Ahead of Market: 10 things that will decide stock market action on Monday

Indian equities ended with gains on Friday, led by strong buying action in consumer and metal stocks, though IT stocks were under pressure due to lower-than-estimated Q4FY26 earnings. While Nifty surged 156.80 points or 0.65% to finish at 24,353.55, the BSE Sensex rose 292.80 points or 0.38% to settle at 78,111.24.

Meanwhile, the volatility gauge, India VIX, ended at 17.21, down 4.86% from the previous close.

Here’s how analysts read the market pulse:

Nilesh Jain, Vice President and Head of Technical and Derivative Research at Centrum Finverse, said the immediate hurdle is seen at the 50-DMA, placed around 24,410, and a decisive breakout above this level could pave the way for an upside move towards 24,700. The overall structure remains positive, favouring a buy-on-dips approach, with the support base now shifting higher to around 24,000, he added.

“Momentum indicators and oscillators continue to reflect strength, as the RSI sustains above the 55 level. Meanwhile, the volatility index has continued to soften, hovering near the 17 mark. Any further decline in volatility is likely to lend additional support to the ongoing bullish sentiment,” Jain said.

US markets

Frontline indices on Wall Street ended with strong gains on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States has banned Israel from further bombing in Lebanon. On Thursday, he suggested that he could go to Pakistan if a deal between the two nations is reached.

While the Dow 30 ended at 49,447.43, gaining 868.71 points or 1.79%, the S&P 500 was up 1.20% (84.78 points) at 7,126.06. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 365.78 points or 1.52% to close at 24,468.48.

European markets

Most major European indices closed in the green on Friday. The UK’s FTSE 100, Stoxx 600, Spain’s IBEX 35 and Germany’s DAX closed higher between 0.73% and 2.18%.

Tech view

Ajit Mishra, Senior Vice President, Research at Religare Broking, said the index has extended its recovery and is now approaching key moving averages (100 and 200 DEMA) in the 24,600–24,800 zone. “Sustained strength above this band could open room for further upside towards 25,200. In case of profit booking or consolidation, the 23,700–24,000 zone is likely to provide strong support,” Mishra said.

Most active stocks in terms of turnover

Balkrishna Industries (Rs 219 crore), Waaree Renewable Technologies (Rs 214 crore), GMDC (Rs 193 crore), Reliance Industries (RIL, Rs 185 crore), Shipping Corporation of India (Rs 169 crore), Gallantt Ispat (Rs 160 crore) and HDFC Bank (Rs 127 crore) were among the most active stocks on the BSE in value terms. Higher activity in a counter in value terms can help identify the stocks with the highest trading turnover during the day.

Most active stocks in volume terms

SpiceJet (traded shares: 5.14 crore), Suzlon Energy (traded shares: 2.25 crore), Vodafone Idea (traded shares: 1.913 crore), JP Power (traded shares: 1.56 crore), Ola Electric (traded shares: 1.29 crore), YES Bank (traded shares: 1.03 crore) and Reliance Power (traded shares: 69.82 lakh) were among the most actively traded stocks in volume terms on the BSE.

Stocks showing buying interest

Bajaj Consumer Care, Kolte-Patil Developers, Waaree Renewable, Gujarat Gas, Bharat Wire Ropes, Tokyo Plast International and Oil Country Tubular were among the stocks that witnessed strong buying interest from market participants.

52-week high

Today, 175 stocks hit their 52-week highs, while 20 stocks slipped to their 52-week lows. Among those that hit their 52-week highs were ABB India, Adani Energy Solutions, Adani Power, Bajaj Consumer Care, Belrise Industries, Inox India and Jindal Steel.

Stocks seeing selling pressure

Among the large-cap names were Wipro, HDFC Life Insurance Company and Sun Pharmaceuticals. Other stocks that witnessed significant selling pressure were Ind-Swift Laboratories, PVP Ventures, Madhya Bharat Agro Products, Gallantt Ispat, Gaudium IVF, Women’s Health and Digjam.

Sentiment meter favours bulls

Heavyweights like HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries (RIL) and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) aided the markets the most, as the breadth remained positive. Out of the 4,493 stocks that traded on the BSE on Friday, April 17, 2,999 stocks advanced, 1,327 declined, while 167 stocks remained unchanged.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)