Both the Fed and the U.S. economy are approaching a crossroads. Inflation has come down sharply since its 2022 peak of 9.1%, with the year-over-year increase in the consumer price index falling to 2.9% in July. Given the progress, the critical question facing Fed officials is no longer how much economic damage it will take to wrestle price increases back under control. It is whether they can finish the job without inflicting much damage at all.

In the June quarter of FY25, several companies made a significant turnaround from loss-making to profit-making on a year-on-year (YoY) basis. According to StockEdge data, companies in the Nifty500 index with a market cap of over Rs 10,000 crore, such as PB Fintech, Adani Wilmar, Tejas Networks, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Inox Wind and others returned to profitability in Q1FY25. Here’s the list:

Shares of FSN E-Commerce Ventures, Nykaa's parent company, rose 4% after Harindarpal Singh Banga and Indra Banga sold a 1.4% stake. The sale price was Rs 198 per share, a discount from Thursday's closing. Nykaa's shares have shown significant gains, rising by 23% this year and 60% over the past 12 months.

UTI Asset Management Company's stock has surged 30% over the past three months, reaching a multi-year high. Despite this impressive rally, experts suggest that there is still potential for growth. Short-term traders are advised to buy the stock at around Rs 1,090-1,100 with an expected target of Rs 1200, while maintaining a stop loss at Rs 1035.

UBS has maintained a buy rating on TVS Motor, raising the target price to Rs 3,200 from Rs 3,000. They view the new Jupiter model as a significant upgrade over its predecessor and its competitors at a similar price point. UBS expects the new Jupiter to drive an additional 15,000-20,000 units in volume, representing 7% of domestic 2W volumes and 5% of total TVS volumes.

Companies in India are gearing up for an increase in share buybacks as the new tax rules on repurchases take effect on October 1 wherein the gains from buybacks will now be taxed in the hands of shareholders rather than the companies.Many companies have or are set to approve share buybacks shortly after the new regime was proposed in the budget on July 23.Below is a list of 6 companies with ongoing buyback programs:

CDSL Share Price: Shares of Central Depository Services (CDSL) surged 6% to a day's high of Rs 1,558.85 on the NSE after trading began on a pre-bonus basis. The record date for the bonus issue is Saturday, August 24, but since Saturday is a market holiday, today is the ex-date. Bonus shares will be issued to shareholders registered as of the record date.

The Adani Group, led by billionaire Gautam Adani, sold 2.8% of its stake in Ambuja Cements for Rs 4,200 crore, prompting a 4% rise in the stock. The group now holds a 70.33% stake in the company. Ambuja recently acquired Penna Cement at an enterprise value of Rs 10,422 crore, boosting its market share in southern India.

The BSE Sensex was trading 42 points, or 0.05%, lower at 81,009. The Nifty50 was down 7 points, or 0.03%, trading at 24,803 around 9:19 am.

Nykaa shares have surged 20% in one month, driven by a Rs 13.64 crore profit for the first quarter of June 2024 and a 23% rise in revenue. Analysts suggest the stock could reach Rs 250+ levels. Investors are advised to monitor key price levels and stop loss points.

Shares of FSN E-Commerce Ventures, Nykaa's parent company, rose 4% after Harindarpal Singh Banga and Indra Banga sold a 1.4% stake. The sale price was Rs 198 per share, a discount from Thursday's closing. Nykaa's shares have shown significant gains, rising by 23% this year and 60% over the past 12 months.

In another two weeks, Ganesh Chaturthi will kick off the official festive season 2024. A season in which some companies look forward to for one simple reason, they tend to see the highest sales in this period as consumers loosen their purse strings. Now why look at these stocks ahead of the festive season. Look at what happened to stocks of white good markets like Voltas. The first indication of strong summer had just come in March, stock started gaining and in less than 6 months more than 50% gain from its low. Given the fact that there is too much liquidity which is prevailing in markets, a small hint that the performance of the company is going to be good, stock tends to gain very sharply. So, in bullish markets, before you see in headlines “ festive season sales”, it is time to look at them. If you want to see what difference the festive season makes, just have a look at how different two quarters, a festive quarter and non festive quarter sales.

The Sensex rose by 147 points to close above 81,000, while Nifty ended above 24,800, in line with global markets. Stocks in focus include Paytm, which fell 3.14%, Nucleus Software, which declined 6.04%, and Aarti Drugs, which surged 6%. Expert advice includes waiting for dips before investing in these stocks.

Japan's Nikkei share average rose in early trade on Friday, with pharma shares rallying for a second session, although gains were limited due to tech stocks following their U.S. counterparts lower. Export-heavy markets got support from a weaker yen. Market participants await Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda's and U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speeches.

