After opening the day higher, the Indian benchmark pared gains as the session progressed and ended the day flat.

Benchmark equity indices, the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty50 ended Thursday's choppy session on a flat note.

At the closing bell, the BSE Sensex closed flat at 78,472.

Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty closed higher by 22 points (up 0.1%).

Maruti Suzuki, Shriram Finance, and M&M are among the top gainers today.

Titan, Nestle, and Asian paints, on the other hand, were among the top losers today.

The GIFT Nifty was trading at 23,870, up by 46 points at the time of writing.

The BSE MidCap index ended marginally higher and the BSE SmallCap index ended 0.2% lower.

Sectoral indices were trading mixed today with stocks in the realty sector, power sector, and auto sector witnessing buying. Meanwhile, stocks in the metal sector and telecom sector witnessing selling pressure.

Amber Enterprises, 360 One Wam, and Llods Metals hit their respective 52-week highs today.

The rupee is trading at 85.27 against the US$.

Gold prices for the latest contract on MCX are trading 0.5% higher at Rs 76,627 per 10 grams.

Meanwhile, silver prices were trading 0.2% higher at Rs 89,540 per 1 kg.
 

EPACK Durables Jumps 5%. Here's Why

In the news, EPACK Durable stock gained 5%, following a clarification on a media report on plans for a Chinese television manufacturer to invest in EPACK Durable's wholly owned subsidiary.

In an exchange filing on 24 December, the company said that the discussions are currently in a preliminary stage and that an update will be provided to the exchanges, as and when required.

In a previous filing, the company said that the Board authorized a corporate guarantee for a loan to be obtained by Epavo Electricals Private Limited, a joint venture company.

The OEM had also recently made it to the headlines for its tie up with the Hisense group, a multinational appliance and electronics manufacturer aiming to acquire a minority stake in Epack Durable's step-down subsidiary.

Through this tie-up, the company is aspiring to be among the top five brands in air conditioners and appliances in India in the next five years.
 

Ceigall India Shares Rise 7%

Moving on to news from the engineering sector, shares of Ceigall India Limited a recently listed infrastructure player, surged as high as 7% to Rs 366 in morning trade on 26 December after the company announced that its subsidiary, Ludhiana Bathinda Greenfield Highway, had signed a Concession Agreement with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The project, valued at Rs 981 crore, is slated for completion within 24 months and will also be operated by the company upon its completion.

The project involves constructing a six-lane, access-controlled Ludhiana-Bathinda Greenfield highway segment of NH-754AD.

It stretches from the junction with Moga-Barnala Road (NH-703) near Tallewal village to the Delhi-Katra Expressway (NE-5) near Ballowal village, covering km 30+300 to km 75+543.

This development forms part of the Ludhiana-Ajmer Economic Corridor under Bharatmala Pariyojna Phase-I, Package-2.

Founded in 2002, Ceigall India specializes in infrastructure construction, undertaking projects like elevated roads, flyovers, bridges, tunnels, highways, expressways, and runways. Currently, the company has 18 projects underway, including 13 EPC and five HAM projects, spanning elevated corridors, metro lines, and multi-lane highways.

The company also utilized its IPO proceeds to significantly pare down debt, reducing it by 62% to Rs 4 bn, while maintaining robust EBITDA margins across its business segments.
 

Panacea Biotec Hits Upper Circuit

Moving on to news from the pharma sector, Panacea Biotec's share price hit the 5% upper circuit in 26 December's trading session on receiving a mega Rs 1.3 bn UNICEF order.

The sharp upmove in the share price was seen after the company informed the exchanges on 24 December that the company received a Letter of Award from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for the supply of 115 million doses of its bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) worth Rs 127 Crore in CY2025.

UNICEF plans to use the supply of bOPV for its requirements in countries in Africa and Asia region, the company said in the statement.

Newgen Software Extends December Rally

Moving on to news from the IT sector, Newgen Software further extended its month-long rally that has taken the stock higher by 44%, after the company's wholly-owned subsidiary in Saudi Arabia bagged a purchase order valued at US$ 2.27 million (m), or around Rs 193.2 m, to be executed over one year.

The shares of Newgen Software are nudging at life highs after solid gains in December, making it the top gainer of the month on the NSE 500. Over the last year, the shares are higher by 127%.

As part of Newgen's efforts to strengthen footprint in the Middle East market, the company has launched Islamic retail and SME financing too. While banking and financial services remain the core vertical for Newgen, the company has seen increased traction in insurance and government segments.

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