Closing Bell: Sensex up 115 pts, Nifty at 23,200; auto, IT, media shine

Indian equity indices ended on a positive note with Nifty at 23,200 on January 23. At close, the Sensex was up 115.39 points or 0.15 percent at 76,520.38, and the Nifty was up 50 points or 0.22 percent at 23,205.35. About

We wrap up today's edition of the Moneycontrol live market blog, and will be back tomorrow morning with all the latest updates and alerts. Please visit https://www.moneycontrol.com/markets/global-indices for all the global market action.

The markets extended Wednesday's rebound on the weekly expiry day, ending with modest gains. The session began on a subdued note, but selective buying in heavyweights triggered a gradual recovery in the first half, followed by a range-bound phase until the close. Ultimately, the Nifty index settled at 23,205, up 0.22%.

Sectoral trends were mixed, with IT and pharma sectors closing higher, while banking and energy remained subdued. After two consecutive days of decline, the broader indices also saw a breather, gaining between 1% and 1.7%.

The recovery in IT majors has been the primary driver of the index's rebound, with other sectors providing rotational support. However, we recommend not reading too much into this bounce and sticking with a "sell on rise" strategy for the Nifty index. At the same time, stock-specific opportunities remain plentiful across sectors, so participants should focus on maintaining balanced positions on both sides.

Uncertainty lingers whether the trade tariff measures will affect global trade, instigate higher inflation, and currencies volatility. The trend holds a declining momentum YTD with a pause today contemplating the upcoming 2025 budget, which has a muted expectation. Meanwhile in-line Q3 results showcasing QoQ growth to the indices suggesting that Q4 will be much better.

Nifty witnessed a stable day of trade today. It opened marginally in the negative, however recovered and managed to close in the green up ~50 points. On the daily charts we can observe that the Nifty is trading in the range of 23420 – 23000 since the last three sessions. Bollinger bands are contracting indicating rangebound price action going ahead. A breach of the range on either side shall set the trend in that direction.

Daily and hourly momentum indicators have a positive crossover which is a buy signal, however, prices are not showing corresponding strength. Thus, a decisive range breakout is required for a move to develop until then the rangebound price action is likely to continue.

Markets were range-bound with a mixed bias intra-day and ended slightly higher as investors resorted to select buying in the beaten down IT, telecom and realty shares. The sharp fall in rupee against the dollar, which has been fuelling foreign fund outflows over the past few months, is making investors jittery.

With the ongoing corporate earnings outcome not so encouraging so far, and Budget round the corner, investors will play safe bets with a selective buying approach and mostly at global markets for cues.

A relief rally was observed in the Mid and Smallcap segments, which helped the Index compound its gains. However, due to lack of a follow-through, the Index remained within a range and ultimately ended the weekly expiry trade at 23,205.35 with gains of 50 points. The rally was primarily driven by IT stocks, followed by Pharma, while Banking indices lagged. The Broader Market outperformed the Frontline Index, with Mid and Smallcaps surging over 1%.

As noted yesterday, the positive divergence in the RSI worked well, but for a trend reversal to be confirmed, the Index needs to break through the strong resistance level at 23,400. Meanwhile, 23,000 will continue to act as support.

Indian rupee ended 13 paise lower at 86.46 per dollar on Thursday versus Wednesday's close of 86.33.

Indian equity indices ended on a positive note with Nifty at 23,200 on January 23.

At close, the Sensex was up 115.39 points or 0.15 percent at 76,520.38, and the Nifty was up 50 points or 0.22 percent at 23,205.35. About 2017 shares advanced, 1780 shares declined, and 104 shares unchanged.

UltraTech Cement, Grasim Industries, Wipro, Shriram Finance, Eicher Motors wereamong the top gainers on the Nifty, while losers were BPCL, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HCL Technologies, Power Grid Corp, Reliance Industries.

Nifty Midcap index rose nearly 2 percent and smallcap index was up 1 percent.

Among sectors, auto, consumer durables, IT, media, pharma realty up 1-2 percent. On the other hand, oil & gas and Private bank indices ended in the red.

Indian Rupee declined on a strong US Dollar and recovery in the US treasury yields. FII outflows too pressurised the Rupee. however, weak crude oil prices and positive domestic markets cushioned the downside.

