Recently the finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman spoke about the risk of unchecked explosion of future and option trading. Before that, there was a SEBI study, which mentioned that 90 % of the individuals who trade in future and options ( F&O) end up losing money; only 10% are able to make profit. But there is another side to the story. First is that trade volumes in this segment are only going to rise. Second, what is the common between both the losers and winners? They both brokerage to their stock broker and also pay transaction fees to the stock exchange. So, who is the constant and permanent winner? The stock exchange and the stock broker. Yes, policy makers will bring in more checks, but the hard fact is that those checks will only be partially effective for a short period of time as the turnover in the F&O will continue to rise for the foreseeable future. One can control anything, but not the hope and greed on the street.

The total market capitalisation of all stocks listed on the BSE surpassed $5 trillion on Tuesday, making India the fifth country after the US, China, Japan, and Hong Kong to achieve this milestone. The trillion-dollar market-cap addition to $5 trillion happened in less than six months, in 117 sessions. The market value of BSE-listed companies crossed $4 trillion for the first time on Nov 29, 2023. Let's take a look at the biggest contributors to the last $1 trillion gain. (Source: ET Bureau)

With volatility becoming more common on D-St this election season, risk-averse investors either sit on the sidelines with cash piles or use wild swings to hedge their portfolios with ballot-proof stocks. Let’s look at the stocks that are expected to perform well, irrespective of Lok Sabha election results.

Minutes from the Fed's latest policy meeting will offer clues about the rate cut trajectory in the world's largest economy.

Indian Bank plans to raise Rs 5,000 crore in equity and Rs 7,000 crore through perpetual and infrastructure bonds. This move aims to strengthen capital base and finance infrastructure projects. Government's stake to decrease.

European autos stocks were the worst performing equity market sector on Wednesday, following a report that suggested there was potential for China to impose higher tariffs on cars.

Hindustan Zinc is also the best-performing metal stock in 2024 so far with a staggering return of 146% YTD. It is India's only silver producer and after recording its highest-ever silver production in FY24, it has become the third-largest silver producer globally.

Indian shares struggled for direction on Wednesday, as investors avoided large bets due to uncertainty around the outcome of local general elections and ahead of the Federal Reserve minutes due later in the day. Meanwhile, in today's trading session, six stocks from the BSE PSU index hit a new 52-week high. Here's the list:

Knowing risks and managing those risks are two different things. Knowing risk is easy, everyone knows that small cap stocks are probably the riskiest part of the stock market. but managing the risk is more complicated than it appears. Why are we bringing this up at this point of time ? Because the risk on trade which has been in place in the Indian equity market , got a significant boost when state elections results indicated higher probability of the present central government coming back to power.

Four years ago, the real estate industry was defined by excess inventory, over leveraged balance sheets and weak demand. Today, a housing project getting launched is getting sold within a few days. The average prices on a per square ft basis have inched upward very sharply in the last one year and still there is no dearth of demand. Now the question is whether this kind of sharp rise in demand is having an impact only on large players or also on mid-sized companies which are focussed in a region only. The fact is that in the case of sectors like real estate, when the tide of demand changes, it changes for every player, be it large or medium. Yes, when it comes to medium-sized players it would be important to look at the players where they have a track record of implementing projects on time. Delivering the project on time is key metrics which determines whether the company which is mid-sized today will become large or not in years to come. As the large ones have seen a sharp rise in the valuations, the focus of the street is now also on mid-sized by well managed companies.

Japan's Nikkei share average fell 0.85% to 38,617.10 as investors awaited Nvidia's earnings, which will influence global stocks, including Wall Street and AI-related stocks. Chip stocks like Tokyo Electron and Advantest declined ahead of the results. The index previously hit a record intraday high and saw declines in Fast Retailing and Shin-Etsu Chemical.

Auto component industry to double investment to $7 billion; Craftsman Automation could give 19% return. Premiumization trend drives shift to 'premium' vehicles. UV mix in PVs at 60% in FY24. 125cc+ segment in motorcycles at 52% in FY24. Social media influences rural trends. Finance accessibility boosts premiumization. India targets net zero emissions by 2070, promoting EVs and biofuels.

