Nifty 50 opens flat after gaining 16.4 points in the pre-opening session. Indian indices closed flat on Wednesday. FIIs sold shares worth Rs 943.4 crore, while DIIs acquired Rs 2,883.2 crore in Indian equities on the same day.

Nifty Smallcap 100 opens higher, while Nifty Midcap 100 opens flat, tracking the benchmark index. Nifty IT opens in the green, while Nifty FMCG opens flat. Investors await the Q1FY27 results for companies such as Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals, Hero MotoCorp and Life Insurance Corp of India.

Major European indices closed higher on Wednesday, except the Netherlands’ AEX and Germany’s DAX indices, which closed lower. Major Asian indices are trading in the red or flat, except Australia’s S&P ASX 200 and Thailand’s SET indices, which are trading in the green. US markets closed mixed on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones up 0.5% and the S&P 500 down 0.2%. Investors remain cautious as AI spending concerns continue. US President Trump claimed that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could happen as early as this week. Iran reaffirmed, saying that a deal with the US and Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is close to being finalised.

• Cohance Lifesciences receives a Form 483 with five observations from the US FDA after an inspection at its manufacturing unit in Hyderabad. The company reports a net loss of Rs 24.1 crore in Q1FY27, compared to a net profit a year ago due to higher R&D and manufacturing investments. Revenue drops 22.9% YoY to Rs 434.5 crore, impacted by regulatory delays, pricing pressure, subdued active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) demand and lower execution in the contract development & manufacturing organisation (CDMO) business.

• Juniper Green Energy's shares debut on the bourses at an 8.9% premium to the issue price of Rs 225. The Rs 1,800 crore IPO received bids for 8 times the total shares on offer.

• MV Electrosystems' shares debut on the bourses at a 22.4% premium to the issue price of Rs 425. The Rs 290 crore IPO received bids for 188.8 times the total shares on offer.

• Brigade Hotel Ventures' board of directors appoints Vinay Gupta as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective August 17. The company's Q1FY27 net profit surges 156.8% YoY to Rs 16 crore, led by lower employee benefits and finance costs. Revenue climbs 4.6% to Rs 130.8 crore, helped by higher room rates and occupancy in its hotel portfolio.

• JK Lakshmi Cement is rising sharply as its board of directors approves a Rs 3,000 crore capex to set up a new 2.3 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) clinkerisation line and 4.6 MTPA grinding units in Durg. The company's Q1FY27 revenue grows 8.9% YoY to Rs 1,920.2 crore, thanks to healthy demand and higher utilisation. However, net profit drops 28.1% to Rs 108 crore due to higher raw materials, inventory, power & fuel and transport costs.

• Swan Defence and Heavy Industries is rising as it wins a new export order from Denmark-based Svitzer to build four advanced tugboats. The tugboats are up to 15% more fuel-efficient than conventional tugboats, with deliveries expected to begin in early 2028.

• Navin Fluorine International surges to its all-time high of Rs 8,140 as its board of directors approves a Rs 90 crore capex to set up an advanced materials plant in Surat. The company's Q1FY27 net profit soars 107.7% YoY to Rs 243.3 crore, supported by higher realisations and a richer product mix. Revenue jumps 46.1% to Rs 1,080.2 crore, driven by higher sales in the high-performance products (HPP), specialty chemicals, and contract development & manufacturing organisation (CDMO) segments.

• Aster DM Quality Care is falling as its Q1FY27 net profit declines 81.2% YoY to Rs 16.1 crore, hit by Rs 114.4 crore in one-time professional fees and other merger-related costs. Revenue rises 21.6% to Rs 1,310.7 crore, driven by higher patient volumes and improved revenue per patient from complex procedures during the quarter. The company appears in a screener of stocks with a PEG ratio greater than the Industry average.

• Biocon is rising as its Q1FY27 net profit surges 4.5x YoY to Rs 141.1 crore, helped by improved profitability in the biopharma business and a decline in interest costs. Revenue rises 10% to Rs 4,336 crore, driven by recent biosimilar and generic product launches across key markets during the quarter. The company appears in a screener of stocks with zero promoter pledge.

• Nifty 50 was trading at 24,625.95 (1.3, 0.0%), BSE Sensex was trading at 78,782.43 (201.4, 0.3%), while the broader Nifty 500 was trading at 23,719.80 (-15.8, -0.1%).

• Market breadth is in the green. Of the 2,205 stocks traded today, 1,225 were on the uptrend, and 888 went down.

Riding High:

Largecap and midcap gainers today include Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (4,755, 2.4%), Muthoot Finance Ltd. (2,948, 1.9%) and LTM Ltd. (4,562.40, 1.3%).

Downers:

Largecap and midcap losers today include GE Vernova T&D India Ltd. (4,222.50, -4.3%), Cummins India Ltd. (5,257.50, -3.4%) and Hitachi Energy India Ltd. (31,815, -1.8%).

BSE 500: highs, lows and moving averages

9 stocks made 52 week highs,

Stocks touching their year highs included - JSW Steel Ltd. (1,320.60, -0.7%), Pidilite Industries Ltd. (1,657, -0.5%) and Shriram Finance Ltd. (1,124.50, 0.2%).

13 stocks climbed above their 200 day SMA including Bandhan Bank Ltd. (175.70, 3.1%) and Jio Financial Services Ltd. (265.05, 1.2%). 5 stocks slipped below their 200 SMA including eClerx Services Ltd. (1,864, -2.8%) and Asahi India Glass Ltd. (903.15, -2.5%).