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Reliance Industries Ltd.’s new venture, Tira, is leaning on artificial intelligence tools that can suggest perfumes or cosmetics to woo customers in the burgeoning but competitive Indian beauty sector.Tira, which was launched by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s conglomerate in April last year, also uses electronic vending machines in its stores to dispense free samples of skincare products, according to Tejas Kapadia, head of marketing of the year-old startup that has 12 stores across India and a website.“Customers love that and they keep coming back for that,” Kapadia said in Tira’s first interview since its launch. The idea is to give a “plethora of experiences” using “some form of AI,” he added.One such interactive in-store experience is a “fragrance finder,” which gives perfume options after letting consumers smell a set of “cubes” with different notes of fragrances. Its “skin analyzer” infers the features of a customer by clicking a photo and recommends products that would suit them best. Its stores offer a free engraving service for buyers to personalize their purchases by etching names on perfumes bottles or make-up boxes. The website also provides makeup and skincare lessons.Race to EnterTira is Reliance’s lead horse in the race for the world’s fastest growing major beauty market. The conglomerate’s retail business, helmed by Ambani’s daughter Isha, has also taken over the local operations of skincare brand Kiko Milano and LVMH Group’s luxury beauty retailer Sephora in the past one year. Tira is competing with brands like Tata Group’s Palette and current market leader, Nykaa.The local beauty segment is expected to grow at 10% between 2022 and 2027, according to a September report by RedSeer Strategy Consultants and PeakXV, beating China’s 7% and the US’ 5% forecast growth rates.That’s why international brands are also rushing into India. In 2023, Japan’s Shiseido-owned NARS Cosmetic signed a distribution partnership with Shoppers Stop Ltd. and Selena Gomez launched her brand Rare Beauty on Sephora India. This year, Rihanna brought her cosmetics line Fenty Beauty to India for the first time on Nykaa. “It is a great time to be in the beauty and personal care sector,” said Abhishek Malhotra, a Mumbai-based partner at McKinsey & Company. “People have more disposable income, increased awareness and higher aspirations.”Reliance, led by Asia’s richest person, has been diversifying beyond its oil refining roots for years and entering consumer-facing and technology-led businesses. The almost $32 billion Indian beauty and personal care segment is the latest addition to its expanding portfolio that includes mega refineries, a wireless services provider, a streaming platform and Hamleys toy stores.Reliance’s PlaybookTira, which offers brands from American Smashbox and Estee Lauder to Korea’s Sulwhasoo and homegrown newbie Re’equil, is marketed as “slightly premium,” according to Kapadia, who didn’t clarify if Tira will offer heavy discounts to gain market share. Cut-throat pricing that drives out rivals has been Reliance’s playbook across multiple sectors in the past.Reliance, in its December-quarter earnings release, said that Tira delivered a “strong performance across various operating metrics including sales productivity, average bill value,” without sharing revenue or growth numbers.Kapadia says Tire will need to keep innovating to build a significant market share. “What we’ve done so far is bring in these great tech aspects. Obviously some other players are also now picking up on them,” Kapadia said. “So we need to continue pushing the boundary.”

