Asian markets traded lower on Wednesday after US inflation data made investors less hopeful about interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

US stock market ended mixed on Tuesday, with the Nasdaq Composite closing at a record high.

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

Source: Equitymaster

At present, the BSE Sensex is trading 100 points lower, and the NSE Nifty is trading 35 points lower.

Trent, Adani Port, and Tech Mahindra are among the top gainers today.

Tata Steel, M&M, and Tata Motors, on the other hand, are among the top losers today.

The BSE Midcap index is trading 0.2% higher, and the BSE Smallcap index is trading 0.2% higher.

Sectoral indices are trading mixed today with stocks in IT sector and oil & services sector were witnessed buying. Meanwhile stocks in auto sector and metal sector witnessing selling pressure.

The rupee is trading at Rs 85.9 against the US dollar.
 

HDFC Life's Q1 Profit Jumps 14%

HDFC Life's net profit rose 14% to Rs 5.6 billion (bn) in Q1 FY26, up from Rs 4.7 bn in Q1 FY25, driven by demand for group policies and lower claims paid.

The Annual Premium Equivalent (APE) for HDFC Life was Rs 32.3 bn, which was marginally less than anticipated. APE at retail was Rs 27.7 bn. APE for individuals increased 12.5% annually.

With a new business margin of 25.1%, the Value of New Business (VNB) increased 12.7% year over year to Rs 8.1 bn.

CEO of the company said, HDFC Life had a strong start to FY26 with both new business value and healthy topline growth. The company's market share reached a new milestone of 12.1%, and individual APE increased 12.5% year over year.

The gross premium income for the first quarter was Rs 26.8 bn with Rs 14.8 bn from new policies, Rs 7.6 bn from renewals, and Rs 4.7 bn from single premiums. The net premium income was Rs 14.5 bn.

Policyholders' investment income increased significantly from Rs 0.2 bn in the previous quarter Q4 FY25 to Rs 14.6 bn in Q1 FY26.

Higher business scale was reflected in the Rs 17.01 bn change in actuarial liability and the Rs 8.6 bn total benefits paid.

Net commissions paid were Rs 1.7 bn, indicating ongoing investment in distribution, while operating expenses for the insurance business increased to Rs 1.5 bn.
 

HDB Financial Services Net Profit Falls 2.4%

HDB Financial Services reported its Q1FY26 results.

The Bank's net interest income increased 18% to Rs 20.9 bn crore in Q1 FY26 due to a 17.3% increase in interest income to Rs 38.3 bn.

In Q1FY26, the company's net interest margin held steady at 7.6%, down from 7.7% in the same quarter the year before.

The company's asset under management (AUM) increased 14.7% year over year to Rs 10,969 bn in Q1FY25 from Rs 956.4 bn in the same period the previous year. Similarly, as of Q1FY25, gross loans for the quarter increased 14.3% YoY to Rs 10,934 bn crore from Rs 956.3 bn.

The NBFC's loan mix stayed steady, 40% enterprise loans, 38% asset finance, and 22% consumer finance. Secured lending slightly dropped to 71% from 73%, indicating a small shift towards riskier, unsecured loans.

The company's net profit decreased 2.4% to Rs 5.6 bn from Rs 5.8 bn the previous year, primary due of higher bad loan provisioning, which increased coverage to 56.7% from 55.9%.

Just Dial's Q1 Profit Soars 13%

In Q1, Just Dial's net profit increased 13% to Rs 1.6 bn from Rs 1.4 bn in the same period last year.

Net revenue from operations increased by roughly 6% to Rs 2.9 bn in the first quarter of FY26 compared to Rs 2.8 bn in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year.

According to Chief Growth Officer at Just Dial, the company is concentrating on long-term growth by leveraging AI to more effectively match users with merchants.

Merchant enquiries have increased due to this and more advertising, which should support revenue growth. By giving high-value conversations priority, the company has also increased sales productivity.

The number of unique visitors to Just Dial's website increased by 6.6% to 193.2 million. 10.1% of users used desktop computers, 3% used voice platforms, and many users 86.9% used mobile devices to access the website.

More By This Author: