Experts noted that India needs measures on both fiscal and monetary fronts to boost growth. 34 of Nifty50 stocks saw declines, while the remaining 16 saw advances. On Sensex, only 4 scrips ended their day in the green, while 26 others remained in red.
"Happy Diwali and Shubh Samvat 2081. We are going into Samvat 2081 with a consensus that markets will be challenged and will mean revert, leading to an underpowered year coming up. Predictions are at best intelligent guesstimates, so we will refrain from that. What is clear is that some countercyclical measures are needed from India, both on the fiscal and monetary front, to tackle the issue of "not as sharp growth in aggregate demand," Ajay Bagga, Banking and Market Expert told ANI.
He further added, "The festival season is key to the annual consumption numbers, and the combination of 35 lakh marriages and around Rs 4.5 lakh crores of private consumption expenditure is expected to provide some relief from a slowing growth trajectory.".
Cipla (up by 9.5%), LT (up by 6.23%), ONGC (up by 2.04%), Dr. Reddy (up by 1.93%), and Mahindra and Mahindra (up by 1.61%) were among the day's top gainers. HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Asian Paints, and Infosys were the leading laggards on NSE.
As for sectoral indices, IT declined by over 3% during the day, while media, pharma, and healthcare inched up by over 1% each. Smallcaps had a gala day on the bourses today, rising by over 1%. Nifty microcaps 250 also jumped by 2.14% today.
Hrishikesh Yedve, AVP Technical, and Derivatives Research at Asit C. Mehta Investment Intermediates Ltd, said that “Nifty opened flat and traded within a narrow range, ending the day with a negative close at 24,205. Notably, the
Hefty selling by
Rajesh Bhosale, Equity Technical Analyst, Angel One, explained that as October concluded, it marked a challenging month for bulls, erasing gains accumulated over the past two months, with Nifty dropping more than 6%, one of the steepest monthly declines in recent times, which has impacted the monthly chart's structure.
"Throughout the week, the 24,100–24,000 zone provided some support due to oversold conditions, but the index faced persistent resistance on attempted rebounds. Despite multiple efforts, prices couldn’t surpass the 24,500 level. A strong close above this range is needed before considering aggressive positions, as the market seems poised for a phase of high volatility, he continued.
"The banking sector, which has shown relative strength but stalled at key levels, will be crucial in determining the market’s next move. Traders should keep a close eye on this sector for guidance. Notably, the week saw improved market breadth with several individual stocks posting notable gains. However, a selective approach remains essential in this volatile environment", continued Bhosale.
The immediate focus is on the core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) data due later in the day to assess the Fed's policy stance ahead of the next rate decision on Nov 7. Traders see a nearly 95% chance of a quarter-basis-point Fed rate cut next week, the CME FedWatch tool showed.