We expect Rupee to trade with negative bias on recovery in the US Dollar and importer demand for Dollars. However, weakness in crude oil prices and central bank intervention may support the Rupee.

Investors may remain cautious ahead of Bank of Japan’s monetary policy tomorrow. BoJ is expected to hike interest rates by 25 bps. USDINR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 86.20 to Rs 86.80.

#1 Revenue growth of 20 percent YoY was below estimates

#2 Better than expected margin was seen in wires & cables segment

#3 Lower loss in FMEG business, EBITDA growth YoY & was ahead of estimate

#4 Wires & cables margin improvement was led by normalisation of margin

#1 Broadly in-line Q3FY25 EBITDA

#2 Q3FY25 sales growth was marginally below

#3 Underlying volume growth was healthy

#4 Company optimistic on demand versus an optimistic outlook on demand shared in Q2

#1 Weak growth & lower margin in Q3

#2 Three of four segments see UVG decline; minimalist acquisition announced

#3 FY25-27 EPS cuts of 4-6 percent

#4 Margin to weaken especially for beauty & wellness as growth in focus

#1 Company has seen continuous improvement in volume growth with steady pricing

#2 Stock is down 22 percent from its previous high in Oct 2024 despite improvement

#3 Stock is down mainly due to a cautious outlook on its margin for H2

#4 See near-term margin outlook as transient & should improve as new labs stabilise

#5 Stock correction is overdone as it trades at a discount to its peers

#6 Considering its dominant positioning in North & strong expansion plans

#1 Reported decent Q3; revenue was in-line, while margin was better

#2 Key focus areas include 9-month CFO/EBITDA at 50 percent

#3 Headcount up 3 percent QoQ/ 2.5 percent YoY with utilisation at highest ever is also important

#4 Revise FY25/FY26 EPS by 2-6 percent as incorporate earnings

#5 Company continues to deliver consistently

#6 Valuations are at 51x FY26 cons EPS – pricing in all positives

The Sensex was up 156.12 points or 0.20 percent at 76,561.11, and the Nifty was up 63.80 points or 0.28 percent at 23,219.15. About 1906 shares advanced, 1560 shares declined, and 102 shares unchanged.

P75(1} —- MDL confirms that the Commercial bid submitted by MDL has been opened by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for further processing.

P75(Additional Submarine) — With respect to the 3 additional submarines of Scorpene class under the Project 75, as earlier informed, commercial negotiations with respect to the project are in process.

The board of directors at their meeting held today approved issue of Long Term Infra Bonds to the tune of Rs.5,000 Crore during the Q4 of FY 2024-25.

#1 Strategic outlook implies nearly 15 percent revenue CAGR FY25-30

#2 Reported revenue in-line with estimates

#3 Key positive surprise was better than expected cable & wire segment margin

Tax recovery demand of Rs 589 crore has been quashed.

Strides Pharma Science shares surged nearly 10 percent in early trade on January 23 after its demerged CDMO business, OneSource Specialty Pharma, received approval for listing and trading of its equity shares on both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

The equity shares of OneSource Specialty Pharma will commence trading on the NSE and BSE from Friday, January 24, 2025. OneSource Specialty Pharma is India's first Specialty Pharma CDMO (Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization).

Shares of KEI Industries skyrocketed 11 percent on January 23, buoyed by the company's positive Q3 numbers and an upgrade in the growth guidance.

The company's net profit for the December quarter climbed 9.4 percent year-on-year to Rs 164.8 crore, up from Rs 150.6 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. Revenue also grew nearly 20 percent to Rs 2,467.2 crore as against Rs 2,059.3 crore in the year-ago quarter.

However, operating margins contracted 70 basis points on year to 9.8 percent, largely on account of a weaker operational performance from the cables and wires segment.

Despite that, the management strong commentary bolstered investor sentiment. The management remains optimistic about the demand outlook both in the domestic and export markets.

KEI Industries has also rolled out a robust volume growth guidance of 19-20 percent for FY26, driven by capacity expansion and healthy demand in domestic and export markets, along with EBITDA margin of 11 percent.

