Asian markets saw a gain on Monday driven by hopes of new stimulus measures from China and anticipation of updates on US- regional trade talks.

US stocks closed higher Friday for the fourth straight day, led by big tech sector gains, as investors set aside ongoing uncertainty about tariffs and the economic outlook.

Here's a table showing how US stocks performed on Friday:

Source: Equitymaster

At present, the BSE Sensex is trading 758 points higher, and the NSE Nifty is trading 221 points higher.

Reliance, M&M, and ICICI Bank are among the top gainers today.

HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, and TCS, on the other hand, are among the top losers today.

The BSE Midcap index is trading 0.5% higher, and the BSE Smallcap index is trading 0.1% higher.

Sectoral indices are trading mixed today, with stocks in the IT sector and the media sector witnessing selling pressure.

Meanwhile, stocks in the energy sector and the oil & gas sector witness buying.

The rupee is trading at Rs 85.3 against the US dollar.
 

M&M Acquires Stake in SML Isuzu

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) announced that it is acquiring a majority of 58.96% in SML Isuzu for Rs 5.6 billion (bn). This will help Mahindra to increase its presence in commercial vehicle market.

The M&M currently has a small presence in market of 3%.

Mahindra is acquiring the SML Isuzu at Rs 650 per share. This acquisition will help Mahindra increase its market share.

Mahindra aims to double its market share from 3% to grow 10-12% in few years and achieve over 20% long term growth.

Mahindra will buy shares from two major shareholders Sumitomo Corporation (43.9%) stake and Isuzu Motors (15%) stake. The deal needs government approval and is expected to be completed within 2025.

The acquisition will help M&M and SML Isuzu work together more efficiently, save costs, share resources and develop a better product, ultimately boosting Mahindra's truck and bus business.

SML Isuzu founded in 1983, is a company that manufactures trucks and buses in India.

RailTel Secures Huge Project Contract

RailTel company has received Rs 9.03 bn work order from the Institute of Road Transport.

RailTel will design, develop and implement an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for MTC Chennai, TNSTC Coimbatore and TNSTC Madurai.

This project includes supply, operation and maintenance and is schedule to be completed by 18 October 2026, aiming to make these transport corporation more efficient.

RailTel on 17 April 2025, received a 0.2 bn work order for 3-years Managed Cloud services from UTI infrastructure Technology & Services.

The company also secured 0.3 bn a 5-years work contract from Hindustan Petroleum to renew existing network link and add new connections, enhancing their communication infrastructure.

The market capitalisation of RailTel is 96.8 bn.

RailTel was founded in 2000, to provide broadband, telecom and multimedia services to modernize Indian Railway's operations.
 

India Cements Delivers Strong Q4 Results

India cement reported Q4 net profit of Rs 0.2 bn versus a loss of 0.5 bn. The company also reported revenue of Rs 11.9 bn down 3% from Rs 12.4 bn.

The company's board has approved a merger with its four wholly owned subsidiaries: ICL Financial Services, ICL Securities, ICL International and Indian Cement Infrastructures.

The merger's date is 1 January 2025, pending approvals from regulators and the National Company Law Tribunal.

The company's quarterly profit dropped 84% to Rs 0.2 bn compared 1.2 bn in the previous quarter.

India Cement's expenses remained steady year-over-year at Rs 13.1 bn down from Rs 13.2 bn last year. However, they rose 4% sequentially from Rs 12.6 bn.
 

Reliance Industries Impressive Q4 Results

Reliance Industries Q4 performance was steady, with rise of 6.4% in profit due to strong growth in digital ad retail.

The company made a net profit of Rs 194.1 bn in Q4, which is 2.4% more than last year. This was more than expected around 188.2 bn.

The company's revenue rose 8.8% to Rs 2880 bn, driven by digital, services, retail and chemicals. Their quarterly earning also hit a record high, rising 3.6% to Rs 487.4 bn.

Reliance Industries Chairman, Mukesh Ambani said that despite global challenges, Reliance performed steadily due to its focus on operations, innovations and meeting India's growth needs.

It also added that Reliance Retail improved store operations for efficiency, enhanced products and user experience, successfully launched quick deliveries. This positions the company to continue delivering value to customers through its strong online and offline presence.

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