Sona BLW Precision Forgings (Sona Comstar) is acquiring Escorts Kubota's Railway Equipment Division for Rs 1,600 crore on a slump sale basis. This strategic move aligns with Escorts Kubota’s focus on agriculture and construction sectors. The acquisition enhances Sona Comstar’s mobility offerings.

After three sessions of losses, Sensex and Nifty50 opened slightly higher, boosted by gains in HDFC Bank, Infosys, and Reliance.

Hindustan Unilever shares dropped 5% following a 4% decline in standalone net profit for Q2 FY25, with results falling short of analyst expectations. Despite this, analysts maintain varied ratings with target prices suggesting potential growth driven by pricing increases and market recovery.

Sensex records its worst monthly fall since the Covid-19 crash with a 5% drop in October. FII outflows, IPOs, QIPs, and muted Q2 earnings contribute to the decline. Analysts suggest corrections are likely but a major crash is unlikely due to strong domestic liquidity.

SBI Life reported a 39% YoY growth in consolidated net profit, reaching Rs 529 crore in Q2 FY25. Net premium income rose 1% to Rs 20,266 crore, while first-year premium income grew 6% to Rs 4,915 crore. Analysts maintain positive ratings, with UBS at Rs 1,940 and Macquarie at Rs 1,830, citing strong growth drivers and value potential.

Freshara Agro Exports will debut its shares on the NSE SME platform on Thursday. Ahead of the listing, the shares traded at a grey market premium (GMP) of Rs 80. With an upper price band of Rs 116, the stock is anticipated to list at a 69% premium over the issue price.

Brokerage firms CLSA and Investec have assigned buy ratings to Paytm and TVS Motor, respectively. Additionally, Macquarie and CLSA have given outperform ratings to SBI Life and Sona BLW, while Jefferies has issued a buy recommendation for Godrej Properties.

“ICICI Bank stock is forming a broadening rising wedge on the daily chart and has recently bounced off the lower band, indicating potential upside momentum. Traders can buy for a target of Rs 1340 in the next 3-4 weeks,” Kkunal V. Parar, Vice-President of Technical Research and Algo, Choice Broking, said.

Adani Power shares will be in focus today after the company announced that its board will consider raising Rs 5,000 crore through NCDs at its upcoming meeting. The company will also declare its September quarter results during the board meeting.

HUL Share Price: Shares of HUL may see focus as its standalone net profit for Q2FY25 declined by 4% to Rs 2,612 crore. Revenue from operations increased by 2% to Rs 15,319 crore. The company announced an interim dividend of Rs 29 per share. The ice cream business will be separated following a board decision.

ACC share Price: Shares of Adani Group's ACC Limited are anticipated to gain attention on Thursday ahead of its Q2FY25 earnings announcement. Brokerages predict year-on-year and sequential losses in revenue and net profit due to lower realizations and negative operating leverage, with estimates suggesting significant declines in net profit and margins.

ITC Share Price: ITC Ltd will release its second-quarter results for September 2024 on Thursday. Cigarette, hotels, and agriculture segments are expected to contribute positively, while the paperboard segment faces challenges. Revenue is expected to rise by 7% and profit by 3%. Investors will monitor demand trends, competitive intensity, and raw material costs.

Shares of LTIMindtree, L&T Technology Services, and four other stocks will be in focus today. They announced that October 25 will be the record date for determining eligible shareholders for dividends. Notable dividends include Rs 20 per share from LTIMindtree and Rs 17 per share from L&T Technology Services. Other companies have also declared their dividends.

Shares of HUL may see focus as its standalone net profit for Q2FY25 declined by 4% to Rs 2,612 crore. Revenue from operations increased by 2% to Rs 15,319 crore. The company announced an interim dividend of Rs 29 per share. The ice cream business will be separated following a board decision.

Pulz Electronics' shares are in focus as October 25 is the record date for its 1:1 bonus issue, making today the final day to be eligible. Bonus shares will be issued from free reserves. Pulz's shares have surged 135% over the last year.

Ten stocks, including Aarti Industries and Bandhan Bank, are under ban from F&O trading as their open interest exceeded 95%. This ban will only be lifted if their open interest drops below 80%. The Indian benchmark indices S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty ended lower on Wednesday amid volatile trading, foreign fund outflows, and selling pressure.

TVS Motor Company reported a 23.5% rise in quarterly profit to Rs 663 crore, missing estimates. The company faced higher costs despite stable demand. Revenue rose 13.3% to Rs 9228 crore but fell short of projections. EV sales saw a 31% increase, while two-wheeler sales grew 15% year-over-year.

