The consumer staples sector is brokerage firm CLSA's biggest anti-consensus call for 2025. After avoiding it for four years as part of its India portfolio, consumer staples has now become CLSA's biggest India portfolio "overweight". In an interaction with CNBC-TV18 on Thursday, January 9, CLSA's Vikash Kumar Jain said that staples has become the biggest "overweight" of their portfolio.

Gold February futures contracts at MCX opened slightly higher on Thursday at Rs 77,942 per 10 gram, which is up by 0.25% or Rs 195 while silver March futures contracts were trading at Rs 91,261/kg, up by 0.36% or Rs 323.Gold prices surged by Rs 600/10 grams in this week so far while silver prices rose Rs 2,000/kg during this period.

PTC India's share price dropped 2.53% to a 52-week low of ₹140.15 after BlackRock sold 3,31,263 PTC India shares, or 0.11% stake in the company. The investment manager now holds 11,064,987 shares or 3.74% stake in PTC India. PTC India shares were trading 1.77% lower at ₹141.25 at 10:15 AM on the BSE.

Morgan Stanley promoted 173 employees to managing director, a 12% increase from last year, but lower than in previous years, bucking the trend of bigger boosts seen at rivals like Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Bank of America, which added more executives to their top ranks amid strong performance and expectations for future growth.

GMR Airports Ltd acquires 50% of Bird Delhi General Aviation Services Private Ltd for ₹15.02 crore, expanding its airport operations. The acquired company, founded in 2005, has shown consistent revenue growth, with FY2024 revenues at ₹64.51 crore. This deal complements GMR Airports' current portfolio and bolsters its position.

Chennai-based Casagrand Premier Builder has received SEBI's final observation to raise Rs 1,100 crore through an IPO, comprising a fresh issue of up to Rs 1,000 crore and an offer for sale of up to Rs 100 crore. The proceeds will be used for debt repayment, prepayment of borrowings, and general corporate purposes.

Packaged snack maker Prataap Snacks shares will remain in focus on Thursday following an open offer from Authum Investment & Infrastructure and Mahi Madhusudan Kela to acquire up to 62.98 lakh equity shares, representing a 26.01% stake in the company, at Rs 865.66 per share. The cash offer includes a price of Rs 864 per equity share, along with an interest component of Rs 1.66 per equity share.

Advait Energy Transitions shares will remain in focus on Thursday following the company's announcement of receiving a LoI from Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam for a 50 MW/500 MWh segment of the 500 MW/1000 MWh Standalone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Gujarat. On Wednesday, Advait Energy shares closed at Rs 1,529.6, up 0.2% on the BSE, while the benchmark Sensex declined 0.06%.

The Canadian dollar dips 0.2% against the US dollar, trading in a range of 1.4340 to 1.4409, as US Treasury yields climb and investors worry about potential US trade tariffs. The loonie's decline is also influenced by a decrease in US oil prices and a rise in US bond yields. Canadian bond yields moved higher across a steeper curve, tracking moves in U.S. Treasuries.

Shares of Tata Motors fell as much as 3 percent to Rs 769 in early trade on January 9, snapping its two-day losing streak despite Nomura and Morgan Stanley dishing out positive calls on the stock following Jaguar Land Rover's third-quarter sales update. JLR, Tata Motors' British subsidiary, reported a mixed performance. Wholesale volumes increased by 3 percent YoY to 1,04,427 units.

Reliance Industries shares are in focus as Morgan Stanley sets a target price of Rs 1,662, indicating 31% growth potential. Brokerage cites the improving outlook for RIL’s refining business, anticipated growth in retail profitability, and the underappreciated potential of RIL’s New Energy segment. Additionally, Jefferies and Bernstein revised their target prices, reinforcing positive sentiment.

Shares of Hindalco Industries, the Aditya Birla Group company, will be in focus on Thursday, January 9, after its unit Novelis released a preliminary update for the third quarter of financial year 2025 last night. Novelis expects its EBITDA on an adjusted basis to be between $360 million to $370 million, which is lower than the $454 million figure it reported during the same quarter last year.

Asian shares fell after Wall Street traders refrained from making big bets, with US equity markets set to close ahead of Friday’s jobs report. Stocks dropped in Tokyo and Sydney, with futures for Hong Kong also declining. US contracts slipped, after a range-bound session for the S&P 500 Wednesday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 ended little changed.

Federal Reserve officials decided to slow the pace of rate-cutting in December due to elevated inflation risks, citing higher inflation readings and continued strength in spending. The Fed cut its benchmark lending rate by a quarter-point to a range of 4.25%-4.5%. Officials expect the US jobs market to remain solid, but are cautious due to upside risks to inflation.

India's monthly demat account additions in December grew at the slowest pace in 10 months as the recent declines in the stock market and regulatory restrictions on equity derivatives discouraged investors and traders from opening new accounts. The total number of demat accounts rose by 1.65% to 185 mn in December from 182 mn in November - the slowest growth in percentage terms since February 2024.