Gaurav Garg, Head - Research, Lemonn

Gold edged lower after touching a three-month high as investors remained cautious ahead of the U.S. PCE inflation data and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's Jackson Hole speech. Silver strengthened above $69/oz, supported by continued precious-metal demand and strong investor interest in precious metals. Meanwhile, WTI crude fell below $81/bbl as hopes of progress in talks over the Strait of Hormuz reduced immediate supply-disruption concerns. A softer dollar and expectations of potential U.S. rate cuts continued to provide underlying support to bullion, while easing crude prices helped reduce near-term inflation concerns. Traders are likely to remain cautious ahead of key U.S. economic data, with dollar movements, Treasury yields and geopolitical developments expected to drive commodity volatility in the near term.

Capital Infra Trust, (NSE: CAPINVIT, BSE Scrip Code: 544338), announces that its Investment Manager, Gawar Investment Manager Private Limited, has issued a Notice of Postal Ballot seeking the approval of the Trust's Unitholders on four key resolutions through remote e-voting. 

The Board of Directors of the Investment Manager approved the Postal Ballot Notice on Monday, August 17, 2026. The notice has been dispatched electronically to Unitholders whose names appeared in the records of Depositories as on the cut-off date of Friday, August 14, 2026. The Trust has engaged KFin Technologies Limited ("KFintech") as the agency to facilitate the remote e-voting process. Mr. Hare Krishna, Chief Executive Officer, Capital Infra Trust, added, "This Postal Ballot marks an important step in Capital Infra Trust's growth strategy. The proposed acquisition of these six road assets strengthens our portfolio and is aligned with our long-term vision of building a diversified, high-quality infrastructure platform for our Unitholders. We look forward to their continued support as we put these resolutions to vote."

Frontier, India's first D2C AI Summit, concluded today at Radisson, Udyog Vihar, bringing together 150 D2C founders and CXOs, 25 AI leaders, 100 brands for a 12-hour day built around a single question: what is AI actually changing inside a consumer business?

Curated by D2C Insider, the summit was themed AI-Native D2C: The Next Growth Curve. Its premise was deliberately narrow. The internet changed how consumer brands reached buyers, marketplaces changed how products were discovered, and social commerce rewrote acquisition. AI is now rewriting all three at once, along with retention, operations and unit economics. Frontier was designed around what that does to a P&L rather than what it does to a keynote.
 

Client Associates, India's leading multi-family office and private wealth management firm, has appointed Siddharth Pardesi as Managing Partner & Chief Business Officer - HNI. Based in Mumbai, Pardesi will be leading the HNI business at one of India's prominent wealth management platforms, building on the firm's strong position and engagement with HNIs.

Pardesi brings more than 2 decades of experience spanning consumer banking, wealth management, investment products and advisory, as well as branch sales and distribution. During his career, he has held senior roles with leading organisations including HSBC, BNP Paribas Sharekhan, Standard Chartered Bank and IndusInd Bank.

The restructuring could even involve up to 100,000 jobs. If implemented, it would rank among the biggest restructurings in the auto industry. Read full report here

Shivani Nyati, Head of Wealth at Swastika Investmart

Gaja Alternative Asset Management made a strong debut at around a 16% premium at Rs 185 versus its Rs 160 issue price. From a post-listing perspective, the company benefits from the growing allocation to private markets by HNIs and family offices, while its capital-light and scalable model offers long-term growth potential. The IPO proceeds will also increase the sponsor's own commitment to its funds, which is a structural positive. However, earnings from alternative asset management can be lumpy due to performance fees, so some volatility and profit booking after listing cannot be ruled out. At current levels, investors who received allotment can hold with a stop-loss of Rs 170, while fresh investors should avoid chasing the stock and wait for consolidation. If it sustains above Rs 185, Rs 195-200 can be the next upside zone.

Alkemi Growth Capital, an early-stage and early-growth investor backing healthcare and wellness businesses in India, has partnered with the Centre for Medical Innovation (CMI) at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Greater Noida, to launch the Uttar Pradesh Startup Clinic - the state's first platform designed to connect healthcare startups with clinical validation, regulatory guidance and institutional capital under one roof.
 
The inaugural edition, held recently, brought together nearly 40 healthcare, MedTech and HealthTech startups from across Uttar Pradesh, alongside clinicians, regulatory experts and investors. The initiative was organised under the StartInUP programme of the state's Department of IT & Electronics, with participation from the MedTech Centre of Excellence (STPI) and the UP Promote Pharma Council.
 
Alkemi's mandate through the platform is broad-based across healthcare, spanning medical devices, diagnostics, pharma, wellness and healthcare delivery rather than being confined to any single sub-sector. The fund typically engages with companies that are past proof-of-concept, investing primarily in the pre-Series A to Series B range, once a startup has shown initial traction and is ready to scale.

EPF can form the stable or debt portion of a retirement portfolio. For FY 2025-26, an interest rate of 8.25% has been recommended for EPF accounts. Read full report here

Gaurav Udani, Founder - ThinCredBlu Securities

"Nifty is expected to open higher around 23,400, up nearly 80 points, indicating a positive start after the recent weakness.

The recovery suggests some buying interest returning to the market. 23,200-23,300 will act as the immediate support zone, while 23,500-23,600 remains the key resistance range.

A sustained move above 23,600 could strengthen the short-term momentum and trigger further buying. Until then, some consolidation around the current levels cannot be ruled out.

With the broader market still volatile, traders can consider a buy-on-dips strategy, preferably near key support levels rather than chasing the gap-up opening. Strict risk management remains important."

Akshat Siddhant, Lead quant analyst, Mudrex

Gold has eased from a three-month high as investors turn cautious ahead of US PCE inflation data, with a shallow pullback potentially setting the stage for a move toward $4,500. Silver is also consolidating near recent highs as markets await fresh direction. WTI crude has declined for a third straight session, falling more than 3% below $82 a barrel as signs of easing US-Iran tensions emerged. Washington's latest measures were viewed as less severe than expected, while a larger-than-expected rise in US crude inventories added pressure. In India, the rupee remains steady around Rs 95.6-95.7 per dollar, supported by strong capital inflows and RBI intervention despite elevated oil prices and month-end dollar demand.

A person whose income doubles but whose savings rate stays unchanged may appear richer without becoming significantly wealthier. Read full report here

Piyush Walke, Derivatives Research Analyst, Delta Exchange

Bitcoin eased after briefly breaking above $80,000 for the first time since May, touching $81,200 before retreating. Despite the pullback, BTC remains up around 16% over the past week. The rally has been supported by strong U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF demand and the unwinding of bearish positions.
On shorter time frames, BTC is consolidating around $79,280 following its strong upward move. The broader trend remains bullish, with the price holding above the 55-EMA and 200-MA. Meanwhile, the RSI near 80 might result in short term cooldown in Bitcoin. Key resistance is positioned around $81,500-$82,000, while support is seen at $78,300-$78,500.
Dollar weakness has also supported the broader move in risk assets. The ICE U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.8% over the week following the Treasury announcement. Gold also climbed above its 200-day moving average, which stood near $4,518 per ounce during the same period.
Ethereum has gained more than 30% during the recent weekly rally, benefiting from the broader strength across digital assets. ETH is currently trading around $2,470 and maintains a strong bullish structure. However, momentum is beginning to cool as the price consolidates below the $2,490-$2,500 resistance zone. Key support remains near $2,390, keeping the medium-term outlook bullish.

Avaada Electro Limited, one of India's leading vertically integrated solar photovoltaic manufacturers, based on operational solar cell and module capacity as of July 31, 2026, has filed its Updated Draft Red Herring Prospectus (UDRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for its Rs 7600 Crore IPO.

The company's proposed IPO comprises a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 1,600 crore and an Offer for Sale (OFS) aggregating up to Rs 6,000 crore, taking the total offer size to up to Rs 7,600 crore. The equity shares have a face value of Rs 5 each. The Offer for Sale (OFS) of up to Rs 6,000 crore will be undertaken by Avaada Ventures Private Limited, which is the Promoter Selling Shareholder.

The net proceeds from the fresh issue are proposed to be utilised primarily towards funding the prepayment, repayment and/or payment obligations to lenders in relation to certain borrowings and acceptances pursuant to letters of credit availed by the Company, in part or full, amounting to Rs 1,200 crore. The balance net proceeds will be utilised towards general corporate purposes.

