Budget 2024-25 to drive market this week

HDFC Bank will remain in focus after its consolidated net profit grew 33.17% to Rs 16,474.85 crore in Q1

MUMBAI: The outcome of the Union Budget, quarterly earnings from corporations, and global trends are the major factors expected to drive stock market sentiments this week, according to analysts.

Additionally, the trading activity of foreign investors, the rupee-dollar trend, and the movement of global oil benchmark Brent crude are crucial aspects to watch.

“The upcoming Union Budget on July 23, 2024, has become the next focal point for the market, with high expectations for growth-oriented policies. Several factors will influence the market direction, including Q1 FY25 earnings, domestic and global economic data, and broader global market trends,” said Pravesh Gour, Senior Technical Analyst at Swastika Investmart Ltd. “Market sentiment will be closely monitored by observing foreign and domestic institutional investor activity (FII and DII) and crude oil prices.”

Among blue-chip firms, Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Larsen & Toubro, DLF, Tech Mahindra, and Nestle will announce their earnings during the week.

“The market direction will be determined by the upcoming Budget outcome,” stated Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Retail Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, added, “The Union Budget will provide the next set of directions to the market. Earnings season will also pick up pace, which will result in stock-specific actions.”

HDFC Bank will remain in focus on Monday after the company’s consolidated net profit grew 33.17 per cent to Rs 16,474.85 crore in the June 2024 quarter.

Last week, the BSE benchmark climbed 85.31 points or 0.10 percent, and the Nifty went up marginally by 28.75 points or 0.11 percent. The 30-share BSE Sensex hit its new all-time high of 81,587.76 on Friday, and the NSE Nifty reached its fresh record peak of 24,854.80 on the same day.