Indian Stock Market Anticipates Negative Opening Amid Global Pressures
The Indian stock market is poised for a challenging start on Friday, with key indices expected to open in negative territory. This downturn is primarily driven by a broader sell-off in global markets, particularly affecting US technology stocks, which has created a ripple effect across international financial landscapes.
Global Influences and Domestic Indicators
The Gift Nifty, a crucial indicator for Indian market sentiment, was trading around the 25,609 level, reflecting a significant discount of nearly 115 points from the previous close of Nifty futures. This substantial gap suggests that benchmark indices will commence trading on a weak note, continuing the downward trend observed in the previous session.
On Thursday, the market experienced notable declines, with the Nifty 50 index closing below the critical 25,700 threshold. The Sensex dropped 503.76 points, representing a 0.60% decrease, to settle at 83,313.93. Similarly, the Nifty 50 fell by 133.20 points, or 0.52%, ending the day at 25,642.80.
RBI Monetary Policy Announcement
Adding to the day's significance, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India is scheduled to unveil its monetary policy for February. This announcement marks the final policy decision for the fiscal year 2026. Market analysts widely anticipate that the committee, under the leadership of RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, will maintain the repo rate at its current level of 5.25%.
Key Stocks to Watch in Today's Trading Session
Several prominent companies are set to release their third-quarter earnings today, making them focal points for investors and traders alike. The following stocks are expected to attract significant attention during the trading session:
- Tata Steel
- BEML
- Shree Cement
- Siemens
- Kalyan Jewellers India
- MRF
- Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals
- Kalpataru
- Lemon Tree Hotels
- Shipping Corporation of India
- Sun TV Network
- Whirlpool of India
Additionally, other notable stocks that will be in focus include Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Hero MotoCorp, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), Federal Bank, Ultratech Cement, Berger Paints, Physicswallah, and FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa).
Quarterly Earnings Highlights
Bharti Airtel reported consolidated results for Q3 FY26 showing a substantial 55% year-over-year decline in net profit, falling to ₹6,630.5 crore from ₹14,760.7 crore. This decrease was primarily driven by an exceptional loss of ₹257 crore, contrasting with a gain of ₹7,546 crore in the previous year. Despite this, revenue demonstrated steady growth, increasing by 15.2% to ₹53,982 crore from ₹46,878 crore.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles experienced a significant shift in its financial performance, moving from a profit of ₹1,471 crore in the previous year to a loss of ₹233 crore in Q3 FY26. This reversal was largely attributed to an exceptional loss of ₹622 crore. However, revenue showed resilience with a 25.8% increase to ₹15,268 crore, supported by strong demand for SUVs.
Hero MotoCorp delivered robust standalone results, with profit soaring by 12.1% year-over-year to ₹1,348.6 crore. Revenue reached a record high of ₹12,328.4 crore, marking a 20.7% increase, driven by sales of 16.97 lakh units and the highest-ever parts revenue.
FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa) reported exceptional consolidated results, with net profit surging by 142.4% year-over-year to ₹63.3 crore. Revenue jumped by 26.7% to ₹2,873.3 crore, reflecting strong performance in the beauty segment and recovery in the fashion sector amid festive demand.
Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL) maintained steady growth with a 3.7% increase in net profit to ₹322.8 crore. Revenue grew by 2.6% to ₹4,684.5 crore, indicating continued execution of rail infrastructure projects.
Bharti Hexacom demonstrated impressive performance with net profit spiking by 81.6% year-over-year to ₹473.7 crore. Revenue rose by 4.8% to ₹2,359.8 crore, supported by ARPU growth and robust expansion in the homes segment.
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders reported solid consolidated results, with net profit growing by 9% year-over-year to ₹879.8 crore, supported by strong execution of defense orders.
Notable Corporate Developments
Federal Bank received authorization from the Reserve Bank of India for Asia II TopCo XIII Pte to acquire a combined stake of up to 9.99% in its paid-up share capital or voting rights.
UltraTech Cement announced the initiation of additional grinding capacity of 2.7 million tons per annum at its Aligarh facility in Uttar Pradesh. This expansion increases the total cement grinding capacity at the Aligarh facility to 4.0 million tons per annum, raising the company's overall capacity in Uttar Pradesh to 13.1 million tons per annum.
Unicommerce Esolutions has partnered with SuperYou, the nutrition brand established by Ranveer Singh and Nikunj Biyani, to enhance its e-commerce and quick commerce activities. The collaboration involves implementing Unicommerce's primary platform, Uniware, to manage orders and inventory across various channels.
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