Nikkei 225 & Topix Trade Higher As BOJ Keeps Rate Steady At 0.5%

The Nikkei 225 and TOPIX continued to trade higher as the Bank of Japan kept the benchmark overnight call rate steady at 0.50% in line with expectations.

The central bank will trim bond buying by ¥200 billion per quarter from April 2026. It will respond nimbly in case of a rapid yield rise.

Stock Market Today: Nifty, Sensex Flat At Pre-Open

At pre-open, the NSE Nifty 50 was trading 0.06% or 14.75 points higher at 24,961.25, and the BSE Sensex was trading 0.10% or 79.33 points higher at 81,875.48.

Yield On The 10-Year Bond Opens Flat

  • The 10-year bond yield opened flat at 6.26%

Source: Cogencis

Rupee Opens Flat Against US Dollar

  • Rupee opened flat against US dollar at 86.07

Source: Bloomberg

AGS Transact Tech’s Employees Alleges Payment Issue & Resignation Challenges 

  • AGS Transact Technologies put up bouncers outside its office as employees started showing up to demand payment of dues

  • Of 2,500 employees, less than 50 are actively working for AGS now

  • Many employees unable to formally quit as HR dept stops showing up to work over unpaid dues

  • Resignations not being processed, relieving letters not being issued, PFs not being transferred

  • Difficult to take up other jobs without relieving letter or transferred PF

  • Chairman promised repayment plan by mid-April, but did not follow up on it

Source: AGS employees

Stock Market Live: Citi Starts Covering Max Financial 

  • Citi Research started covering Max Financial Services Ltd. The brokerage has a Buy rating on the stock with Rs 1,840 apiece, which implied a 21% upside.

  • Value Axis Max Life at 21x Value of New Business (2.1x Price to Embedded Value)

  • The company has reiterated focus on reverse merging operational business with listed co Regulatory headwinds and uncertainty on tax implications drives holding company discount (~20%)

  • ROEV to sustain due to balanced product mix, diversified distribution agile execution and growth stability

  • Monitorable: Improvement in margins is crucial to rerating

Stock Market Live: Yes Bank Gets Order Worth Rs 78 Crore

Yes Bank Ltd. received order worth Rs 78 crore from single trust in security receipts portfolio, the lender said in the exchange filing.

Stock Market Live: CLSA on India consumer

  • KFC’s and Burger King’s strong growth trajectory continues

  • McDonald’s continues to lag local restaurants while KFC and Burger King gain

  • Believes competitive intensity remains high

  • Maintain underperform on Jubilant FoodWorks and Westlife

  • Maintains outperform on Devyani international and Restaurants Brands Asia

HSBC Forecasts $30-40 Billion Annual Boost In Non-Essential Purchases, Discretionary Consumption To Increase

HSBC Global Research has forecasted an increase in discretionary consumption in India, projecting an annual boost of $30-40 billion or up to Rs 3,400 crore approximately over the next 18-24 months. This surge, representing roughly 10-15% of total discretionary spending, is expected to be driven by several key factors.

Read the full article here.

Stock Market Live: Citi Research On Tech Mahindra 

  • Maintains Sell, and hiked the target price to Rs 1430 vs Rs 1265 earlier

  • Revises FY26E-27E estimates marginally to incorporate changes in the exchange rate and operational parameters

  • Assigns multiple of 21x Mar’27E vs 20x Sep’26E given the recent rerating in the sector

Gold Prices Rise Amid Fear Of Escalation Between Israel and Iran 

Gold prices advanced early Tuesday as investors sought relief in the safe haven amid a growing fear of escalation between Israel and Iran.

The Bloomberg spot gold settled 1.37% down at $3,385.23 an ounce on Monday. It was trading 0.27% higher at $3,394.39 an ounce as of 7:47 a.m.

Oil Prices Rebound After Trump’s Tehran Evacuation Call 

Oil future prices rebounded in Asia session after US President Donald Trump called for Tehran evacuation. He is also leaving G-7 summit early to attend many important matters, as reported by Bloomberg.

Brent crude’s August future settled 1.35% down at $73.23 a barrel on Monday. However, it has risen 2.21% to $74.85 a barrel so far today. As of 7:44 a.m., brent crude was trading 1.35% higher at $74.17 a barrel.

Asia Market Update: Nikkei 225 Trades Higher Before BoJ’s Rate Decision 

Asia-pacific share indices advanced early trade on Tuesday as investors assess the ongoing Israel and Iran conflict. The CSI 300 and Hang Seng were trading 0.06% and 0.08%b higher, respectively as of 7:36 a.m.

The Nikkei 225 was trading 0.58% higher at 38,540.44 as of 7:37 a.m. before the Bank of Japan announces its rate decision. The central bank will likely keep the benchmark rate unchanged.

US Market Update: Futures Fall After Trump Asks To Evacuate Tehran

US futures slipped in Asia session as US President Donald Trump asked people to evacuate Tehran after deciding to leave G-7 summit Monday. His actions are in contrast to what Trump said earlier. He assured that the conflict between Israel and Tehran will not end into a full-fledged war.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P Futures were trading 0.32% and 0.34% down, respectively as of 7:32 a.m. The Nasdaq 100 future was trading 0.36% down.

On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.75% to 42,515.09. The S&P 500 rose 0.94% at 6,033.11, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.52% at 19,701.21 on optimism that the Israel and Iran tension will fizzle out.

GIFT Nifty Implies Lower Open; Biocon, TCS, Zee Shares In Focus

The GIFT Nifty was trading 0.02% or 6 points down at 25,004 as of 6:40 a.m., which implied a slight lower open for the benchmark Nifty 50 index.

Traders will keep an eye on Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., Biocon Ltd., and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., and HCLTech Ltd. because of the overnight news flow.

The benchmark equity broke a two-session losing streak and closed higher on Monday.

The NSE Nifty 50 ended 227.9 points or 0.92% higher at 24,946.5, while the BSE Sensex closed 677.55 points or 0.84% up at 81,796.15.

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