Suven Pharmaceuticals and Cohance Lifesciences signed a definitive agreement to merge their businesses, which will further strengthen the former’s position in contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) space.

The new guidelines say that commercial and cooperative banks, non-bank payment aggregators and entities authorised as Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units (BBPOUs) can participate in BBPS as operating units without requiring a separate authorisation. They have to just intimate the RBI central office before commencing operations.

Industry body Association of Mutual Funds in India(AMFI) along with Sebi has enhanced the risk metrics and asked fund houses to disclose the result of stress test and liquidity, volatility, valuation and portfolio turnover in respect of small- and mid-cap equity schemes.

On Thursday, shares of media and entertainment companies were mixed. Zee shares experienced a 1% decline, closing at ₹161, whereas Sun TV Network saw a 2% gain, closing at ₹619. Shares of Bharti Airtel and Vodafone each fell by half a per cent.

RBI has given a glide path for adopting detailed disclosures from FY25 onwards. The central bank sees a need for a better, consistent and comparable disclosure framework for lenders, as inadequate information about climate-related financial risks can lead to the mispricing of assets and misallocation of capital.

Since mid-2022, bank credit growth has consistently outpaced deposit growth, exerting pressure on lenders to mobilise funds to finance the robust loan demand.

Key to its decision is whether inflation - down sharply since hitting a multi-decade high in 2022 - continues to close in on the Fed's long-term target of 2%.

A strong revival in foreign institutional buying in March also seems unlikely, said analysts though seasonal trends show that overseas investors have mostly purchased during the month.

Voltas rose from Rs 820.45 as on November 28, 2023, to Rs 1,110 recorded on February 28, 2024, which translates into an upside of over 35% in the last 3 months. The stock recently gave a breakout from a consolidation range on the weekly charts but failed to sustain above the 1,130 level.

Winfrey will donate her WW shares to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, WW said. She owned 1.13 million shares worth $6.34 million as of Jan. 1, LSEG data showed. Winfrey's donation would help "eliminate any perceived conflict of interest around her taking weight loss medications," the weight-loss services firm said on late Wednesday.

A Commerce Department report showed the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, climbed 0.3% in January month-on-month, as expected. Prices rose 2.4% on a yearly basis, also matching estimates.

Snowflake expects product revenue of $3.25 billion in fiscal year 2025, and between $745 million and $750 million for the quarter ending April, both below Wall Street expectations.

Indian equity indices closed higher in a highly volatile market on Thursday, led by the Reliance Industries and financials stocks. The S&P BSE Sensex closed 0.27% higher at 72,500, while the NSE Nifty50 index ended above the 21,950 level."Broadly, Nifty is still trading in the range of 22,000 to 22,300 levels for the past couple of weeks and we need to wait and watch for either side breakout or breakdown for 200 to 300 points directional move in Nifty. Support for the index is now seen at 21,950-22,000 and 21,800-825 levels. On the higher side, immediate resistance for Nifty is at 22,050 levels and the next resistance zone is at 22,250-300 levels," said Tejas Shah, Technical Research, JM Financial & BlinkX. Here are 5 stock recommendations for Friday:

Promoter of Suven Pharma, Advent International, had said last year that it would merge the two businesses post the buyout of its significant stake in Suven Pharma. Under the merger, shareholders of Cohance will be issued 11 shares of Suven Pharma for every 295 shares held by the former. The new shares of Suven will be traded on the NSE and BSE.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 64.73 points, or 0.17%, at the open to 39,013.75.

The S&P BSE Sensex rose nearly 200 points while the Nifty50 closed higher but failed to hold above the 22,000 mark on Thursday. Sectorally, buying was seen in power, public sector, metal, and capital goods stocks while healthcare stocks saw some selling pressure.

The operations of Disney India reveal a great deal about this. Disney's India business contains television assets including more than 70 channels across eight languages, sports properties (cricket, football and Kabaddi), film studio, licensed merchandising, DTH player Tata Play (close to 30% stake) and streamer Disney+Hotstar.

The group’s gross assets to net debt stood at 2.5 times as on September 30. The group saw record quarterly operating profit growth of 64% YoY, while the operating profit as of December-end stood at Rs 78,823 crore ($9.5 billion).

