ET NEWS

Meta renews BKC office in Rs 200 cr deal

4 days 6 hours ago
Facebook India Online Services, subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc., has extended its office lease at commercial tower One BKC in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), committing to a monthly rental of Rs 430 per sq ft and the rental outgo of over Rs 200 crore.The lease, registered as a renewal, commenced on December 15, and spans a tenure of the next five years. The office space is located across the 5th and 7th floors of the commercial tower in the city’s business district, one of the country’s most expensive office markets.The lease involves a carpet area of 46,678 sq ft, translating into a chargeable area of 70,167 sq ft. At the agreed rate, the total monthly rental outgo stands at over Rs 3.02 crore.The landlord for the transaction is One BKC Realtors Pvt Ltd. As part of the agreement, the tenant has paid a security deposit of Rs 15.76 crore. The contract also includes an annual rental escalation clause of 5%, showed the documents accessed through realty data analytics platform Propstack.ET’s email query to Meta remained unanswered until the time of going to press.The renewal underscores continued demand for Grade A office spaces in BKC, despite evolving workplace strategies among technology firms globally. Market observers note that established occupiers are increasingly opting to retain prime locations, balancing hybrid work models with the need for high-quality office infrastructure.BKC has remained a preferred office destination for multinational corporations, financial institutions, and technology companies, supported by its strategic location, connectivity, and premium office stock. Rental values in the micro-market have remained resilient, with select transactions continuing to command among the highest rates in the country.The latest deal highlights sustained leasing momentum in Mumbai’s top commercial hubs, even as occupiers recalibrate real estate portfolios amid changing work dynamics.

FIIs sell Indian equities worth Rs 1.14 lakh crore in March; 2026 outflow balloons to Rs 1.27 lakh crore

4 days 7 hours ago
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded domestic equities worth Rs 1,13,810 crore in March, extending their selling trends amid the Iran-Israel war. So far, this year, they have offloaded Indian shares worth Rs 1,27,157 crore.This has turned out to be the worst month so far, as foreign investors continue pulling out from their Indian investments amid the Iran-Israel war. Commenting on the current trends, Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments said the weakness in global equity markets following the war in West Asia, the steady depreciation of the rupee, fears of decline in remittances from the Gulf region and concerns surrounding the impact of high crude price on India’s growth and corporate earnings contributed to the sustained selling by FPIs. "It is important to understand that FPIs were sellers in other emerging markets, too, like Taiwan and South Korea. There is a risk-off trend in equity markets, globally after the war broke out in West Asia. The poor returns from India vis-a-vis other markets - both developed and emerging- during the last eighteen months is the principal reason for FPI’s indifference towards India. If their sustained selling strategy is to change, there should be an end to the hostilities in West Asia and decline in crude prices," Vijayakumar said.On Friday, FIIs sold domestic shares at Rs 4,367.30 crore while DIIs were net buyers at Rs 3,566.15 crore. Indian frontline indices ended their two-session rally amid sharp cuts as a failure in the Iran-US negotiations dented the market mood. Elevated energy prices and a plunging rupee aggravated troubles for domestic investors. Amid high volatility, markets were mainly dragged by financials, auto and consumer stocks. Nifty settled at 22,819.60, falling by 486.85 points or 2.09% while the BSE Sensex closed at 73,583.22, declining 1,690.23 points or 2.25%.FIIs in 2026Foreign investors turned net buyers in February, buying shares worth Rs 22,615 crore in the domestic markets so far. In January, they sold Rs 35,962 crore worth of shares. In 2025, the FIIs buying trends remained patchy, but the overall trend was bearish. They took Rs 1,66,286 crore from Indian markets as trade deal delay and premium valuations weighed on the sentiments. (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)

Dalal Street Week Ahead: Avoid aggressive long positions; focus on capital preservation

