Business News

Nifty ended Thursday expiry weaker by 345 points as the index broke below both the lower boundary of its upward channel and the support of the 50-day exponential moving average (DEMA) around the 22,150 level. The daily chart saw the formation of a long negative candle.Nifty has been in a larger range movement of around 22,800-21,750 levels in the last couple of months, and is currently nearing a lower range and also a crucial support around 21,750 levels for the short term. Having bounced back decently from this support in the past, there is a higher probability of minor upside bounce from this lower support in the coming sessions. Immediate resistance is at 22,100 levels, Nagaraj Shetti of HDFC Securities said.Analysis of Nifty put options reveals a concentration of Open Interest (OI) at the 21,500 level, indicating potential support. On the Call side, significant OI concentrations are observed at the 22,200 and 22,300 levels, nearing all-time highs.What should traders do? Here’s what analysts said:Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak SecuritiesWe are of the view that the short-term market texture is weak but due to temporary oversold conditions, we could see a one technical pullback rally from the current levels. For the traders now, 22,000/72,550 would act as a key level to watch out. Above 22000/72550, the market could bounce back till 22100-22150/72300-72500. On the flip side, below 22000/72550 the weak sentiment is likely to continue. Below this the market could slip till 21850-21800/72100-72000.Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst, LKP SecuritiesBears remained at the helm as the index fell sharply following a breakdown below 22,200, where significant Put writing had been visible. On the day of mayhem, the index kept breaking the supports as buyers did not buy the dips. The trend looks extremely weak with a possibility of a further fall in the near term. On the higher end, immediate resistance is visible at 22,200; the market might remain on sell on rise until it stays below 22200.Tejas Shah, Technical Research, JM Financial & BlinkXNifty closed below the crucial support zone of 22,200-250 (50-day EMA), which is not a healthy sign. The indicators are in the oversold zone on hourly charts and hence there is a strong possibility of recovery from the support levels in coming days. Support for the Nifty is now seen at 21,950 and 21,700-800 levels. On the higher side, the immediate resistance zone for Nifty is at 22,200-250 levels and the next resistance is at 22,500 mark. Overall, the bears should continue to have an upper hand going forward.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

India's fiscal deficit for the year ending March 2024 is expected to be slightly better than the government's projection of 17.35 trillion rupees ($207.81 billion), a government source told Reuters on Thursday. "Extra tax receipts and some non-tax revenues helped in bettering the fiscal deficit target," the government source, who did not want to be named, told reporters in New Delhi. Indian government will release the 2023/24 fiscal deficit data on May 31. India's income tax receipts rose 17.7% year-on-year to nearly $235 billion in 2023/24, higher than government's projection. The government is targeting a fiscal deficit of 5.9% of GDP for that financial year. The official did not specify if the fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP would also be lower than target. India's spending plans for April-June have not been impacted due to the ongoing elections, the source said, without giving details. Meanwhile, the government will assess if it needs to undertake another round of buying back government securities, after the central bank accepted offers to buy back government bonds worth 105.10 billion rupees at an auction on Thursday against the notified amount of 400 billion rupees.

A gauge of volatility in Indian stocks has risen in its longest streak ever, underscoring growing uncertainty over the outcome of the nation’s general elections as polling gets underway.The India NSE Volatility Index — which uses equity option prices to measure expected market swings over the next 30 days — is heading for its 11th consecutive session of gains. The so-called fear gauge has jumped as much as 88% from a low in April amid speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party may win fewer seats than initially expected. 109979812While the incumbent party is still widely expected to win a third term, a smaller majority may affect the government’s ability to carry out policy reforms such as those aimed at revamping India’s infrastructure and boosting its presence in global supply chains as a potential alternative to China.“We reckon that 400+ seats seem unlikely” for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance, Phillipcapital India Pvt. analysts Anjali Verma and Navaneeth Vijayan wrote in a note. “The turnout so far is a tad lower and while this could affect the outcome for a few constituencies, it is unlikely to majorly dent the widely expected outcome of BJP returning to power.”The South Asian nation has voted on more than half of the 543 seats up for grabs in the lower house of the parliament in a seven phase polling that will conclude on June 1. Votes will be counted on June 4.An increase in volatility during elections is not unusual. In 2019, the index climbed over 20% in the month leading to the counting of votes.