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US stock futures traded slightly higher on Friday, October 16, as investors assessed concerns around artificial intelligence trade financing. While the Dow gained, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq remained on track for weekly losses. Many investors now look ahead to a busy week of corporate earnings from Netflix and Tesla.
HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank will report their Q2 earnings this Saturday. Investors are watching for loan growth and margin pressure as deposit costs rise. HDFC Bank expects a net profit of ₹21,108 crore. Analysts said, “We are building NIM to remain stable or marginally decline this quarter.”
The BSE LargeCap index gained 1.85% last week, marking the best performance since April. While the rupee strengthened to ₹94.96 against the dollar, experts remain cautious. Gurmeet Singh Chawla said, “Sentiment alone won’t hold the rally, though. Companies will need to show faster revenue growth and a healthy deal pipeline.”
WhiteOak Capital said investors should look beyond short-term returns when reviewing mutual fund portfolios amid market volatility. Ranjit Bhatia said, "Investors who react to every bout of market volatility risk making decisions that may undermine their long-term investment outcomes." Investors should also rebalance asset allocation and assess consistent performance.
As many as 18 stocks will trade ex-date in the week starting October 19, 2026. These companies announced various corporate actions, including interim dividends, stock splits, a share buyback, and a bonus issue. Investors should track these ex-dates to check their eligibility for benefits from firms like Tech Mahindra and others.
Urban Company reported a net loss of ₹182.5 crore for Q2 FY27, even as revenue grew 41.4% to ₹537.3 crore. The company said its core business continued growth momentum. To support future plans, the board approved a fundraise of up to ₹2,500 crore through equity and various convertible securities.
Federal Bank on Friday appointed Rajesh Varrier as an independent director on its board for three years. The bank also reported a 45% rise in net profit to Rs 1,386 crore for the September quarter. Chief executive KVS Manian said, "We are growing faster while keeping the quality intact."
The rupee rose 7 paise to close at 94.92 against the U.S. dollar on Friday, October 16, 2026. RBI intervention helped the currency, but many forex traders said that elevated crude oil prices and foreign fund outflows capped gains. The rupee stayed on upward momentum for the sixth straight session.
Bajaj Housing Finance reported an 18% year-on-year rise in Q2 FY27 profit to Rs 757 crore. The company saw its assets under management grow 25% to Rs 1.58 lakh crore by September 30, 2026. Net interest income also rose 10% as the firm kept its asset quality stable during the period.
US producer prices rose the most in 4-1/2 years in September, marking the highest American inflation since COVID. Experts said, “Both US inflation and the US PPI data are negative for the US economy.” Despite this, Indian markets remain steady as investors already discounted the upcoming US Fed rate hike.
Nifty crossed 23,100 in mid-session trade on Friday as IT stocks powered the rally. Tech Mahindra surged 8.04 per cent, leading the gains for the sector. While telecom and auto stocks also helped, aviation and FMCG shares fell. Overall, 2,324 stocks advanced while 1,810 stocks saw a drop in value.
Vedanta Power and Cupid were among the top five smallcap stocks that saw the highest mutual fund buying in September. According to a Motilal Oswal Financial Services report, Cupid topped the list with a value change of Rs 386.4 billion. Many investors also showed interest in Bharat Coking and Godawari.