Asian share markets are mixed today as a US holiday made for slow trading ahead of minutes of the last Federal Reserve meeting and a reading on core inflation that could add to the risk of interest rates heading higher for longer.

Geopolitical tensions were ever present with North Korea firing more missiles and talk of Russia ramping up attacks in Ukraine before Friday's 1-year anniversary of the invasion.

The Nikkei is trading flat while the Hang Seng is trading higher by 0.8%. The Shanghai Composite is up by 1%.

Wall Street indices dropped on Friday, weighed down by Microsoft and Nvidia as investors worried that inflation and a strong US economy could put the Federal Reserve on pace for more interest rate hikes.

The Dow Jones ended 0.4% higher while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ended lower by 0.7%.

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

Source: Equitymaster

Back home, Indian share markets are trading on a positive note tracking the trend on SGX Nifty.

At present, the BSE Sensex is trading higher by 123 points. Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty is trading higher by 15 points.

Tech Mahindra and HCL Technologies are among the top gainers today.

Nestle and Tata Steel are among the top losers today.

Broader markets are trading on a negative note. Both the BSE Mid Cap and the BSE Small Cap index are down 0.1%.

Sectoral indices are trading on a mixed note. Stocks in the healthcare sector, and energy sector witness selling.

Meanwhile stocks in the IT sector and capital goods sector witness buying.

Among the best IT stocks, HCL Tech and Infosys are up a percent each.

Shares of Cera Sanitary and Persistent Systems hit their 52-week high today.

The rupee is trading at Rs 82.68 against the US dollar.

In the commodity markets, gold prices trade higher by Rs 31 at Rs 56,288 per 10 grams.

Meanwhile, silver prices are trading higher by 0.1% at Rs 65,711 per 1 kg.

Now track the biggest movers of the stock market using the stocks to watch today section. This should help you keep updated with the latest developments...

Speaking of stock markets, there are stocks and then there are 'Stocks' From thousands of listed stocks, there is only a handful that you could never go wrong with. Ever wondered what are the characteristics of the best stocks in India?
 

NSE indices rejig

Leading stock exchange NSE has tweaked the constituents of its major indices with Adani Group's two companies -- Adani Wilmar and Adani Power all set to make their way into some of the Nifty indices from 31 March.

Adani Wilmar will be part of the Nifty Next 50 and Nifty 100 indices, while Adani Power will be included in the Nifty 500, Nifty 200, Nifty Midcap 100, Nifty Midcap 150, Nifty LargeMidcap 250, and Nifty Midsmallcap 400 indices.

All the changes in the indices will be effective from 31 March 2023.

In the Nifty Next 50 index, apart from Adani Wilmar, other companies that will be included are ABB India, Canara Bank, Page Industries, and Varun Beverages.

On the other hand, Bandhan Bank, Biocon, Gland Pharma, MphasiS, and One 97 Communications would be dropped from the Nifty Next 50 index.
 

HUL to divest two brands

On Friday, one of the best FMCG stocks in India Hindustan Unilever (HUL) said that it has entered into definitive documents for the sale and divestment of 'Annapurna' and 'Captain Cook' brands to Uma Global Foods and Uma Consumer Products.

Uma Global Foods and Uma Consumer Products are subsidiaries of Singapore-based Reactivate Brands International for Rs 604 million (m) (about Rs 60.4 crore).

The transaction is expected to be completed in 90 days, subject to fulfillment of terms and conditions.

Speaking of HUL, here's some interesting data on the stock, between 2002 to 2010, HUL's stock price went nowhere...have a look at the chart below:

A Journey of No Returns in a So-Called Safe Stock

The stock was basically in an 8-year coma. The returns could barely even make up for the inflation.

However, over the 2010 to 2020 period, HUL delivered a whopping return of 30% CAGR!
 

KEC International bags new orders

KEC International's share price is on the rise today as the company bagged new orders worth Rs 30.2 (bn).

The Civil business has secured orders for executing infra works in the water pipeline and commercial building segments in India.

Its transmission and distribution (T&D) business has secured orders for T&D projects in the Americas, and the cables business has secured orders for various types of cables in India and overseas.

KEC International is an Indian multinational company and also India's second-largest manufacturer of electric power transmission towers and one of the largest power transmission, engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies in the world.
 

Rites secure new contract

Rites has secured a new EPC work of Rs 760.8 million for the Provision of EI-based automatic signaling with continuous track circuiting and other associated works along with suitable indoor alterations in electronic interlocking /RRI/PI stations enroute in the Dhaulpur- Gwalior Section of Jhansi division of North Central Railway.

Rites is an Indian public sector undertaking and engineering consultancy corporation, specializing in the field of transport infrastructure.

Established in 1974 by the Indian Railways, the company's initial charter was to provide consultancy services in rail transport management to operators in India and abroad.

It has since diversified into planning and consulting services for other infrastructure, including airports, ports, highways, and urban planning.

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