Analysis Financial News

initial public offerings (IPO) continued to lure foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) in 2024 as they were net sellers of Indian equities in the secondary market amid rich valuations, sluggish demand and slowing GDP growth. Given the sustained flow of companies filing draft red herring prospectus (DRHPs) with the markets regulator as a part of the IPO launch process, the domestic primary market is likely to remain a major route of equity investment for foreign investors in 2025 as well.

Asian stocks were primed to begin the New Year on a cautious note after an inauspicious end to an otherwise stellar 2024 for global equity investors. Futures on benchmarks in Shanghai declined after mainland Chinese gauges tumbled in December’s final day of trading. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indexes dropped for a fourth consecutive session in a year-end pullback that shaved more than a trillion dollars from large-cap market values.

US President- elect Donald Trump will actually face upon his return to office in the year 2025, reported Fortune.

Shares of Raymond Ltd.(up 1.05 per cent) ended the day as top gainers in the pack.

Lexus Granito(India)Ltd.(up 8.18%), MOIL Ltd.(up 4.46%), Ashapura Minechem Ltd.(up 3.77%), Aro Granite Industries Ltd.(up 3.36%), KIOCL Ltd.(up 2.37%), The Orissa Minerals Development Company Ltd.(up 1.73%), Sandur Manganese & Iron Ores Ltd.(up 1.67%), Madhav Marbles & Granites Ltd.(up 0.96%), Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd.(up 0.63%) and Coal India Ltd.(up 0.59%) stood among the top gainers.

JHS Svendgaard Laboratories Ltd.(up 10.00%), Adani Wilmar Ltd.(up 6.71%), LT Foods Ltd.(up 3.14%), Sheetal Cool Products Ltd.(up 2.16%), Gillette India Ltd.(up 2.11%), Bajaj Consumer Care Ltd.(up 2.05%), Varun Beverages Ltd.(up 1.94%), Patanjali Foods Ltd.(up 1.56%), Emami Ltd.(up 1.30%) and Jyothy Labs Ltd.(up 0.97%) stood among the top gainers.

Shares of LTIMindtree Ltd.(up 1.57 per cent), Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.(up 0.44 per cent), MphasiS Ltd.(up 0.28 per cent) and Infosys Ltd.(up 0.14 per cent) ended the day as top gainers in the pack.

Shares of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.(up 3.23 per cent), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.(up 2.5 per cent), TVS Motor Company Ltd.(up 1.61 per cent), Eicher Motors Ltd.(up 1.32 per cent) and Tata Motors Ltd.(up 1.23 per cent) ended the day as top gainers in the pack.

Dwarikesh Sugar Industries Ltd.(up 3.48%), KM Sugar Mills Ltd.(up 3.46%), Rajshree Sugars & Chemicals Ltd.(up 3.31%), Dhampur Sugar Mills Ltd.(up 3.15%), DCM Shriram Industries Ltd.(up 3.13%), Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd.(up 2.92%), EID Parry(India)Ltd.(up 2.89%), Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd.(up 2.83%), Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar Ltd.(up 2.74%) and Dalmia Bharat Sugar and Industries Ltd.(up 2.69%) stood among the top gainers.

Tata Power Company Ltd. traded at Rs 391.70 on BSE at 12:22PM (IST) on Wednesday, 0.17 per cent from previous close. The stock quoted a 52-week low price of Rs 319.80 and a high of Rs 494.85.

Cholamandalam Investment & Finance Company Ltd. 0.27 per cent to Rs 1183.30 in Wednesday's trade as of 12:27PM (IST). The stock hit a high price of Rs 1199.95 and low of Rs 1175.65 during the session. The return on equity (ROE) for the stock stood at 17.45 per cent. Traded volume on the counter stood at 12:27PM shares and turnover at Rs 0.95 crore around that time. The stock of Cholamandalam Investment & Finance Company Ltd. quoted a 52-week high price of Rs 1650.00 and 52-week low prices of Rs 1011.50, respectively.

«The fact that they have access to millions of the kirana stores, neighbourhood stores which has helped them to enjoy margins versus that on the product side you have seen the entry of private labels coming,» says Nilesh Shah, MD & CEO, Envision Capital. But other than that what about overall consumption and let us pick on staples first. There is that slowdown, one has felt the heat in the earnings as well, but do you think the stock prices have absorbed all of that? Nilesh Shah: The big FMCG companies are continuing to face problems. My view is that they are facing a structural slowdown not because we are not consuming more, it is just the way we consume has changed and changed quite meaningfully.

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. 0.48 per cent to Rs 1795.90 at 12:12PM (IST) in Wednesday's trade. The stock has hit a high of Rs 1796.50 and low of Rs 1766.45 so far during the session. The stock had closed at Rs 1787.15 in the previous session. The counter has had a total traded volume of 1264 shares so far with a value of Rs 0.23 crore on the NSE. It traded at a price-to-earnings multiple of 39.92 and a price-to-book ratio of 6.80.

