Trade Financial News

trade deficit and high gold imports.The impact of the war-led disruptions—built on top of the calibrated depreciation—pushed the rupee towards a level not previously anticipated. Even then, economists believe that the RBI should not defend the rupee too much as it may provide temporary relief, but could stoke sharper depreciation later."If this is a long-drawn-out crisis, you want to preserve your forex reserves because when we got into trouble in 2013, our reserves went down, then the taper tantrum made it worse," said Gaura Sengupta, chief economist at IDFCFirst Bank.Forex reserves declined 3.4% and 0.6% in FY12 and FY13, but failed to arrest the rupee’s decline.

₹75 on Friday. It is now just 9% higher than its public issue price of ₹70 in September 2024.

Why it’s recommended: Strong presence in the US generics market, diversified product portfolio, robust R&D capabilities, improving margins and cost control, growth in the speciality and injectables segment, healthy balance sheet, consistent revenue growth, backward integration benefits, expanding global footprint, and regulatory compliance improvements.Key metrics: P/E: 21.34 | 52-week high: ₹1,330.00 | Volume: ₹245.07 croreTechnical analysis: Cup-base breakoutRisk factors: The USFDA regulatory risks, pricing pressure in generics, high dependence on the US market, currency fluctuation impact, litigation and compliance risks, API business volatility, intense industry competition, delay in product approvals, margin pressure risk, and geopolitical and export risks.Buy: ₹1,300-1,320Target price: ₹1,450 in two to three monthsStop loss: ₹1,240Why it’s recommended: Government-owned status with strong backing, integrated power and mining business, consistent profitability track record, expansion into renewable energy, large capex growth plans, stable cash flows due to utility nature, diversification into EV and storage, improving revenue growth trend, decent margins over cycles, and strategic importance in the energy sector.Key metrics: P/E:13.46 | 52-week high: ₹292.20 | Volume: ₹67.59 croreTechnical analysis: Reclaimed its 21-DMARisk factors: High capex leading to cash flow pressure, dependence on lignite and thermal power, regulatory and environmental risks, long gestation project risks, possibility of increased debt, power tariff regulation risk, execution risk in expansion plans, uncertainty in renewable transition, commodity and fuel price risk, and PSU-related governance constraints.Buy at: ₹268-271Target price: ₹298 in

CCL Products (India) Ltd: Buy above ₹1,070 | Stop ₹995 | Target ₹1,220 (multiday)Tata Consumer Products Ltd: Buy above ₹1,060 | Stop ₹995 | Target ₹1,180 (multiday)India's coffee and tea sectors have demonstrated remarkable resilience and growth momentum in FY26. The coffee export milestone of $1.86 billion by February FY26 represents a significant achievement, with the sector consistently recording over $1 billion in annual exports for the fifth consecutive year.

West Asia have already come to a halt due to the ongoing war, and the rising freight cost is acting as a stumbling block in exporting to other nations."We had a meeting with officials of DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade), commerce ministry, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, and Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and highlighted the plight of basmati rice exporters,” said Ajay Bhalothia, general secretary, All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA).“We were assured by government stakeholders that the Ministry of Shipping would shortly meet major shipping line operators to address the escalating logistical challenges including high freight rates," Bhalothia added.Shipping disruptions, along with rising freight and insurance costs, are posing a significant threat to India’s nearly $6 billion basmati rice trade. The concern comes amid mounting uncertainty over consignments headed to the Gulf region, which accounts for about 60–70% of India’s total basmati exports.Another exporter, who was also in the meeting, confirmed the development.

BPCL) signed a long-term contract to procure 12 million barrels of crude in 2026-27 from Petrobras in January this year, renewing a previous contract signed in 2025.While Brazil is largely self-sufficient in crude oil production, it has one “vulnerability”, according to Nóbrega. “One vulnerability is that we are self-sufficient in crude oil production, but we are not self-sufficient in refined oil,” he said, adding that diesel is required for a bulk of the freight transport in the country by road and rail.“India also could install refineries in Brazil because you are one of the largest countries in terms of oil refining,” he said, noting that one of India’s biggest exports to the largest country in South America is refined oils, including diesel.India has a refining capacity of 258 million tonnes per year and has helped countries such as Nigeria and Mongolia develop refineries.

