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Benchmark Nifty closed higher for the third consecutive week, logging the highest weekly gain in four months. The index is expected to continue its upward trajectory towards its record high levels of 26,277 if a breakout over 25,800-26,000 sustains. If it fails, there is room for consolidation around 25,000 levels, and investors can use this as a buying opportunity. The banking and financials pack, along with the consumption-themed sectors like automobiles and FMCG offer better bets, while the outlook is cautious for IT, said analysts.ROHAN SHAH TECHNICAL ANALYST, ASIT C MEHTA INVESTMENTWhere is Nifty headed this week? Nifty ended higher for the third straight week, buoyed by gains in banking and heavyweight counters. Technically, the index faces an immediate hurdle near the 25,800 zone, which coincides with the upper band of an ascending broadening wedge pattern, Fibonacci clusters, and a supply zone. Sustaining above this level will be crucial for the index to maintain its upward momentum. A failure to breach this resistance could trigger profit-taking towards the 25,200–24,800 zone, while a breakout past 25,800 would open the way towards all-time high levels. Trading strategies for the weekThe FMCG index has witnessed a smart recovery from its longterm support zone, confirming renewed strength. Stocks like Hindustan Unilever, Colgate Palmolive, and Tata Consumer are displaying positive chart structures and can be considered for accumulation. Additionally, Oberoi Realty, SBI, Asian Paints, Bajaj Auto, and Alkem Lab are exhibiting strength and hold the potential to outperform. In contrast, media and IT sectors remain laggards, showing persistent weakness on the charts, and should be avoided for long exposure.AJIT MISHRA SVP-RESEARCH, RELIGARE BROKINGWhere is Nifty headed this week? As the index successfully surpassed its trendline resistance at 25,450 and the June high of 25,669, we are now eyeing the potential to retest of the record high i.e. 26,277, and inch further up. However, it may face immediate resistance near 26,000. On the downside, support is placed at 25,450, with a stronger base around 25,150. Trading strategies for the weekThe market enters the new week with an optimistic outlook. However, investors should stay vigilant to external risks. Participants may continue to adopt a buy-on-dips approach, with a focus on sectors demonstrating consistent earnings visibility— particularly banking, FMCG, and consumer durables. IT and export-oriented stocks may remain volatile amid global uncertainty. Within the broader market, preference should be given to fundamentally sound large and midcap stocks over smallcaps for long trades. Bullish On: Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Aeronautics, L&T, M&M, Marico, Phoenix Mills, Prestige Estate, Reliance, Tata Consumer Products, Titan, and TVS Motor Company. Bearish On: Bandhan Bank, Computer Age Management Services, Container Corporation of India, Indian Energy Exchange, Infosys, Indian Railway Finance Corp, and Rail Vikas Nigam.RAJESH PALVIYA HEAD OF TECHNICAL AND DERIVATIVES, AXIS SECURITIESWhere is Nifty headed this week? On the weekly chart, Nifty formed a long bullish candle with a higher-high and -low structure, closing above the previous week’s high, which indicates strength and positive momentum. The index has also broken above the medium-term downward-sloping trendline. With Nifty surpassing the June 2025 swing high, it suggests that the market is likely to witness a strong uptrend ahead, potentially moving towards the all-time high of 26,277. On the downside, the support zone is located between 25,500 and 25,300, with major support at 25,084 (20-day SMA). A sustained move above 25,800 could trigger buying interest towards levels of 26,000 to 26,250, while a break below 25,500 might lead to a decline towards 25,250 to 25,000. Trading strategies for the weekThe weekly RSI remains above its reference line, reinforcing the bullish sentiment. We recommend a buy-on-dips strategy as long as Nifty is trading above 25,400. One can focus on sectors such as banking, NBFC, automobile, capital goods, real estate, FMCG, and chemicals in the coming weeks. We may see upward momentum in stocks like Nestle India, Titan, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Auto, Godrej Properties, MCX, BSE, ICICI Bank, and SRF. Traders can initiate a moderately bullish strategy with reduced premium outflow and lower breakeven point called BULL CALL Spread of 28th October Expiry. In this net delta Long strategy, traders need to buy one lot of 25,700 call strike at Rs 206 and simultaneously sell one lot of 26,000 call strike at Rs 71 so that net outflow or maximum loss will be restricted to up to Rs 9,750. Nifty on expiry if it closes above 25,835, the strategy will start making a profit as it’s the break-even point for the strategy; however, as the risk is limited, so is the profit. The maximum gains will be restricted up to Rs 12,375, because the gains of a long 25,700 strike call will be offset by the sold 26,000 strike call if Nifty closes above 26,000 on expiry