<a rel=«dofollow» href=«https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/divi» s-laboratories-ltd. data-ga-onclick=«Inarticle articleshow link click#Markets#href» target="_blank">Divi's Laboratories Ltd. 0.58 per cent to Rs 6063.90 at 12:17PM (IST) in Wednesday's trade. The counter hit a high of Rs 6134.95 and low of Rs 6062.40 so far during the session. The stock had closed at Rs 6099.75 in the previous session. The counter had a total traded volume of 12:17PM shares so far with a turnover of Rs 1.23 crore on BSE. The stock traded at a price-to-earnings multiple of 87.84 and a price-to-book ratio of 6.71.

Tata Elxsi Ltd. 0.78 per cent to Rs 6740.45 at 11:21AM (IST) in Wednesday's trade. The scrip has hit a high of Rs 6899.95 and low of Rs 6716.65 so far during the session. The stock had closed at Rs 6794.00 in the previous session. The counter has had a total traded volume of 1376 shares so far with a value of Rs 0.94 crore on the NSE. It traded at a price-to-earnings multiple of 51.29 and a price-to-book ratio of 19.34.

Stocks that rallied over 10% included, 3i Infotech(14.82%), Hindprakash Ind(14.60%), Confidence Futuristic Energetech(13.75%), Megastar Foods(13.00%), Vishal Fabrics(12.30%), Duncan Engineering (12.19%), Strides Shasun (11.13%), Aravali Sec Fin(10.00%) and MIRC Electronic(10.00%).

Adani Power Ltd. traded 0.21 per cent up at Rs 528.00 at around 11:11AM (IST) on Wednesday. The stock had closed at Rs 529.15 in the previous session. Equity benchmark Sensex traded 419.54 points at 78558.55 around the same time.

Amnish Aggarwal, Head — Research, Prabhudas Lilladher, says ITC will retain a 40% stake in ITC Hotels, potentially reducing its sum of the parts (SOTP) valuation by Rs 15-17 post the latter’s listing. This makes the ITC Hotels listing a positive for shareholders. Three key events for ITC are: the demerger of ITC Hotels, a possible interim dividend in mid-February, and the upcoming Budget, which may affect duties. If excise duties remain unchanged in February, the stock could see double-digit returns, with a potential gain of around Rs 20 per share from the ITC Hotels listing. How is the year ahead going to pan out? Is it going to be as happy as the first half of 2024 or not quite? Amnish Aggarwal: In the next couple of months, I expect the markets to remain slightly volatile because the first factor to watch out for is Donald Trump summing reins as the US president. The second key factor to watch out for will be the Budget on 1st of February and then obviously the earning season is ahead of us. So, the next couple of months could be volatile but as we progress through the year, I expect the markets to not only stabilise but give double-digit returns in the coming year.

Zuari Agro Chemicals Ltd.(up 4.26%), Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd.(up 2.51%), Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd.(up 2.13%), Agro Phos India Ltd.(up 1.92%), Paradeep Phosphates Ltd.(up 1.86%), Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals Ltd.(up 1.53%), Southern Petrochemicals Industries Corporation Ltd.(up 1.44%), Gujarat State Fertilizer & Chemicals Ltd.(up 1.37%), Madras Fertilizers Ltd.(up 1.26%) and Coromandel International Ltd.(up 1.01%) were among the top gainers.

On the BSE, Sundaram Clayton(down 9.64 per cent), IB Infotech Enterprises(down 9.13 per cent), Sharad Fibres(down 8.79 per cent), Scanpoint Geo(down 8.75 per cent) and Transgene Biotek(down 8.49 per cent) were among the stocks that plunged over 5 per cent during the session.

Mayuresh Joshi, Head Equity, Marketsmith India, says expect a lot of fireworks this year and markets are expected to remain volatile, at least in the first quarter of the next calendar year with Trump assuming US reins, soft earnings so far and the Budget at the beginning of February. But if earnings show signs of improvement as we head into Q4 and Q1 of the next financial year, we might see some respite going forward but the first quarter is going to be very volatile as far as the markets are concerned. Joshi also says that the power theme stands out in 2025. The entire ecosystem of power generators, power transmitters, EPC players, and financiers would continue doing well if the big picture argument of power for the next five years continues and the capital spend on power probably continues. What is the year ahead looking like? Is it anything close to a party or is it going to be a more sombre year? Mayuresh Joshi: It will be a party with a lot of fireworks to be honest. You never know what is going to happen. When Trump resumes office, the kind of tweets that you are initially seeing come through, what he probably imposes in terms of tariffs or otherwise, he is going to keep markets on their toes. But all the rhetoric might probably keep markets on track.