Mint India Investment Summit in Mumbai on Friday.“You will lose some… but there’s no need to say the world is coming to an end… this will come out better,” said Puri, who was conferred the lifetime achievement award at the summit.He pushed back against concerns of large-scale displacement from the adoption of AI, adding that the technology is already creating new roles across the value chain.“This is just the raw material… somebody has to convert what was a possibility into reality,” he said, adding that this will create emerging demand for prompt engineers, context engineers and specialized data scientists.Calling AI one of the biggest opportunities, Puri said its impact will be most visible in customer-facing sectors such as banking.“AI can and should be used in a full role for efficiency and for profit,” he said, adding it can used for applications in credit assessment, marketing, fraud detection and operations. At the same time, he cautioned against overestimating the pace of change.“It’s here to stay… but it’s not as if everything is going to be implemented overnight,” he said, adding there is too much negative hype on job losses.Puri maintained that India’s structural growth story remains intact, backed by strong fundamentals.

Retail investors can also develop their own software for application programming interface (API)-based trading.For a segment that had grown rapidly through third-party platforms and loosely governed APIs, the rules mark a structural reset—and have triggered a race among brokers to offer proprietary, in-house-built algos to strengthen customer stickiness.Algorithmic trading refers to the use of computer programs to execute trades automatically based on predefined rules such as price, timing or volume, with minimal human intervention.“We are seeing a clear shift towards brokers offering in-house algorithmic strategies,” said Sandeep Chordia, chief operating officer, Kotak Securities. Kotak Securities is working on an in-house algorithm that is expected to launch soon.“This can materially expand participation, especially among investors who are not tech-savvy and prefer to rely on a trusted broker rather than third-party providers,” Chordia added.Competition among brokers intensified after discount brokers such as Groww, Zerodha and Angel One cornered significant market share over the past decade, riding on low-cost pricing and a surge in derivatives trading.Groww has over 12.74 million active clients and a market share of 28.4%, followed by Zerodha at 6.9 million clients and 15.4%, and Angel One at 6.8 million and 15.1% as of February, according to data from the National Stock Exchange.The gap with the rest of the industry is stark.

large-caps.In an interaction with Mint, Sahil Kapoor, head-products and markets strategist, DSP Mutual Fund, explains why he believes the current setup offers a contrarian opportunity.We recently put out an ad hoc update, which is quite rare for us. The trigger was that markets had hit several extremes at the same time.A number of private banks, IT companies, some FMCG names and housing finance firms, were trading at valuations last seen during the global financial crisis. Many others were at or below their long-term average valuations.

Indian equity valuations have eased sharply down to the levels of peer regional markets, offering investors some comfort after a prolonged phase of elevated multiples.The Nifty 50 is now trading at 19.4 times on a trailing 12-month (TTM) earnings basis, slipping below its five-year median of 22.6x and 10-year median of 22.3x—marking a marked shift down from recent peaks.The headline index has slipped below the 20x price to earnings, or PE, mark for the first time since the Covid-led market disruption in 2020. At these levels, it is placed at a discount to markets in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, a Mint analysis based on data from Bloomberg showed.The moderation follows a nearly 12% correction in the Nifty 50 from its 52-week high of 26,328.55 touched on 02 January 2026, driven by the West Asia war, sustained foreign outflows, and softer earnings momentum.While the pullback has brought valuations below to historical averages, it also raises a key question: are Indian equities attractive enough to lure foreign investors back?Foreign portfolio investors, or FPIs, have pulled out about ₹1.25 trillion from Indian equities in 2026, driven by global risk-off sentiment, earnings and growth concerns and sector-specific pressures.“With the Nifty now around 19x PE, valuations have come off meaningfully and look more reasonable versus history,” said Ravi Singh, chief research officer at Master Capital Services.Still, he said, it may be premature to call it a bottom.

disrupted trade routes and spiked freight and insurance costs.India's annual edible oil demand is around 26 million tonnes (mt), with domestic production meeting only up to 40% of this.According to latest trade data, India imported 14,963 tonnes of palm oil and 175,502 tonnes crude soybean oil from China between November 2025 and February 2026, as against a total of 36,000 tonnes of edible oils in the entire year ended October 2025.This is still a modest figure, given India’s total edible oil imports of around 16 mt. However, the sharp rise in shipments shows a growing willingness among importers to explore non-traditional sources amid tightening global supply conditions.Industry experts see Chinese edible oil imports rising further, as competitive pricing and lower logistics costs will give them an edge over the country's traditional exporters.According to traders, on an average, retail prices have risen by ₹15-20 per litre across edible oils including soybean, rice-bran, cottonseed, palm, groundnut and sunflower over the past one month.

₹18,000 crore, factoring in WPL-related liabilities, BCCI fees, and goods and services tax (GST). The company had bought the stake in 2008 for $110 million, implying a 17% compound annual growth rate on the investment.Analysts had expected a sale valued at $1.5-1.8 billion; the $1.9 billion deal translates into ₹13–51 higher perceived value per share, as calculated from a Nomura Global Markets Research report on 24 March, prior to the official announcement.