It has been a roller-coaster ride for retail investors over the last year with returns led by gold, reaching as high as 68%; while equities, represented by the Nifty 50, returned a modest 5% on the back of geopolitical tensions, domestic rate cuts , and tariff tantrums. Given this background, ET spoke to wealth management experts where investors should allocate Rs 10 lakh in the coming year. 124697397 124697398 124697401

Indian equities offered modest returns of around 6% in Samvat 2081 after a record-breaking run in the previous year that culminated in a fresh all-time high in the last week of September 2024. Since then, the market has remained volatile as earnings faltered and high valuations triggered aggressive foreign outflows. 124697379The tumultuous nature of Trump tariffs exacerbated the uncertainty. However, domestic buying remained resilient. Since last Diwali, the Nifty gained 6.2%, while the Midcap index advanced 4.3%. The Smallcap index, however, declined 4%. As we enter Samvat 2082, market sentiment is expected to improve amid GST rationalisation, liquidity infusion by the RBI, and the government's impetus to manufacturing through policy reforms. While earnings are expected to improve, the market may offer modest returns, and a stock-specific approach is likely to be rewarded. Banking and financials, consumption, and other domestic-facing sectors are expected to offer good opportunities. RUCHITA SONAWANE collates top stocks recommended by brokers for the next 12 months.

US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Russia's terms for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine in a White House meeting on Friday, warning that President Vladimir Putin threatened to "destroy" Ukraine if it didn't comply, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.During the meeting, Trump insisted Zelenskyy surrender the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, repeatedly echoing talking points the Russian president had made in their call a day earlier, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.Ukraine ultimately managed to swing Trump back to endorsing a freeze of the current front lines, the FT said. Trump said after the meeting that the two sides should stop the war at the battle line; Zelenskyy said that was an important point.The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the FT report.Zelenskyy arrived at the White House on Friday looking for weapons to keep fighting his country's war, but met an American president who appeared more intent on brokering a peace deal.In Thursday's call with Trump, Putin had offered some small areas of the two southern frontline regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in exchange for the much larger parts of the Donbas now under Ukrainian control, the FT report added.That is less than his original 2024 demand for Kyiv to cede the entirety of Donbas plus Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south, an area of nearly 20,000 square km.Zelenskyy's spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside business hours on whether Trump had pressured Zelenskyy to accept peace on Russia's terms.Trump and Putin agreed on Thursday to hold a second summit on the war in Ukraine within the next two weeks, provisionally in Budapest, following an August 15 meeting in Alaska that failed to produce a breakthrough.

