​April rollover for the Nifty Index futures were lower at 65.12%, significantly lower compared to the previous month's 69.77% and the three-month average of 71.40%, states a report by SBI Securities.

"Reliance Industries Ltd's (RIL) strong earnings will keep leverage in check as the company continues to pursue growth ambitions. We expect the company's debt-to-EBITDA ratio to remain commensurate with the rating (BBB+/Stable/--)," S&P said in a note.

Both globally and in India, there is an old principle in the stock market. When stock prices stop reacting negatively to bad news, probably the worst has been priced in or one can say that the stocks have bottomed out. When the stock stops reacting positively to good news, that is probably an indication that stock has topped out as all the good news has been priced. Look at what has been happening with the IT sector. Large cap companies are announcing their Q4 results, literally everyone is showing hardly any growth. Not giving any great guidance for the current year. Now look at the stock price reaction. When Infy announced its result post market, its ADR dipped sharply by 5 % but within less than two hours it was trading with a cut of less than 2 %. Same is the case with Wipro, bad results but stock price did not fall, infact it moved up. Now take the case of smaller IT companies, they declared slightly better than expected results, stocks jumped by 7 to 8 %. Is stock price movement indicating that the street has priced in all bad news or rather bad expectations? Does this warrant that long term investors should ignore the noise on the street about how AI will kill the Indian IT sector.

"Reliance Industries Ltd's (RIL) strong earnings will keep leverage in check as the company continues to pursue growth ambitions. We expect the company's debt-to-EBITDA ratio to remain commensurate with the rating (BBB+/Stable/--)," S&P said in a note.

India's benchmark indices were subdued on Friday as a slump in Bajaj Finance shares after a weak FY25 outlook dragged financials, outweighing gains in IT stocks. Meanwhile, in today's trading session, five Nifty50 stocks touched new 52-week highs. Here's the list:

​ European shares rose on Friday and looked set to end the week higher as investors cheered robust results from tech giants in the United States, while Thyssenkrupp was on course for its best day in 18 months on a divesture announcement.

Retail investors' stock-picking technique is fascinating. Today, ETMarkets explored stocks that have seen a steady increase in retail investor involvement, especially in smallcaps. The data indicates around 140 smallcaps where retail investors (individuals with nominal share capital up to Rs 2 lakhs) have consistently increased their holdings throughout all four quarters of FY24.

The company has also informed the exchanges about changing the financial year from “1st January - 31st December” cycle to “1st April - 31st March” cycle. Accordingly, the current financial year of the company stands extended up to March 31, 2024, covering a period of 15 months commencing from January 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, comprising five quarters.

Mirae Asset NYSE FANG+ETF FoF-Reg(G) outperforms in Jan-Mar quarter, exceeding domestic and overseas funds. 160 thematic funds by March end. Notable performers include Franklin India Feeder and Mirae Asset S&P 500 Top 50 ETF FoF-Reg(G).

Private sector lender reported a 15% year-on-year (YoY) jump in its March quarter net profit at Rs 2,347 crore, which was higher than the Street estimate of Rs 2,041 crore. Its net interest income or NII rose 13.9% to Rs 5,376 crore during the quarter.

Goldman Sachs raised Zomato's target price to Rs 240, hinting at a 30% upside. Blinkit's projected 53% CAGR in Gross Order Value by 2027 is expected to drive a 32% revenue CAGR for Zomato, leading its sector. Despite a 50% surge year-to-date, Zomato stock shows stable technical indicators.

The company’s EBIT margin stood at 17.1% for the quarter ended March and the board has recommended a final dividend of Rs 33 per share.

A long buildup occurs when there is an increase in open interest and trading volumes alongside a rise in the price of the underlying stock in the Futures and Options segment, indicating a bullish trend in the market. In Friday's trading session, five stocks experienced a buildup of fresh long positions. Here's the list:

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 Thursday’s trading session, five stocks witnessed a build of fresh short positions. Here's the list:

Shares of Vedanta surged 5.5% to Rs 403 on the BSE even as the company's revenue and profit declined during the March quarter.

Stock markets exhibit positive returns during Lok Sabha elections despite short-term volatility. Past trends show fluctuation in prices with both upward and downward trajectories, offering insights for investors.

Smallcap stocks rebound post-Sebi comments, with FIIs and mutual funds increasing stakes in 213 counters. Notable gainers include Transformers & Rectifiers, Puravankara, and Motilal Oswal Financial amid concerns over frothy valuations.

Motilal Oswal downgraded the stock to neutral with a target price of Rs 7,800 saying that the management's guidance for FY25 is below its long-term guidance on multiple metrics such as AUM growth, credit costs, RoA, and RoE.

Gold prices were slightly down in recent trading, and market participants are now looking forward to more inflation data expected to come out soon.

Deepak Nitrite shows stability above 2,000 levels, recommended for short-term buying with a target above 2700 levels. Neel .H. Parekh from GEPL Capital provides insights on swing highs, Fibonacci ratio, and potential gains.

The Bank of Japan kept interest rates unchanged on Friday and issued fresh estimates projecting inflation to stay near its 2% target in the next three years, signalling its readiness to hike borrowing costs later this year.

The BSE Sensex was trading 87 points or 0.12% higher at 74,424. Nifty50 was trading at 22,598, up 28 points or 0.12% at around 9.23 am.

Brokerage firm Goldman Sachs maintained a buy rating on Zomato, CLSA maintained an underperform rating on ACC, Goldman Sachs recommended a neutral rating on Nestle India and JPMorgan has an underweight rating on Tech Mahindra.

Tech Mahindra's shares surge despite profit drop, backed by new CEO's growth strategy. Analysts cautious yet optimistic about the company's future performance and turnaround plan.

