4924: Santa rally hopes build as December series kicks off; Bharti Airtel block deal in focus | Market Minutes

Nifty is poised to kick off the December series on a strong wicket. The GIFT NIFTY is indicating a triple-digit gain following a volatile session on Tuesday. The index failed to hold above 26,000 on expiry day, weighed by selling in banks and heavyweights like Infosys and HDFC Bank, though midcaps continued to outperform. Globally, markets traded higher as Fed rate cut hopes intensified, with reports that Kevin Hassett could be named the next Fed chair. The Nikkei and Kospi climbed, while Alphabet hit record highs on new AI chip developments. Meanwhile, oil prices slipped over 1% on reports of progress toward a Ukraine–Russia peace deal. In today’s episode, Nandita Khemka breaks down the top market movers — from Bharti Airtel’s $800 million block deal to HCLTech’s AI partnership with AWS and fresh approvals for Zydus Lifesciences. Plus, project wins for NCC and IGL, and Excelsoft Technologies is making its stock market debut. Also on the radar — PM Modi inaugurates Safran’s aircraft engine facility in Hyderabad, and Tesla opens its first India centre in Gurugram. Tune in for all this and more in today’s Market Minutes — your morning podcast bringing you the top stories to kickstart your trading day, from stocks in the news to macro trends and global market cues.