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed a hike in the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on derivatives. Reversing the early gains, the 30-share BSE Sensex plunged sharply by 2,370.36 points or 2.88 per cent to slide below the 80,000-mark at 79,899.42 in afternoon trade as the finance minister announced a hike in STT on futures contracts to 0.05 per cent from the current 0.02 per cent.
Bihar is now among the top 10 states in terms of investor base, surging past better-off states like Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab.
Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have withdrawn Rs 14,231 crore from Indian equities so far in May, extending the total outflow for 2026 to over Rs 2 lakh crore, driven by persistent global macroeconomic uncertainties including inflation, interest rates, and geopolitical risks.
Giving a thumbs up to the Union Budget 2010-11, which has offered tax relief to common man, experts termed the proposals as balanced and good for the stock market.
'In India's case, an extended earnings slowdown accompanied by rich valuations have dimmed returns since late 2024.'
Reliance Infrastructure (Reliance Infra) has submitted a representation to Sebi, NSE, and BSE, seeking a review of the Additional Surveillance Measure (ASM) framework and related trading restrictions on its shares, arguing they adversely impact its 700,000+ public shareholders and hinder fair price discovery.
The Reserve Bank of India's Financial Stability Report indicates that the interim peace deal between the US and Iran has favourably shifted the balance of risks, reducing headwinds from the West Asia conflict. However, it cautions that exchange rate volatility could increase if crude oil prices spike due to delayed normalisation of supply chain disruptions.
The Bank Nifty is currently trading at a 43.5 per cent discount to the Nifty 50, near its widest gap since 2015, reflecting investor pessimism despite the banking sector's strong earnings growth.
From the Sensex firms, Tata Steel climbed the most by 3.40 per cent, followed by Power Grid, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Electronics and Bharti Airtel. In contrast, Tech Mahindra, Maruti, UltraTech Cement and Bajaj Finserv were among the major laggards.
Analysts predict that the ongoing US-Iran conflict, fluctuations in crude oil prices, and foreign institutional investor (FII) flows will be the primary factors influencing Dalal Street this week, with inflation concerns adding to investor anxiety.
A software engineer earning a high salary allegedly abandoned his career to run a fake online trading racket, duping investors of nearly Rs 100 crore.
'It is far too early to celebrate the numbers.' 'They are still fairly weak compared to the pre-pandemic level.'
Despite geopolitical tensions and FII outflows, Indian small and midcap stocks have not only recovered losses but are also outperforming largecap indices, driven by attractive valuations, domestic institutional support, and a rebound in earnings.
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At the outset, decide whether you want to be a trader or an investor, suggest Sarbajeet K Sen and Sanjay Kumar Singh.
Fuel being a scarce resource hike in petrol and diesel is a given. But smart stock market investors can still benefit from these regular price hikes.
The US Fed's interest rate decision will be the major factor dictating trends in the domestic equity market this week, with global movements and foreign investor activity also influencing sentiment, according to analysts. Stock markets ended the last week on a subdued note, with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closing flat.
'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.'
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled more than 1 per cent on Friday due to across-the-board selloff, especially in metal, IT and commodity stocks, tracking sluggish global markets.
The Indian rupee depreciated significantly against the US dollar, reaching a new all-time low due to rising oil prices, a strong dollar, and ongoing geopolitical concerns. Domestic equity market declines and foreign investment outflows further contributed to the rupee's weakness.
Leading stock exchange BSE on Monday cautioned investors to remain vigilant against deepfake video of its CEO giving stock recommendations and investment advice on social media platforms. The exchange emphasised that the video is unauthorised and fraudulent, and its officials are not permitted to provide any stock tips.
Indian benchmark stock indices, Sensex and Nifty, experienced a significant decline for the third consecutive day, with the Sensex tumbling 1,092 points and Nifty closing below 24,550. This downturn was primarily driven by the India Meteorological Department's forecast of a below-normal southwest monsoon and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties surrounding the US-Iran ceasefire arrangement.
Indian IT stocks have seen a significant decline of up to 33 per cent year-to-date in 2026, largely due to artificial intelligence (AI) disrupting traditional outsourcing models, leading analysts to predict a challenging FY27 for the sector despite some cushion from rupee depreciation.
Long-term investors can never lose money in the stock market if the fundamentals are right!
Small- and midcap stocks have delivered their biggest monthly rally in 12 years, but rising oil prices and global tensions could make the road ahead volatile.
'The day that the market realises that they've overspent (on AI) and there's a sudden collapse in the capex, then India can start outperforming again.'
Gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have further lost favour among Indian investors.
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.