4 days 9 hours ago
The markets traded under sustained pressure through the week, exhibiting a clear downward bias and ending on a negative note. The Nifty oscillated in a wide intra-week range of 994 points, moving between 23,465.35 and 22,471.25 before settling near the lower end of the range.Volatility surged further; the India VIX, which had already risen sharply in the previous week, extended its upmove and gained another ~17.5% on a weekly basis, reflecting heightened uncertainty. Despite this corrective phase, Indian equities continued to relatively outperform weaker global peers. The Nifty ended the week with a net loss of 294.90 points (-1.28%).From a structural standpoint, the Nifty has violated and slipped below key short-term support levels, indicating a deterioration in the near-term trend. The index is now trading below its 50-week and 100-week moving averages and is approaching a critical support band.129862317The broader structure suggests a transition from consolidation to an extended corrective phase. With volatility expanding and prices weakening, the market remains vulnerable to further downside unless it swiftly reclaims lost levels.Any pullbacks towards overhead resistance zones are likely to face selling pressure, while sustained trade below immediate supports may trigger an extended decline.Given the truncated trading week, markets may begin on a cautious note with intermittent bouts of volatility. Immediate resistance levels are placed at 23,150 and 23,450, while supports come in at 22,450 and 21,700. The weekly RSI stands at 27.11, placing it in the oversold territory. While it has formed a 14-period low, it stays neutral and shows no visible bullish divergence against price, indicating continued weakness.The MACD remains bearish and is positioned below its signal line, with momentum still negative. The formation of a strong bearish candle on the weekly chart reinforces the prevailing downside pressure. Pattern analysis shows that the index has slipped below its short-to-medium-term moving averages, while the long-term 200-week moving average near 21,700 is now acting as a crucial support. The inability to hold above previous breakout zones suggests distribution at higher levels. The Index has dragged its overhead resistance levels lower as well.Given the current setup, a cautious and defensive approach is strongly recommended for the coming week. Traders should avoid aggressive long positions and instead focus on capital preservation. Any rebound should be used more to lighten positions instead of initiating fresh exposure. A highly selective, stock-specific approach with strict risk management is advised while closely monitoring volatility trends. In our look at Relative Rotation Graphs®, we compared various sectors against the CNX500 (NIFTY 500 Index), representing over 95% of the free-float market cap of all the listed stocks.129862286129862302Relative Rotation Graphs (RRG) show that the Nifty PSE, Pharma, Energy, and Infrastructure Indices are inside the leading quadrant. They are likely to relatively outperform the broader markets. Metal, PSU, and the Financial Services groups are also inside this quadrant. While they may also relatively outperform, they are seen as giving up on their relative momentum against the broader markets.The Nifty Bank Index has rolled inside the weakening quadrant. The Auto and the Midcap 100 Indices are also in this quadrant. However, the Midcap 100 Index is seen improving on its relative momentum.The Nifty Services Sector Index has rolled inside the lagging quadrant. The Realty and the IT groups are also languishing inside this quadrant and may collectively underperform the broader Nifty 500 Index.The Nifty Media and the FMCG Indices are inside the improving quadrant. Important Note: RRGTM charts show the relative strength and momentum of a group of stocks. In the above Chart, they show relative performance against the NIFTY500 Index (Broader Markets) and should not be used directly as buy or sell signals.

F&O Talk | Sudeep Shah on why cash market trade better versus derivatives, for now. Strategy on HEG, IDBI, 4 more stocks