Suzlon Energy's shares surged by 5% to hit the upper circuit at Rs 46.2 on the BSE on Wednesday following reports of a block deal on the counter. Around 33.9 lakh shares of Suzlon Energy were traded in the block deal, with the identities of buyers and sellers undisclosed.

Domestic brokerage firm Prabhudas Lilladher has identified 5 fertilizer stocks that are technically well-placed on the charts and may offer an upside potential of up to 27%. Here are the stock ideas:

A short buildup is when there is a rise in open interest and volumes along with a decrease in the price of the underlying stock in the Futures and Options segment. Short buildup means more people are expecting the prices to go down and creating short positions. In Wednesday's trading session, five stocks witnessed a build of fresh short positions. Here's the list:

OI change on May 22: 3.85%Change in stock price: 2.27%

Domestic brokerage firm Prabhudas Lilladher has identified 5 fertilizer stocks that are technically well-placed on the charts and may offer an upside potential of up to 27%. Here are the stock ideas:

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) witnessed a sharp decline of up to 8% on the BSE on Wednesday, dropping to Rs 295, following the company's announcement of a more than 25% year-on-year decrease in its consolidated net profit to Rs 489.62 crore for the March quarter.

The Nifty opened lower and ended the day with modest gains after spending the day in a capped and narrow range.

Indian Emulsifier shares debuted on the NSE SME platform on Wednesday, opening at Rs 430, a significant premium of 225.8% compared to the issue price of Rs 132. The IPO, consisting of 32.11 lakh fresh equity shares, garnered immense investor interest, with a subscription rate exceeding 450 times at the close of the offering.

FIIs have sold Indian stocks worth Rs 37,700 crore since the Lok Sabha elections began on April 19, causing nervousness on Dalal Street. India VIX has increased by 67%. In contrast, DIIs have spent Rs 60,000 crore, holding strong amidst market volatility.

Tracking the momentum, BPCL shares hit a record high of Rs 687 on February 16, 2024, but it failed to hold the momentum. The oil & gas stock witnessed a price-wise correction but is showing signs of bottoming out.

Brokerage companies like Bernstein upheld a Market Perform assessment for HCL Technologies, Nuvama endorsed a buy evaluation for BHEL, Jefferies suggested a buy stance on JB Pharma, and Goldman Sachs issued a buy rating for Hitachi Energy.

Benchmark equity indices opened higher, tracking gains in global equities. Investors focused on Federal Reserve's policy meeting minutes for rate cut clues. Uncertainty prevails over India's national elections outcome and foreign selling impact on Indian equities. Sensex pack includes major companies like Reliance Industries and UltraTech Cement, among others. BSE Sensex and Nifty50 show marginal increases.

Markets are braced for fireworks when Nvidia reports after the bell, with options priced for a swing of 8.7% in either direction, worth $200 billion in market value.

Share prices have rebounded from multi-year lows in February on signs of more official support. The benchmark Shanghai index has climbed more than 3% since reports of the property rescue surfaced on Thursday, taking its gains to a fifth in 3-1/2 months, though the rally stalled on Tuesday as investors awaited more details on how the funding would work. Hong Kong-listed Chinese shares are up nearly 38%

Weeks before vote counting set for June 4, stock markets are closely tracking shadow-betting platforms that are flourishing nationwide, with wagers now suggesting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win a slimmer majority than expected.

The timeline was echoed by Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester in comments on Tuesday night at an Atlanta Fed conference.

Nvidia, Wall Street's third-largest firm by market capitalization, will report results after the closing bell on Wednesday in what is likely to be a significant market catalyst and will test whether the outsized rally in AI-related stocks can be sustained.

“HCL Technologies stock has also retraced from its record high and currently hovering around the support zone of the neckline area of the previous consolidation range. Traders can buy for a target of Rs 1590,” Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said.

Hindustan Zinc surged 20%, followed by Vedanta which gained 7.04%. Jindal Steel and Power and Hindalco moved up over 4%, while Tata Steel, JSW Steel, and Hindustan Copper rose over 3% each.

Warburg Pincus arm White Iris Investment will likely offload 3.5% stake in Apollo Tyres through block deals, according to reports.

