Nvidia Beats, Nifty IT Slips
Nvidia's Q2 results and forecast of $108 billion in quarterly revenue beat Wall Street estimates and sent its shares up 4% in extended trade, powered by insatiable AI chip demand. Yet Nifty IT fell 1.47% to 30,318.85 on the same day, dragged by Infosys and a lukewarm market reaction to TCS's €320 million Porsche-MHP acquisition, which analysts flagged for near-term revenue gains but longer-term margin and demand-side questions. The divergence is a reminder that a strong US tech print does not automatically translate into Indian IT outperformance when local earnings and deal quality are under scrutiny.
Promoters Cash In on the Rally
August has seen a wave of promoter and PE stake sales, with block deals worth roughly ₹13,000 crore executed this month alone, including Capital Group trimming 1.04% of Avenue Supermarts for ₹2,537 crore and Foseco India's promoters lining up a ₹664 crore stake sale. Prudential Corporation is also selling up to 2% of ICICI Prudential AMC from August 27 to meet minimum public shareholding norms, even as the stock trades 49% above its IPO price. India's overall block and bulk deal tally is nearing ₹4 lakh crore in 2026 despite the Nifty's roughly 7% pullback this year, underscoring how deep domestic liquidity is absorbing large supply.
DIIs Step Up as FIIs Return Cautiously
Domestic institutions bought a sharp ₹6,425 crore on Wednesday even as foreign investors stayed net buyers for a third straight session with a smaller ₹503 crore inflow, per exchange data cited by CNBC-TV18. EPFR Global's Cameron Brandt noted signs of FII flows bottoming out, with foreign investors cautiously re-engaging India even as broader emerging-market allocations and Asian AI enthusiasm cool. This institutional tug-of-war helps explain why the Nifty could erase early gains and still close down 0.52% at 24,207.75.
Power and Defence Order Books Swell
Adani Energy Solutions won a ₹4,700 crore Maharashtra transmission project via competitive bidding to evacuate up to 4,500 MW of renewable and pumped-storage power, taking its order book to ₹85,000 crore. Bharat Electronics added ₹730 crore of fresh orders across radars, avionics and cyber security since August 10, while Ceigall India secured a ₹609 crore, 35-year REC Power transmission project in Gujarat-Maharashtra. MTAR Technologies separately guided for over 80% FY27 revenue growth on a ₹5,000 crore-plus order book spanning nuclear, defence and clean energy.
PSU Banks Outrun Private Peers
The Nifty PSU Bank index has climbed about 4% this month, comfortably outpacing the Nifty Private Bank index's 0.60% rise and the broader Nifty 50's flat-to-negative trend, per Livemint data. SBI, PNB and Bank of Maharashtra have all featured in the up-to-4% rally, even as Kotak Mahindra Bank separately surged over 3% on the day the headline indices fell. The relative strength in state-owned lenders amid a soft broader tape is worth tracking against the backdrop of PSU disinvestment activity, including the Rs 3,000 crore Hindustan Copper OFS.
Exports Rise, Growth Momentum Cools
India's merchandise exports rose 15% to over $25 billion between August 1-21, pushing the April-August cumulative past $200 billion, per commerce ministry estimates cited by ET. This comes even as a Reuters poll pegs April-June GDP growth at a slower 7.1%, with private investment described as subdued and rising crude prices flagged as a risk to household budgets. The RBI is expected to hold rates steady for the next six months, per the same poll, framing a backdrop of resilient trade alongside decelerating domestic growth.
Rupee and Crude Stay Range-Bound
The rupee held broadly steady near 95.40-95.44 to the dollar, having gained 26 paise in a prior session on a weaker greenback and softer crude, while Brent-linked crude oil eased slightly to $86.75. Gold continued its steady climb, up 0.47% to 4,675.3, consistent with EPFR's observation of renewed gold fund inflows even as risk appetite for Asian equities cools, with the Nikkei down 0.65% and Hang Seng flat overnight.