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Crude-led volatility may be short-lived; Quantum AMC sees opportunities in banks, IT, cement, realty
George Thomas, Fund Manager – Equity at Quantum AMC, believes the recent jump in crude oil prices, triggered by geopolitical tensions, could temporarily push inflation higher and weigh on global macro conditions. He noted that the base case remains that the tensions may not stretch for a long period. The situation could last for a few weeks or possibly a month, but may not drag on for much longer. If that plays out, crude prices could reverse just as quickly as they moved up. Despite the uncertainty, he believes current market levels offer reasonable entry points as the earnings cycle remains supportive. His fund has been adding exposure to a real estate company and increasing weights in select private banks, IT services firms and a cement player.
Sensex stocks: HDFC Bank, TCS, Asian Paints, IndiGo, Trent hit 52-week lows
Ambuja Cements, DLF, Dixon, Gail, Indian Hotels, Shree Cement, REC, Tata Motors PV, Wipro, Suzlon, Coforge, and Info Edge, among the BSE 100 index, also hit their respective 52-week lows amid Iran war
Cement prices are up marginally, but worries on crude-linked input costs emerge
Cement makers are pushing volumes and mild price hikes in Q4, but rising imported coal and petcoke costs threaten margins, making April price increases crucial for FY27 earnings outlook.
Watch | Sanjay Parekh on where he sees value in banks, IT, cement and telecom stocks
Sohum Asset Managers’ Founder & CIO, Sanjay Parekh, says markets look sluggish despite improving macro conditions, with Q3 Nifty earnings near 8–9%. He sees recovery in CVs (Ashok Leyland), credit growth at ICICI Bank and gradual picka a up in cement and steel. Portfolio stays domestic-focused: overweight telecom, NBFCs, industrials, cement, utilities, ports and logistics; underweight oil & gas and banks, zero FMCG. Watching IT names like Infosys and TCS, mid-cap tech (Persistent, Coforge, Mastek), defence HAL, quick commerce Zomato and Swiggy, and capital goods L&T, JSW Energy.
India's core sector grows at 4% in Jan-26, Steel and Cement production surges
The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) increased by 4.0 per cent (provisional) in January, 2026 as compared to the Index in January, 2025. Growth has eased from a revised 4.7% in December. The production of Cement, Steel, Electricity, Fertilizer and Coal recorded positive growth in January, 2026. The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The final growth rate of Index of Eight Core Industries for December 2025 was observed at 4.7 per cent. The cumulative growth rate of ICI during April to January, 2025-26 is 2.8 per cent (provisional) as compared to the corresponding period of last year.
Taking Stock: Markets continue to see sell-off amid crude surge; rupee at record low
More than 850 stocks touched their 52-week low, including Swan Corp, Interglobe Aviation, GNFC, PNB Housing Finance, Birla Corp, BLS International, Sterling Wilson, RHI Magnesita, Just Dial, Asian Paints, Nuvoco Vistas, REC, Berger Paints, JK Lakshmi Cement, Rashtriya Chemicals, GAIL, Inox Wind, among others.
Closing Bell: Market dives as crude climbs; Sensex slides 829 pts, Nifty below 23,700
Biggest Nifty losers were Eicher Motors, M&M, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Finance, UltraTech Cement, while gainers included Coal India, Jio Financial, Adani Enterprises, NTPC, Power Grid Corp. Among sectors, Auto index slipped more than 3%, FMCG index shed 1.7% and Private Bank index declined 1.6%, while Power index gained 2.5%, Energy index rose 2%, Oil & Gas, Metal, Capital Goods rose 0.5% each. The BSE midcap index fell 0.4% and smallcap index shed 0.7%.
Closing Bell: Market snaps 3-day fall; Nifty above 23,400, Sensex surges 939 pts
Biggest Nifty gainers M&M, Grasim Industries, Trent, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finance, while losers are Bharat Electronics, Wipro, Max Healthcare, Sun Pharma, Coal India. On the sectoral front, auto, bank, FMCG up 0.5-1%, while media, oil & gas, pharma, realty, capital goods down 0.5-2%. Nifty Midcap index is trading flat, while smallcap index down 0.5%.