Warburg Pincus subsidiary White Iris Investment is likely to sell a 3.5% stake in Apollo Tyres on Wednesday. It aims to raise Rs 1,040 crore. The deal size is 2.24 crore shares.

The RBI has raised the benchmark policy rates by 250 basis points (one bps is 0.01 percentage point) since May 2022 as inflation surged way beyond the central bank's 4% target. But inflation is slowly aligning with the target, although concerns remain over the trajectory for food inflation.

Shares of Aptus Value Housing Finance fell 5.56% to close at ₹298.6 on Tuesday. In the past one month the housing finance company's shares have fallen 6.7%.

The index rose 0.3% to end at 19,413 - a record close, while the benchmark Nifty gained 0.1% to close at 22,529.05. The volatility index, or India VIX - market's fear gauge, jumped 6.3% to 21.81, suggesting traders see risks in equities in the near term.

The trillion-dollar market-cap addition to $5 trillion happened in less than six months, in 117 sessions. The market value of BSE-listed companies crossed $4 trillion for the first time on Nov 29, 2023.

The regulator said instead of using the market capitalisation of a single day which is currently March 31, listed companies will now have to use the average market capitalisation for a six- month period.

"Margin improvement is volatile as the small impact on utilisation for its network impacts the margin as pricing power is limited," said the brokerage, while slashing its target price from ₹600 to ₹488.

"Being the global bank that we are, what we do, therefore, is connect India to the rest of the world and connect the rest of the world to India and GIFT is clearly onshoring what was happening offshore," HSBC India CEO Hitendra Dave told ET.

In the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notification on May 20, the Centre has specified that import of second-hand products, whether or not refurbished, repaired or reconditioned, notified under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021, is prohibited unless they are registered with BIS and comply with the labelling requirement published by BIS.

The stock hit a record high of Rs 1,696 on February 23. It slipped below crucial short- and long-term moving averages on the daily chart. This was a sign that bears were in control. It retested the support level of Rs 1,300 in May and bounced back.

The Dow fared better than its peers, boosted by financials and a 1.5% rise in Microsoft, a day after the tech giant launched its new line of personal computers with AI features. JPMorgan Chase rose 1.3%, recovering from Monday's 4.5% slide. That, coupled with gains in other major big banks, steered a 1.2% advance in the S&P 500 banks index.

Rules mandate at least 20% of promoters’ shares to be locked in for a certain period of time post-listing after an IPO. This relaxation will help new-age technology companies as founders’ shareholding comes down usually after an IPO. Non-promoter shareholders excluding individuals holding more than 5% of the post-offer equity share capital can contribute towards the shortfall, Sebi said.

HDFC Bank sold 3.20% stake in Protean eGov Technologies. According to the bulk deal data available with the BSE, HDFC Bank sold 12,94,326 shares. The shares were offloaded at an average price of Rs 1,160.15 apiece

Warburg Pincus subsidiary White Iris Investment is likely to sell a 3.5% stake in Apollo Tyres on Wednesday. It aims to raise Rs 1,040 crore. The deal size is 2.24 crore shares.

Indian shares recovered to close flat on Tuesday, with gains in metal stocks offsetting declines in other sectors. The S&P BSE Sensex closed 0.07% lower at 73,953, while the NSE Nifty50 index ended above the 22,500 level. Indian Bank has shown bullish trend on the daily chart with the breakout of an Inverse Head and Shoulders pattern. Aditya Birla Fashion witnessed a notable breakout of a pattern called the Cup and Handle, suggesting a likely uptrend ahead.

After the Rs 2,000 crore rights issue, the company’s equity base will increase to Rs 4,500 crore. Earlier this year, the board of Sobha Ltd approved raising Rs 2,000 crore through a rights issue to increase the equity of the company and fund the growth.

Nearly 18 Tata group companies have reported their March quarter earnings so far. Of these, ETMarkets.com analysed stocks that have done the best in terms of profit growth on a year-on-year (YoY) basis. Take a look! (Data Source: ACE Equity | Ritesh Presswala)

The listed entities will now have to follow the industry standards to ensure compliance. Further, the exchanges are advised to bring the contents of this circular to the notice of companies and ensure its compliance. Further, in another circular Sebi has also revamped the method for calculating the market capitalisation of listed companies.