Stock markets facing potential high-volatility week: All eyes on RBI, Q1 results, Trump tariffs — what analysts say on key drivers
The stock markets are set for action-packed week, with investor focus locked on the
Reserve Bank of India
's (RBI) policy decision, Q1 earnings from key companies, and evolving developments around US tariffs.
According to market observers, foreign investor activity and global equity trends will also steer sentiment, with added volatility from geopolitical and macroeconomic triggers.
Markets were under pressure last week due to persistent foreign institutional investor (FII) selling and renewed trade tensions. The Sensex declined 863.18 points or 1.05 per cent, and the Nifty shed 271.65 points or 1.09 per cent over the week.
On Friday alone, the Sensex fell 585.67 points to 80,599.91, while the Nifty dropped 203 points to 24,565.35, marking a dissapointing end to the week.
'All eyes will be on the RBI's monetary policy on August 6, particularly its commentary on inflation, liquidity, and the growth outlook,' said Ajit Mishra, SVP – Research, Religare Broking, quoted by news agency PTI. 'Additionally, earnings from marquee names like
Bharti Airtel
, DLF, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp,
Tata Motors
, SBI and LIC will shape sectoral momentum,' he further said.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Libas Purple Days Sale
Libas
Undo
Also read:
India faces $9–11 billion oil bill spike- Forced pivot from Russian crude after Trump's 'penalty' could hit margins
Apart from the RBI, key macro triggers this week include HSBC's services and composite PMI data, oil price fluctuations, and any fresh signals from US-India trade negotiations.
'Heightened global and domestic volatility makes the upcoming RBI policy meet a key event,' said Pravesh Gour, Senior Technical Analyst at Swastika Investmart. He added that results from several Nifty heavyweights—Adani Ports, Airtel, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, Trent, Titan, SBI and Tata Motors- could drive stock-specific action.
The abrupt announcement by US President Donald Trump of a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, along with a separate penalty targeting India's energy and defence trade with Russia, has dented short-term sentiment.
However, VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services said, 'Despite the uncertainty, the broader sentiment suggests that India and the US may reach an agreement post-negotiations," adding, 'Stable FPI flows could return once clarity emerges."
Also read:
Rs 1.35 lakh crore wipeout: Seven of top 10 firms lose in market value; TCS sees biggest decline
Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, echoed that view, adding that mixed Q1 earnings and ongoing FII outflows could keep the markets range-bound in the near term. 'Macro cues like RBI and Bank of England rate decisions and services PMI prints for the US and India will also be closely tracked,' he said.
Stay informed with the latest
business
news, updates on
bank holidays
and
public holidays
.
Discover stories of India's leading eco-innovators at Ecopreneur Honours 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
14 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Tariff tantrums have economists betting RBI biting rate-cut bullet again
MUMBAI: The 25% export duty shocker from the US effective August 7, which if not reversed to a reasonable level may shave off 20-30 bps from this year's growth, has the Mint Road-watchers divided with some calling for a monetary support given the below-target inflation prints while some others calling for caution till the tariff talks are completed. The Reserve Bank-led monetary policy committee begins its bimonthly meeting on Monday and the policy decisions will be announced on Wednesday. The RBI has already cut the policy repo rate by a 100 bps since February with the last meeting delivering an unconventional 50 bps to 5.5%. On July 30, US president Donald Trump unexpectedly announced a 25% flat tariffs on Indian goods along with an unspecified additional penalty on India's energy and military purchases from Russia. The announcement came as a shocker to New Delhi as five rounds of trade talks have been completed and the sixth round is slated for August 25 in the Capital. What was more shocking was that the new tariffs are much more than anticipated and leave Indian goods at a great disadvantage to many of its market rivals. While economists at British brokerage Barclays see the tariff impact to shave 30 bps off GDP this fiscal—RBI has pegged it at 6.5% this fiscal, foreign agencies like the IMF and the Asian Development Bank have pegged it marginally lower at 6.4% and 6.5% respectively, domestic rating agency Icra and Japanese brokerage Nomura have pegged it at 20 bps bringing down growth to 6% this year.
