The Economic Times

Urban Company shares will be in focus after early investors offloaded a 4.6% stake worth Rs 734 crore following the expiry of the lock-in period. While institutional buying provided some support, the stock remains under pressure amid recent declines and continued investments impacting profitability despite steady revenue growth.

Japan's Nikkei index surged on Wednesday, driven by technology stocks. Investors eased worries about rising oil prices, boosting market sentiment. Advantest and SoftBank Group saw significant gains. Shipping firm Mitsui OSK Lines and Mitsubishi Materials also experienced strong upward movement. Tokyo Electric Power also jumped on investment interest. Chugai Pharm was the sole decliner.

On March 17, six Nifty200 stocks appeared in the RSI Trending Up scan. Their RSI readings crossed above the 50 mark from lower levels, indicating strengthening price momentum. Traders often monitor this indicator to identify improving sentiment and potential bullish continuation opportunities in these counters within the broader market.

Oil prices dipped Wednesday following a rise in US crude inventories. However, ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly concerning the Strait of Hormuz, suggest prices may climb. Experts predict Brent crude could reach $120 or even $150 per barrel if the conflict persists. This could impact global economies and prompt policy intervention.

We have collated a list of recommendations from top brokerage firms from ETNow and other sources.

Apsis Aerocom is set for a strong market debut. The IPO saw robust investor demand, with a significant subscription rate. Grey market trends indicate a premium of around 24% ahead of its listing on the NSE SME platform. This suggests healthy listing gains for investors. The company operates in precision engineering for aerospace, defence, and healthcare sectors.

As long as the stock is priced above the 200-day SMA on the daily timeframe, it is generally considered to be in an overall uptrend.

Gold prices remained stable as global markets assessed the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict. Renewed Iranian attacks and the killing of a senior Iranian official heightened tensions, impacting oil supplies and pushing prices above $100 a barrel. Investors await the U.S.

Global markets saw a return of risk appetite on Wednesday. The dollar eased as investors looked towards key central bank announcements. The Japanese yen strengthened significantly. The euro remained steady ahead of the European Central Bank's meeting. Investors are closely watching for commentary on inflation and economic outlook amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Oil prices saw a slight dip on Wednesday morning. This followed reports of a rise in U.S. crude inventories. Meanwhile, Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government agreed to resume oil exports. Libya's National Oil Corporation confirmed production continues despite a fire. Developments involving Iran and U.S. military actions near the Strait of Hormuz are also noted.

Wall Street closed higher as travel stocks rebounded, with Delta Air Lines raising revenue guidance. Investors watched the Federal Reserve's policy meeting amid concerns over high oil prices and the Middle East conflict. Policymakers are weighing inflation against a weakening jobs market, with expectations of unchanged interest rates.

Reliance Industries is preparing for a massive IPO of its telecom arm, Jio Platforms. The company plans to file initial documents by the end of this month. This could be India's largest ever IPO. Seventeen bankers have been appointed to manage the issue. The offering is expected to be a secondary share sale by existing investors.

Asian equities opened higher, mirroring gains in US stocks and Treasuries as investors look past geopolitical tensions. Despite concerns over oil prices and inflation, markets show cautious optimism, with the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision awaited. Continued volatility is expected until the energy situation stabilizes.

India's IPO boom is increasingly funding debt repayment over growth initiatives. Data reveals that nearly a quarter of funds raised in recent share sales are allocated to paying off borrowings, surpassing capital expenditure. This shift suggests companies are prioritizing balance sheet repair and liquidity for insiders rather than investing in new projects.

Standard Chartered Bank has settled a case with market regulator Sebi. The bank agreed to pay Rs 57 lakh for alleged lapses as a designated depository participant for foreign portfolio investors. Sebi found failures in monitoring FPI disclosures and reporting changes in beneficial ownership. Delays in processing investor grouping updates were also noted. The settlement resolves multiple compliance issues.