4 days 10 hours ago
India's heartbeat indices ended their two-session rally on Friday as a failure in the Iran-US negotiations even after one month, dampened the market mood. Elevated energy prices and a plunging rupee aggravated troubles for domestic investors. Markets were dragged mainly by financials, auto and consumer stocks amid high volatility. Nifty settled at 22,819.60, falling by 486.85 points or 2.09% while the BSE Sensex closed at 73,583.22, declining 1,690.23 points or 2.25%.With just one more session to go in March, Nifty so far has plunged over 9% this monthFear index India VIX settled at 26.80 on the NSE in the last session, up by 8.77%.Analyst Sudeep Shah, Vice President and Head of Technical & Derivatives Research at SBI Securities, interacted with ETMarkets regarding the outlook for the Nifty and Bank Nifty, as well as an index strategy for the upcoming week. The following are the edited excerpts from his chat:Q: The Israel-Iran war flipped the overall script in March which is seasonally a strong month as Nifty is down nearly 9%. Based on the F&O rollover data, what is your expectation for April? Since the onset of the US–Iran war–led sell-off, one recurring pattern has consistently emerged in the markets. Short-lived pullbacks lasting 2–3 trading sessions have repeatedly been followed by sharp gap-down openings. Each of these brief rebounds has lured traders into a false sense of recovery, triggering FOMO-driven participation under the assumption that the worst is over. However, these pullbacks have consistently failed to sustain, and the optimism has quickly given way to fresh rounds of aggressive selling, often materializing as large gap-downs over the subsequent 2–3 trading sessions, making one question whether the next bounce is an opportunity or just another trap waiting to unfold.This repetitive cycle of hope followed by sudden downside shocks is not only increasing volatility but is also leading to significant wealth erosion, particularly for short-term traders and leveraged positions. The inability of the market to build on pullbacks highlights the fragile sentiment and reinforces the need for caution, discipline, and risk management in the current environment because when conviction is missing, even small triggers can lead to disproportionately large reactions.Month-to-date, the benchmark index Nifty has declined by over 9%, marking its steepest monthly fall since the Covid 19–induced market collapse. At the same time, disruptions in global gas supply are creating a diverse set of challenges across multiple industries, particularly those dependent on energy-intensive operations. These supply constraints have led to rising cost pressures, uncertainty around margins, and delayed investment decisions. Collectively, these factors are dampening hopes of an earnings revival and eroding overall market confidence, further weighing on investor sentiment and risk appetite—raising a deeper concern about whether the worst of the earnings downgrades is still ahead.From a technical perspective, there has been no change since last week. The index continues to trade below its key moving averages, while momentum indicators remain firmly in bearish territory, indicating that downside pressure persists. Interestingly, the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices are displaying relative outperformance compared to the frontline indices. However, given the prevailing volatility and fragile sentiment, price action in the mid and smallcap space over the next 2–3 weeks to assess the sustainability of this relative strength because history suggests that leadership often shifts just when confidence starts to build.Talking about crucial levels, the 22,650–22,600 zone is expected to act as an important support area for Nifty. A sustained break below 22600 could open the door for further downside, potentially dragging the index towards 22,400, followed by 22,200 in the short term. On the upside, the 23150–23200 region is likely to remain a critical resistance zone.Q: Banks have been bleeding primarily because of FII outflows. Can you spot trading opportunities in Bank Nifty (or bank stocks) or at least suggest traders ways to cut their losses if more selling continues? The banking benchmark index Bank Nifty has significantly underperformed the frontline indices during March. Month to date, the index is down by over 13% and has formed a sizeable bearish candle, highlighting strong selling pressure at higher levels. The ratio chart of the index as compared to Nifty is marking the sequence of lower tops and lower bottoms.The weakness is further evident from the fact that the index is currently trading nearly 8% below its 200-day EMA and around 9% below its 100-day EMA, underscoring the loss of medium- to long-term trend support. From a momentum standpoint, the daily RSI has entered a super bearish zone as per RSI range shift rules, while the weekly RSI remains in bearish territory and continues to decline, indicating sustained downside momentum across timeframes.Given the current price structure and negative momentum setup, the index is likely to extend its southward trajectory in the short term. In terms of key levels, the 51,700–51,800 zone is expected to act as an immediate support area. A sustained breakdown below 51,800 could result in further correction towards 51000, followed by 50,400 in the near term.On the upside, any recovery attempt is likely to face strong resistance in the 53400–53500 zone, which will act as a major hurdle and supply area for the index.Q: There is a bloodbath across situation and with Iran-Israel war uncertainty, it is very difficult to take an informed call. In such a situation, are you seeing themes/pockets of opportunities for investors?The Nifty CPSE index is displaying relative outperformance compared to the broader and frontline indices. While the index has not shown strong bullish momentum, it is currently moving in a consolidation phase, even as the broader market undergoes a corrective decline. This relative resilience suggests better stability and selective accumulation, positioning Nifty CPSE as a comparatively stronger pocket amid an otherwise weak market environment.Q: Unlike 2025, investors had a refuge in gold and silver and were putting money there. That situation has changed dramatically as we see bullion prices falling sharply. What will be your advice to investors whether to remain invested or preserve cash? Market's lackluster performance can be attributed to Nifty Bank, which has delivered its third worst performance in March in the past 20 years, declining by nearly 11%. What do bank Nifty charts suggest and how to trade?Yes, the market’s lackluster performance has largely been driven by Bank Nifty, which has corrected by nearly 13%. This sharp underperformance has exerted significant pressure on the broader indices and weakened overall market sentiment.Chart patterns of Bank Nifty continue to reflect a weak and bearish structure, indicating limited scope for a sustainable recovery in the near term. Given the prevailing trend and momentum setup, we recommend adopting a “sell on rise” strategy, as any short-term pullbacks are likely to remain corrective and may attract fresh selling pressure. Q: For risk-takers, volatility brings opportunities for making money. Will you prefer cash markets or F&O? Volatility is a double-edged sword. It creates opportunity, but also amplifies risk. For a risk-taker, the goal isn’t just to chase swings, but to manage them effectively. In volatile markets, moves are sharp and fast. If you’re right, profits can come quickly; if you’re wrong, losses can escalate just as rapidly. This is where the choice between cash and F&O becomes crucial.F&O is a leveraged product, so volatility acts as a multiplier. If a trade goes against you, it becomes a double whammy. Price movement and leverage work against your capital. Even the right view can go wrong due to timing or sudden reversals. In contrast, cash markets offer better control. With proper position sizing and risk management, you can use volatility to your advantage without the pressure of leverage.In such phases, it’s wiser to focus on survival first, because volatility rewards discipline, but punishes over-leverage.Q: HEG, Emcure and Triveni Engineering were among top gainers this week, while Firstcry, IDBI Bank and Lodha have been big losers. What should investors do with them?HEG had briefly slipped below its previous swing low of 491 on the daily chart but quickly reclaimed those levels, followed by an impressive rebound supported by a sharp rise in volumes. The DI+ crossing above DI- on the ADX indicator suggests that buyers are gaining control over sellers. As long as the stock holds above the 520–515 zone, the pullback is likely to extend further.Emcure has witnessed a horizontal trendline breakout on the daily chart. The RSI is trending higher and sustaining above 60, indicating strong bullish momentum. Additionally, the DI+ crossover reinforces the dominance of buyers. The uptrend is likely to continue as long as the stock trades above 1580.Triveni Engineering has staged a strong rebound from its key support zone of 335–325. The MACD has crossed above the signal line, indicating improving momentum. However, the stock faces stiff resistance around 418–420. A decisive breakout above this zone could lead to an extension of the pullback.FirstCry has been consolidating in the 252–207 range since 19th February. The RSI failed to cross the 60 mark and has drifted lower, suggesting weakening momentum. The MACD remains below both the signal and zero line, indicating a bearish bias. The stock is likely to remain under pressure as long as it trades below 250.Both IDBI Bank and Lodha are trading significantly below their key short- and long-term moving averages. A rising ADX indicates a strengthening bearish trend, while the RSI hovering around 20 reflects strong downside momentum. 72 for IDBI Bank and 760 for Lodha act as immediate resistance levels, and as long as the stocks trade below these levels, the trend is likely to remain bearish.(Disclaimer: The recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)

