Indian shares start the new trading week near the 25,000 mark after a record-breaking run, with stock-specific news set to drive Monday’s session. The Nifty 50 closed the special Diwali Muhurat session on Sunday at 24,986.40, down 43.95 points or 0.18 per cent, while the Sensex slipped 28.62 points or 0.04 per cent to 80,999.40. The dip was small next to the week’s gains: the Nifty rose 8.6 per cent in the week to Friday, 6 November, closing at 25,030.35, its biggest weekly gain in about six years. Stock market today opens with traders watching whether the rally can hold after Sunday’s pause.
Institutional flows were quiet in the Muhurat session. Foreign institutional investors recorded provisional net sales of 0.25 crore rupees, while domestic institutional investors were net sellers of 700.31 crore rupees. That is a sharp contrast with the full week, when foreign funds bought a net Rs 45,960 crore of Indian shares and domestic funds sold a net Rs 24,197 crore. The Bank Nifty closed Friday at 59,086, and market watchers expect Monday’s open in a range of 24,950 to 25,100 for the Nifty, based on Friday’s close and the flow data.
Stock market today: stocks to watch on Monday
Adani Enterprises heads the stock market today watchlist. Its joint venture AdaniConneX has completed the acquisition of the entire shareholding in Vizag Mega Data Center Park in a deal worth Rs 1,085.51 crore, putting data centres in focus as trading resumes. Mahindra and Mahindra has approved an investment of up to Rs 1,450 crore in the proposed rights issue of its listed subsidiary SML Mahindra, which makes commercial vehicles. Power equipment maker BHEL also carries fresh contract news into the session, alongside companies in technology services, chemicals, food processing and offshore marine services.
Several other names face stock-specific triggers this week. Lock-in periods expire between 9 and 13 November for shares of LEAP India, Technocraft Ventures, Dhoot Transmission and Molbio Diagnostics, which can add supply to those counters. Hindustan Unilever, Dabur India and ONGC are among the firms declaring interim dividends, with record dates falling between 9 and 13 November. Stock market today will also reflect the Muhurat session’s leaders: Sun Pharma and Tata Steel were among the top gainers on Sunday, with Tata Steel rising 2.45 per cent to Rs 190.86.
Stock market today and the week ahead
Several data points could set the tone for the stock market today and the rest of the week. India’s retail inflation data for October is due on 12 November, and investors will read it for signs of price pressure across the economy. US inflation data is also due, and it will shape expectations for global rates. The September quarter earnings season continues, with results from companies in banking, information technology, automobiles, manufacturing and consumer goods still to come. Crude oil stays in focus too: Brent crude fell to around 97 to 98 dollars a barrel last week, and WTI crude eased to about 90 dollars, a drop of more than 12 per cent for both.
Volatility has risen with the rally. The India VIX, a gauge of expected market swings, rose 14.18 per cent during the week to 17.47, a reminder that the sharp gains have not come without nerves. The Nifty briefly crossed 25,000 during Sunday’s session before easing back below the mark, and the week’s winning run paused with the Muhurat close in the red, the first time that has happened since 2017, according to market reports. Stock market today therefore opens with two forces pulling against each other: strong foreign buying on one side and profit booking on the other.
Stock market today: what traders are watching
The main question for Monday is whether foreign buying resumes at the pace of last week. Foreign funds were net buyers in all five sessions to 6 November, including a record single-day purchase of Rs 14,975 crore on 5 November, and their buying streak has now run to 14 straight sessions. If that buying holds, the Nifty’s next test is the 25,000 to 25,200 zone, which analysts have named as the next resistance area. If it pauses, the market will lean on domestic funds, which sold into the rally last week. Stock market today will show which side sets the tone for Samvat 2083.
The broader picture still favours the bulls. Strong second-quarter earnings, healthy October auto sales and firm GST collections gave the rally its domestic base, while the US midterm result and easing crude prices supplied the external lift. The Nifty’s 8.58 per cent weekly gain was its strongest in more than a year, and the Sensex rose 8.82 per cent over the same period. Stock market today opens with those supports intact, and with the week’s inflation data and earnings as the next real test.