CFM Asset Reconstruction Company has acquired Punjab National Bank's 514 crore loan to Gammon India for 140 crore. This acquisition gives CFM control over a significant portion of Gammon's legacy non-performing asset, primarily targeting its real estate assets. The deal represents a substantial haircut for PNB, highlighting the challenges in recovering debt from EPC companies.

State Bank of India successfully raised 6,051 crore through its second Tier 2 bond issuance for the financial year. The bonds carry a coupon rate of 7.05% and have a 10-year tenor with a call option after five years. The issue attracted significant interest from 47 institutional investors, with bids received twice the base issue size.

The currency market's carry trade strategy is seeing its best returns in three years. Rising oil prices, triggered by the Iran war, are boosting this approach. Traders are borrowing in countries with low interest rates, like Japan, and investing in economies benefiting from higher energy costs. This strategy is performing well even as other global assets face volatility.

Purvah Green, an RP Sanjiv Goenka Group company, has withdrawn its 5,750 crore bid for GVK Energy, citing uncertainties from the Gulf war. The decision follows a broader trend of cost rationalization and strategic reshaping due to the geopolitical situation. Adani Group had submitted the second-highest offer of 5,725 crore.

Adar Poonawalla-backed Svasti Microfinance secured 47.5 crore from key investors, including Abler Nordic and Rajiv Dadlani Group. This funding, a mix of equity and debt, will fuel expansion of its loan portfolio, bolster digital infrastructure, and broaden product offerings beyond joint liability loans. Svasti targets 1,400 crore in assets under management by March 2027.

Indian equity benchmarks ended higher on Tuesday. Buying momentum supported the market. Analysts see immediate support at 23,40023,450 and resistance at 23,70023,750. India VIX declined sharply. Foreign portfolio investors were net sellers, while domestic institutional investors were net buyers. The rupee declined to an all-time low against the US dollar.

Markets saw a second consecutive day of recovery, driven by value buying and stable global cues, with analysts expecting a rebound towards 23,800-24,000. Several companies like Maruti Suzuki, Tata Steel, and TCS were in focus due to significant news, including stake sales, acquisitions, and expansion plans.

Major investors offloaded Urban Company shares worth over seven hundred crore rupees. This significant stake sale occurred as the mandatory lock-in period for pre-IPO shares ended. SBI Mutual Fund emerged as a key buyer, acquiring shares valued at more than six hundred crore rupees. The transactions saw a substantial portion of the company's equity change hands.

Traders said dollar sales from state-run banks, likely on behalf of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), were met with demand for the greenback from corporates amid elevated oil prices.

Sebi has proposed simplifying nomination rules for demat accounts and mutual fund folios, making it the default option for new investors. This change aims to ease operational challenges, with investors now needing to explicitly opt out. Mandatory nominee information will be limited to name and relationship, with other details becoming optional.

Cable and wire company shares have seen a decline. This is due to a sudden increase in copper and aluminium prices. Investors are reacting to rising input costs. Demand remains steady. Sterlite Technologies is an outlier as it manufactures optical fibre cables. Other companies face higher production costs. Dispatches are slowing as dealers wait for prices to cool.

A significant amount of pre-IPO shares, valued at $69 billion, will become available for trading soon. Lock-in periods for shares in 87 companies are expiring over the next three months. This could lead to increased supply in the market. Some companies have already seen their shares unlocked.

JSW Steel's unit, JSW Kalinga Steel, is raising approximately 9,500 crore via unsecured, zero-coupon bonds to finance its joint venture with JFE Steel for the Bhushan Power & Steel business. The five-year non-convertible debentures, rated AA, will be redeemed at a premium, implying yields of about 8.5%.

India's banking system liquidity surplus narrowed to 75,483 crore due to advance tax outflows and forex market interventions. This pushed money market rates up, prompting the RBI to conduct a repo operation. Economists estimate the RBI sold over $15 billion to support the rupee.

