Weekly Market Review & Top Stocks In Focus For The Week Ended 22nd Aug’25

Dalal Street clocks gain for the week, the nifty and the sensex add about a percentage point each rising for the second straight week. Financials underperform giving up 0.5% of last week's gains. It was actually a good week but not a great end, otherwise it was good till Friday morning. On a relative basis it was a good looking screen from a broader market as they actually outperformed and a lot of individual names were buzzing.  

The strong gains throughout the week were supported by optimism over upcoming GST reforms, robust domestic data including a sharp rise in India’s PMI and steady core sector growth, that boosted sentiment. 

In terms of weekly index movement, the domestic equities witnessed a strong start to the week, extending gains for six straight sessions. The Sensex climbed from 81,274 on Monday to 82,001 on Thursday, while the Nifty rose from 24,877 to 25,084, registering overall gains of 2.19% and 2.43%, respectively. The uptrend was supported by steady buying interest, marking the longest winning streak in recent weeks.

However, the momentum faltered on Friday as profit booking dragged markets lower. The Sensex slipped 694 points to close at 81,307, and the Nifty fell 214 points to end at 24,870, snapping the six-day rally and trimming weekly gains.

On the economic front, The HSBC Flash India Composite PMI Output Index surged to 65.2 in August from 61.1 in July, marking one of the fastest expansions in over a year, led by strong services growth at 65.6 and manufacturing output at 64.2, while the broader Manufacturing PMI inched up to 59.8. Meanwhile, India’s eight core industries grew 2% in July 2025, driven by higher steel, cement, fertiliser, and electricity output, with June growth revised to 2.2%, indicating steady industrial momentum.

Lastly about market positioning, this market is net short and that always giving you some kind of hope because if we look at FII net short position it came down by 10% this week itself - a bit of short covering bounce and Mutual Funds are sitting on ample liquidity at 5.7-5.8% indicating that cash as a percentage of equity AUM is comfortable in the system. With this let us begin our weekly market review. 

How Did the Markets Fare Last Week?

On a weekly basis ended on Friday, the Indian benchmark indices ended in green. Sensex and Nifty were up 0.8%-0.9% each while Midcaps were up 2.0% during the week.

What Might Keep the Markets Busy Into the Next Week?

The coming week is important  as we will see the 50% tariffs coming into effect if there is no change till then, there is a truncated week, we have Reliance AGM, Prime Minister Modi being in China for the SCO summit and then we have the Q1 GDP print of India will be coming out as well. On the global front we have the Jackson Hole Event and in this Fed Chair Powell’s speech will be important with respect to growth and development ahead with respect to GDP, rate cut, inflation etc., 

Crude and FII Flows

Brent Crude Oil Prices traded around$67/bbl after the US crude stock reserves shrunk the most since mid-June keeping inventories well below the seasonal average. On the other hand, FIIs continue to remain Net Sellers for the week.

Sector in Focus

Auto, Realty & Consumption remained in focus during the week.

Stocks That Remained in Focus During The Week

Vodafone Idea

Vodafone Idea rallied 14.95% after posting a consolidated net loss of ₹6,608.1 crore in Q1 FY26, slightly higher than the ₹6,432.1 crore loss a year ago. Operating revenue, however, grew 4.9% YoY to ₹11,022.5 crore, supported by a 15% rise in ARPU to ₹177, driven by tariff hikes and customer upgrades. Its 4G/5G user base also inched up to 127.4 million from 126.7 million last year.

HLE Glascoat

HLE Glascoat surged 23.24% after confirming the completion of its strategic European acquisition. Through its step-down subsidiary, HLE Surface Technologies GmbH, the company acquired select assets of Germany’s Omeras GmbH and took full ownership of its subsidiary Omerastore GmbH on 18 August 2025. The deal, worth €2.75 million, comes shortly after the company’s initial announcement on 14 August 2025.

Hindustan Zinc

Hindustan Zinc slipped 0.35% after its board approved the setting up of a tailings reprocessing plant at Rampura Agucha in Bhilwara, Rajasthan. The facility, designed to recover metals from tailing dumps, is part of the company’s broader plan to double production capacity. With an investment of up to ₹3,823 crore, the 10 MTPA plant is expected to be completed within 28 months from the zero date.

Dynamic Cables

Dynamic Cables jumped 16.72% after receiving new BIS approvals to produce high-conductivity aluminium alloy conductors and fire survival cables, valid until August 2026. The company also highlighted that recent capacity upgrades through debottlenecking and capex have increased its monthly turnover potential to ₹135 crore from ₹100 crore, depending on demand and order inflows.

Insolation Energy 

Insolation Energy gained 11.26% after announcing that its wholly owned subsidiary, Insolation Green Energy, has started commercial production at its newly built 3 GW solar PV module manufacturing facility in Sawarda, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Bajaj Finserv 

Bajaj Finserv gained 2.10% after a foreign brokerage initiated coverage on the stock with a ‘buy’ call and a target price of ₹2,420, highlighting robust earnings visibility and minimal competitive risk from Jio Financial.

Nazara Technologies 

Nazara Technologies plunged 18.41% after the Lok Sabha cleared the Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which prohibits real-money online games over concerns related to gambling addiction, money laundering, and financial fraud.

IndusInd Bank 

IndusInd Bank slipped 1.27% after announcing that it has signed an MoU with the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), a Government of India enterprise under the Ministry of MSME, to support and promote small businesses.

NTPC Green Energy 

NTPC Green Energy rose 2.52% after its subsidiary, NTPC Renewable Energy, commissioned an additional 49.125 MW as part of its ongoing 300 MW Khavda solar project in Bhuj, Gujarat.