Adani Group is set to sell a 2.84% stake in Ambuja Cements on Friday to raise approximately ₹4,200 crore through a block deal. The shares will be sold at a floor price of ₹600 each, a 5% discount to Thursday's closing price. Adani Group's current stake in Ambuja Cements stands at 70.33%.

“Ashok Leyland stock is currently trading within an upward rising channel on the daily chart, indicating a positive trend. Traders can buy for a target of Rs 277-303 in the next 3-4 weeks,” Kkunal V. Parar, Vice-President of Technical Research and Algo, Choice Broking, said.

Arbitrage funds are gaining popularity over liquid and overnight funds due to their tax efficiency, zero credit risk, and higher returns. With investments of ₹1.08 lakh crore in the past year, their assets under management have doubled. Fund managers warn that returns might slightly dip due to market volatility and increasing investments.

Mohamed El-Erian suggests traders are overestimating the likelihood of aggressive Federal Reserve rate cuts by the year's end. He believes that a more realistic expectation is a 75-basis-point cut. The market anticipates up to 100 basis points in cuts, but the Fed's decision at their Jackson Hole symposium remains crucial.

U.S. stock markets faced declines on Thursday with technology shares leading the fall as Treasury yields rose and global central bank officials met at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. Investors are keenly awaiting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech for insights on potential rate cuts.

Japanese equities showed resilience while other Asian markets opened lower as investors awaited comments from Jerome Powell. US stocks experienced a selloff, with significant drops in Nvidia and Intel. Rising inflation in Japan exceeded forecasts, and the yen strengthened. Investors are closely monitoring potential economic policy changes and their impacts.

Stocks in news: Domestic markets ended slightly higher on Thursday in a lackluster session. Ambuja Cements, Nykaa, Adani Power, Bharti Airtel, Wipro, along with other notable companies will be in focus due to significant news, including stake sales, GST orders, acquisitions, partnerships, and bonus issues.

The promoters will pare stakes in some listed firms while increasing them in others, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The final aim of this rebalancing exercise is to hold 64-68% stake across firms. The stake sale will begin with Ambuja Cement and Adani Power while the holding will be increased in Adani Green Energy.

Select sectors are getting their momentum back.

Ashok Leyland stock price has seen a remarkable increase, rising over 51% from Rs 171.30 on February 19, 2024, to Rs 260.25 on August 21, 2024. This impressive momentum even led the stock to reach a new all-time high of Rs 261.70 on August 20, 2024. Despite a brief period of consolidation in June and July, the stock rebounded strongly after retesting its 40-day moving average (40-DMA) in early August. The current upward-rising channel pattern further reinforces the bullish sentiment surrounding the stock.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah received a Rs 19.08 crore dividend cheque from Repco Bank, which reported an impressive 11% growth for FY 2023-24. Shah praised the bank’s achievements and commitment.

Indian equity markets surged on Thursday, tracking global peers, after minutes of the US Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting signalled a rate cut as early as next month. The S&P BSE Sensex closed 0.18% higher at 81,053, while the NSE Nifty50 index ended above the 24,800 level."The short-term trend of Nifty continues to be positive amidst range movement. A decisive upmove from here is expected to pull Nifty towards the new all-time high of 25100 levels in the near term. Immediate support is at 24680," said Nagaraj Shetti of HDFC Securities.Here are 6 stock recommendations for Friday:

At the same time, the Singapore government bought a total of 16,59,784 shares, or 0.64 per cent stake, in the state-owned Punjab National Bank arm at an average price of Rs 866.05 apiece on the BSE.

Short covering refers to the buying of shares to close an existing short position, signaling a shift from extreme bearishness to bullishness. In Thursday's trading session, five stocks saw short covering. Here's the list:

The Adani Group plans to sell a 2.84% stake in Ambuja Cements through a block deal, aiming to raise Rs 4,200 crore. Holderind Investments, an Adani Group entity, will sell nearly 70 million shares at Rs 600 per share, a 5% discount to the recent closing price.

As outlined in the bankers' term sheet, the Bangas intend to sell 4.09 crore shares at a floor price of Rs 198 per share, representing a 5.9% discount to Thursday’s closing price of Rs 210.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 41.7 points, or 0.10%, at the open to 40,932.23.

The stock of mid-sized construction company HG Infra Engineering has gained close to 9% since the company announced its June 2024 quarter financial results on August 5 compared with 1.2% gain in the ET Construction Index.

Central bankers from around the world fly into Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this week to attend what has become the globe's premier economic gathering, the Kansas City Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Grand Teton National Park.