Nifty recouped its initial losses and managed to close in the positive zone.

The F&O contracts of any stock enter the ban period when the open interest (OI) on it crosses 95% of the market-wide positions limits or MWPL. The ban is reversed only if the open interest falls below 80%.

Gold prices were slightly down in recent trading, and market participants are now looking forward to more inflation data expected to come out soon.

Thursday's session saw Kotak Mahindra Bank shares ending 11% lower at Rs 1,643 on NSE while Hitachi Energy India shares ended nearly 14% up at Rs 9,342 on BSE.

ALPHABET-Google parent announces first-ever dividend; beats on sales, profit; shares soar

Data on Thursday showed that the U.S. economy grew at its slowest pace in nearly two years in the first quarter while inflation accelerated, dampening hopes that the Federal Reserve would begin cutting interest rates this year.

U.S. stock futures jumped after tech giants Alphabet and Microsoft reported quarterly results that beat Wall Street estimates. Nasdaq futures advanced more than 1%, while S&P 500 futures rose 0.7%.

Thursday's session saw Kotak Mahindra Bank shares ending 11% lower at Rs 1,643 on NSE while Hitachi Energy India shares ended nearly 14% up at Rs 9,342 on BSE.

Apollo 24/7 is part of Apollo HealthCo, a subsidiary of Apollo Hospitals. HealthCo also houses the pharmacy distribution business and a 25.5% interest in Apollo Pharmacy. It accounts for about 40% of Apollo Hospitals’ revenue.

“Price volume surge in Bharat Dynamics stock and a consolidation breakout after 17 weeks indicates that there has been a good base formation in this stock. Traders can buy for a target of Rs 2150 in the next 2-3 weeks,” Shivangi Sarda, Analyst, Derivatives and Technical Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, said.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has approved CRISIL ESG Ratings & Analytics Limited as a Category 1 provider of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings. The approval comes at a time when ESG disclosures are improving and financial markets recognize the need for independent ESG ratings.

Mumbai-listed Vedanta had announced a demerger in September last year. It intends to form six companies, each of which will house its different businesses - aluminium, power, oil and gas, base metals and steel. Goel reiterated that the demerger is on track to be concluded by the end of the calendar year.

Client withdrawals from US funds targeting environmental, social and governance goals reached $8.8 billion in the first three months of 2024, according to fresh data compiled by Morningstar. . That stood in stark contrast to the roughly $11 billion of inflows into ESG funds in Europe, where sustainable investing regulations are far more entrenched.

In addition to this loan, Adani Green is planning to raise a $1.3 billion bond in the next two months, after the general elections. Last month, it became the first Adani Group company to raise funds through a dollar note sale after a year of the release of the US-based short seller Hindenburg Research's report alleging wrongdoings at the group, showing signs of investor confidence.

The early-to-mid-stage investor that has backed 700 companies globally focuses on three major markets - USA, Israel and India. It has $15.5 billion of assets under management.

In the past week, at $21.5 billion, group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla surpassed Radhakishan Damani ($20.5 billion), Cyrus Poonawalla ($20.4 billion), and KP Singh ($20.1 billion) in terms of net worth to become the sixth wealthiest individual in India, showed the Forbes Real Time Billionaires' List.

"The digital acquisition of customers will be adversely impacted but the reputational impact is surprising since Kotak is considered to be a conservative bank with good processes and systems in place," said Kaitav Shah, banking analyst, Anand Rathi Brokerage.

Metal major Vedanta on Thursday reported a net profit of Rs 1,369 crore for the March-ended quarter, down over 27% (YoY) compared to Rs 1,881 crore reported in the year-ago period. Consolidated revenue from operations for the quarter stood at Rs 34,937 crore, down 6% YoY over Rs 37,225 reported by the company in Q4FY23.

On Wednesday evening, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) barred the Uday Kotak-promoted lender from onboarding new customers through its online and mobile banking channels and directed them to stop issuing new credit cards. The regulator cited “serious deficiencies and non-compliances” and “continued failure on the part of the bank to address these concerns in a comprehensive and timely manner.”

"June beginning is a crucial turning point as uncertainty around the political front and monsoons will be over, which can significantly increase FII inflows," said Amnish Aggarwal, head of institutional research, Prabhudas Lilladher, in a note to their clients.

The defence stock moved in a narrow range in February 2024, where levels below 2,000 acted as a stiff resistance while on the downside 1,500 acted as a strong support. It took support above 1,500 levels once in February 2024 and then again in March 2024, creating a double bottom pattern.

At 11:34 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 619.28 points, or 1.61%, at 37,841.64, the S&P 500 was down 65.74 points, or 1.30%, at 5,005.89, and the Nasdaq Composite was down 278.87 points, or 1.77%, at 15,433.88.

​ Shares of International Business Machines fell more than 9% on Thursday, as its consulting business faces pressure from enterprises tightening their budgets to cope with an uncertain economy and high interest rates.

Indian shares gained for the fifth consecutive session on Thursday, led by post-earnings gains in key benchmark constituents like Axis Bank and Nestle India. The S&P BSE Sensex closed 0.66% higher at 74,339, while the NSE Nifty50 index ended above the 22,550 level."The short term uptrend seems to have resumed after a small pause. Having moved above the key hurdle, the Nifty is expected to move towards a new all-time high of 22,800 and above in the near term. Immediate support is at 22,470," said Nagaraj Shetti, senior technical research analyst at HDFC Securities.

The S&P 500 opened lower by 76.15 points, or 1.50%, at 4,995.42, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 337.49 points, or 2.15%, to 15,375.26 at the opening bell.

The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies jumped to a lifetime peak of Rs 404.18 lakh crore on Thursday helped by a five-day rally in benchmark indices, making investors richer by Rs 11.29 lakh crore.