Indian market is expected to trade higher on Thursday tracking positive global cues.The Nifty future closed positive with marginal gains of 0.27% at 22666 levels on Wednesday. India VIX was down by 1.56% from 21.81 to 21.47 levels.On the weekly options front, the maximum Call OI is placed at 23000 and then towards 22800 strikes while the maximum Put OI is placed at 22500 and then towards 22000 strikes.Call writing is seen at 23000 and then towards 22650 strikes while Put writing is seen at 22600 and then towards 22000 strikes.“Options data suggests a broader trading range in between 22000 to 23000 zones while an immediate range between 22400 to 22800 levels,” Chandan Taparia, Analyst-Derivatives at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited, said.FIIs sold to the tune of Rs 686.04 cr while DIIs bought to the tune of 961.91 cr on Wednesday. FIIs' Long short ratio for index futures is at 30.8% as on a net basis, they sold 7781 index futures.“The weekly series, OI PCR, is at 1.16, and the max pain is at 22550 strike. While, for the May monthly series, OI PCR is at 1.11, which implies a buy on dips strategy in Nifty,” Sudeep Shah, Deputy Vice President and head of Technical and Derivative Research, SBI Securities, said.“Going ahead, the zone of 22520-22500 will act as immediate support for the index. As long as the index is trading above 22500, it is likely to test the level of 22730, followed by 22810 level in the short term,” he said.“Any sustainable move below the level of 22490 will lead to profit booking in the index. In that case, the 20-day EMA will act as immediate support for the index, which is currently placed at 22378 level,” highlighted Shah.We have collated a list of stocks from the F&O basket along with cash market from various experts for traders who have a short-term trading horizon:Expert: Rajesh Palviya, VP-Technical & Derivative Research, Axis Securities told ETBureauBEL: Buy| Target Rs 345| Stop Loss Rs 264CIE Automotive India: Buy| Target Rs 600| Stop Loss Rs 510IRB Infrastructure: Buy| Target Rs 88| Stop Loss Rs 68Expert: Kunal Bothra, Market Expert told ETNowHindustan Unilever: Buy| Target Rs 2500| Stop Loss Rs 2260M&M Financial: Buy| Target Rs 282| Stop Loss Rs 257CIE Automotive India: Buy| Target Rs 600| Stop Loss Rs 500(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)

Low-priced stocks are typically associated with get-me-rich-quick retail investors but there were at least 47 counters where even foreign institutional investors (FIIs) raised stakes in the March quarter. Out of them, a handful of lucky seven stocks even gave multibagger returns in just 6 months.For the sake of this study, we have considered only those stocks with a market price below Rs 25 (September 2023-end as the base) and a minimum market capitalisation of Rs 100 crore.<iframe title="FIIs raise stake in low-priced multibagger stocks" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-Dv0MH" src="https://et-infographics.indiatimes.com/graphs/Dv0MH/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="339" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script>Nitco Tiles maker Nitco is the top gainer in the list with a six-month return as high as 179%. FIIs raised stake in this microcap from 0.02% to 0.14% in the March quarter on a sequential basis, shows data from ACE Equity.IFCI Shares of state-owned IFCI have also rallied around 150% in 6 months with FII holding going up from 2.08% in the December quarter to 2.29% in the March quarter. Last month, the government infused Rs 500 crore into the financial institution through the issuance of equity shares to the government on a preferential basis. Following this, government holding in IFCI has increased from 70.32% to 71.72%.Also read | Hindustan Zinc shares double in 1 month but the boom isn't so much about zincNewtime InfrastructureSmallcap real estate developer Newtime Infrastructure, which gave 122% return to investors in 6 months, has seen FII ownership going up multi-fold from a miniscule 0.03% to 2.89%.UnitechUnitech is another real estate developer which has doubled investor wealth in no time. FII ownership has increased from 0.32% to 0.49% in 6 months.Hindustan MotorsSmallcap auto stock Hindustan Motors has also doubled in 6 months with FIIs also increasing stake from 0.02% in December 2023 to 0.04% in March 2024. From the stable of CK Birla Group, Hindustan Motors is famous for the iconic Ambassador car with the management now trying to stage a turnaround with electric vehicles.Cupid Personal care products manufacturer Cupid has seen its stock grow by 112% in 6 months. FII stake, in the meantime, has jumped multi-fold from 0.45% to 5.19% quarter-on-quarter.PVP VenturesFIIs have also raised stakes in PVP Ventures, which is engaged in the business of developing urban infrastructure and investments in various ventures, from 0.94% in Q3 to 1.06% in Q4. PVP's share prices have also more than doubled.Also read | India stock market hits $5 trillion milestone fortnight ahead of election results(Data: Ritesh Presswala)(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Andrew Holland, CEO, Avendus Capital Public Markets Alternate Strategies LLP, says he does not think there is anything wrong with the results season so far. The bank stocks have been victims of FII selling who have been using the banking sector as a very liquid and large overweight or overweight to neutral stance which they had to fund some of their moves into China. Once the bank sector starts to move, there is going to be a lot of short covering and there is a lot of buying to make up for some of the positions which have been lessened over the last month-and-a-half