U.S. stocks closed slightly higher on Wednesday, as fresh inflation data reinforced investor hopes that the Federal Reserve is done raising interest rates, while retail stocks were boosted by an upbeat forecast from Target . Shares in Target surged 17.8% in its biggest one-day percentage gain since August 2019 after the retailer forecast a fourth-quarter profit largely above expectations.

Oil prices declined Thursday due to US signals of higher supply and weak Asian energy demand. U.S. crude stocks rose 3.6M barrels last week, while production held steady at 13.2Mbbl/d. In Asia, China's oil refinery throughput decreased, while its economic activity picked up with rising industrial output and retail sales.

Gold prices remained steady in early Asian hours on Thursday as the dollar strengthened after strong U.S. retail sales data offset hopes of Fed ending its tightening cycle. US producer prices fell and US consumer prices flatlined in Oct, reinforcing these hopes, but San Francisco Fed President cautioned against assumptions that rates won't be raised again.

Nifty has witnessed a strong upward move in recent trading, propelled by positive global sentiment. The index has broken out from consolidation and maintained levels above its critical moving averages, indicating sustained bullishness. Bank Nifty is also showing a similar trend, staying above key support of 44,000. TCS, Reliance Industries and Asian Paints have been recommended for short-term.

The dollar has rebounded from sharp losses last week as traders expect the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates on hold for now, given signs that U.S. economic growth is slowing. Meanwhile speculation of potential currency intervention in the Japanese yen and mixed outlooks for consumer and investment spending across the Eurozone are also driving currency movements.

TCS has set November 25 as the record date for its Rs 17,000-crore share buyback plan. This is TCS’ fifth buyback in 6 years and follows 4 previous buybacks totaling Rs 66,000 crore. At a price of Rs 4,150 a share, there is an upside premium of 21.7% from current stock prices. The IT behemoth has rewarded its investors with increasing cash reserves while providing an opportunity to earn through.

Asian stocks wobbled on Thursday, giving up some recent gains as investors remained uncertain about US Fed policy. US economic data this week has caused confusion & although expected, a pause in policy tightening is priced into markets (as per CME Group's Fedwatch tool). Equities markets across the region, including China, saw mixed results and expectations for further rate cuts next year.

Japan's economy contracted 2.1% in July-September, crimping household spending and manufacturing exports. Cisco shares tumbled on glum forecast & investors must be patient to gain returns; Renault's EV unit set to treble revenue by 2025; Fisker struggles to increase deliveries; Lucid Motors report loss per vehicle sold excl overhead costs; Michael Burry betting against semiconductors.

Domestic equities surged on Wednesday, with the Sensex up 700 points and the Nifty ending well above the 19650-mark. Sectors such as midcap & smallcap saw great performance from stocks like Trident, Manappuram Finance & Info Edge India rising 5-7%. Rajesh Exports slumped 8%, while analysts gave brief advice to trade each stock when trading resumes Thursday, such as for Trident to scale.

Even as sustained high oil prices and the general elections in 2024 may be two risks to Indian markets, it will be a good strategy to maintain strategic allocation to equities, while keeping some dry powder available to capture any potential market corrections, believes Barclays Private Bank. Indian equities have outperformed world markets for another year in 2023, continuing its winning.

Shares of three financial market infrastructure service providers, CDSL, CAMS and BSE, have seen a huge jump in prices in the past month as a result of bullish markets. Analysts however warn that these stocks may be overbought and point to their stretched valuations. DSP Mutual Fund recommends caution when investing, and Motilal Oswal and Prabhudas Lilladher both set targets for the stocks.

India’s upcoming general election has both domestic and foreign fund managers excited and pouring over past trends for clues to how the stock market may behave over the next six months. For starters, in the six months leading up to the 11 general elections held between 1980 and 2019, the Sensex averaged an impressive 14.3% return, underlining the stock market’s capacity to navigate.

Equity indices in Mumbai rose over 1% on Wednesday, spurred by globally positive market sentiments after US consumer inflation data came in lower than expected. This signalled that the US Federal Reserve might end its interest rate increase cycle sooner than expected. The NSE Smallcap 100 index also hit an all-time high. IT stocks were among the biggest gainers for the day.

MSCI has increased the weight of Indian stocks in its Standard Index, resulting in potential inflows worth $1.5bn. The rejig includes IndusInd Bank, One 97 Communications, Tata Motors 'A' and Suzlon Energy. In its Smallcap Index 42 new stocks have been added including Gokaldas Exports and NLC India, while 19 stocks have been excluded. This significant change could see India's representation.

Banks have introduced measures to protect their interests in light of a landmark Supreme Court order that upholds the constitutional validity of recovery provisions against personal guarantors under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). Going forward, loan covenants will be introduced that allow banks to create a negative lien on assets underlying the personal guarantees given by company.