Benchmark Indices Trade Lower, Mid & Small-Caps also Decline

About 1102 stocks are advancing as against 1660 stocks that are declining, thus indicating a negative sentiment in the broader market.

Market Update at 2:00 PM: In the current trading session, the benchmark indices trade lower with the Sensex falling by 0.01 per cent, while Nifty dropped by 0.13 per cent. Similarly, Nifty Mid-Cap has fallen by 0.23 per cent, while Nifty Small-Cap trades lower by 0.62 per cent

India VIX is currently trading lower by 2.56 per cent, indicating a decrease in market volatility.

Nifty Energy, Nifty Bank and Nifty PSU Banks are among the Top Gainers while Nifty Auto, Nifty Media and Nifty Realty are among the Top Losers.

State Bank of India, Tata Steel and BEL are among the top gainers while Shriram Finance, Tata Motors and Hindalco are among the top losing stocks from the Nifty 50.

About 1102 stocks are advancing as against 1660 stocks that are declining, thus indicating a negative sentiment in the broader market.

Market Update at 12:20 PM: On Thursday, Indian equity benchmarks slipped into the red. In the early trade, benchmarks rose marginally softer-than-expected U.S. and local inflation prints spurred optimism among investors worried by an escalating global trade war.

Nifty traded down nearly 0.13 per cent at 22,440 and Sensex lost over 100 points at 73,920. India's retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index, narrowed to a seven-month low of 3.61% in February against 4.26 per cent in January. India's industrial activity, measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), registered a growth of 5%, up from 3.2% in December 2024, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics on Wednesday.

This was evident in the India VIX, which dropped below the 13.5 mark down by 2.37 per cent during the day.

By midday, the top contributors to market gains were ICICI Bank (+11.33 pts), BEL (+5.41 pts) and Larsen & Toubro (+5.34 pts). On the other hand, Infosys (-11.97 pts) and Shriram Finance (-4.88 pts) were trading in negative territory.

Broader indices were trading in red, with Nifty Mid-cap falling 0.17 per cent and Nifty Small-cap down 0.55 per cent. Sectoral performance was mixed, eight out of 17 indices rose, led by Nifty Energy and Nifty PSU Bank, while Nifty Auto tanked 0.91 per cent. Nifty Realty was plunged by 0.84 per cent.

About 1173 stocks are advancing as against 1571 stocks that are declining, thus indicating a negative sentiment in the broader market.

Market Update at 10:00 AM: India's benchmark indices started slightly higher on Thursday, reflecting global market trends, as investors found relief in lower-than-expected inflation figures from the U.S. and India.

At 09:50 AM, Sensex was up 80 points, or 0.12 per cent, at the 74,113 level, while Nifty jumped by 30 points, 0.14 per cent at 22,500. On the broader level, Nifty Mid-cap droped by 0.19 per cent, while Nifty Small-cap fell by 0.52 per cent.

IT stocks gained as U.S. consumer prices saw a moderate rise in February. However, the relief was temporary since the data did not fully reflect the impact of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Since a substantial portion of IT firms' revenue comes from the U.S., these developments influenced their performance. Meanwhile, on the domestic front, retail inflation dropped below 4 per cent in February, potentially allowing the central bank to consider further rate cuts this year.

In today’s trade India VIX has slipped below the 13.50 mark, down by 1.39 per cent, indicating a decrease in market volatility.

Nifty Energy, Nifty Bank and Nifty Oil & Gas are among the top gainers while Nifty Auto, Nifty Media and Nifty FMCG are among the top losers.

ONGC, Tata Motors and BEL are among the top gainers while Shriram Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra and Indusind Bank are among the top losing stocks from the Nifty 50.

About 1,148 stocks are advancing as against 1,259 declining stocks, thus indicating a neutral sentiment in the broader market.

Pre-Market Update at 7:45 AM: Sensex and Nifty 50 are set for a positive opening on Thursday, taking cues from strong global market trends. Asian markets traded higher, while US indices closed mostly in the green, driven by a tech rally and easing inflation data. Gift Nifty hovered near the 22,555 mark, reflecting a premium of about 25 points over the previous close of Nifty futures. This suggests a likely positive opening for the Indian stock market indices.

The US stock market had a mixed close on Wednesday following inflation data that came in lower than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 82.55 points (0.20 per cent) to settle at 41,350.93. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 advanced 27.23 points (0.49 per cent) to reach 5,599.30, and the Nasdaq Composite surged 212.36 points (1.22 per cent) to end at 17,648.45.

U.S. consumer prices saw a smaller-than-expected rise in February, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increasing by 0.2 per cent, following a 0.5 per cent gain in January. On a yearly basis, CPI climbed 2.8 per cent through February, down from 3.0 per cent in January.

Russia stated that it would examine the details provided by Washington regarding a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine before giving a response. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that an agreement could be reached within a few days

India’s retail inflation dropped to a seven-month low in February, falling below the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 4 per cent median target. Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation stood at 3.61 per cent for the month, compared to 4.26 per cent in January. In contrast, headline inflation in February 2024 was recorded at 5.09 per cent.

India's Index of Industrial Production (IIP) recorded a 5.0 per cent growth in January, rising from 3.5 per cent in December 2024. In comparison, the IIP had expanded by 4.2 per cent in January 2024.

In the Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 0.09 per cent, while the Topix index rose 0.61 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi index rallied 0.61 per cent, while the Kosdaq gained 0.3 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures pointed to weakness.

Crude oil prices steadied, after the biggest gain in two weeks. Brent crude oil eased 0.08 per cent to USD 70.83 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures jumped 0.04 per cent to USD 67.26.

The US dollar gained against major currencies including the yen and the euro on Wednesday. The dollar index was almost flat at 103.19, while USD/INR rose by 0.03 per cent to 87.14.

On March 12, 2025, foreign institutional investors (FII) sold shares worth Rs 1,627.61 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DII) bought shares worth Rs 1,510.35 crore.

Stocks that are banned for trading in the F&O segment on March 13, 2025, are Indusind Bank Ltd, Steel Authority of India Ltd, Hindustan Copper Ltd, BSE Ltd and Manappuram Finance Ltd.

Disclaimer: The article is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.