WEEKLY TRENDSETTER ( JAN 23,2026)
| 2026 | JAN 9 | JAN 16 | Ch % |
| NIFTY | 25683 | 25694 | +0.04 |
| BANK NIFTY | 59251 | 60095 | +1.42 |
| USD/INR | 90.16 | 90.77 | +0.68 |
MARKET REVIEW– The week was largely range bound and further an unscheduled holiday kept traders away. The rupee showed a sharp spike towards close of week as FII selling continued. The coming week will commence after a busy weekend where heavyweight banking majors will announce their results and that should set the tone for the week.IT got a major boost with INFY revising guidance which should give some comfort for the sector as a whole.
INTERESTING CUES
FDI inflows show good inflow
The last 6 months have seen FDI inflow of $51 bn reflecting sustained global confidence in the Govt push for manufacturing and startup collaboration.
Recent IPO debutant on a strong growth plan
Physicswallah plans to open 70 centres every year and each centre will require capex of Rs 2-2.5 cr. Rs 460 cr of the IPO proceeds was also devoted towards opening of these centres.
The edtech company which recently went public provides online, offline and hybrid education for K-12 students, competitive exams (JEE, NEET, UPSC) and skilling courses. The company is launching operations in nine Indian languages this year. One of its subsidiaries, Xylem Learning, is also expanding in Kerala and Karnataka. On the performance front the company saw a very sharp growth in revenue from Rs 232 cr to Rs 2334 in the FY22-25 period. However, it has been posting losses in this period. The Sept quarter saw some revival and it remains to be seen if it could see sustained profitability in the quarters to come.
NIFTY –The index closed flat for the week and for the entire week traded below 26000.The coming week could see a sharp opening on either side as private banking majors announce their quarterly results. The recent low was 25473 which will remain critical while on the upside 26000 should be a major challenge.
BANK NIFTY-The index has been a relative outperformer and as mentioned above the private banking major results over the week end should provide a strong direction to the index. Again, the shedding of weightage of majors HDFC Bank and ICICI Banking continues and this should again put pressure on the index. Levels of 59000 -should ideally hold on the downside.
Sectors to watch out for Dec quarterly results
There were sharp GST concessions which have boosted several sectors and the Oct -Dec 25 quarter will fully reflect the impact of these.
FMCG -Lower GST on packaged foods, personal care, and daily essentials increases affordability and sales for retailers and FMCG companies. This sector has been going through a sluggish phase for the last 2-3 years and stagnant rural demand has been cited as the main reason. With the GST cuts it will be interesting to see if demand has seen any uptick. Wherever pricing power is strong companies could ensure that margins get a boost. Companies to watch out will be likes of HUL, Nestle, Britannia, Dabur, Marico, Godrej Consumer, etc.
Construction materials -Cement has seen a sharp reduction on GST for cement (28% to 18%) followed by tiles and paints (28% to 18%), marble and granite (18% to 5%), ceramic tiles (28% to 18%).
All the companies in the above sectors have seen sluggish growth in the past 3-4 years despite housing and infra construction in full boom. Competition also has intensified due to consolidation in sectors like cement and entry of strong players in likes of paint.
Wishing all readers a great week ahead!
Note: Any queries /clarifications may be addressed to stockmasala@gmail.com .
Krish Subramanyam
DISCLAIMER: Kindly note that I am not SEBI registered and the above content is for educational/informational use only and users should consult a registered professional before investing.