:::LALKAR GROUP::::

The headline equity indices traded sideways in early-afternoon trade as investors stayed cautious ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting, where the central bank is expected to resume its easing cycle. Market sentiment was also supported by hopes of progress in India's trade talks with Washington.

The Nifty traded below the 25,150 mark. Auto shares fell after advancing in the past trading session.

At 13:28 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 21.74 points or 0.03% to 81,924.53. The Nifty 50 index shed 4.90 points or 0.02% to 25,108.50.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.30% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.61%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,273 shares rose and 1,774 shares fell. A total of 208 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, advanced 2.51% to 10.28. The Nifty 30 September 2025 futures were trading at 25,186.10, at a premium of 77.60 points as compared with the spot at 25,108.50.

The Nifty option chain for the 30 September 2025 expiry showed a maximum call OI of 49.6 lakh contracts at the 26,000 strike price. Maximum put OI of 47.1 lakh contracts was seen at 25,000 strike price.

Economy:

The Indian government has released the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) data for August 2025, which showed that wholesale inflation rose to 0.52%, marking a return to positive territory after two consecutive months of deflation.

In July, wholesale inflation had dropped to a two-year low of -0.58%, while in June, it stood at -0.13%, the lowest in 20 months.

The government attributed the positive WPI inflation in August to rising prices in several categories, including food products, non-food articles, other manufacturing items, non-metallic mineral products, and transport equipment, among others.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Auto index slipped 0.32% to 26,781.35. The index rose 0.46% in the past trading session.

Bosch (down 0.98%), Eicher Motors (down 0.95%), Mahindra & Mahindra (down 0.93%), Hero MotoCorp (down 0.33%), TVS Motor Company (down 0.24%), Bharat Forge (down 0.16%), Tata Motors (down 0.15%), Exide Industries (down 0.13%) and Maruti Suzuki India (down 0.12%) declined.

On the other hand, Tube Investments of India (up 2.41%), Samvardhana Motherson International (up 2.32%) and Balkrishna Industries (up 1.17%) edged higher.

Stocks in Spotlight:

MIC Electronics jumped 5.53% after the company announced that it has secured two letters of acceptance (LoA) worth Rs 1.76 crore from Indian Railways, Sambalpur Division, Odisha, and Indian Railways, Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.

KRBL tumbled 9.90% after the company disclosed the resignation of independent director Anil Kumar Chaudhary, who raised serious concerns over governance practices.

Desco Infratech advanced 2% after the company announced that it has received new orders worth Rs 8.45 crore from Torrent Gas Jaipur.