Bharti Airtel briefly overtook HDFC Bank on Monday to become India's second-most valuable company by market capitalization. The telecom operator reached ₹11.9 lakh crore in value before HDFC Bank reclaimed the spot by market close.
The shift occurred amid broader underperformance by traditional market leaders in sectors such as information technology and banking. Bharti Airtel's gains highlighted changing investor preferences on Dalal Street during the trading session.
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Indian equity benchmarks Nifty 50 and Sensex crashed more than 3% on Thursday, their steepest single-day decline since June 2024, closing at 23,002.15 and 74,207.24 respectively. Escalating West Asia conflicts drove crude above $110 a barrel, stoking inflation fears, while HDFC Bank shares tumbled over 5% following chairman Atanu Chakraborty's resignation.
Domestic institutional investors raised their holdings in several large-cap Indian companies during the March 2026 quarter. Buying focused on financial, technology, telecom and industrial names even as share prices fell sharply.
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Several brokerages have identified 10 largecap stocks in India with significant upside potential despite rising oil prices from the US-Iran war. Crude oil has surpassed $125 per barrel, fueling inflation fears and market uncertainty. Stocks like HDFC Bank and Bharti Airtel top the lists from firms including Jefferies and Axis Direct.
Reliance Industries has become the first Indian company to surpass $10 billion in annual profit, reporting a record net profit of Rs 95,610 crore for FY26. The conglomerate's consumer businesses, including Jio and Reliance Retail, drove robust growth despite a quarterly dip in its oil-to-chemicals segment. Reliance Retail has now crossed 20,000 stores.
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Despite weakness in the broader market due to escalating Middle East tensions and hawkish US Federal Reserve signals, certain smallcap stocks in India posted strong gains of up to 41% over five sessions. Crude oil prices rose above $110 per barrel, raising inflation concerns. A selective rally highlighted top performers across various sectors.
Building on February's gains that pushed market cap to N113trn, the Nigerian stock market added N1.72 trillion on March 3, 2026, fueled by strong demand for MTN Nigeria and Dangote Cement shares.
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India's small-cap stocks surged 17.1% in April, marking their best monthly performance in at least a decade. The Nifty Smallcap 250 index rebounded sharply after a steep sell-off in March. Local investors snapped up undervalued stocks with strong growth potential.