Ahead of Market: 10 things that will decide stock market action on Monday

Indian equities closed the week on a firmer note Friday, with technology and pharmaceutical shares leading modest gains as investors drew confidence from the US government’s reopening and clearer macro signals. Sentiment was further buoyed by stronger domestic earnings and the outcome of a key state election.

The Nifty 50 inched up 0.12% to 25,910.05, while the BSE Sensex rose 0.1% to 84,562.78. Both benchmarks finished the week up roughly 1.6%.

Here’s how analysts read the market pulse:

The market managed to close in the green, supported by banking and FMCG stocks, while the NDA victory in the Bihar state election added impetus to sentiment, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments, adding that a positive turnaround in Q2 FY26 results and benign inflation are making H2 FY26 earnings outlook brighter.

“Investors are looking for additional catalysts for a decisive move from current levels. The upcoming RBI policy meeting and any cues on US trade deal are expected to keep market sentiment bullish,” said Nair.

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The Nasdaq managed to close in positive territory, while the S&P 500 edged slightly lower after an early slide that pulled all three major indexes down more than 1% before stabilising.

European markets

European stocks slipped Friday after hawkish signals from US policymakers tempered hopes for an imminent rate cut, though the region’s benchmark still notched its strongest weekly advance since late September.

The pan-European STOXX 600 closed 1% lower at 574.81, dragged down by a 2.4% decline in bank shares.

Tech view

The Nifty moved up, giving a surprise rally towards the end of the session, cheering the Bihar election mandate, said Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, adding that on the lower end, it found support around the 50 EMA on the hourly chart before the sharp intraday recovery.

“Sentiment remains strong, with the potential to move towards 26,200/26,350 in the short term. Though meaningful resistance is placed around 26,000, the magnitude of the late-session recovery indicates a smart upside move in the coming days. On the lower end, support is placed at 25,700, and as long as the index holds above this level, the bulls are unlikely to face any major resistance,” said De.

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Most active stocks in terms of turnover

Sagility India (Rs 5,456 crore), Tata Motors CV (Rs 5,254 crore), ITC (Rs 2,570 crore), HDFC Bank (Rs 2,106 crore), Muthoot Finance (Rs 1,759 crore), BSE (Rs 1,624 crore) and HBL Power (Rs 1,476 crore) were among the most active stocks on BSE in value terms. Higher activity in a counter in value terms can help identify the counters with highest trading turnovers in the day.

Most active stocks in volume terms

Vodafone Idea (traded shares: 125.13 crore), Sagility India (traded shares: 111.2 crore), Tata Motors CV (traded shares: 16.55 crore), Motherson Sumi (traded shares: 6.84 crore), ITC (traded shares: 6.4 crore), YES Bank (traded shares: 5.08 crore) and Suzlon Energy (traded shares: 4.12 crore) were among the most actively traded stocks in volume terms on NSE.

Stocks showing buying interest

Shares of Ipca Labs, Transformers & Rectifiers, Muthoot Finance, HBL Power, Jubilant Food, Bharat Dynamics and Sagility India were among the stocks that witnessed strong buying interest from market participants.

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52-week high

Over 118 stocks hit their 52-week highs today while 146 stocks slipped to their 52-week lows. Among the ones which hit their 52-week highs included Vodafone Idea and Asian Paints.

Stocks seeing selling pressure

Stocks which witnessed significant selling pressure were Premier Energies, Advent Hotels International, DB Realty, Sonata Software, Gujarat Mineral Development, Apollo Tyres and Supreme Industries.

Sentiment meter: bearish

Market sentiment was bearish. Out of the 4,319 stocks that traded on the BSE on Friday, 2,270 stocks witnessed declines, 1,900 saw advances, while 149 stocks remained unchanged.

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(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)