Mint.While the immediate impact of the ongoing conflict remains limited, non-bank lenders believe the real risk lies in a prolonged conflict, which could trigger second-order effects across inflation, demand and credit cycles.“...we have started becoming very cautious but the war situation is also evolving. It's unfair for us to also pull down and stop the supply but we have to be very cautious in terms of lending and leverage,” the head of a non-banking financial company said on the condition of anonymity.According to lenders, the first signs of stress are emerging in small businesses, especially those dependent on gas for production, exports and global trade routes for sales.

SBI Life remains the cheapest among peers. Based on Motilal Oswal Financial Services’ FY26 estimates, SBI Life trades at a Price/VNB of 27x, compared with 30x for HDFC Life and 29x for ICICI Prudential.SBI Life’s valuation advantage is supported by stronger operating performance in 9MFY26.Its annualized premium equivalent (APE)—a proxy for topline or revenue in life insurance—is calculated by adding regular premiums and one-tenth of single premiums.

Brent crude oil, which is trading around $98, and FII outflows are playing a decisive role in the sharp market correction. Elevated crude prices are keeping inflation concerns alive, while the rupee is trading near a record low at 93 per dollar, adding to macroeconomic pressures.

, traders say, can be chalked up to WTI’s location, far from where the oil is needed in Asia. Its lower price also reflects the higher shipping costs required to get it to Asian buyers, as well as angst that the U.S.

Stock market recap: The Indian stock market saw strong buying interest on Tuesday, 24 March, with the benchmarks — Sensex and Nifty 50 — rising about 2% each.BSE barometer Sensex jumped 1,372 points, or 1.89%, to close at 74,068, while the Nifty 50 rose by 440 points, or 1.78%, to settle at 22,912. The BSE 150 Midcap index and the BSE 250 Smallcap index added 2.5% and 2.2%, respectively.Investors earned ₹8 trillion in a single session as the cumulative market capitalization of BSE-listed firms rose to nearly ₹423 trillion from ₹415 trillion in the previous session.Buy: Sai Life Sciences Ltd (current price: ₹1,005)Buy: Tech Mahindra Ltd (current price: ₹1,433)Nifty 50 performance on 24 MarchNifty 50 opened on a positive note at 22,878.45 and maintained strength through the session, reflecting sustained buying interest at lower levels.

Best stocks to buy today (all buy trades are rates of equity and sell rates are based on F&O)INDIGO: Buy above ₹4155, stop ₹4020 target ₹4400 (Multiday)GRANULES: Buy above ₹615, stop ₹590 target ₹670 (Multiday)LUPIN: Buy above ₹2340, stop ₹2250 target ₹2525 (Multiday)On 24 March 2026, Indian equity markets staged a sharp rebound, supported by positive global cues and reports of potential US–Iran negotiations. The Sensex surged 1,372 points, or 1.89%, to close at 74,068.45, while the Nifty advanced 399.75 points, or 1.78%, to settle at 22,912.40.

small-cap schemes has risen sharply over the past year, reflecting thinning volumes and weaker market depth.The largest fund in the category, Nippon India Small Cap Fund, required 44 days—up 13 days from a year ago—to sell half its portfolio if faced with redemption pressure. The Quant Small Cap Fund saw the steepest increase, with liquidation time rising by 31 days to 87 days, while the HDFC Small Cap Fund and the SBI Small Cap Fund took 71 and 66 days, up 9 and 4 days, respectively.This is when the benchmark BSE Smallcap 250 Index has declined only moderately—6.2% in January, compared with a 10.3% fall in January 2025—suggesting the underlying stress is more structural: lower participation and waning risk appetite are making exits harder, particularly in a downtrend when small caps tend to underperform broader markets.The BSE Sensex declined 3.5% in January, compared with a 1% fall in the same month last year.Exchange data showed India’s overall market capitalization shrank by ₹21.35 trillion from an all-time high of ₹482 trillion at the start of January.

West Asia conflict, even as it looks to turn the disruption into an opportunity to gain market share.“In order to fully neutralize the impact of raw material price increase, we have to increase the prices of our products,” said Abhijit Roy, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), in an interview with Mint. “The price increases have happened in the mass premium and luxury segment… the economy segment has been left untouched so far.”The hikes follow a sharp rise in crude oil prices, a key driver of paint raw material costs.

The randomness of Donald Trump’s tariffs has underscored that a state of flux for businesses is the only constant. That this has been inflicted by one of the chief architects of the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s rules of global trade is ironic, as it has left us with this mockery of a rules-based order.Last April, the US President alleged that foreign trade and economic practices had created a national emergency and imposed tariffs across imports from all countries. Ten months later, the US Supreme Court ruled that they were unlawful.