Benchmark Sensex declined 138 points as investors booked profits amid ongoing FPI outflows, marking its third day of losses. HUL formed a bullish pattern at lower levels, SBI Life showed reversal signs, while TVS Motor indicated further downside.

"Apart from the concern of continuous outflow of the foreign investors, the disappointment on the earnings front is largely weighing on the sentiment. We thus reiterate the sell on rise view in the Nifty index and suggest maintaining stock-specific trading approach citing the prevailing choppiness due to earnings," said Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking.

"Apart from the concern of continuous outflow of the foreign investors, the disappointment on the earnings front is largely weighing on the sentiment. We thus reiterate the sell on rise view in the Nifty index and suggest maintaining stock-specific trading approach citing the prevailing choppiness due to earnings," said Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking.

Futures for the Nasdaq 100 climbed during Thursday trading in Asia, paring declines for the underlying benchmark in the prior day, after robust earnings from Tesla Inc. provided support for tech stocks. Treasuries opened little changed in Asia after the 10-year yield rose four basis points on Wednesday to the highest level in almost three months.

Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields reached a three-month high with investors reassessing the Fed rate-cut outlook over the next few months against the backdrop of strong economic data and the upcoming presidential election.

Up one day and down the other – and there is no dearth of explanations for each move of the market. Pretty much the same thing is happening this time. After a strong run-up, stock prices saw some correction and the market turned volatile. The first phase of any volatility is led by large-caps as they have high institutional holdings. This time, too, the first phase was led by stocks like Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank. But over the long term, they tend to outperform, and the drawdown is lower. So, large-caps may at times appear to be underperforming – see it as an opportunity to look at some stocks with a long-term perspective. Especially ones where some fundamental positive developments have taken place.

Adani Power will consider raising funds worth Rs 5,000 crore by way of public issue and/or private placement of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) in one or more tranches.

GMR Infra Enterprises secured Rs 6,300 crore in funding from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, enhancing the prospects of India's aviation sector. The funds will help repay external debt, with an option to convert to equity. This strengthens GMR's ability to support GMR Airports' growth.

Gold loan company Muthoot Finance Ltd has announced that it has raised USD 400 million (approximately Rs.3350 crore) through the issuance of Senior Secured Notes under its Global Medium Term Note Program of USD 2 billion in compliance with External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) guidelines of Reserve Bank of India.

"We have said we would like to continue to invest in the franchise, given the opportunity," Puneet Sharma, chief financial officer of Axis Bank, told analysts in post-earnings call. "Where we are required to tighten our belts, we do have the ability to tighten our belts. On expenses last year, we were growing at the 27% to 29% year-on-year growth range. You will see moderation in growth of costs through FY25."

India's automotive industry, which accounts for 7.1% of the nation's GDP, has boosted the growth of motor insurance. This sector now represents around 45% of the total business of general insurance companies. Car dealers, as primary intermediaries in the customer purchasing journey, have become a critical distribution channel for motor insurance.

Nagesh Kumar advocated for a rate cut to revive demand and investment amid economic uncertainty during the early October MPC review. Despite Kumar's argument for normalization, five members, including RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, voted to maintain the repo rate, citing inflation concerns.

The downgrade comes amid continuous selling by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), who have offloaded Indian stocks for 17 consecutive days. So far this month, FPIs have sold shares worth ₹89,200 crore

While the correction in the market has been underway for some weeks now, many investors probably felt its impact only on Tuesday. The reason: Market breadth was very negative, and stocks suffered cuts across the board, with many triggering their lower circuits. However, despite the correction, valuations are still not cheap. So while you may remain bullish in the long term, it would be advisable to be cautious and focus on risk management in the short term. ET Screener, powered by Refinitiv’s Stock Report Plus, lists quality stocks with high upside potential over the next 12 months, and having an average recommendation rating of “Buy” or "Strong Buy". This predefined screener is only available to ET Prime users.

ICICI Bank sees profit booking after hitting a high in September 2024, but shows signs of bullish momentum. Short-term traders are advised to target Rs 1,300. The stock is forming a rising wedge pattern with support above the 50-DMA and RSI trending above 50, indicating potential upside.

Select stocks gain momentum even in volatile markets.

Arm is terminating its architectural license agreement with Qualcomm amid a legal dispute. This cancellation notice could disrupt Qualcomm's chip designs and their market, particularly for Microsoft's Copilot+ laptops. A trial is set for December, with both companies potentially reaching a settlement beforehand.