Charts signal more pain ahead for Nifty; select stocks still offer tactical opportunities: Nagaraj Shetti

4 days 11 hours ago
With volatility on the rise and a truncated trading week ahead, market participants are closely watching technical signals for direction. While global cues and macro uncertainties remain fluid, charts indicate that the Nifty may continue to face downward pressure in the near term.Technical analyst Nagaraj Shetti from HDFC Securities believes the trend remains firmly bearish.“No doubt market is in a downtrend. Every rise is being sold. Lower tops and bottoms over the past month indicate bears are in control. The recent bounce near 23,400–23,500 has formed a lower top. Nifty could break 22,450 next week and slide towards 22,000 in the coming weeks.”Weak Supports Amid Global PressureDespite intermittent recoveries, the underlying weakness persists, with global factors weighing heavily on sentiment.“I do not think stability will come soon. Markets are echoing global pressure—rupee and crude are key concerns. The 22,450 level is just a psychological support. Given the bearish pattern, we could soon break below this level.”Coal India Shows Relative StrengthEven in a falling market, some stocks are holding up better than the benchmark.“Coal India has corrected, but the trend remains positive with higher tops and bottoms. Around 430–435 is strong support. The stock could bounce back towards 475–480 in the near term.”Stock Strategy: Buy Strength, Sell WeaknessShetti suggests a balanced approach with opportunities on both sides of the market.“Ather Energy is in a strong uptrend with consistent higher tops and bottoms. It has broken key resistance near 750–760. One can buy around current levels for a target of 850, with a stop loss at 760.”“On the short side, BDL is weak with a clear bearish pattern. One can sell around current levels for a target of 1070, keeping a stop loss at 1160.”OutlookWith multiple expiries and limited trading sessions ahead, volatility is likely to remain high. While selective stocks may outperform, the broader market trend continues to favour caution, with charts pointing towards further downside in the Nifty.

Iran targets six tactical US military vessels

4 days 12 hours ago
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has claimed the targeting of six tactical vessels operated by the US military in the Persian Gulf waters. The IRGC claimed that a large number of American forces had been killed in the process. "In continuation of the 84th wave of Operation True Promise 4, the IRGC naval units conducted a hybrid operation against US and Israeli terrorists deployed in al-Shoyoukh port as well as Dubai's coasts and port, hitting downhearted American troops and their tactical hardware precisely," the public relations department of the IRGC said in a statement.You may follow our coverage of the West Asia war here The statement claimed that six US landing craft utility (LCU) were struck in the operation, which was carried out using home-grown ballistic missiles, such as Qadr 380 cruise missiles. "Given field reports, three of the combat vessels sank after the (retaliatory) strikes, whilst the rest are aflame," the IRGC said. IRGC further claimed that it has successfully destroyed a number of refuelling vehicles and the logistical support fleet belonging to the "terrorist" US military at the Al-Kharj base. It said that Kamikaze drones were employed to launch operations against the gathering centres of the US drone unit personnel on the coasts and one of the hotels in Dubai. Meanwhile, a missile was launched on Saturday morning from Yemen towards Israel, making the attack the first by the Houthis since "Operation Roaring Lion" began a month ago, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).Also read: Yemen's Houthis say 'fingers on the trigger' as US-Israeli war on Iran widens According to the Jerusalem Post, citing the military, air defence systems were activated to intercept the threat, as sirens sounded across Beersheba and surrounding communities in the Negev. According to the news report, there are no immediate reports of casualties or direct impacts. The first missile launch comes as Yemeni Armed Forces on Friday declared readiness for direct military intervention if "American-Israeli aggression" against Iran and the "Axis of Resistance" (regional resistance) groups continues to escalate, according to Iranian State Media Press TV.
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