Goldman Sachs maintained a sell rating on Dr Lal PathLabs with a target price of Rs 2200. The company reported a subdued volume growth and the trend continues.

​Satin Creditcare has successfully navigated challenges and remains focused on its growth prospects over the near and the long-term. The company saw an improvement in its profitability metrics in H1 FY24, after witnessing weak profitability in the past three fiscals due to the Covid-19 pandemic induced impact on its operations and asset quality.

Shares of Docmode Health Technologies listed on NSE SME platform with a premium of 141%. The stock debuted at Rs 190.25, 141% higher than the offer price. The company's shares traded with a premium of Rs 42 in the unlisted market. The public offer of 8.49 lakh shares received strong response with an overall subscription of 215 times.

The bias was strongly skewed in favour of the bulls with 43 stocks trading in the green while 7 in the red. The top gainers were Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, BPCL, ICICI Bank, Coal India nd Hero MotoCorps while the top losers were Eicher Motors, Larsen & Toubro, Maruti Suzuki, Power Grid and Britannia Industries.

Shares of fintech major One 97 Communications, which runs Paytm, crashed 20% on BSE following RBI's ban on Paytm Payments Bank. The queue of sellers grew longer as the stock opened in the lower circuit. Last year, Berkshire Hathway sold its stake in Paytm. Brokerages like Jefferies and Motilal Oswal have downgraded Paytm shares.

Meta Platforms and Amazon.com added a combined $280 billion in stock market value late on Thursday after the Big Tech duo reported quarterly results that impressed investors, while Apple's value shrank by $70 billion after its results.

Singapore's largest lender DBS Group said on Friday it will merge its equity capital markets, brokerage and digital exchange with its existing treasury markets business, with the new group renamed global financial markets effective March 1.

Investors hoping for imminent rate cuts by the Federal Reserve received a sobering reminder of the U.S. central bank's focus on fighting inflation, after Chairman Jerome Powell poured cold water on bets policymakers would lower borrowing costs in March.

"There's further digestion of the Fed," said Thomas Martin, Senior Portfolio Manager at GLOBALT in Atlanta. "It's still a growth market and yesterday's sell-off was an overreaction. So today we're getting a rally."

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei added 1%, bringing the weekly gain to 1.7%, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan also gained 1.1% and was up 0.6% on the week.

The social media giant is the first of its generation of internet juggernauts to issue a dividend, a milestone for a tech sector that has been dominated by the same handful of companies for well over a decade.

Foreign portfolio investors net sold shares worth Rs 1,879 crore on Thursday. DIIs, meanwhile, were net buyers at Rs 872 crore.

Total assets of India equity-focused investment trusts in Japan grew 11%, or ¥237 billion ($1.6 billion), in January, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Factoring in the gains of Indian stocks on the yen basis last month, the figures suggest inflows of about ¥140 billion into India equity funds, while Japanese stock funds had almost no net inflows.

"Birlasoft stock has been continuously moving in the upward trajectory from the last nine months and trading in an upward sloping channel. Traders can buy for a target of Rs 890 in the next 2-3 weeks," Shivangi Sarda, Analyst, Derivatives and Technical Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, said.

The government has also scrapped its plan to spend ₹5,000 crore on filling the strategic petroleum reserve (SPR). Crude oil has been very volatile this fiscal year and is currently trading around $80 per barrel, making it harder for officials to make purchase decisions.

Gail's bonus shares to the government would be worth ₹ 2,840 crore while EIL's would be worth ₹ 99 crore, according to the revised budgetary estimates. Stock exchange filings do not show bonus issue decisions by the two companies for this year. The last time Gail issued bonus shares was in September 2022.

​The government is set to introduce a housing scheme specifically designed for the middle class, facilitating their ability to purchase or construct their own homes.

Titan reported 9% growth in its standalone net profit at Rs 1040 crore in the third quarter. Revenue from operations jumped 20% year-on-year to Rs 13,052 crore.

