In this edition of Traders' Diary, the Zee Business research team provides exclusive research and investment ideas on 20 stocks to track for January 3, 2025. Analysts Pooja Tripathi and Kushal Gupta share their top stock picks, including Avati Feeds, PB Fintech, Bajaj Finance, Lupin, Bank of Baroda, JK Cement, Amber Enterprises, and V2 Retail. With targets and stop losses for each stock, this diary is a must-read for investors and traders.
Bajaj Finance: A Rising Star in the Indian Financial Sector
Background
Bajaj Finance is a non-banking financial company (NBFC) that offers a wide range of financial services including personal loans, loans, and business lending. It was founded in 1998 by Rahul Bajaj and is headquartered in Mumbai, India. The company has a strong presence in India and has expanded its operations into several other countries, including Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
Google Search Trends
The recent increase in Google searches related to Bajaj Finance is likely due to the company's strong financial performance and its potential for growth in the future. The company has been consistently reporting strong earnings and has a diversified portfolio of products and services. Additionally, the government's focus on financial inclusion and the growing demand for credit in India are expected to drive the growth of the NBFC sector in the future.
Top Stock Picks for January 2025
According to the Zee Business research team, Bajaj Finance is one of the top 20 stocks to track for January 2025. The team's analysts, Pooja Tripathi and Kushal Gupta, have set a target price of Rs. 950 for the stock with a stop loss of Rs. 845.
FAQs
Bajaj Finance's key growth drivers include its diversified portfolio of products and services, its strong brand recognition in India, and the growing demand for financial services in the country.
The risks associated with investing in Bajaj Finance include the cyclicality of the financial services sector, competition from other NBFCs, and changes in government regulations.
Bajaj Finance has consistently reported strong financial performance in recent years. In the financial year 2022-23, the company reported a net profit of Rs. 34,106 crore, a growth of 26% over the previous year.
Bajaj Finance has a consistent dividend payment history. The company has been paying dividends to its shareholders for over 20 years.
Bajaj Finance is planning to expand its operations into new markets in India and abroad. The company is also looking to introduce new products and services to meet the evolving needs of its customers.
The stock market saw a sharp decline on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite falling 0.9% and 1.6%, respectively. This was fueled by a rise in the yield of 10-year Treasurys, indicating concerns about the future of interest rates. The release of strong economic data, including better-than-expected job openings in November, also raised questions about the Fed's decision-making on rates. The tech sector was hit hard, with AI chipmaker Nvidia's stock dropping 5% after hitting an all-time high earlier in the day.
In an interesting turn of events, users of X (formerly Twitter) discovered a "X Score" feature that was touted to provide an insight into their social credit standing on the platform. However, most users were shocked when the AI assistant gave them a paltry 38 out of 100. This led to speculations of a possible algorithm tweak by X's owner Elon Musk, but later it was revealed that this was not an official feature and no changes had been made to the algorithm. So, if you're wondering why your views are going down, Musk has a simple answer for you.
Nazibur Rahman, former principal secretary to the Prime Minister's Office and National Board of Revenue chairman, has been sent to jail after his three-day remand in connection with the 2022 killing of a BNP activist. Police have implicated Rahman in the case after arresting him in October 2025. The incident began when BNP leaders and activists gathered in the capital as part of their party program. On December 7, 2022, police and AL men entered the BNP office and opened fire, injuring the activist. A case has been filed against 256 people, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for their involvement in the incident.
In a major shift, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads will no longer use fact-checkers to moderate content, instead relying on community notes similar to X. The move is intended to promote free speech and reduce mistakes in content moderation. Additionally, the company will be moving its trust and safety teams responsible for content policies and moderation from California to Texas and scrapping restrictions on topics like immigration and gender identity. However, there is a trade-off as the company admits it will catch less bad content but also reduce the number of innocent posts and accounts that are accidentally removed.
According to Sky Sports journalist Manuele Baiocchini, AC Milan is considering a potential loan deal for Manchester United star Marcus Rashford. Milan sees him as a potential reserve for Rafael Leão and a backup option for Álvaro Morata and Tammy Abraham. However, Rashford's high salary of €14 million per year is a major obstacle for Italian clubs. Talks have yet to take place, but Milan is open to discussing the deal if United helps cover the salary.
Standard Glass Lining Technology Ltd. is set to raise Rs 410.05 crore through its initial public offering, which has been subscribed 16.13 times so far on Tuesday. The grey market premium for the IPO currently stands at Rs 93, suggesting a potential 66.43% premium at listing. With an issue price range of Rs 133–140 and a combination of fresh issue and offer for sale, the company has already raised Rs 123 crore from anchor investors and is set to finalise allotment on Jan. 9 with a tentative listing date of Jan. 13.
The stock market saw a sharp decline in the morning hours of trading on Monday, with the Sensex plunging close to 800 points and the Nifty tanking over 250 points. This was attributed to fresh foreign fund outflows and the cautious stance of investors ahead of the upcoming earnings season. The broader markets also traded in the red, with the Nifty Microcap 250 leading the losses and the Nifty Metal and Realty indices dominating in the red. Meanwhile, the global oil benchmark Brent crude saw a slight dip, while the US markets ended on a positive note on Friday.
Microsoft recently faced a bug that led to the suspension of many Microsoft Rewards accounts. The company has acknowledged the issue and provided a fix, but affected users may have to wait a few hours before regaining access. This bug has caused not just inconvenience, but also the loss of reward points for many loyal Microsoft Rewards users. The error message reads "Your Microsoft Rewards account has been suspended" and may seem like a violation of terms and conditions, but Microsoft has clarified that it was only a technical issue. Despite the fix, affected users are rightfully questioning the false suspension and loss of their reward points.
Today, the much-awaited demerger of ITC Hotels from its parent company ITC was finally executed, with ITC shares starting to trade without its hotels business included. Analysts predict a fair price of Rs 264 per share for ITC Hotels, with shareholder eligibility for its shares being decided based on holdings of ITC shares as of today. The newly demerged ITC Hotels will soon be listed on the bourses, with Nomura expecting a listing price in the range of Rs 200-300 per share. In the meantime, ITC Hotels will remain a part of stock indices where ITC is a constituent, and its listing may be postponed in case of trading circuit limits being hit. This corporate action is expected to significantly impact shareholders of ITC, a prominent blue-chip stock in the Indian market.
The initial public offering (IPO) of Quadrant Future Tek Limited will open on January 7, 2025, and close on January 9, aiming to raise Rs 290 crore. The book-built issue is entirely fresh, with a price band of Rs 275-290 per share. The proceeds from the IPO will be directed towards the company's working capital requirements, capital expenditure, loan repayment, and general corporate purposes. With the estimated listing price at Rs 470, investors could see a potential gain of 62.07% from the IPO.