Shares of Policybazaar parent, PB Fintech surged over 5 percent on January 22 after brokerage firm Citi placed the stock under a 90-day positive catalyst watch.

Citi remains optimistic about PB Fintech's prospects, generating its confidence from expectations of sustained growth in its retail protection, retail health, and savings businesses. According to Citi, this growth is expected to provide greater visibility to the company's medium-to-long-term revenue and profitability trajectory.

"Favourable commentary from the management on key factors such as the ramp-up in field operations, indexed productivity, and margin trajectory could further boost investor sentiment," Citi noted in its report.

The brokerage has maintained a 'buy' rating on PB Fintech with a target price of Rs 2,000, translating into a 24 percent upside from Wednesday's closing price.

#1 Acceleration in volume & revenue growth in a tough consumption environment

#2 Gross margin expansion offset by increase in ad spends

#3 Key risks include weaker than expected pickup in the housing market in India

#4 Rising competitive intensity in waterproofing is also one of the key risks

The share price extend gains on second consecutive session.

#1 Revenue growth broadly in-line; weak product mix impacts UVG

#2 Volume led growth in home care; price hike impacts personal care

#3 Expect near term demand to remain soft

#4 Cut EPS estimate for FY25-27 by 1-5 percent to reflect near term demand weakness

#1 Profit soars 32.3 percent to Rs 63.6 crore Vs Rs 48.04 crore, YoY

#2 Revenue grows 10.3 percent to Rs 516.4 crore Vs Rs 468 crore, YoY

#1 Company successfully accelerating non-healthcare verticals, which is a positive surprise

#2 Well positioned to grow at industry-leading rate in FY26 as well

#3 Consensus estimates already factor in this both growth & margin improvement

#1 Q3 results in-line

#2 NIM compression & stable asset quality are positives

#3 Cut FY26-27 EPS estimates by 4-5 percent to reflect lower loan growth

#4 Inflection in loan growth is key

#1 A mixed bag results in Q3; digital recovers, core connectivity weak

#2 Adjusted EBITDA margin improved on de-consolidation of lower-margin

#3 Management indicated that funnel additions remain robust, especially in international business

#4 Order booking was relatively slower

#1 Management appears confident of launching Rs 80 billion in projects in Q4

#2 Company has a robust FY26 pipeline to reach Rs 9,000-10,000 crore in pre-sales

#3 Cut FY25/FY26 EPS by 30 percent/22 percent owing to weakness in pulp & paper segment

Waaree Solar Americas Inc. wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has today started its commercial production of 1.6 GW Solar Module line at its Unit situated at Brookshire, in the state of Texas, USA.

Texas, USA

For FY25, we believe the fiscal deficit can be lower(our estimate is 4.7%) than the budgeted 4.9% despite the growth slowdown, given the lower capital expenditure in the year and additional revenue from RBI dividends.

FY26 budget will be made at the crossroads of lower growth and sticky inflation. In my opinion, fiscal consolidation is inevitable and GOI is likely to roll back the fiscal deficit to 4.5% of GDP, which goes well with policy continuity. It will also add credibility to the fiscal stance. However, the question is what will then support growth. From above 7%, India’s growth expectations have been tapered to under 6%. Policy support will be needed for revival. We believe fiscal consolidation will open space for monetary reflation.

Mahindra Lifespace Developers has announced the acquisition of 8.2 acres of land in North Bengaluru. The land has a developable potential of approximately 0.9 million square feet of saleable area and a projected Gross Development Value (GDV) of almost Rs 1,000 crore. The project will primarily feature mid-premium residential apartments catering to the rising demand for quality housing in Bengaluru.

The future of India’s flex space industry lies in a synergistic partnership between the government and the private sector. The government can play a pivotal role by introducing policy frameworks that encourage innovation—such as tax incentives, streamlined regulatory approvals, and interest subvention schemes to ease capital access for operators. Integrating flex spaces into urban development projects, like smart cities, IT parks, and transport hubs, will further bolster growth and establish them as a vital component of India’s economic infrastructure.

At the same time, the private sector must rise to the challenge by delivering world-class, technology-driven workspace solutions that cater to the evolving needs of businesses and professionals. Investments in sustainable practices, digital infrastructure like 5G, and enhanced customer experiences will ensure long-term viability and competitiveness. When the public and private sectors collaborate with a shared vision, we can create an ecosystem that not only supports India’s economic ambitions but also redefines how businesses operate in the modern era.

HUDCO Q3 profit at Rs 735 crore Versus Rs 519 crore, YoY

#1 Profit grows 14.8 percent to Rs 373 crore Vs Rs 325 crore, QoQ

#2 Revenue increases 5.7 percent to Rs 3,062.3 crore Vs 2,897.2 crore, QoQ

#1 Rupee revenue up 8.4 percent at Rs 3,318.2 crore versus Rs 3,062.3 crore, QoQ

#2 EBIT up 10 percent at Rs 315.7 crore versus Rs 287.3 crore, QoQ

#3 Margin at 9.5 percent versus 9.4 percent, QoQ

The Board will consider raising funds through equity and debt instruments on January 29.

#1 Q3 missed consensus topline by 3 percent but EBITDA beat of 7 percent

#2 Cable & wire topline growth of 12 percent drove miss on topline

#3 Miss on result was led by slowing government capex

#4 Slowing government capex should recover with rebound in governmentt capex

#5 FMEG segment saw sequential reduction in loss

#1 Delivered a good set of numbers, despite EPS growth at 2 percent YoY

#2 Decent NII growth

#3 Net operating income growth was weak, but core fee income remained strong

#4 A YoY profit before tax growth of 12 percent leaves us more confident

#5 Company may see return to mid-teens EPS growth trajectory in quarters ahead

The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government for the proposed Optics Park Project in Navi Mumbai. The Optics Park Project is set to commence in 2028. Upon allocation of land and requisite subsidies by the Maharashtra government, the company plans to invest approximately Rs 12,000 crore in the Optics Park over a period of 10 years.

UltraTech Cement, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Indus Towers, United Spirits, Adani Energy Solutions, Adani Green Energy, Amber Enterprises India, Capri Global Capital, Cyient, Greaves Cotton, Indian Energy Exchange, KFin Technologies, Mankind Pharma, Mphasis, Nippon Life India Asset Management, Senores Pharmaceuticals, Sona BLW Precision Forgings, Spandana Sphoorty Financial, Suryoday Small Finance Bank, Syngene International, Tejas Networks, Thyrocare Technologies, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, V2 Retail, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises will announce their quarterly earnings on January 23.

The company has opened its Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) issue. The floor price has been fixed at Rs 151.09 crore.

The company has received an export order worth $4.29 million. The order involves the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of EMI components for a 16.5 MLD WTP to upgrade the drinking water supply system in southern Abidjan, Gueyo, and its surrounding areas in Ivory Coast.

Container freight station (CFS) volumes fell 2.5 percent YoY to 51,700 TEUs but grew 8.4 percent MoM. Volumes rebounded in December 2024, reaching the highest levels in the quarter, in line with overall port volumes.

Stallion India Fluorochemicals is engaged in the business of selling Refrigerant and Industrial Gases and related products. The company's primary business includes debulking, blending and processing Refrigerant and Industrial gases, and selling pre-filled cans and small Cylinders/ Containers.

The company has strong market recognition and it has a track record of strong financial performance. The company made a good stock market debut, listing for Rs 120 per share, a significant 33% premium over its issue price of Rs 90. Those who took part in the initial public offering (IPO) may book part profit and hold with stoploss of 105.

#1 Q4 is seasonally a small quarter in India, but Africa expansion is compelling

#2 Industry’s competitive landscape is intensifying

#3 National footprint & client reach make company an able challenger

Despite high market volatility, Stallion India received a healthy response from investors across all categories. Considering the market trend and posting listing performances of last few IPOs, we are recommending investors to book profits above our expectations on listing day. Post listing, we can see short term volatility, hence advice for non-allotted investors, to wait and watch.

On valuation per se, at the upper price band, it was fairly and reasonably priced based on annualised earnings. Hence we believe the company has decent room for healthy business growth driven by industry tailwinds and scalability.

QIB – 1.73 times

NII - 57.48 times

Retail – 26.62 times

Overall – 26.12 times