Mint
39 minutes ago
- Mint
OPEC Agrees Big Output Hike to Finish Unwinding Round of Cuts
(Bloomberg) -- OPEC agreed on another bumper oil production increase for September, completing its current tranche of supply revival one year early as the group moves to reclaim its share of global crude markets. Saudi Arabia and its partners agreed on a video conference to add about 548,000 barrels a day next month, delegates said. This completes the reversal of a 2.2 million-barrel cutback made by eight members in 2023, and also includes an extra allowance being phased by the United Arab Emirates. Another layer of about 1.66-million barrels of halted output will be reviewed by the end of December, one of the delegates said. The latest hike caps a dramatic shift from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners from defending prices to opening the taps, which has helped put a lid on oil and gasoline futures in the face of geopolitical tensions and strong seasonal demand, offering some relief for drivers and a win for US President Donald Trump. The accelerated increases have helped fuel expectations for a global supply surplus later in the year. Sunday's decision, confirming an agreement in principle first reported on Saturday by Bloomberg, also comes as President Trump intensifies diplomatic pressure on OPEC co-leader Russia. Trump has threatened Moscow with secondary tariffs on its oil customers unless there is a swift ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. A disruption to Russian flows would threaten to drive up crude prices and run counter to Trump's repeated call for cheaper oil, as he pushes the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak made a rare visit to Riyadh on Thursday to discuss 'cooperation between the countries' with Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. The two countries have jointly led OPEC since its creation almost a decade ago.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Staffing trends: Tech recruitment stagnant; AI and cloud skills drive demand outside IT
AI image Hiring in India's IT services sector has remained largely flat for the past six to seven quarters, with no visible signs of revival in the July-September period either, according to Quess Corp executive director and CEO Guruprasad Srinivasan. According to PTI, he said demand has shifted from traditional IT companies to global capability centres (GCCs) and non-IT sectors. "At least for the last six to seven quarters. And we are also not seeing very active demand coming in, even in Q2 as well. So, IT services being a bit muted or dehiring happening, there has been no impact on Quess," Srinivasan was quoted as saying by PTI. Quess Corp, which provides workforce solutions, has seen 73 per cent of its staffing demand come from non-IT sectors and GCCs. According to Srinivasan, demand is now led by profiles in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. "On average, the wage in itself is about Rs 1.25 lakh. It's a high margin for us. When it comes to margin, it's about 15 to 18 per cent," he noted. For the June 2025 quarter, the company posted a 4 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated profit after tax at Rs 51 crore, compared to Rs 49 crore a year ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Up to 70% off | Libas Purple Days Sale Libas Undo The growth was attributed primarily to performance in the professional staffing segment, even as general staffing and overseas business remained flat, and the digital platform business posted a decline of over 50 per cent. Srinivasan said the company's revenue mix has improved, with professional staffing, a high-margin vertical, gaining share. "Professional staffing maintained its momentum from the previous year, posting its best quarterly performance in over 15 years with revenue of Rs 244 crore. It achieved a double-digit margin of 10.2 per cent with our annualised revenue run rate approaching Rs 2,000 crore," he said. The company reported signs of recovery in its general staffing business during the June quarter, driven by increased headcount and new mandates. The segment clocked Rs 3,122 crore in revenue, flat year-on-year and marginally lower quarter-on-quarter. However, June 2025 witnessed a strong rebound with 6,500 net additions, offsetting losses in April and contributing to a total net addition of 2,000 for the quarter. "June 2025 was the first month since December 2024 that we saw an uptick across headcount, new demand, open mandates and fulfillments," Srinivasan added. Sectorally, manufacturing led the staffing additions, followed by BFSI, consumer retail, and telecom, though retail and telecom witnessed slight declines. Srinivasan said BFSI remains the primary growth driver, followed by telecom, product and tech sectors, while auto, pharma, retail, and manufacturing continue to face pressure from tariff-related headwinds. The company's exposure to GCCs, mainly in digital, high-tech, telecom, electronics, and media, stands at 73 per cent. "During the quarter, we also added 12 new contracts, each with a promising projection of headcount growth in upcoming quarters. Our open mandates are currently over 1,200 positions," he said. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . Discover stories of India's leading eco-innovators at Ecopreneur Honours 2025
