Stock Market Crash News Today Live Updates: Nifty Below 24,200, Sensex Drops 800 Points; Trent Falls After Q4 Results, Dividend and Bonus Announcement

Indian equity benchmarks came under sharp selling pressure in the pre-market trade. The Nifty fell close to the 24,200 mark, while the Sensex declined by more than 1,400 points.

The rupee opened lower against the US dollar, extending its decline for a fourth straight trading session. The local currency weakened by as much as 20 paise, or 0.22%, to 94 in early trade.

• Indian Oil Corp said supplies of petrol, diesel and LPG remain normal across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The company said stocks are adequate to meet public demand.
• It also said its refineries are operating at higher capacity to meet rising requirements and prevent any shortages.

Source: PTI

• HSBC Asia Equity Strategy downgraded India to Underweight from Neutral, citing potential inflation and demand pressures that may affect earnings growth.
• The brokerage said it is concerned about the durability of the current earnings recovery and expects consensus 2026 earnings growth forecasts of 16% year-on-year to be revised lower in the coming months.
• It said valuations have corrected from peak levels but may still look elevated if earnings estimates are cut. HSBC added that India appears less attractive than North East Asian peers in the current macro environment.

• Paper stocks including JK Paper, ITC, West Coast Paper and Andhra Paper are in focus after paper prices rose over the past three to four months amid lower import pressure.
• Domestic mills are planning a Rs 2 per kg price hike for maplitho paper from May 2026 and a Rs 3 per kg increase for copier paper from the same month.
• JK Paper management has said timber prices have started to soften and may ease further over the next two years. Timber accounts for about 50-55% of paper raw material cost, while inventory levels at mills and dealers are currently low.

• Mayuresh Joshi of MarketSmith India told NDTV Profit that Trent delivered a strong operational performance in Q4 and said its margin was ahead of analyst estimates. He said demand trends need close tracking and flagged cautious consumer demand due to the war as a risk for the company.
• He also said the stock’s valuation remains expensive.

• Matt Orton of Raymond James Investment Management told NDTV Profit that investors still want to diversify and said earnings in India’s financial sector have shown strength.
• He also said many ships remain stuck in the Persian Gulf, while the global build-up in AI remains insulated from geopolitical developments.

• Jefferies maintained its Hold rating on Havells with a target price of Rs 1290. It said growth in cables and wires offset a decline in consumer products, while Lloyd posted an EBIT loss for a fourth straight quarter.
• Macquarie maintained its Outperform rating with a target price of Rs 1588. It said cables continued to lead growth, but flagged near-term demand and margin risks from macro uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict.
• Jefferies expects EPS CAGR of 20% over FY26-28 and said valuations are 5% above the 10-year average. Macquarie said Havells’ product mix, brand and premium positioning remain key supports.

• Indian markets are set for a mixed opening, with trade expected to remain in a consolidation phase as uncertainty in the Middle East continues.
• Asian cues are mixed, with the Kospi and Nikkei at record highs, supported by strong macro data from Japan and South Korea. Oil has risen for a fourth straight session, while gold and the dollar remain volatile.
• Foreign institutional investors were sellers in the cash market for a third day, with short positions at 78% versus 77% earlier. Trent and SBI Life remain in focus after their Q4 results.

• Stocks in focus today include Infosys, Adani Transmission, Cyient, LTM and IEX ahead of Q4 earnings. Balrampur Chini Mills, SPML Infra and Cyient are also on watch for fund-raising moves, while Rolex Rings is in focus for its buyback.
• Other events for the day include Sensex expiry, the share lock-in expiry of Shadow Fax, and HSBC PMI data for India.
• Investors will also track the start of voting in the state elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, along with US initial jobless claims.

• Morgan Stanley kept its Overweight rating on Trent with a target price of Rs 4835, citing a margin beat in Q4. It said consumer sentiment was stable, though discretionary spending moderated, while raw material inflation and labour tightness were managed through sourcing.
• Citi maintained its Sell rating and raised its target price to Rs 4100 from Rs 3800. It said execution remained strong but flagged risks to margin sustainability, adding that gross margin may have benefited from a reversal in inventory provisioning.
• Jefferies kept its Hold rating and increased its target price to Rs 4675 from Rs 4575. It said Q4 growth was supported by store additions and improving like-for-like growth, while operating leverage and internal measures lifted operating EBITDA.

