WEEKLY REPORT
The escalating geopolitical tensions in West Asia pushed the Indian benchmark indices to their steepest weekly decline in nearly four years. Except for Tuesday’s session, the market ended lower on all other days amid weak global cues, continued rupee depreciation, persistent FII selling, and rising crude oil prices.
During the week, the BSE Sensex plunged 5.51 percent, or 4,354.98 points, to close at 74,563.92, while the Nifty50 declined 1,299.35 points, or 5.31 percent, to end at 23,151.10.
During the week, State Bank of India saw the sharpest erosion in market capitalisation, followed by Larsen & Toubro, HDFC Bank, and Bajaj Finance. In contrast, NTPC, Power Grid Corporation of India, and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries recorded gains in their market capitalisation.
All the sectoral indices ended in the red, led by sharp losses in auto and banking stocks. Nifty Auto plunged 10.6%, Nifty PSU Bank fell 7.2%, Nifty Defence and Nifty Private Bank dropped 7% each, while Nifty Metal declined 6%
Among the broader market indices, all BSE Large-cap, BSE Mid-cap, and the Small-cap indices slipped -5.0, -4.5, and -3.6 percent this week.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) extended their selling for the fourth consecutive week, offloading equities worth Rs 35,052.03 crore, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) remained net buyers with purchases worth Rs 37,739.78 crore.
The Indian rupee extended losses for the second straight week, hitting a fresh record low of 92.47 against the US dollar in Friday’s session amid persistent geopolitical tensions. The currency ended the week near the all-time low at 92.45 on March 13, down 71 paise from 91.74 on March 6, trading within a weekly range of 91.74–92.47.
ECONOMY
India Proposes ₹573 Billion Economic Stabilisation Fund
The Government of India has proposed a ₹573 billion ($6.2 billion) ‘economic stabilisation fund’ to provide fiscal headroom for the country to respond to global headwinds such as supply-chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions. The fund would give the government greater flexibility to respond to sudden economic challenges. The proposal comes alongside additional spending plans and higher fertiliser subsidies to support farmers amid rising global input costs.
China’s Exports Surge on Strong Electronics Demand
China entered 2026 with exports that surpassed the forecasts, fuelled by red-hot electronics demand, putting the economy on track to top last year’s record $1.2 trillion trade surplus, barring a wider energy and shipping shock from the war in Iran. The strong export performance has provided support to China’s economy despite slowing domestic demand.
STOCKS IN NEWS
Omnitech Engineering
Omnitech Engineering’s share price added over 20 percent this week following the company bagged an order of Rs 920 crore from Weatherford Products GmbH. The company has secured this contract through a master purchase agreement and is to be executed in five years.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles
Shares of the automobile company Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles fell over 5 percent over the week as a surge in crude oil prices, due to the West Asia war, has dampened investor sentiment.
NTPC Green Energy
Shares of power company NTPC Green Energy surged over 15 percent this week, as investors’ interest in these stocks peaked due to the approaching summer season and a spike in power demand. Also, rising crude oil prices and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East strengthened investor interest in alternative energy plays.
Meesho
E-commerce firm Meesho’s shares went down almost 5 percent this week, as the company has received an income tax demand notice of around Rs 1,500 crore, including interest, which the company plans to contest.
Larsen and Toubro
Shares of engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) declined over 8 percent during this week, as the US-Iran war continues unabated. The company said, with a constantly changing scenario in the Middle East impacting core EPC business and increasing risks for IT business from AI-led disruption, LT is turning more into a ‘moving parts’ thesis from a ‘sum-of-the-parts’ thesis.
Shakti Pumps
Shares of irrigation and water infrastructure company Sakthi Pumps rallied almost 6 percent this week after the Union Cabinet approved a fresh phase of the government’s flagship rural drinking water programme, Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, along with other infrastructure initiatives carrying a combined outlay of about Rs 8.7 lakh crore.
Source – Moneycontrol, Reuters