Quant Mutual Fund acquired 18.08% of the total issue size, while Life Insurance Corporation and SBI Life Insurance each purchased 9.04% of the issue size. Other investors in the QIP include The Triumph Fund and Dovetail India.

With the leap year day on Thursday, here's a track record of how Nifty and Nifty Bank have moved during these sessions: (Data | ET NOW, NSE)

Nifty 50 held on to the crucial support zone of 21,900 – 21,850, which coincided with the 20-day moving average and the 50% Fibonacci retracement level of the rise from 21530 – 22249.

An Indian subsidiary of BP, Castrol India has launched products at a lower price point to improve volume, which it had earlier avoided due to intense competition. Lower raw material costs are expected to aid the company's efforts to tap the price conscious segment of customers.

Short covering refers to the buying of shares to close an existing short position or a position that has been sold. Short covering signals a shift in view from extreme bearishness to bullishness. In Thursday's trading session, five stocks saw top short covering. Here's the list:

The shares of GPT Healthcare debuted with a 15% premium over the issue price on Thursday, which was slightly above expectations. Most analysts priced in a 9-10% premium listing.

Swan Energy on Thursday said it has raised Rs 3,000 crore from qualified institutional placement of shares which were priced at Rs 670 apiece.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex rose 195 points or 0.27% to settle at 72,500. The broader NSE Nifty gained 32 points or 0.14% to end at 21,982. IndusInd Bank, M&M, Power Grid, Maruti, and SBI were the top Sensex gainers, while TCS, Bharti Airtel, ITC, Tata Motors, and HUL closed with cuts. The market capitalisation of all listed companies on BSE surged by Rs 2.17 lakh crore to Rs 388.14 lakh crore.

Reliance Industries and Viacom18 have partnered with Disney to create a Rs 70,000 crore broadcast network, posing challenges for debt-ridden Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The company faces weakened competitive position, reduced bargaining power, tough competition from digital media, and corporate governance issues. Zee shares have lost 44% of their value this year.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex rose 195 points or 0.27% to settle at 72,500. The broader NSE Nifty gained 32 points or 0.14% to end at 21,982. IndusInd Bank, M&M, Power Grid, Maruti, and SBI were the top Sensex gainers, while TCS, Bharti Airtel, ITC, Tata Motors, and HUL closed with cuts.

Feb 29 (PTI) Sebi on Thursday barred 12 entities, including promoter of V Marc India Ltd, from the securities market for engaging in a fraudulent scheme to manipulate volumes and price of the company's shares.

Strong double-digit year-on-year (YoY) growth in Feb 2024 is likely for 2W wholesale volumes due to good demand (retails up ~10%) and a favourable base. PV volumes are likely to have grown at a healthy pace led by positive retail trends (retails up ~4%) and inventory build. CVs, though, are likely to have slid in single digits due to weak LCV volumes and a high base. Tractors are likely to have declined by low double digits due to the festival timing and challenges in the west/south. In the near term, the high base would lead to muted CV and tractor growth. Here's a look at auto sales expectations for top automakers in February. (Data Source: Anand Rathi)

India's market regulator, SEBI, has asked money managers to restrict investments in small- and mid-cap stock mutual funds and reduce commissions. The move aims to curb surging inflows into these funds and address the extraordinary exuberance in small- and mid-cap stocks.

While every sector of the economy has been witnessing an improvement and policy push, one sector which was the first one to come in the focus of the government was the road construction sector. At first, it was the central government, but if one looks at how important it has become for gaining political capital, every state government has been focusing on road and highway construction. The impact of a coordinated effort between state and central government is that the lead time for the construction of roads comes down very sharply. This means that the working capital of the company which is part of this whole process of construction of roads comes down sharply. Given the fact the margins in the infrastructure business are not very high, an improved payment cycle itself leads to better overall margins. We take a look at six companies which are involved in this sector, the reason why at this point of time is because tenders which have come in the last one month are dominated by road construction and coal-based power projects.

Reliance-Disney deal for the merger of Star India and Viacom18 is the biggest merger in the Indian media industry. This will make the merged entity India's largest media conglomerate.