SEBI has barred First Overseas Capital Ltd from handling public issues due to violations of merchant banking norms. The regulator found FOCL had not maintained minimum net worth, provided false statements, and lacked required MB certifications. FOCL must respond within 21 days.

Adani Power will consider raising funds worth Rs 5,000 crore by way of public issue and/or private placement of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) in one or more tranches, the company on Wednesday informed in a filing to the exchanges.

Demand in China has taken a hit from a slow post-pandemic economic recovery caused largely by a protracted property downturn, while the Middle East conflict has impacted supply in the region.

"What's important today is that we've taken the action to protect the American public and promote public health," Erlinger said. "We're confident that we'll see our way through this and will restore confidence for the American consumer to come to McDonald's."

Boeing reported a whopping $6.2 billion quarterly loss Wednesday as a nearly six-week labor strike weighed on its commercial plane division and costly problems dragged down its defense and space business. Although he didn't indicate plans to scale back Boeing's space program, Ortberg pointed to commercial planes and defense as "core" products that "will always stay with the Boeing company."

Wall Street's main indexes opened lower on Wednesday, pressured by rising Treasury yields and as investors focused on earnings from companies including Coca-Cola, Boeing and Starbucks.

Indian benchmark indices S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty ended lower on Wednesday in a volatile session, weighed down by ongoing foreign fund outflows and selling pressure in auto and pharma stocks. While the 30-stock Sensex fell 138.74 points or 0.17% to close at 80,082 the broader Nifty50 index slipped 36.60 points or 0.15% to settle at 24,435.50.Commenting on the day's action, Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities said that he sees a possibility of recovery in the near term. "The Nifty formed an inverted hammer pattern on the daily chart, suggesting a possibility of recovery in the near term. Immediate support is placed at 24,350, where the 38.20% Fibonacci retracement level lies. Going forward, if Nifty holds above 24,350, it might recover towards 24,700-24,750. A further recovery above 24,750 could lead to a move towards 25,250. However, a significant correction may occur if Nifty falls below 24,350," De said.Here are 4 stock recommendations for Thursday:

On Wednesday, India’s benchmark index, the Sensex, fell by about 138 points, closing at 80,082. Despite this decline, nine stocks from the BSE 500 index hit their 52-week highs. A 52-week high represents the highest price a stock has reached in the past year, offering valuable insights for traders and investors. This benchmark helps evaluate a stock’s current value and gauge its future potential.

Wall Street's main indexes opened lower on Wednesday, pressured by rising Treasury yields and as investors focused on earnings from companies including Coca-Cola, Boeing and Starbucks.

Gold loan company Muthoot Finance Ltd has announced that it has raised USD 400 million (approximately Rs.3350 crore) through the issuance of Senior Secured Notes under its Global Medium Term Note Program of USD 2 billion in compliance with External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) guidelines of Reserve Bank of India.

Nifty’s trend remains weak, currently positioned near a critical support level on the weekly charts, suggesting a potential for an upside bounce from current or lower levels. A sustained close above 24,650-24,700 would confirm this upward move. However, if the index slides below 24,350, it could drop further to the 24,000 mark in the near term, according to Nagaraj Shetti of HDFC Securities.

Indian markets closed in the red for the third consecutive day in a row. The S&P BSE Sensex fell 138 points while the Nifty50 closed above 24,400 levels.

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) plans to separate its ice cream business after a detailed evaluation by Independent Directors. The ice cream segment, contributing 3% to HUL's turnover, needs significant investment and operates under a unique model, prompting this strategic move to enhance core business focus and shareholder value.

Zerodha founder Nithin Kamath emphasized the importance of risk management for longevity in markets. He shared insights from Tom Basso's podcasts, focusing on risk exposure and appropriate sizing of positions to avoid blowing up your account.

After fluctuating between gains and losses, key equity indices Sensex and Nifty50 ended in the red for the third straight session on Wednesday, as weak corporate earnings and continued foreign selling dampened market sentiment.

We are nearing the arrival of Samvat 2081. Since the last Samvat, the benchmark index Sensex has increased by about 23%, while the BSE Auto index has surged by 50%. ETMarkets analysis found that most stocks from the BSE Auto index have provided double-digit returns in the period between last Diwali and this. Additionally, we have highlighted the top eight stocks that have experienced gains ranging from 50% to 115% during this period. (Data Source: ACE Equity)