Nifty

One major concern looming over global trade is the upcoming Reciprocal Tariffs announcement by Donald Trump on April 2nd. If India manages to negotiate postponement or exemption on key export items, markets could react positively.

The stock market has been continuously bleeding for the past few months. This has already had a significant impact on mutual funds.

The report by Nuvama highlighted that India's valuation premium to other emerging markets has dropped significantly to 50 per cent, down from 70 per cent, bringing it back in line with historical averages.

Among Nifty companies, 18 stocks advanced, while 31 declined, and one remained unchanged. ONGC, BEL, Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, and Power Grid emerged as the top gainers, while Sriram Finance, M&M, Bajaj Auto, Eicher Motors, and Adani Ports were the top losers in early trading.

Stock market experts stated that Trump's tariff policy has significantly impacted the markets in the first 50 days of his tenure. They added that there is no option but to wait and watch, hoping for some clarity.

With nearly half of all smallcap stocks still down by at least 40% from their peaks and the index 21% below its December high, the question remains—Is this a genuine recovery, or just a temporary bounce in a volatile market?

Experts noted that ongoing global tensions, such as the cycle of Trump threatening, levying tariffs, rolling them back, and then threatening afresh, are spoiling market sentiment and rapidly eroding U.S. goodwill and soft power.

Asutosh Mishra, Head of Institutional Equities Research at Ashika Stock Broking, anticipates that the upcoming week will be volatile, with global trade concerns, macroeconomic data, and FII flows dictating market direction.

The Nifty 50 index opened at 22,508.65 points, down by 36.05 points or 0.16 per cent, while the BSE Sensex started the day at 74,347.14 points, registering a marginal gain of 7 points or 0.01 per cent.

Among Nifty stocks, 28 advanced while 22 declined. The top gainers included BPCL, Asian Paints, Shriram Finance, Reliance, and Tata Steel, whereas SBI Life, Britannia, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, and Trent were among the top losers.