Indian shares recovered from a muted start on Thursday, helped by Reliance Industries, while the broader, more domestically-focussed small- and mid-caps extended their decline on concerns over fund flows into the segments. However, in today's trade, five mid and smallcap stocks from the Nifty 500 index hit a new 52-week high. Here's a list:

When it comes to volatility, there are 3 things that one needs to take into account. Magnitude of volatility, frequency of volatile movement, and third which are the sectors leading it and overall market breadth during a volatile phase. If one looks at these three things then it is very clear that while some might be feeling volatility has come in just the last two trading sessions, the fact is that markets have been volatile since the start of 2024. There is a high probability that we might see more of it in the coming weeks. So, it would be better to stay prepared for volatility. One of the ways for that would be to stay with largecaps, and especially the ones showing a streak of outperformance at a time when others have been under pressure. Another reason valuations are high in large part of the mid and small caps and they are the ones that might lose more weight if the markets stay under pressure due to profit booking. Also if there is any further development on the SEBI advisory to mutual funds, the unintended beneficiary would be largecap stocks.

German sports apparel company Puma plans to return up to 50% of its net income to shareholders, it said on Thursday. The company will now return between 25-40% of the Group's net income in dividends, up from 25-35%, the statement said.

NSE has announced rejig in Nifty Next 50 index with five inclusions and as many exclusions. These five new entrants are Jio Financial Services, Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Adani Power, REC and Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) while the exclusions are Shriram Finance, PI Industries, Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health, Muthoot Finance and Adani Wilmar. The rebalancing will likely see net inflows of $108 million according to Nuvama's estimates and changes come into effect on March 28, 2024.

The Japanese investment firm cumulatively sold 1,37,84,787 shares in Paytm parent through the open market during the said period.

​Japan's Nikkei share average ended lower on Thursday, as investors sold stocks to lock in profits from the index's record high, but it erased most of its early losses on demand for buying on dips.

Other than Jio Financial, Adani Power, Indian Railway Finance Corporation, Power Finance Corporation, and REC have been included in the Nifty Next 50 index, while Adani Wilmar, Muthoot Finance, PI Industries, Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care, and Shriram Finance have been excluded.

SoftBank Group Corp has sold a stake of over 2% in beleaguered Indian payments firm Paytm

In its report, Kotak has maintained that tier-2 PSU banks have seen a sharp valuation re-rating over the past two years, resulting in a swift convergence in the valuations of all PSU banks closer to SBI.

A long buildup is when there is a rise in open interest and volumes along with an increase in the price of the underlying stock in the Futures and Options segment. The long buildup is the occurrence of a long (buying) trend in the share market. In Thursday's trading session, five stocks witnessed a build 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:

Vijay Shekhar Sharma's resignation as the part-time non-executive chairman and board member at Paytm Payments Bank did not cut much ice with the investors who preferred to sell shares in hordes. Around 10 am, nearly 42.78 lakh shares were trading on the NSE.

Sebi has directed mutual funds to protect smallcap investors in a frothy market. A few AMCs have already restricted investments and imposed caps in popular smallcap schemes and many of them are seen encouraging largecap funds. There are concerns about liquidity and corporate governance in smallcaps. The total AUM of smallcaps is now near Rs 2.5 lakh crore.

A host of brokerage firms, including global and domestic, have initiated coverage on several stocks. They are bullish on these companies, which include Shriram Finance, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, Ugro Capital, and Mamaearth, with a targeted upside of up to 34%. Here is a list of 7 stocks on which brokerages initiated coverage:

Shriram Finance's stock will replace UPL in the Nifty50 index from March 28. The stock has witnessed a strong rally and hit a 52-week high. It is currently trading above its moving averages. In other major indices, several stocks will be added and excluded.

Reliance Industries and Disney form a joint venture combining Viacom 18 and Star India businesses. Jefferies values Disney's business lower. The JV has cricketing rights and a 40% share of the advertising market. Media assets include Colors, StarPlus, StarGOLD, Star Sports, Sports18, JioCinema, and Hotstar.

From the Sensex pack, Reliance Industries, SBI, M&M, Titan, and IndusInd Bank opened with gains, while UltraTech Cement, Power Grid, Nestle India, and Tata Motors opened with cuts.