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.
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.
HDFC Bank announced steady performance in its fourth quarter, with deposits increasing 15% year-over-year and advances rising 12%. Average deposits reached Rs 28.51 lakh crore, while period-end deposits stood at Rs 31.06 lakh crore. The update comes amid recent headlines over the abrupt departure of director Atanu Chakraborty.
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Indian IT stocks surged on Monday, outperforming the broader market. The Nifty IT index reached its highest level since April 23.