Nifty 50 opens lower, after dropping 72.3 points in the pre-opening session. Indian indices closed in the red on Thursday. FIIs sold shares worth Rs 4,995.4 crore, while DIIs bought Rs 5,103 crore in Indian equities on the same day.

Nifty Smallcap 100 and Nifty Midcap 100 open lower, tracking the benchmark index. Nifty Auto opens in the red, while Nifty Metal opens flat. Nifty Pharma opens in the red as President Trump announced 100% tariffs on pharma imports, effective October 1.

Most European indices closed lower on Thursday. Major Asian indices are trading with varied trends. US indices closed in the red on Thursday, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 closing 0.4% and 0.5% lower, respectively, as investors await the inflation data slated to come out later today. Starbucks closed in the red as it plans to cut 900 jobs and close underperforming stores, as part of its $1 billion restructuring plan.

• JSW Steel touches its all-time high of Rs 1,167.9 per share as the Supreme Court (SC) approves its Rs 19,700 crore acquisition of Bhushan Power & Steel.

• Vodafone falls sharply as the Supreme Court (SC) defers its AGR dues plea hearing to October 6 from today.

• GHCL is falling as it temporarily shuts down its soda ash plant for planned maintenance from September 26 to October 12. The company expects a production shortfall of 22,000-25,000 tons.

• Waaree Energies falls sharply as the US government reportedly investigates the company for tariff evasion. The US alleges that Waaree Energies mislabelled solar cells and panels made in China as Indian products to evade anti-dumping duties imposed on Chinese imports.

• Saatvik Green Energy’s shares make a flat debut on the bourses at Rs 465. The Rs 900 crore IPO received bids for 6.6 times the total shares on offer.

• CS Vigneshwar, President of FADA, is optimistic about India’s auto retail sector. He expects 10–15% YoY growth in FY26, driven by strong demand in entry-level two and four-wheeler segments. However, he warns that high inventory levels, around 50 to 55 days for passenger vehicles compared to the ideal 21 days, and liquidity pressures could limit overall gains.

  #GST Cuts Boost Festive #Auto Sales
  
  CS Vigneshwar of #FADA to @CNBCTV18News
  - Expecting a minimum of 10-15% growth this year
  
  Vinkesh Gulati of # United Automobiles to @CNBCTV18News
  - Looks like the best-ever #festive season#CNBCTV18Market @_prashantnair, @SurabhiUpadhyay &…

  — CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) September 26, 2025

• GK Energy's shares debut on the bourses at an 11.8% discount to the issue price of Rs 153. The Rs 464.3 crore IPO received bids for 89.6 times the total shares on offer.

• Railtel Corp of India rises as it bags a letter of award (LoA) worth Rs 970.1 crore from the Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC) to set up physics, chemistry and biology labs in government schools on a turnkey basis.

• Bharat Heavy Electricals is falling as the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) rejects the company's proposal for a merger with REC Power Development and Consultancy.

• Nomura initiates coverage on Titan with a 'Buy' rating and a target price of Rs 4,275. The brokerage says the company's sales and margins have stabilised, supporting long-term growth. While Q2 may be relatively soft, Nomura views it as a good entry point, expecting a recovery in H2 driven by festive and wedding demand, as well as new store openings.

  #Nomura initiates coverage on #Titan Company with a ‘buy’ rating and a target price of Rs 4,275.
  
  Read ????https://t.co/2q67YiSwBf

  — NDTV Profit (@NDTVProfitIndia) September 26, 2025

• Exide Industries invests Rs 80 crore in its unit, Exide Energy Solutions, through a rights issue. The fund will be used to support the ongoing development of a greenfield lithium-ion battery cell plant in Bengaluru.

• Rites rises sharply as it bags a letter of award (LoA) worth $18 million (~ Rs 159.7 crore) from Talis Logistics, South Africa, to supply and commission diesel electric locomotives.

• Pharma stocks like Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Divi's Laboratories, and Gland Pharma fall sharply as US President Donald Trump announces a 100% tariff on branded and patented drug imports. The tariff exempts companies with existing or under-construction plants in the US.

• Ather Energy faces supply disruptions after China’s export ban on heavy rare earth magnets, impacting up to 52,500 vehicles under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. The company has deferred demand incentive claims worth Rs 26.3 crore.

• Nifty 50 was trading at 24,816 (-74.9, -0.3%), BSE Sensex was trading at 80,956.01 (-203.7, -0.3%), while the broader Nifty 500 was trading at 22,916 (-106.4, -0.5%).

• Market breadth is moving down. Of the 2,038 stocks traded today, 467 were gainers and 1,518 were losers.

Riding High:

Largecap and midcap gainers today include Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (3,700, 1.5%), Au Small Finance Bank Ltd. (748.25, 0.9%) and JSW Steel Ltd. (1,156.40, 0.7%).

Downers:

Largecap and midcap losers today include Waaree Energies Ltd. (3,281.80, -4.7%), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (1,572.20, -3.4%) and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (2,651.30, -3.2%).

BSE 500: highs, lows and moving averages

1 stock overperformed with 52 week highs, while 7 stocks tanked below their 52 week lows.

Stock touching their year highs included - JSW Steel Ltd. (1,156.40, 0.7%).

Stocks making new 52 weeks lows included - Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (1,572.20, -3.4%) and Sun TV Network Ltd. (531.35, -0.8%).

2 stocks climbed above their 200 day SMA including Rites Ltd. (267.86, 6.2%) and Aegis Logistics Ltd. (768.85, -0.7%). 18 stocks slipped below their 200 SMA including Wockhardt Ltd. (1,416.50, -4.0%) and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (2,651.30, -3.2%).