Hyperscalers are expected to significantly increase debt issuance this year to fund massive data center expansions for AI. Following Amazon's substantial bond sale, analysts predict continued high levels of borrowing, with forecasts for 2026 now reaching $175 billion. This surge in debt reflects strong investor demand for these tech giants.

Options traders' fears of a U.S. stock market crash have significantly receded, with key indices like the Nations TailDex and Cboe Skew returning to pre-Iran strike levels. While the S&P 500 remains down, this pullback suggests investors are less concerned about a steep equity price drop, though overall market anxiety is still elevated.

Microsoft is reorganizing its Copilot teams, unifying commercial and consumer versions to enhance its AI assistant and drive adoption. This move allows AI chief Mustafa Suleyman to concentrate on building new AI models and advancing the company's superintelligence efforts. Jacob Andreou will now lead all Copilot initiatives.

Boeing expects its commercial airplane division to turn a profit in 2027, not this year as previously expected due to higher-than-expected costs of its purchase of parts supplier Spirit AeroSystems, its chief financial officer said on Tuesday, in a new setback for the U.S. planemaker.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a consultation paper to modify nomination norms for demat accounts and mutual fund folios, aimed at simplifying investor on-boarding and aligning processes with banking standards.

Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex rose for a second consecutive session, driven by banks, auto, and metal stocks, signaling bullish momentum, while global markets remained steady despite IT stock weakness.

Nifty 50 rose sharply for a second session, driven by banking, auto and metal stocks, signalling bullish momentum. Analysts highlighted breakout patterns and recommended SAIL, MCX, NTPC Green and Aeroflex Industries.

A federal judge certified a shareholder class action accusing Boeing of concealing safety deficiencies in its 737 MAX planes before two crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019.

Investors are offloading software loans in debt vehicles at a discount, in the latest sign of pain in the software industry, which is being upended by AI.

Delta Air Lines raised its first-quarter revenue forecast in light of robust travel demand, offsetting a hit from spiking jet fuel costs due to the Middle East war.

Smartphone chip designer Qualcomm on Tuesday unveiled a $20 billion stock buyback program as it looks to take advantage of a steep drop in its share price, which has been hit by a global memory supply crunch that is expected to slow handset manufacturing.

Wall Street's main indexes opened higher on Tuesday with financial stocks in the lead, while investors weighed the impact of the Middle East conflict on energy costs, putting inflation risks back in focus ahead of the Federal Reserve's two-day meeting.

The Sensex surged 568 points to close at 76,070 on Tuesday, driving a broader market rally. Four BSE 1000 stocksJindal Poly Films, Acutaas Chemicals, Vardhman Textiles and Ipca Laboratorieshit 52-week highs, signaling bullish momentum and potential gains ahead.

India Glycols declared an interim dividend of Rs 7.5 per share for FY2025-26, with March 23 set as the record date. According to Trendlyne, the company has issued 23 dividends so far. Over the past year, it paid Rs 5 per share, translating to a dividend yield of 0.59% at the current stock price.

Markets ended higher Tuesday, driven by banks, auto and metals. Lloyds Metals surged on expansion, while Ola Electric and IDBI Bank fell on brokerage cuts and divestment concerns. IT stocks stayed under pressure amid fresh fears of AI-led disruption.

Muthoot FinCorp, a prominent gold loan lender, is reportedly planning an Initial Public Offering (IPO) that could raise up to $300 million. The company is in discussions with bankers for the offering, which is expected to be a mix of new and existing shares. This move comes despite a challenging market environment for new listings.

Crude oil prices surged over 4% on MCX as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East disrupted supply expectations. Analysts expect continued volatility but maintain a bullish outlook, citing tight supply conditions. Religare suggests initiating long positions, with potential upside driven by sustained disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

10 companies in the NSE large-cap segment reported December 2025 quarterly profits that were at least 15% higher than their previous peak profits over the past ten quarters.

European shares were little changed on Tuesday as investors assessed the economic damage from a prolonged Middle East conflict.