Market Outlook: Crucial week ahead for domestic stock markets as earnings, inflation & US tariffs likely to take centre stage

Market Outlook: The upcoming week in the domestic stock market is expected to be crucial, said the IANS report, as investors will react to a mix of key triggers. These factors include quarterly earnings, inflation data, and the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariff announcement.

Several major companies, including Infosys, HCL Technologies, and Wipro, are scheduled to announce their financial results for the second quarter (July–September) of FY26. Other top IT firms such as Tech Mahindra and LTIMindtree, along with major banks like Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank, are also expected to release their earnings.

The government will release retail inflation data on October 13 and wholesale inflation data on October 14. Inflation indicators reflect the overall health of the economy and have a direct impact on market sentiment.

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Retail inflation stood at 2.07 per cent and wholesale inflation at 0.52 per cent in August.

Meanwhile, US President Trump has announced a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese imports, increasing the existing tariff from 30 per cent to 130 per cent, which will come into effect from November 1.

Investors around the world will be closely monitoring the potential market impact of this move as it could impact global trade and equity markets.

The past week was positive for domestic equities. The Nifty rose 1.57 per cent, or 391.10 points, to close at 25,285.35, while the Sensex rose 1.59 per cent, or 1,293.65 points, to close at 82,500.82.

On the sectoral front, Nifty IT emerged as the top performer, gaining 4.89 per cent between October 6 and 10.

Nifty PSU Bank gained 1.48 per cent, Nifty Financial Services 1.57 per cent, Nifty Pharma 2.12 per cent, Nifty Realty 2.35 per cent, Nifty Private Bank 2.22 per cent, Nifty Services 2.27 per cent and Nifty Healthcare 3.19 per cent.

On the other hand, Nifty Media declined 2.69 per cent, Nifty India Defence declined 0.46 per cent and Nifty FMCG declined 0.37 per cent.

Midcap and smallcap indices also performed strongly. The Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 2.08 per cent , while the Nifty Smallcap 100 index gained 1.43 per cent for the week.

With IANS Inputs