The Economic Times

Moodys has affirmed Shriram Finances Ba1 rating and revised its outlook to positive following MUFG Banks planned $4.4 billion investment for a 20% stake. The capital infusion is expected to strengthen SFLs capitalisation, funding access, and profitability, positioning it among Indias highest-capitalised non-banking finance companies.

Retail investors have steadily increased holdings in select small-cap stocks, with 12 counters delivering strong FY26 gains of up to 65%, highlighting growing confidence despite broader market weakness.

TCS, Kotak Bank and six other companies are set for stock splits, bonus issues, and dividends next week, offering opportunities for investors.

India's defence manufacturing sector sees enhanced medium-term visibility due to accelerated capital acquisition approvals, with FY26 year-to-date clearances nearly double the annual outlay. This robust pipeline, spanning diverse military needs and emphasizing integrated systems, de-risks future order inflows for the sector over the next two to four years.

Indian markets remained under pressure as the Sensex declined for a fifth straight session. Twelve BSE 100 stocks recorded losses in all five sessions, reflecting sustained selling across sectors amid broader market weakness and cautious investor sentiment.

Indias primary market gears up for a busy week as six IPOs open for subscription, led by Amagi Media Labs. Alongside five SME issues, strong demand for Bharat Coking Coal highlights investor interest amid ongoing market volatility.

BNP Paribas expects the Nifty 50 to reach 29,500 by end-2026 and has identified 17 top stock picks across autos, banks, IT, telecom, consumer and healthcare sectors, led by Maruti Suzuki, Infosys, Swiggy and HDFC Bank.

IREDA posted a 15.4% YoY rise in Q3 FY26 PAT at Rs 1,381 crore, with revenue up 28.2% to Rs 6,042 crore. Loan sanctions jumped 29% YoY to Rs 40,100 crore, while disbursements rose 44% to Rs 24,903 crore. Strong domestic borrowings and diversified clean energy lending underpin robust growth and execution visibility.

Tejas Networks reported a Rs 196.55 crore loss in Q2, impacted by an 88% revenue drop and a significant BSNL order deferral. Despite a large inventory, the company secured private 5G wins and PLI incentives, signaling future growth potential amidst current financial challenges.

The dollar strengthened on Friday following weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs growth, suggesting the Federal Reserve may hold interest rates steady. The yen weakened as Japan's Prime Minister considers a snap election, while the euro declined against the dollar amid mixed European economic data.

Oil prices saw a significant jump on Friday. Growing concerns over supply disruptions in Iran due to intensifying protests are impacting the market. Escalating attacks in Russia's war in Ukraine are also contributing to these worries. Despite these factors, global oil inventories are rising, potentially capping further price increases. Market focus is now on Venezuelan oil export deals.

Gold prices surged this week, nearing record highs, driven by weaker U.S. jobs data and escalating global uncertainties. Investors are anticipating Federal Reserve rate cuts, a traditional boost for precious metals. Geopolitical tensions, including conflicts in Ukraine and unrest in Iran, further fueled demand.

The Indian stock market has been on a downward trend, recording losses for the fifth straight day. Investors are pulling back on their portfolios in light of impending US job statistics and a critical Supreme Court verdict on tariffs.

Next week, Torrent Pharmaceuticals is set to launch a hefty debt sale, targeting around 12,500 crore in fundraising. This capital will play a critical role in facilitating the company's acquisition of JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals. The strategy includes issuing commercial paper and non-convertible debentures, showcasing the increasing reliance on debt markets for corporate buyouts.

U.S. stocks reached record highs Friday following a mixed jobs report. While hiring slowed, the unemployment rate improved, suggesting a stable job market that might delay but not eliminate Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Energy and housing sectors saw significant gains, while General Motors faced a substantial hit due to its EV pullback.

Sebi has approved five IPOs across sectors including digital lending, alcoholic beverages, textiles and precision engineering. Major issuers include Kissht, Alcobrew Distilleries, Aastha Spintex, Indo MIM and Kusumgar, signalling a strong and diverse primary market pipeline.

