Indian Equity Benchmarks Trade in Narrow Range Ahead of Anticipated India-US Trade Deal

Strategic Insights -

Traders remain cautious in the late afternoon session as they await the outcome of anticipated India-US trade deal negotiations, with investors adopting a wait-and-watch approach. Despite this caution, Cement stocks have seen significant gains following a report from rating agency Crisil, which estimated India's cement demand growth to recover to 6.5%-7.5% this fiscal year (2025-2026) after falling to around 5% last fiscal (2024-2025). Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) have also provided support to the market with fund inflows, capping downside.

Key Takeaways:

  • The BSE Mid cap index slumped 0.20%, while the Small cap index was down by 0.32%, indicating a mixed performance across various market segments.
  • Cement stocks have seen significant gains following a report from rating agency Crisil, which estimated India's cement demand growth to recover to 6.5%-7.5% this fiscal year (2025-2026) after falling to around 5% last fiscal (2024-2025).
  • Kotak Mahindra Bank was the top gainer on the Sensex with a rise of 3.43%, followed by Eternal, NTPC, Asian Paints, and Bharat Electronics.
  • Titan Company was the top loser on the Sensex with a fall of 5.79%, followed by Trent, Axis Bank, Maruti Suzuki, and Sun Pharma Industries.
  • The US has extended the suspension of reciprocal tariffs on India until August 1, 2025, allowing for additional time to resolve outstanding issues and potentially finalize an interim trade deal.
  • The top gainers on the Nifty were Kotak Mahindra Bank, Eternal, NTPC, Grasim Industries, and Asian Paints, which rose by 3.27%, 1.84%, 1.69%, 1.27%, and 1.08% respectively.
  • Asian markets are trading mostly in green, with the Hang Seng, KOSPI, Nikkei 225, Straits Times, and Shanghai Composite showing notable gains.

Statistics:

  • BSE Mid cap index slumped 0.20% and Small cap index was down by 0.32%.
  • Cement stocks have seen significant gains due to the report from rating agency Crisil, estimating India's cement demand growth to recover to 6.5%-7.5% this fiscal year (2025-2026).
  • Kotak Mahindra Bank has risen by 3.43% and Titan Company has fallen by 5.79% on the Sensex.
  • The US has extended the suspension of reciprocal tariffs on India until August 1, 2025.
  • The top gainers on the Nifty have risen by 3.27%, 1.84%, 1.69%, 1.27%, and 1.08% respectively.
  • Asian markets have shown notable gains, with the Hang Seng, KOSPI, Nikkei 225, Straits Times, and Shanghai Composite rising by 1.08%, 1.78%, 0.25%, 0.42%, and 0.7% respectively.

Sources:

  • Accord Fintech Pvt. Ltd. (no date)
  • Contify.com (no date)