According to NSE block deal data, Silverview Portfolio Investments Pte Ltd, a KKR entity, sold 13.08 crore shares - or 4.85% - in Indus at ₹210.21 a piece, aggregating ₹2749.61 crore. CPPIB, in turn, sold its 5.76 crore shares - or 2.14% - in India's largest telecom tower company at Rs 212.15 a piece, aggregating ₹1223.46 crore. CPPIB still owns 0.05% in Indus.

The RBI's punitive measures will have a significant impact on Paytm's business performance, said Motilal Oswal Financial Services, which slashing its price target on the stock to ₹575.

Even from a capex perspective, the numbers presented are encouraging. At an allocation of ₹11.11 lakh crore for 2024-25, the capital expenditure outlay for 2024-25 is 17% higher than the revised capex estimate of ₹9.5 lakh crore in 2023-24.

Considering that it's an interim budget, there were no major expectations from it. Yet, it had all the right things in place. Most important is the government's fiscal position. Government borrowing for FY25 is also lower than that for FY24. Both these combined should help keep interest rates in check and prevent crowding out of the private sector.

The Birlasoft stock has been in an uptrend for the past few months. It reached a low above 400 levels in September 2023 and since then the stock has been in a rising trend. It did retest 670 levels earlier in January 2024 but then quickly recouped losses to continue its journey of hitting fresh record highs.

Keeping interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, the Fed reminded markets of its undeterred focus on battling inflation and smashed speculations of policy easing kicking off in March.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 0.1%, but was up as much as 0.6% before the central bank's decision. British government bond yields rose and the pound cut some of its earlier losses.

Through a separate deal, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) sold 57,669,394 shares, representing a 2% stake in the telecom tower infrastructure services provider at Rs 212.15 apiece, aggregating Rs 1,223 crore.

RBI issued a strong statement to impose restrictions on Paytm Payments Bank following which brokerages downgraded the stock. Paytm expects the RBI action to have a worst-case impact of Rs 300 to 500 crore on its annual EBITDA going forward. Here are key takeaways by Shivaji Thapliyal, head of reserach, YES Securities, on how this move could impact Paytm earnings and how to trade the stock now.

Indian equity indices closed marginally lower on Thursday after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Interim Budget without any major announcements as was expected. The S&P BSE Sensex closed 0.15% lower at 71,645, while the NSE Nifty50 index closed just below the 21,700 level.“A rising wedge-type pattern was formed on the daily chart and the previous significant opening downside gap of 17th January remains intact and the lower end of the gap around 21,850 is offering strong resistance for the market as of now. Hence, a decisive move above 21,850 and below 21,550 levels could trigger fresh movement for the market ahead," said Nagaraj Shetti, HDFC Securities.Here are 5 stock recommendations for Friday:

The Finance Minister announced the interim budget with a focus on the upcoming general elections. While many people were hoping for tax relief, it was understood that major policy changes could not be made as this was an interim budget and not a full annual budget. So, what were the key highlights of the budget, and how did the stock market react to it? Let's take a quick look at the top 10 points.

The Budget also demonstrates the government’s focus on fiscal consolidation, with a reduction in the fiscal deficit to 5.8% for FY24 vs. a budgeted 5.9%, a further reduction to 5.1% for FY25 and aims to reach a target of below 4.5% by FY26. This is a significant move given that the nominal growth for the current year stands at 9% versus the Budget estimate of 10%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 25.04 points, or 0.07%, at the open to 38,175.34.

Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings on Thursday sold its entire 5.42 per cent stake in Policybazaar's parent firm PB Fintech for Rs 2,425 crore through open market transactions. Temasek Holdings' wholly-owned subsidiary Claymore Investments (Mauritius) Pte Ltd sold the shares of PB Fintech in three tranches on the BSE.

The S&P BSE Sensex fell more than 100 points while the Nifty50 closed below 21,700 level. Sectorally, buying was seen in the public sector, power, and banks, while telecom, capital goods, realty and metals saw some selling pressure.

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 an impending bearishness. In Thursday's trading session, five stocks witnessed a top long-unwinding. Here's the list:

The S&P BSE Sensex fell more than 100 points while the Nifty50 closed below 21,700 level. Sectorally, buying was seen in the public sector, power, and banks, while telecom, capital goods, realty and metals saw some selling pressure.