Walmart is set to join the prestigious Nasdaq-100 Index. The retail giant will replace British drugmaker AstraZeneca. This move takes effect on January 20. Walmart is also joining the Nasdaq-100 Equal Weighted Index and the Nasdaq-100 Ex-Tech Sector Index. Companies often switch exchanges for better alignment with investor bases and services. The Nasdaq-100 is known for including top non-financial companies.

Indian markets are off to a strong start in 2026, but investors should brace for potential volatility. Corporate earnings, crucial inflation data, and escalating geopolitical tensions are on the horizon. Despite a robust bull market, analysts caution that current optimism might be overlooking upcoming challenges, urging a look at defensive strategies.

Bank of America acquired over 2 lakh shares of MTAR Technologies for Rs 55 crore in a bulk deal, paying a 6% premium. MTAR Technologies shares surged 6.69% to Rs 2,688.30, hitting a 52-week high. The company, involved in high-precision engineering for aerospace and energy, reported a decline in net profit and revenue for the September 2025 quarter.

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 4.4%, potentially easing Federal Reserve concerns about labor market weakness. Traders now anticipate Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's final rate cut has occurred, with future easing decisions likely falling to his successor. While job growth was weaker than expected, the jobless rate decline offers the central bank breathing room.

Markets regulator Sebi on Friday proposed an overhaul of the trading-related framework at stock exchanges, aimed at simplifying rules, removing duplication, and reducing the compliance burden for market participants.

Societe Generale bought 14.33 lakh Tata Capital shares via a Rs 51 crore block deal after anchor lock-in expiry, while Marshall Wace exited an equal stake. The stock rose to Rs 359.85 following Indias largest 2025 IPO this week today

The U.S. Supreme Court will not issue a ruling on Friday in a major case testing the legality of President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs.

India's markets regulator on Friday proposed to issue a uniform set of trading-related disclosure requirements to standardise compliance across India's three stock exchanges and two commodity exchanges.

Wall Street's main indexes opened slightly higher on Friday, as investors digested weaker-than-expected jobs data, while awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Market veteran Gurmeet Chadha credited retail investors and DIIs for supporting Nifty amid heavy FII selling, citing record SIP inflows as proof of resilient long-term domestic capital and urging policy incentives to reward patient investors.

U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in December amid business caution about hiring because of import tariffs and rising artificial intelligence investment, but the unemployment rate dipped to 4.4%, supporting expectations the Federal Reserve would leave interest rates unchanged this month.

The Indian exchange NSE will operate for regular trading on January 15, despite Maharashtra's public holiday for civic polls. While trading will proceed, January 15 is designated a settlement holiday, meaning T+0 settlements will not be processed. Consequently, T+1 trades from both January 14 and 15 will be settled on January 16.

SEBI simplified the accredited investor framework for AIFs, allowing agreements before certification, easing documentation norms and reducing bottlenecks, while preserving prudential safeguards and corpus rules to promote ease of doing business in capital markets.

StocksEdge data highlights ten mid-cap non-financial companies delivering over 50% EBITDA margins in FY25, led by NTPC Green Energy and SJVN, reflecting superior operating efficiency, resilient profitability and strong execution across diverse sectors.

Six BSE 200 stocks, including ITC, Siemens Energy India and Jubilant FoodWorks, hit fresh 52-week lows on Friday as market weakness dragged them down up to 21% over the past month.

Indian stock exchanges NSE and BSE will conduct a mock trading session on Saturday, allowing brokers to test systems, risk controls and contingency mechanisms under simulated conditions. The drill includes call auctions, block deals and an outage scenario to validate Sebis alternate trading venue framework. No live trading will occur.

SEBI revamped technical glitch norms for brokers, easing compliance by limiting applicability to firms with over 10,000 clients, simplifying reporting, granting exemptions, and rationalising penalties, offering relief to smaller brokers while maintaining technology, risk management and market integrity standards nationwide.

