Equity

At 13:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 55.99 points or 0.05% to 72,944.63. The Nifty 50 index rose 32.05 points or 0.14% to 22,179.95.

In the broader market outperformed the headline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.70% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.94%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,411 shares rose and 1,309 shares fell. A total of 148 shares were unchanged.

Economy:

The International Monetary Fund raised India?s FY25 GDP growth forecast by 30 bps to 6.8% from its January forecast of 6.5%, citing bullish domestic demand conditions and a rising working-age population. IMF sees India's FY26 GDP growth at 6.5%. The global financial agency sees India's retail inflation at 4.6% in FY25 and 4.2% in FY26.

Politics:

India is gearing up for its election in 2024. The BJP is looking to consolidate its grip on power as it aims for a historic third term while a band of opposition parties, including the Congress, has formed a united front called INDIA to deny PM Modi another victory. The elections will occur in 7 phases, starting on 19 April and ending on 1 June. The Lok Sabha elections 2024 results will declared on 4 June.

Gainers & Losers:

Bharti Airtel (up 4.94%), Power Grid Corporation of India (up 2.75%), Hindalco Industries (up 2.42%), Mahindra & Mahindra (up 2.33%) and Bajaj Auto (up 2.06%) were major Nifty gainers.

Nestle India (down 3.38%), Apollo Hospitals Enterprise (down 1.40%), Axis Bank (down 1.15%), HCL Technologies (down 0.69%) and Titan Company (down 0.57%) were major Nifty losers.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Just Dial surged 13.53% after the company?s net profit jumped 38.02% to Rs 115.65 crore on 16.23% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 270.27 crore in Q4 FY24 over Q4 FY23.

Angel One shed 0.06%. The brokerage company reported 27.34% rise in consolidated net profit (from continuing operations) to Rs 339.95 crore in Q4 FY24 as against Rs 266.97 crore recorded in Q4 FY23.Total income climbed 63.46% to Rs 1,358.54 crore in Q4 FY24 from Rs 831.09 crore recorded in the corresponding quarter previous year.

Biocon gained 3.61% after the company has signed a licensing and supply agreement with Biomm S.A., for the commercialization of Semaglutide (gOzempic), which is used to improve glycemic control in adults with type-2 diabetes.

Power Grid Corporation of India advanced 2.70% after its board has approved the raising of bonds as POWERGRID bonds issue(s) upto Rs 12,000 crore during FY 2024-25.

Hathway Cable & Datacom jumped 5.68% after the cable TV & fiber internet provider reported consolidated net profit of Rs 34.57 crore in Q4 FY24 as against net loss of Rs 14.62 crore posted in Q4 FY23. Revenue from operations rose 7.35% year on year (YoY) to Rs 493.37 crore in the quarter ended 31 March 2024.

Global Markets:

Markets in Europe and Asia advanced on Thursday.

Investors will assess Australia?s unemployment rate, which is one of the metrics the country?s central bank weighs when considering monetary policy.

US stocks closed lower on Wednesday as crude prices tumbled and investors weighed cautious US Federal Reserve commentary and ongoing geopolitical strife against mixed quarterly earnings.

The U.S. economy grew ?slightly? over the past six weeks while price increases moved at a ?modest? pace and employment showed ?slight? gains as well, the Federal Reserve said in its latest Beige Book report filed Wednesday.

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