• BofA said it remains cautious on capital goods stocks, citing valuations close to upcycle levels despite what it sees as mid-cycle earnings growth.
• The brokerage expects capex CAGR of 10% over FY26-28, below the Street estimate of 15%, and said the market may be underestimating the indirect impact of the Iran conflict on private, central and state government capex.
• BofA said stretched valuations and risks to earnings growth could leave the sector exposed in any broader market sell-off. It said it still sees selective opportunities in power, data centres, shipbuilding and defence.

• JPMorgan maintained its Neutral rating on L&T Technology Services and raised its target price to Rs 3600 from Rs 3500. It said the company is starting FY27 on a clean slate, with sustainability expected to maintain growth momentum and auto likely to return to growth.
• Nomura also kept its Neutral rating and raised its target price to Rs 3510 from Rs 3300. It said business restructuring is complete, deal wins remain strong and the pipeline is robust.
• Both brokerages said the exit from low-margin businesses could support margin expansion. Nomura said Project Lakshya targets revenue CAGR of 13-15% and EBIT margin around the mid-16% level, though acquisitions could dilute margins.

• Asian markets were mixed in early trade. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.01%, while China’s CSI 300 gained 0.35% and the Shanghai Composite edged up 0.02%.
• Japan’s Topix fell 0.97% and the Nikkei 225 declined 0.86%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.65%.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also traded lower, falling 0.78%.

• Japan’s Nikkei index crossed the 60,000 level for the first time, supported by gains in technology stocks after improved risk sentiment following an extension of the US ceasefire with Iran.
• The index later gave up early gains in choppy trade and declined over 1%. It touched a record high of 60,013.98 at its peak.

With inputs from Reuters.

• Oil prices rose for a fourth straight session as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz continued after the US and Iran did not meet in Islamabad for a new round of talks.
• Brent crude traded close to $102 a barrel after rising nearly 13% over the previous three sessions. West Texas Intermediate was around $93. Intraday, Brent had surged as much as 4.2% to $106.5 a barrel.

• E2E Networks reported a quarter-on-quarter rise in revenue to Rs 95.6 crore from Rs 70 crore and EBITDA to Rs 58.1 crore from Rs 39.6 crore. EBITDA margin improved to 60.7% from 56.6%, and the company posted a net profit of Rs 6.4 crore versus a loss of Rs 5.7 crore. Its board approved a 1:10 stock split.
• SML Mahindra reported Q4 revenue of Rs 898 crore, up 16.4% year-on-year, while EBITDA was flat at Rs 90.38 crore and margin fell to 10.06% from 11.72%. Profit rose to Rs 54.2 crore from Rs 53 crore, and the board recommended a final dividend of Rs 23.5 per share. PNB Housing’s total income rose to Rs 2,172 crore from Rs 2,037 crore, while net profit increased to Rs 656 crore from Rs 551 crore. Its board recommended a final dividend of Rs 8 per share.
• Indosolar’s revenue fell to Rs 83 crore from Rs 192 crore, while EBITDA rose to Rs 64.3 crore from Rs 50.2 crore and net profit increased to Rs 42 crore from Rs 40 crore. The company also appointed Abhishek Pareek as CFO and reappointed Shachindra Nath as vice chairman and managing director

• Iran’s navy said it has taken control of two container vessels in the Strait of Hormuz after the US extended its ceasefire. State media reported that the Revolutionary Guard Navy cited alleged maritime violations and said the ships were moved to Iranian shores.
• The development followed reports from UK maritime authorities that two ships had come under attack in the strait. Iranian media also said a third vessel was targeted.

• US stock futures were little changed on Wednesday night in New York after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at fresh record highs in the regular session. S&P 500 futures slipped 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were near flat.
• Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 173 points, or 0.4%.

• US markets closed higher overnight, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ending at record levels after President Donald Trump extended the US ceasefire with Iran. The S&P 500 rose 1.05%, while the Nasdaq gained 1.64%.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 340.65 points, or 0.69%, in the session.

• Asian markets traded mixed in early trade, excluding India. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.65%, the strongest gain among major indices shown.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.79%, while Australia’s ASX 200 declined 0.58% and Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.35%.
• China’s Shanghai Composite traded marginally higher, up 0.11%.

GIFT Nifty traded at 24,230, indicating a weaker start for the Nifty 50. This compares with Wednesday’s Nifty close of 24,378.10.