Holi 2025 Holidays: India will be celebrating Holika Dahan on Thursday, March 13, which is a ritual that symbolises the victory of good over evil. Host states have declared March 13 as a public holiday. Banks and government offices will likely be closed in key states during the Holika Dahan. What about the Indian stock market, will they be closed as well? Find out!
Stock Market Holiday:
As per the holiday list on BSE and NSE, March 13 is not a trading holiday and hence investors could buy or sell in equities, equity derivatives, derivatives, commodities, bonds, currency, and other market-related instruments on Thursday.
Indian Stock Market Trade Setup:
On March 12th, Sensex closed at 74,029.76, down by 72.56 points or 0.10%. While Nifty 50 plunged by 27.40 points or 0.12% to close at 22,470.50. Indian stock market has shown resilience amidst weak global cues that have been orchestrated by sharp selloffs in Wall Street.
Talking about the performance, Siddhartha Khemka, Head - of Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services said, that Nifty ended marginally lower at 22,471 level (-0.1%), amid volatility due to a flare in the US tariff war. US President Trump initially announced to double the tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium to 50% in retaliation to Canada's tariff of 25% on electricity export to the US. However, he later reversed this decision indicating a flip-flop in US trade policies which is creating uncertainty amongst investors. The broader market also showed weakness with Nifty Midcap100 declining by 0.6% and Smallcap100 down by 0.2%. Amongst sectors, Nifty IT was down 3%, making it the top sectoral loser. Trump's trade policies and his protectionist measures are likely to hurt Indian IT firms that derive a large portion of their revenue from the US. Also, there are concerns over US inflation data, which is set to be released later today. If the inflation remains high, the US Fed may delay interest rate cuts, which could in turn reduce IT spending.
Khemka added, conversely, there was buying interest in healthcare, private banking, auto and pharma space, with the said sectoral indices up between 0.5-0.7% each. India's retail inflation eased to a seven-month low of 3.61% in Feb'25, down from 4.31% in January. The industrial output growth was above expectation at 5% YoY in Jan'25 against 3.2% in December.
What To Expect In Sensex, Nifty On March 13?
Khemka said these factors are likely to infuse some positive into the markets on Thursday. Overall, we expect the market to remain range-bound with some volatility and sector rotation.
Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research, at Kotak Securities, said, "We believe that the current market texture is volatile and non-directional; hence, level-based trading would be the ideal strategy for day traders. For traders now, 22,300/73500 would act as a sacrosanct support zone. Above this level, the market could move up to 22,600-22,650/74500-74700. On the flip side, a drop below 22,300/73700 would make the uptrend vulnerable."
Also, Ajit Mishra - SVP, of Research, Religare Broking Ltd said, "Despite weak global cues, markets are displaying resilience, though pressure in key sectors is limiting the upside. Further consolidation is likely in the coming sessions, with heightened volatility expected due to the weekly expiry. Traders should maintain a stock-specific approach, focusing on large caps and prominent midcaps."
To investors, Vinay Paharia, CIO, of PGIM India Mutual Fund said, "We reckon, amidst a growth slowdown, it is imperative to stick to investments that offer a structural long-term growth trajectory. Companies having good return profiles, good management, healthy capital allocation capabilities and the ability to capture growth should be the preferred ones. We believe India's long-term growth story is still very much intact which can be very well played through the equity markets, though avoiding pockets of overvaluation and overestimation of earnings."
Stocks To BUY On March 13:
Shiju Koothupalakkal - Technical Analyst at Prabhudas Lilladher has recommended buying the following stocks on March 13:
Holika Dahan rendered Holika Dahanam in Sanskrit or Chotti Holi, is a Hindu festival in which a bonfire is lit to celebrate the burning of the demoness, Holika. This ritual is symbolic of the victory of good over evil. It precedes Holi, the festival of colours, which celebrates the spring season. According to legend, Holika was the sister of Hiranyakashipu, who acquired a boon that rendered her invulnerable to fire. She then attempted to kill her nephew, Prahlada, by placing him on her lap in a bonfire. However, she was immolated while Prahlada was saved from the fire, as per Wikipedia.
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