Indian markets extended losses for a fifth straight session as tariff concerns weighed on sentiment. Stocks such as Manappuram Finance, IEX and Elecon Engineering declined sharply, while Mazagon Dock, BHEL, NALCO and Hindustan Zinc saw buying interest.

BSE Index Services launched the BSE All Derivative Stocks Index to track derivative-eligible BSE 500 stocks, using market-cap and momentum weighting, reflecting Indias growing equity derivatives depth and offering a new benchmark for passive and active investment products nationwide participants.

Indian equities suffered a brutal start to the year as global trade fears, Trump tariff threats and heavy foreign selling dragged Sensex down over 2,000 points, erasing Rs 9 lakh crore and pushing markets into a risk-off, high-volatility phase nationwide.

Monthly SIP inflows crossed 31,000 crore as investor confidence in mutual funds stayed strong, says Kotak Mahindra AMCs Ovais Bakshi. He explains why the rise is in line with expectations, highlights the shift toward flexicap and multi-asset funds, rising interest in gold ETFs, and why NFO momentum has slowed in 2026.

Reliance Industries Ltd. is off to bruising start to the year, with shares down more than 6% as investors digest weak retail outlooks and tougher US rhetoric on Indias Russian oil purchases putting the onus on upcoming earnings to arrest the slide.

Binance achieved a major milestone by becoming the first crypto exchange fully authorized under ADGM's regulatory framework, coinciding with its user base surpassing 300 million. The report highlights a shift towards assessing crypto platforms as financial infrastructure, emphasizing governance, resilience, and user protection.

In FY26, only ten actively traded stocks with market capitalisation above Rs 2,000 crore delivered consistent gains across three consecutive quarters. Strong participation and sustained momentum turned these stocks into multibaggers within the fiscal year, rewarding early investors with substantial wealth creation.

WazirX has completed the allocation of Recovery Tokens to eligible users under its court-approved scheme and distributed around 85% of rebalanced net liquid platform assets within 10 business days, enabling users to participate proportionally in future recoveries.

Manappuram Finance shares fell 10% after a Reuters report said the RBI has objected to Bain Capitals plan to acquire a controlling stake. Heavy volumes marked the sell-off as investors assessed regulatory risks surrounding the proposed investment.

Bernstein expects Blinkit to maintain its lead over rivals in 2026, backed by stronger operating metrics and lower cash burn, though competition may keep profits and stock returns volatile. The brokerage names Eternal as its top pick and sets a target price of Rs 370, implying 31% upside.

BNP Paribas sees the Nifty 50 rising to 29,500 by end-2026, driven by earnings growth. The brokerage favours large, domestically focused stocks, citing policy support, easing financial conditions and a gradual recovery in consumption.

The Indian rupee slipped on Friday, pressured by dollar demand linked to maturing non-deliverable forward positions and corporate hedging as global markets awaited a key U.S. Supreme Court ruling on trade tariffs. The currency closed at 90.1625 against the U.S. dollar, down 0.1% on the day but little changed week-on-week.

Japanese multinational investment firm SoftBank, has sold 2.15 per cent of its holdings in Ola Electric mobility through its investment vehicle SVF II Ostrich (DE) LLC, according to a regulatory filing.

Reliance Jio Platforms is reportedly considering an IPO this year, potentially raising over $4 billion by floating 2.5% of the company. This move could make it India's largest-ever IPO. The telecom giant, led by Mukesh Ambani, has diversified into AI and attracted significant investor interest.

Steel and steel-linked companies are gearing up to mobilise around Rs 4,000 crore through IPOs over the next 12-18 months, buoyed by the government's decision to impose a three-year safeguard duty on select flat steel imports, merchant bankers said.

Dalal Street faced another tough day with indices falling for the fifth session. Investor sentiment remains cautious amid sector volatility and global concerns. However, technical indicators suggest the market is near a significant support level. Experts advise caution on bearish bets and suggest focusing on PSU banks and auto stocks for potential recovery.