It is a historic day for India’s capital markets as the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), the country’s largest stock exchange, is set to make its debut on the bourses today. The listing follows the exchange’s ₹22,562 crore initial public offering (IPO), which was entirely an offer for sale (OFS) by existing shareholders. All eyes will be on NSE’s listing price, investor response, and trading activity as the exchange transitions into a listed entity, with the debut also putting the spotlight on the company’s growth prospects, profitability, and valuation. The domestic stock market is expected to open lower, with the GIFT NIFTY futures suggesting that the NIFTY50 index will open 176 points lower.

Insurance stocks such as HDFC Life, SBI Life, ICICI Prudential Life, LIC, ICICI Lombard and PB Fintech are expected to be in the spotlight after the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) proposed sweeping reforms to insurance distribution. The reforms include lower Expense of Management (EoM) limits, product‑ and channel‑specific commission caps and tighter safeguards against mis‑selling. The proposals could alter insurers' distribution costs and commission structures, while the push towards digital, transparent insurance buying could have implications for online insurance distributors such as PB Fintech.

FMCG and edible oil shares could be in focus on Thursday, September 24, after the government cut basic customs duty (BCD) on crude and refined palm, soybean, and sunflower oils, a move that could ease input‑cost pressures for packaged food and consumer goods companies ahead of the festive season. The BCD on crude sunflower oil has been reduced to nil from 10%, while the duty on refined sunflower oil has been cut to 22.5% from 32.5%. For crude soybean and palm oil, the duty has been lowered to 5% from 10%, while the BCD on refined varieties has been reduced to 27.5% from 32.5%. The changes are effective from September 24.

Shares of oil‑sensitive companies could be in focus after Brent crude settled nearly 4% higher at $103.08 a barrel on Wednesday amid renewed tensions between the US and Iran. Upstream producers such as ONGC and Oil India could benefit from higher crude realisations, while Indian Oil, BPCL and HPCL may face pressure on marketing margins if higher input costs are not fully passed on. Paint stocks such as Asian Paints and Berger Paints, tyre makers including MRF and Apollo Tyres, and aviation stocks such as IndiGo could also remain in focus as crude‑linked raw material and fuel costs rise.

Ola Electric on Wednesday said it is seeking approval from its board for a proposed rights issue of equity shares. The company had received an earlier enablement to raise up to ₹1,500 crore, of which ₹780 crore was raised through the June 2026 QIP, and the company has subsequently chosen the rights issue route for its capital raise, with this proposal pending board approval. Shriram Properties Ltd is targeting doubling its net profit and sales bookings by FY29, as it ramps up project completions and expands its development pipeline, CMD Murali M said on Wednesday. The company, which reported a consolidated net profit of ₹100.81 crore on sales bookings of ₹2,354 crore in FY26, is targeting doubling realisable income of around ₹3,000 crore by FY29, up from about ₹1,400 crore in FY26.

Allied Blenders and Distillers promoter Bina Kishore Chhabria divested nearly a 2% stake for ₹357 crore through an open market transaction on Wednesday, selling 55 lakh shares at an average price of ₹650.17 apiece. Max Estates Ltd announced a partnership to develop a housing project worth about ₹3,000 crore in Ghaziabad, entering a Joint Development Agreement for a 9.76‑acre land parcel in Indirapuram, with an estimated revenue of ₹2,500‑₹3,000 crore. Bharat Dynamics signed a ₹801.79 crore contract with the Ministry of Defence for 160 Satellite Smart Anti‑Airfield Weapons, with delivery scheduled between 2027‑2028 and 2028‑2029. Avantel secured a ₹177.35 crore order from Zetwerk Manufacturing Businesses for satellite communication equipment, expected to complete by March 2027. Concord Biotech’s board approved a 1:1 bonus issuance and authorised a capital increase, issuing bonus shares by capitalising the share premium account pending shareholders’ approval.