ICICI Securities Limited, Axis Capital Limited, BofA Securities India Limited, HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Private Limited, SBI Capital Markets Limited and IIFL Capital Services Limited are the Book Running Lead Managers to the issue

Please find appended and attached the UDRHP 1 based note for your reference.

Also, a recent development being shared off the record is that 3.621 GW of N-type TOPCon solar cell capacity has been enlisted under MNRE's ALMM List-II
 

Nischal Shetty, Founder, WazirX

"Crypto markets showed modest growth over the past 24 hours, with total market capitalization falling 1.27% to $2.65 trillion and the CMC20 declining 1.58%. Bitcoin, Ethereum and major altcoins traded lower. Liquidations reached $641.79 million, including $489 million in longs, confirming downside pressure. Yet sentiment remains optimistic with the Fear and Greed Index standing at 80. Positive ETF flows of $10.13 million show continued institutional interest.

BTC trades near $78,761, placing immediate support around $78,000 and then $77,000, while resistance sits near $79,500 and the psychological $80,000 mark. ETH at $2,455 has support at $2,400 and $2,350, with resistance around $2,500 and $2,550. 

US equities closed firmer yesterday, led by Nasdaq, signalling improved risk appetite. Lower oil prices may also ease inflation concerns. This backdrop is mildly supportive for crypto, particularly Bitcoin and large-cap altcoins, though gold's resilience suggests investors still prefer the asset over risk on ones like crypto, amid ongoing uncertainty globally.

Crypto derivatives activity cooled, but combined open interest across the top six tokens remains near $46.1 billion. Bitcoin and Ethereum open interest fell by about 3%, while sharper declines in XRP, Solana and Zcash indicate leverage reduction. 

Futures traders could watch BTC support at $78,000 first, followed by $77,000, as per analysts. BTC resistance stands at $79,500 and $80,000. For ETH, immediate support is $2,400, with stronger downside support at $2,350; resistance lies at $2,500 and $2,550. A sustained BTC move below $77,000 & ETH below $2,350 could deepen long liquidations, while confirmed breaks for BTC above $80,000 and ETH above $2,550 could prompt short covering. 

Today's US GDP revision and PCE inflation release, followed by Friday's Federal Reserve Chair speech at Jackson Hole, could move the dollar and yields, potentially amplifying crypto volatility."

The Thesis
Brent's 4% retreat on renewed Iran-ceasefire diplomacy removes the war premium from India's import bill, easing cost pressure across energy-intensive sectors as GIFT Nifty's gap-up signals constructive global risk sentiment. InvestorAi's strongest consensus spans metals, telecom re-rating, and rate-cycle financials - a cluster that benefits both from falling crude and from the RBI's neutral-to-accommodative posture.

Where We're Concentrated
The basket anchors on base metals producers - where Brent's retreat directly compresses smelting and logistics overheads - then reaches into telecom's 5G consolidation endgame and small-finance banking as rate-easing plays. Pharma provides a defensive buffer with independent catalysts: lower petrochemical inputs and domestic generics volume recovery. The thesis breaks if Brent recoils above $93 on Hormuz-closure escalation, or if the Pakistan-Tehran-Qatar diplomatic channel collapses and war-premium re-inflation tightens the RBI's hand.

Conviction Picks
Highest Conviction
Hindalco Industries
Brent's retreat eases aluminium smelting costs; metals stand as the clearest beneficiary of Iran-war-premium relief.
Vodafone Idea
Telecom's 5G capex cycle and sector consolidation create a re-rating catalyst independent of the crude narrative.
AU Small Finance Bank
RBI's neutral stance sustains cheap SME credit; small-finance lenders are early beneficiaries of any easing cycle.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals
Falling petrochemical inputs and a domestic generics recovery position pharma as the defensive leg of this portfolio.
JSW Steel
Infrastructure-grade steel demand stays firm as crude's decline trims producers' energy and logistics overhead.
One Thing to Watch
Brent back above $92 would signal war-premium re-inflation squeezing metal smelting margins and tightening RBI's accommodation path - track the Pakistan-Tehran-Qatar diplomatic channel as the leading indicator.