The number that caught the attention of not only analysts but various numerologists as well was the capital expenditure number which was Rs 11.11 lakh crore for FY24-25. The angel number 1111 carries profound significance and guidance. It is believed to hold a message of hope, positivity, and alignment with the divine.

Within the confines of the available fiscal space, the government is channeling enough for capex which is almost 40% of the additional total outlay. This is being directed to roads, railways, and defence and it can have positive linkage effects with industries like steel, cement, capital goods etc, Way2Wealth said.

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 the view of security from extreme bearishness to bullishness. In Thursday's trading session, five stocks saw top short-covering. Here's the list:

Six out of nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep rates at a 15-year high of 5.25%. Jonathan Haskel and Catherine Mann opted voted for a 0.25 percentage-point hike, while Swati Dhingra voted for a cut of the same size.

​BNP Paribas reported a surprise drop in fourth-quarter income and pushed back a key profitability target on Thursday, triggering a more than 8% fall in the French bank's shares.

Nifty made a pattern of alternating between up and down days for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday to end 26 points lower and form a small bearish candle on Budget Day.

The Budget numbers are undoubtedly encouraging. It trimmed the fiscal deficit to 5.8% of GDP, a slight but symbolic reduction from the previously budgeted 5.9%, and eyes a more ambitious 5.1% for the next financial year.

Maruti is likely to report a record high EBITDA of Rs 76,000 crore per vehicle given a richer product mix and volume growth. The earnings per share (EPS) is expected to increase to Rs 420 in FY24 compared with Rs 266 in the previous fiscal year.

“The Bank Nifty bulls demonstrated strength as the index closed above the 46,000 level on the Interim Budget Day. The overall undertone remains bullish, with support at 47,800 providing a cushion for the bulls,” said Kunal Shah, Senior Technical & Derivative Analyst at LKP Securities.

Indian equity market closed marginally lower as the finance minister presented the interim budget without major announcements. The government aims to narrow the fiscal deficit to 5.1% in FY2024-25 and reduce borrowings. Paytm's shares plunged after the Reserve Bank of India restricted its services. Nifty PSU Bank index was the top gainer. US Fed maintained rates, but a cut this year is expected.

In the last Budget speech of the Modi 2.0 government, the FM said the scheme will help deserving sections of the middle class, who are currently living in rented houses or slums or chawls and unauthorised colonies, to buy or build their own houses. The top gainer in the pack was HUDCO, whose shares jumped 18% to hit a 52-week high of Rs 204.40 on the NSE. Repco Home Finance surged up to 14% and also hit a 52-week high of Rs 463.25.

Closing Bell: Sensex ends 107 pts lower as Budget fails to cheer bulls; Nifty below 21,700; Maruti gains 4%, India Cements falls 7%

Shares of Praveg, a multibagger smallcap stock, rallied 5% after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced comprehensive development of tourist centres. Praveg recently received a work order for the development of tents at Agatti Island in Lakshadweep, known for its diverse aquatic life and vibrant festivals. With this addition, Praveg now has 9 properties in operation and 12 under development. The stock has more than doubled in the last year.

While it was an interim budget with no change in taxation laws and many other parts, for some sectors it was literally a full budget. The reason, the announcements made for them were pretty similar to what has been done in the past when a full budget is presented. So, when an announcement about fisheries, animal husbandry or rural housing is made, the companies in the whole chain will get impacted in a similar manner had these announcements been made in a full budget. From an perspective of investing what needs to be realized is that in the last couple of years, there has been an effort on the policy level that other parts of the rural economy which are not agricultural related get the boost. Given the fact that it is not an easy task to change the rural income matrix, it might take some time for them to get reflected in the bottomline and not every company in the chain would be able to do it also.

Yields on government bonds slumped after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pegged the gross and net market borrowing for FY25 at Rs 14.13 lakh crore and Rs 11.75 lakh crore, respectively. Most experts had pegged the gross market borrowing to be a little over Rs 15 lakh crore.