Barometers pare losses; Nifty above 24,850; India VIX jumps 1.61%

Business Standard

15-05-2025

The key equity indices erased all early losses and traded with significant gains in the afternoon trade, supported by cooling inflation and progress in U.S.-China trade talks. Barring the Nifty PSU bank index, all the sectoral indices on the NSE were in green. The Nifty traded above the 24,850 mark. The market was volatile due to the weekly expiry of the Nifty F&O series today.
At 13:28 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped 630.40 points or 0.77% to 81,966.02. The Nifty 50 index added 218.65 points or 0.89% to 24,882.60.
The broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.28% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.81%.
The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,435 shares rose and 1,357 shares fell. A total of 176 shares were unchanged.
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, added 1.61% to 17.50.
Gainers & Losers:
Hero MotoCorp (up 4.92%), Tata Motors (up 3.47%), JSW Steel (up 2.90%), Shriram Finance (up 2.52%) and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (up 1.60%) were the major Nifty50 gainers.
NTPC (down 1.24%), Power Grid Corporation of India (down 1.20%), Indusind Bank (down 1.15%), Cipla (down 0.87%) and Coal India (down 0.77%) were the major Nifty50 Losers.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Tilaknagar Industries zoomed 12.65% after the company reported a 145.9% surge in consolidated net profit to Rs 77.35 crore on a 13.1% increase in revenue from operations (excluding excise duty) to Rs 405.81 crore in Q4 FY25 over Q4 FY24.
Dollar Industries tanked 3.06% after the companys consolidated net profit tumbled 13.74% to Rs 29.24 crore in Q4 FY25, compared with Rs 33.90 crore in Q4 FY24. However, total income jumped 9.73% year on year to Rs 550.91 crore in Q4 FY25.
Agi Greenpac fell 1.83%. The company reported a 50% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 97 crore in Q4 FY25 from Rs 65 crore in Q4 FY24. Consolidated revenue grew by 13% year-over-year (YoY) to Rs 705 crore during the fourth quarter.
eClerx Services surged 9.02% after the companys consolidated profit after tax stood at Rs 152.2 crore in Q4 March 2025, marking a healthy 16.6% year-on-year growth and an 11% rise compared to Q3 December 2024. Operating revenue for the quarter came in at Rs 898.3 crore, up 17.2% from a year ago and 5.2% higher sequentially.
Brigade Enterprises fell 2.39%. The company reported a 19.76% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 246.82 crore in Q4 FY25 as against Rs 206.09 crore reported in Q4 FY24. However, revenue from operations fell 14.21% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 1,460.39 crore in the quarter ended 31 March 2025.
Sagility India slipped 4.32%. The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 182.57 crore in Q4 FY25, a 127.64% increase as against Rs 80.20 crore in Q4 FY24. Revenue from operations jumped 22.23% YoY to Rs 1,568.5 crore in Q4 FY25.
Global Markets:
The US Dow Jones index futures were currently down by 223 points, signaling a weak opening for US stocks today.
European market opened lower on Thursday as investors digest earnings updates from a number of companies across the continent.
The U.K. economy grew 0.7% in the first quarter of 2025, according to a preliminary estimate from the U.K.s Office for National Statistics. The countrys gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.6% in the first quarter, a significant improvement from the 0.1% growth in the fourth quarter and zero growth in the third quarter.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the first-quarter growth was largely driven by a 0.7% increase in the services sector. Additionally, production grew by 1.1%, while the construction sector showed no growth during this period.
Most Asian stocks traded mixed, supported by signs of easing trade tensions between the United States and China. While markets appear to have priced in the peak of tariff-related macroeconomic stress, investor sentiment remains cautious amid softening U.S. economic indicators.
On Wall Street, major indexes posted mixed performances on Wednesday. The S&P 500 gained 0.1%, and the NASDAQ Composite rose 0.7%, driven largely by sustained strength in technology stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.2%.
Investor optimism around artificial intelligence continued to support technology shares. Several AI-related chipmakers and infrastructure firms delivered strong earnings and forward guidance. Server manufacturer SuperMicro surged over 15%, while cloud computing company CoreWeave rose 6.6% during the session. However, CoreWeave declined 7.9% in after-hours trading following comments that increased capital expenditures may compress its profit margins.
Technology stocks have been the primary drivers of this week's gains, particularly after the U.S. and China announced a meaningful step back from ongoing tariff escalations. Broader market sectors also advanced on the news, though their momentum slowed by Wednesday.
Market participants are now focused on the upcoming U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) data, expected on Thursday, which is anticipated to show a moderation in factory-gate inflation for April.
Additionally, attention is centered on a scheduled speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later on Thursday. Powell is expected to provide further insight into the Feds monetary policy framework and its approach to achieving the dual mandate of maximum employment and price stability, particularly in the context of unchanged interest rates and continued economic uncertainty highlighted during last weeks policy decision.