Delhi-NCR’s air quality has plummeted into the “very poor” category, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to enforce Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 300, raising health concerns for millions.The decision came after the GRAP Sub-Committee reviewed the rising pollution levels, alongside forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), both warning of further deterioration in the coming days.“The AQI of Delhi increased steadily, reaching 296 at 4 pm and 302 by 7 pm,” the CAQM said, directing authorities to implement all Stage II measures immediately, in addition to Stage I actions already in place since October 14.Authorities have also been asked to monitor dust mitigation efforts closely and ensure compliance with timelines outlined in the NCR’s anti-pollution policy.What Are GRAP Stage II Measures?GRAP categorises air quality into four stages: Stage I (Poor) with AQI between 201 and 300, Stage II (Very Poor) between 301 and 400, Stage III (Severe) between 401 and 450, and Stage IV (Severe Plus) for AQI above 450.Stage II of GRAP intensifies pollution control measures across Delhi-NCR including:Dust Control: Daily mechanical or vacuum sweeping and water sprinkling on major roads, preferably before peak traffic hours.Construction and Demolition Sites: Enhanced inspections to enforce strict dust control measures.Public Transport Boost: Additional CNG and electric buses, increased metro frequency, and differential fare rates to encourage off-peak travel.RWA Responsibilities: Resident welfare associations must provide electric heaters for staff to prevent biomass and solid waste burning.Inter-State Bus Restrictions: Only CNG, electric, or BS-VI diesel buses can enter Delhi; tourist buses with all-India permits are exempt.Why Delhi’s Air Becomes Hazardous in WinterDelhi’s winter pollution spike is usually attributed to unfavourable weather, vehicular emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollutants. According to doctors, breathing in the polluted air of Delhi is equivalent to the harmful effects of smoking approximately 10 cigarettes a day. Prolonged exposure increases the risk of respiratory issues like asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as cardiovascular diseases.

Thieves reportedly stole nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress in the Louvre, using a basket lift to reach the museum on Sunday morning. The daring heist at the world's most visited museum occurred as tourists were inside the Galerie d'Apollon, where part of the French Crown Jewels are displayed. The museum closed for the day as police sealed gates and ushered visitors out. Here's a look at some other famous heists worldwide:The Louvre's missing Mona Lisa helped cement the portrait's fameThe Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous came in 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat. It was recovered two years later in Florence - an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci's portrait the world's best-known artwork.Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist remains unsolvedIt's been called the biggest art heist in U.S. history, but 35 years later, the theft of 13 works from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum remains unsolved.In the early hours of March 18, 1990, two men disguised as Boston police officers talked their way into the museum by saying they were responding to a call. They overpowered two security guards, bound them with duct tape and spent 81 minutes pilfering 13 works of art, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet.Authorities say the artwork is worth perhaps as much as a half-billion dollars. Museum officials say it's priceless because it cannot be replaced.Some of the works, including Rembrandt's "Storm on the Sea of Galilee," were cut from their frames. Those frames hang empty in the museum to this day.2 German museum burglaries netted a solid-gold coin and royal jewelsIn 2017, burglars at Berlin's Bode Museum stole a 100-kilogram (220-pound) Canadian solid-gold coin known as the "Big Maple Leaf."The suspects are believed to have smashed a protective case and then managed to lift the coin out of a museum window before fleeing along a rail track with their haul in a wheelbarrow. After getting away with it, authorities believe they later cut up the coin, valued at about 3.75 million euros ($4.33 million), and sold the pieces. Three men, including a museum security guard, were later convicted.Two years later, thieves smashed vitrines in Dresden's Green Vault, one of the world's oldest museums, and carried off diamond-studded royal jewels worth hundreds of millions of euros. Officials said they made off with three "priceless" sets of 18th century jewelry that would be impossible to sell on the open market.Part of the haul was later recovered. Five men were convicted and a sixth was acquitted.An English palace's golden toilet was pried off its plumbingA thief who swiped a golden toilet from an English palace was convicted earlier this year along with an accomplice who helped cash in on the spoils of the 18-carat work of art insured for nearly 5 million pounds (more than $6 million).Michael Jones had used the fully functioning one-of-a-kind latrine as he did reconnaissance at Blenheim Palace - the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born - the day before the theft, prosecutors said. He described the experience as "splendid."He returned before dawn on Sept. 14, 2019, with at least two other men armed with sledgehammers and crowbars. They smashed a window and pried the toilet from its plumbing within five minutes, leaving a damaging flood in their wake as they escaped in stolen vehicles.The satirical work, titled "America" by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, poked fun at excessive wealth. It weighed just over 215 pounds (98 kilograms). The value of the gold at the time was 2.8 million ($3.6 million). The purloined potty has never been recovered but is believed to have been cut up and sold.The piece had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum in New York. The museum had offered the work to U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting.