22-Apr-2026 13:37
Barometers trade with major losses; VIX rallies 4.39%
The domestic equity benchmarks traded with significant losses in the afternoon trade as Donald Trump announced an extension of the ceasefire until Iranian leaders submit a unified proposal. Investor sentiment remained cautious amid uncertainty over the ceasefire deadline in the West Asia conflict. However, market participants will track Q4 earnings.
The Nifty slipped below the 24,400 level. IT, financial services and private bank shares declined, while FMCG, realty and chemical stocks advanced.
At 13:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex tanked 735.10 points or 0.93% to 78,538.23. The Nifty 50 index tumbled 181.55 points or 0.74% to 24,395.80.
The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.24% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index jumped 0.79%.
The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,349 shares rose and 1,777 shares fell. A total of 174 shares were unchanged.
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, advanced 4.39% to 18.30.
Gainers & Losers:
Tata Consumer Products (up 4.30%), Hindustan Unilever (up 3.16%), Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (up 2.30%), Jio Financial Services (up 2.24%) and NTPC (up 2.21%) were the major Nifty50 gainers.
HCL Technologies (down 10.74%), Tech Mahindra (down 5.72%), Infosys (down 3.97%), Tata Consultancy Services (down 3.37%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (down 1.72%) were the major Nifty50 losers.
Economy:
The credit rating agency, Moody has lowered India's FY27 GDP growth forecast to 6% from 6.8%. The downgrade reflects weak consumption, slower industrial output and rising energy costs due to West Asia tensions. Higher oil and gas prices may increase import bills and push up inflation. India's dependence on Middle East energy and fertiliser imports adds to the risk. Elevated costs could hurt margins of sectors like aviation, cement and chemicals. The government may also face pressure on subsidies and fiscal balance. However, strong forex reserves, resilient services exports and ongoing infrastructure spending are expected to provide some support.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Larsen & Toubro slipped 1.37%. The company announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary L&T Energy GreenTech (LTEGL) has entered into a long-term partnership with Japan's ITOCHU Corporation for the supply of green ammonia.
Lupin added 0.10%. The company announced the launch of Dapagliflozin and Metformin Hydrochloride extended-release tablets in the U.S., in strengths of 5 mg/500 mg, 5 mg/1,000 mg, 10 mg/500 mg, and 10 mg/1,000 mg, following approval from the U.S. FDA.
HDFC Life Insurance Company fell 1.62%. The company said that it has approved the reappointment of Vibha Padalkar as the managing director (MD) & chief executive officer (CEO) of the company for a period of 5 (five) years with effect from 12 September 2026.
Central Mine Planning & Design Institute declined 2.78% after the company reported 32.2% drop in net profit to Rs 187.82 crore despite a 11.7% increase in net sales to Rs 826.88 crore in Q4 FY26 as compared with Q4 FY25.
360 ONE WAM slipped 4.54%, The company's consolidated net profit increased 15.68% to Rs 288.74 crore, driven by a 27.30% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 1,115.4 crore in Q4 FY26 compared with Q4 FY25.
HCL Technologies tumbled 10.86% after the company reported 6.4% fall in consolidated net income to Rs 4,488 crore as revenues rose by 0.3% to Rs 33,981 crore in Q4 FY26 as compared with Q3 FY26.
Ajanta Pharma shed 0.96%. The company said the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has completed an inspection at its Paithan manufacturing facility in Maharashtra, conducted between 13 April and 21 April 2026.
Advait Energy Transitions jumped 4.31% after the company received an order worth Rs 27.74 crore from Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand (PTCUL).
Tata Elxsi fell 5%. The company reported a 27.8% increase in net profit to Rs 220.35 crore in Q4 FY26, compared with Rs 172.42 crore posted in Q4 FY25. Revenue from operations increased 9.4% to Rs 993.75 crore in the quarter ended 31 March 2026, compared with Rs 908.34 crore recorded in the corresponding quarter last year.
Global Markets:
Most European markets traded higher, while Asian markets traded mixed on Wednesday as traders assessed the Iran ceasefire extension and the prospect of further peace talks.
Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,' Trump reportedly said in a social media post.
He added that the ceasefire would be extended until Tehran submitted a proposal or discussions were concluded, and that the U.S. military would continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
However, the timeline remains uncertain. Negotiators from Tehran said they wouldn't attend the talks with the U.S., calling them a 'waste of time,' Iranian state media reported on Wednesday.
The uncertainty also delayed Vice President JD Vance's trip to join peace talks, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose to a new record of 59,691 following the release of its latest trade data. The country's exports rose for a seventh straight month, posting a trade surplus of 667 billion yen ($4.18 billion) in March, compared with a surplus of 1.1 trillion yen widely reported forecast.
Overnight on Wall Street, stocks dropped on Tuesday as investors grew concerned that a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran would not be struck ahead of a ceasefire that's set to expire Wednesday.
The S&P 500 closed down 0.63% at 7,064.01, while the Nasdaq Composite settled 0.59% lower at 24,259.96. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 293.18 points, or 0.59%, to finish at 49,149.38.
News source: Capital Market - Live News