Zerodha has launched a privacy mode on its website to secure users' sensitive information and P&L details. This feature aims to prevent overtrading by reducing distractions from real-time P&L changes. It also includes a Kill Switch and virtual contract notes to promote mindful trading.

According to Chandan Taparia of Motilal Oswal, the Nifty needs to stay above 24,700 to keep pushing towards the 25,000 and 25,100 levels. If it drops, there's support at 24,700 and then again at 24,550.

Long unwinding refers to the selling of positions or stocks owned for a longer period either to book profit or to exit it in anticipation of impending bearishness. In Thursday's trading session, five stocks witnessed a long unwinding. Here's the list:

Warburg Pincus exited Kalyan Jewellers on Thursday, selling a 2.36% stake to promoter T S Kalyanaraman and 6.81% via a block deal. Warburg Pincus had reduced its holding from 30% since 2014 as part of a strategic divestment.

The Fed minutes confirmed expectations of a rate cut next month, with most policymakers agreeing it would be appropriate if data aligns with forecasts. Market participants are now focused on US initial jobless claims at 6:00 pm IST and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming remarks at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium.

After a long period of time, recently an Indian pharma company announced its intention to takeover a reasonably sized European company. This is more than just a single development, it is reflecting a change in underlying operating matrix of the pharma industry which for the last many years has been going through a period of readjustment and is now coming out of it. Not many may know that an Indian hospital chain operates a hospital in Cayman Island. The Indian healthcare and pharma sector are two spaces which probably will grow at a much faster rate than other sectors. There are both macro and micro factors which will lead to higher growth. It is faster growth which leads to generation of alpha, which ideally is what investors are seeking when taking risk in equities

Indian equity markets rose on Thursday, led by IT stocks, after minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting signalled that the U.S. central bank is strongly leaning towards a rate cut next month. Meanwhile, six midcap stocks from the Nifty200 index hit new 52-week highs in today's trading session. Here's the list:

PB Fintech has seen a 110% surge in share price this year, making it the top performer among major financial technology firms globally. The company's profits have soared, driven by the revival in unsecured lending. PB Fintech reported a net profit of Rs 60 crore in the June quarter, with substantial growth in insurance premiums and credit disbursal.

The SME IPO of Brace Port Logistics attracted massive investor response with a staggering 600x subscription rate, reflecting strong enthusiasm across various categories. Despite this extraordinary response, the IPO did not make it into the top 10 for the highest subscription figures among SME IPOs this year. Here's a look at the top 10 IPOs that led the subscription charts in 2024.

The company has set September 3 as the record date for the buyback, which will be conducted via a tender offer. This marks the company's second share buyback, with the previous one occurring in September 2021.

After experiencing some correction in August, the market has resumed its upward journey and investors now are awaiting the Nifty reclaiming the 25,000 mark.Below is a list of carefully curated stock ideas from StoxBox combining both technical and fundamental analysis to identify stocks with strong growth potential:Here are the top 7 growth ideas from StoxBox:

Promoters usually hike stakes in a company only when they are confident of the latter’s future prospects. If these companies show strong financial growth, it adds to the value. ETMarkets have analysed stocks where promoters have increased stakes by over 50 basis points (0.50%) in the June quarter compared to the previous one. We focused on companies that showed at least 15% year-over-year increase in both sales and profit for the June quarter, had a current market capitalization of over Rs 1,500 crore, and excluded those with latest quarterly sales below Rs 100 crore. Interestingly, 10 stocks met these criteria; of these, 7 have experienced share price increases ranging from 15% to 65% in CY24 so far, while one stock remained flat and one declined slightly during the same period. (Data Source: ACE Equity)

The demand was driven by retail investors, whose category was subscribed 19 times. The NII portion of the issue was booked 13 times. There were just 5% bids from QIB investors

The market was cautious ahead of the remarks by the Bank of Japan Governor (Kazuo) Ueda as well as Federal Reserve Chair (Jerome) Powell later this week," said Shuutarou Yasuda, a market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory

The retail sector rose to the top, boosted by a 5.3% gain in JD Sports after the British sportswear retailer reported an improvement in second-quarter underlying sales growth

PB Fintech, which operates insurance marketplace Policybazaar and credit provider Paisabazaar, listed in 2021 and swung to a profit in the 12 months through March after a spell of losses over a number of fiscal years

Raamdeo Agrawal, chairman of Motilal Oswal Financial Services, predicts that the Nifty will double to 48,000 in five years due to retail participation and excess liquidity. He cautions against investing in PSUs and IT stocks and urges caution in banking stocks due to issues with credit demand and deposit growth.