Tale of the Tape 

Howdy folks!

Nifty (-0.2%) and Senses (-0.4%) ended in the red after a mostly range-bound session. Midcaps (+0.7%) and Smallcaps (+1.9%) extended their gains from yesterday. The advance-decline ratio was in favour of the bulls (3:2). Check out the Stocktwits Sentiment Meter:

Most sectors ended higher. Metals (+1.5%) and Oil & Gas (+1.5%) saw the most buying. Real Estate (-1.9%) and FMCG (-1.6%) witnessed selling pressure.

Should you be looking at gold amid all this insane uncertainty? Read our top story for how best to play the yellow metal theme.

Metropolis Healthcare gained on a solid Q3 show. Page Industries fell on weak management commentary. More details below.

Thermax, Titan and Angel One saw big moves today. Check out their charts below to find out why.

Asian Paints (-3%) was the top Nifty loser after brokerages announced target price cuts. PS - Jefferies now has the lowest target at Rs 2,000 p/sh; implying a further -12% downside from current levels.

Titagarh Rail Systems rallied +7% intraday after foraying into shipbuilding & signalling businesses.

Afcons Infra jumped +9% after Elara Capital initiated coverage; the brokerage sees a further +33% upside from current levels.

Jammu and Kashmir Bank (-2%) was hit with a whopping Rs 16,000-cr GST notice.

Info Edge (+3%) announced a 1:5 stock split. Shareholders will receive 5 shares for every 1 share held.

Q3 results reaction. Abbott India gained +6% after reporting a +16% YoY profit jump. Meanwhile, Piccadily Agro was locked in a -5% lower circuit after its bottomline dropped a whopping -45% YoY.

Here are the closing prints:

Commodity
All That Glitter IS GOLD!

Gold been shining so bright, it’s time to buy a pair of sunglasses! The yellow metal is up +7% YTD (vs a flat Nifty) showing no signs of stopping. FYI - Gold April future contracts at the MCX hit a new all-time-high of Rs 84,200/10 grams today. What’s going on and how should you incorporate it into your portfolio? Here’s what you need to know.

For the unaware: Gold appreciates when there’s uncertainty. It’s a ‘safe haven’ asset. So when there’s political turmoil, question marks over oil prices and concerns over a possible economic meltdown (aka Trump’s trade war), people buy more gold, according to Richa Arya, Founder, EMint. 

In the last 25 years, Nifty has posted higher gains in 12 years, while gold has won out in 7 of those years. Put simply, in the long-run Nifty is the MVP but gold is an important hedge. Yes, the GOI sadly discontinued the sovereign gold bond scheme in Budget 2025. But there are plenty of other ways to play the rise in gold. 

• Gold-linked stocks: Some NBFCs move in sync with prices. For example, Manappuram Finance is up +7% YTD. The broad logic is that higher gold prices = people need to put up less collateral for loans. Mining stocks like Vedanta and Hindustan Zinc are also good silver-based plays.

• Gold mutual funds & ETFs are also good options. While MFs are actively managed, ETFs have lower expense ratios. PS - HDFC Gold ETF delivered 20.3% returns in 2024.

The big question: How much to invest? A lot of it depends on your risk appetite, capital and returns expectations. Richa says a 5%-15% allocation can go into gold considering the recent Trump madness. ICYMI - Stocktwits recently had a great chat with Arya which can be viewed here: https://shorturl.at/HCRQY 

Stocktwits Specials
Best Time To Buy FMCG Stocks!

FMCG stocks are all the hype after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made income up to ₹12 lakh tax-free! Every expert on the Street is betting on FMCG stocks to make a comeback in 2025. But, confused which one to pick? Check out our latest video where we highlight 5 breakout stocks that SEBI RAs are most bullish on!