CoinSwitch Markets Desk

BTC pulled back below $80K and still needs to clear the key $82.8K-$83K resistance zone to strengthen the case for a new bull market. Improved ETF, spot and futures demand support the rally, but rising whale profit-taking, 53,000 BTC moving to exchanges and repeated rejection near $80K-$83K suggest short-term pullback risk. If momentum weakens, $73K is the first key support, followed by stronger support near $67K

Prateek Gupta, Head of Business, Mudrex

Bitcoin is consolidating around $79,000 as traders await key US macro data, including PCE inflation and GDP figures. While the broader uptrend remains intact, Bitcoin needs a sustained close above its 365-day moving average near $83,000 to confirm a stronger bullish breakout. Market momentum has improved sharply, with CryptoQuant's Bull Score rising from 30 to 80 in just one week, its highest level since October 2025. However, profit-taking is emerging, with short-term holder whales realizing a record $1.2 billion in profits over the past three days. This makes the week ahead crucial for Bitcoin's next move.

Harish Vatnani, Head of Trade, ZebPay

"The crypto market has seen a rapid turnaround in sentiment as the recent rally pushed the Crypto Fear and Greed Index to 81, its highest level this year and firmly into "Extreme Greed." That marks a major shift from just a month ago, when the market was in "Fear," while last week's reading stood at 41, reflecting a much more neutral mood. 

The renewed optimism has also brought higher leverage and volatility. Around $424.5 million in crypto positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours, with longs accounting for $334.2 million and shorts for $90.3 million. The imbalance suggests that the latest moves have caught heavily leveraged traders on the wrong side of the market. 

Attention now turns to Jackson Hole, where Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is set to deliver his first keynote address at 10 a.m. ET on August 28. The speech could offer fresh clues on the Fed's thinking around monetary policy, financial innovation and the broader economic outlook, making it an important event for both traditional and crypto markets."

Stock Market News: August 26 is a settlement holiday. So, trading will continue, but clearing and settlement of shares and funds will not take place. Read full report here

Vikram Subburaj, CEO, Giottus.com

Bitcoin traded near $78,800 on Wednesday morning, consolidating after briefly moving above $81,000 during the previous 24 hours. Bitcoin traded between approximately $77,871 and $81,235, highlighting continued volatility after its strong August recovery. Immediate support is now visible around $77,800-$78,000, followed by a stronger zone at $75,500-$76,000. On the upside, Bitcoin needs to reclaim $80,000-$81,250 convincingly for the rally to extend. Bitcoin has gained roughly 25% during August. The rally has been supported by a weaker dollar and improving liquidity conditions. Renewed investor interest in alternative stores of value has also supported the move.

The on-chain structure has also improved considerably compared with the beginning of the month. Bitcoin's Short-Term Holder Cost Basis remains near $68,700, an area that repeatedly acted as resistance during the previous consolidation. Bitcoin is now trading comfortably above this level, meaning a large section of recent buyers has returned to profit. Around 155,000 BTC had also accumulated between $62,000 and $65,000, creating a deeper cost-basis support zone. However, continued spot buying will be necessary to prevent the latest move from becoming dependent primarily on leverage and momentum.

Institutional demand remains another important source of support. US spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted approximately $2.26 billion across six consecutive trading sessions between August 17 and 24. This included $606.3 million on August 20 and another $337.6 million on August 24. Farside currently reports a further $29.9 million for August 25, although the day's total remains preliminary.

Large-cap altcoins are undergoing moderate profit-taking after last week's strong rally. Ethereum traded near $2,458, down around 1.6%, while BNB slipped about 2.2% to $695. XRP was around $1.44, down 4.4%, Solana near $97, down 3.9%, and TRON around $0.336, down 2.8%. The pullback suggests investors are reducing risk ahead of major US macro events rather than abandoning the broader recovery.

Macro conditions could determine Bitcoin's next move. July US PCE inflation and the second estimate of Q2 GDP are due later today, making them the immediate catalysts for global risk assets. Markets currently assign roughly a 60% probability that the Federal Reserve will leave rates unchanged at 3.50%-3.75% in September. This leaves a meaningful possibility of another rate hike if inflation remains persistent. Attention will then shift to Jackson Hole from August 27-29. Fed communication on inflation and monetary policy could influence Treasury yields, the dollar and crypto prices.

Our advice: The broader trend has improved, but investors should avoid chasing Bitcoin after its sharp August rise. Staggered accumulation, smaller position sizes and controlled leverage remain preferable. $78,000 is the immediate level to monitor, while a sustained break above $81,250 would strengthen the case for another leg higher.