particularly by foreign investors.Do you think the quietness in the markets is a pre-election event?Andrew Holland: We seem to be in this range, which everyone has been talking about. But interestingly, I have noticed some of the defence stocks are starting to move and construction companies as well. There is a feeling that, once the elections are through, we are going to see a whole bunch of ordering over the three months afterwards, whether it is for defence contracts or construction contracts. Of course, all these share prices move on the basis that they get new orders and that is why these sectors are starting to pick up again. A few weeks ago, there were some worries about voter turnout; that is less of a problem for the market at the moment. So, everyone is concentrating on what comes after it and, of course, we are going to see a lot of construction contracts being given out after the elections.What do you think will change the market mood regarding private banking names because earnings-wise it has not been a very big disappointment as such but the stocks just failed to move?Andrew Holland: It is a case of FII selling and using the banking sector as a very liquid and large overweight or overweight to neutral stance which they had to fund some of their moves into China, which we have been seeing over the past month-and-a-half. So, the banking sector, given its weightage, just falls under that problem of being used as funds for other market. So, I agree with you. I do not think there is anything wrong with the results season so far and if anything once the bank sector starts to move, there is going to be a lot of short covering and there is a lot of buying to make up to some of the positions which have been lessened over the last month-and-a-half particularly by foreign investors.In this situation would you recommend the retail audience to start adding the private banking names because when it does move, it might move with quite a bit of ferocity?Andrew Holland: I think the banking sector is the place to be. If you believe the economy is going to continue to grow very strongly, the banking sector would have to perform. The banking sector started to perform after the results and then of course, you have some regulatory moves towards Kotak Bank and then obviously about project financing, which just kind of dampened the sentiment a little bit for banking. But the results season so far has shown me that NIMs compression is probably behind us and that is great news for the profitability of the banks going forward.What are you making of the entire capital goods and energy play? We saw earnings from both BHEL as well as BEL and they are quite the polar opposites. But it is a different story that the stock pattern may have been pretty much the same. Is it time to get a little cautious here?Andrew Holland: At the end of the day, whether it is infrastructure or renewable energy, it is all about execution and if they can execute those orders profitably, they will continue to do well. What tends to happen is that share prices move on the order book being increased and I think that will still remain beneficial to that. But when you come down to the end of the day, is it falling through to the bottom line, there is still question marks over that for some of these companies which is why when we look at the kind of infra play, we are probably more towards the kind of more specialized areas where Siemens and say ABBs operate which is smart cities, smart manufacturing, which is better margins and obviously better execution as well.Just wanted to get you in here about this pharma revival, which is currently at play. A lot many stocks have already moved up, case in point being a DRL or for that matter Cipla. We think it is bound to be a more sustainable move and will last longer.Andrew Holland: We hit bottom some months back for the whole sector and the prospects are starting to look better not just locally but overseas as well. So, I think that has been the good news. The result season has not been fantastic, but it has not been a disaster. So, the narrative coming out of these companies are that things are slowly starting to improve going forward and, of course, if you want a bit of safety in these markets given the volatility, then the whole of the kind of pharma and FMCG pack have come into play in terms of just a bit of safety where some of the earnings have kind of reached towards the bottom and you can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel going forward. I think that is the reason and obviously there have been a few QIPs and block trades which have got the momentum going for some of these share prices from where they were before.I do not know if you have been tracking these two stories –Vodafone and Paytm? Is there a disbelief to belief story or trade here at play?Andrew Holland: For the telecom sector, we are all going to wait till after the elections for the first tariff increase and that will obviously keep the momentum for the sector going forward. But it is not just that one tariff increase; there is the potential for more going forward. There was always an overhang in stock on Vodafone and now it is still there. Some of the anchor investors may want to dispose of or not and so that will be a dampener on the stock in the short term until after the elections and the tariff increase. Of course, what the government might do with their holdings as well going forward. As for Paytm, there is still that regulatory overhang. I am just going to wait till I see how all that plays out when the RBI gives it a go ahead to move forward. I am just happy to wait for those things to play out on this stock.