Stocks To Watch: Market Insights for Thursday, March 20, 2025

As traders gear up for the day, Indian benchmark indices are poised for a flat opening with a hint of bullishness. This follows a positive performance in Asian markets, which have reacted favorably to the recent announcement from the US Federal Reserve regarding interest rates.

Market Overview

Early indicators show a muted start for domestic stocks, with the GIFT Nifty—a barometer for Indian stock market performance—up by 2 points or 0.01%, reaching 23,069 at 07:40 AM. This slight increase reflects an optimistic outlook from investors, in contrast to a more subdued forecast for local indices.

Overnight, stocks in the Asia-Pacific region gained momentum, inspired by bullish cues from Wall Street. Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks about potential interest rate cuts later this year contributed to the optimism. Powell attributed some inflationary pressures to US President Donald Trump’s policies, signaling a nuanced approach moving forward. In line with this trend, South Korea’s Kospi increased by 0.25%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 surged higher by 0.98%.

On Wall Street, indexes closed higher on Wednesday, marking one of the best days since last July: the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq 100 gained 1.08% and 1.41%, respectively, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed by 0.92%. This positive momentum has set the stage for favorable trading conditions as Indian markets open.

Recent Performance

The Indian equity benchmarks concluded the previous day strong, continuing their positive streak for the third consecutive session. The BSE Sensex finished at 75,449.05, up 147.79 points or 0.2%, and the Nifty50 closed at 22,907.6, an increase of 73.3 points or 0.32%.

Key Stocks to Watch

Investors should keep an eye on several stocks that are making headlines today:

Hyundai Motor India: The automotive firm announced a price hike of up to 3% on its vehicles effective from April 2025, a move attributed to rising input costs, commodity prices, and increased operational expenses.
Trent: The Tata Group subsidiary has entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire THPL Support Services Limited (TSSL) from Trent Hypermarket Private Limited for ₹166.36 crore, focusing on expanding its warehousing and related services.
NHPC: The power company’s board approved a borrowing plan of up to ₹6,300 crore through bonds on a private placement basis for the fiscal year 2026. – Indian Overseas Bank: The bank’s board has approved issuing long-term infrastructure bonds worth ₹10,000 crore during FY25 and has initiated a qualified institutional placement (QIP) aimed at raising up to ₹2,000 crore.
Wipro: This IT giant has unveiled new agentic AI services, aiming to assist nations in deploying artificial intelligence to drive innovation and economic growth through locally governed frameworks and software.
Dhani Services: The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with landowners for an expansion of their project ‘Indiabulls Estate & Club’ in Gurgaon, increasing the project area from 24 acres to 29.37 acres.
Avenue Supermarts: The firm invested ₹174.9 crore in its subsidiary Avenue E-Commerce Limited, acquiring 46.6 million equity shares at ₹37.41 per share.
Can Fin Homes: In an exchange filing, the company announced the resignation of CFO Apurav Agarwal, citing personal reasons. Prashanth Joishy will step in as the interim CFO starting March 20. – BMW Industries: The company’s board has approved capital expenditure of ₹803.47 crore for the establishment of a new downstream steel facility in Bokaro, Jharkhand, which will be financed through a mix of internal funding and debt.
Adani Enterprises: The conglomerate’s subsidiary has formed a joint venture with Praneetha Ventures Private Limited, with Kutch Copper Limited holding a 50% stake.
Dhanlaxmi Bank: The board has given the green light to raise ₹150 crore through non-convertible debentures over a tenure of 10 years. Additionally, it has appointed Santhosh Kumar R as Chief Credit Officer.

As the market opens, investors will be closely monitoring these developments, considering both the positive global cues and company-specific news that could influence trading trends today.