Nifty above 24,550 mark; broader mkt outperforms

The headline equity benchmarks traded with minor gains in afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 24,550 mark after hitting the day's low of 24,522.95 in mid-morning trade. Oil & gas, PSU bank and metal shares advanced while auto, private bank and financial services shares declined.

At 13:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 52.09 points or 0.06% to 80,486.46. The Nifty 50 index added 40.10 points or 0.16% to 24,581.25.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index jumped 0.41% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rallied 1.25%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,707 shares rose and 1,251 shares fell. A total of 147 shares were unchanged.

Economy:

India's forex reserves declined $4.8 billion to $670.119 billion for the week ended August 9, according to the latest RBI data.

In the previous reporting week, the country's foreign exchange reserves had increased $7.533 billion to an all-time high of $674.919 billion.

For the week ended August 9, foreign currency assets, a major component of the reserves, decreased by $4.079 billion to $587.96 billion.

Gold reserves declined by $860 million to $59.239 billion during the week. The special drawing rights (SDRs) were up by $121 million to $18.282 billion.

India's reserve position with the IMF increased by $18 million to $4.638 billion in the reporting week, the central bank data showed.

Gainers & Losers:

Hindalco Industries (up 3.48%), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (up 2.84%), Tata Steel (up 2.83%), LTIMindtree (up 2.36%) and Shriram Finance (up 2%) were major Nifty gainers.

Mahindra & Mahindra (down 1.80%), SBI Life Insurance Company (down 1.11%), Axis Bank (down 0.99%), Bharti Airtel (down 0.93%) and Grasim Industries (down 0.84%) were major Nifty losers.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Piramal Enterprises (PEL) rallied 3.27% after the NBFC informed that its promoter group entity purchased 6.16 lakh equity shares, representing 0.27% of the total paid-up share capital of the company.

Meanwhile, the board of PEL will meet on Wednesday, 21 August 2024 to consider issuing non-convertible debentures (NCDs) aggregating up to Rs 150 crore on private placement basis.

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals gained 3.79% after the company's subsidiary Glenmark Therapeutics Inc., USA, announced the launch of OTC product Olopatadine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution.

DCX Systems was locked in an upper circuit of 5% after the company informed that it has received orders worth Rs 107.08 crore from domestic and overseas customers.

Veranda Learning Solutions advanced 3.56% after the company said that it has partnered with Jumeira University Connect, the training arm of Jumeira University, to introduce a Chartered Accountancy (CA) preparation course for students in the UAE.

Genus Power Infrastructures was locked in an upper circuit of 5% after the company announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary received three letters of awards (LOA) worth totaling to Rs 2,925.52 crore.

Tejas Networks rose 1.40% after the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Saankhya Labs has received an order from NewSpace India for supplying two-way Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) Terminals for various purposes.

Caplin Point Laboratories surged 12.66% after the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) concluded its inspection at Gummidipoondi facility, in Chennai in Tamil Nadu with zero observations.

JNK India rallied 3.24% after the heating equipment maker on Friday announced that it has received a 'major' order from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL).

Techno Electric & Engineering Company (Techno Electric) jumped 4.50% after the company partnered with IndiGrid to develop two IndiGrid's Greenfield interstate transmission Systems (ISTS) projects.

Global Markets:

Europeans stocks declined while Asian stocks traded mixed on Monday as investors weighed optimism about a US economic soft landing against concerns over the global growth outlook.

Expectations of cooling inflation and a potential easing cycle by the Federal Reserve buoyed sentiment. However, investors remained cautious ahead of key US economic data this week and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech on Friday.

In Asia, market participants will closely monitor central bank meetings in Indonesia and South Korea for potential rate adjustments. Thailand's policy decision is particularly awaited given uncertainties surrounding the new government's economic plans.

US stocks rebounded from earlier losses to close higher on Friday, as a report showing improved consumer sentiment boosted investor confidence. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.24%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.20% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.21%.

The University of Michigan's gauge of consumer sentiment rose to 67.8 in a preliminary August reading, up from 66.4 in the prior month. It is the first gain after four months of declines.