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Around a third of NSE 500 stocks are trading at valuations below their pre-Covid levels, based on PE and P/B ratios. Significant blue-chip companies such as HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, and Maruti Suzuki are 10-60% cheaper, indicating potential value buys despite recent market corrections.

The rupee was one of the weakest-performing Asian currencies, closing at 87.21/$1 compared to its previous close of 86.70/$1, despite central bank intervention that helped curb excessive losses, traders said.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India proposed new rules to limit manipulation in derivatives trading by changing how outstanding positions in stock futures and options are calculated. This includes modified Open Interest calculations and tight monitoring measures to prevent influential firms from exploiting market conditions. The goal is to enhance market integrity and reduce undue influence on trading positions.

Citi anticipates a one-time boost in equity broking for 360 One WAM, driven by the Batlivala & Karani acquisition to serve existing clients, while the ability to cross-sell non-mutual fund products will provide additional revenue opportunities for the wealth manager.

The size of the IPO is expected to be roughly $2 billion or around Rs 18,000 crore, ET had reported earlier. At a meeting on Tuesday, the company s board approved the initial public offering, which will include a fresh issue of 230 million shares as well as an offer for sale by existing shareholders, according to the company s exchange filing.

The mood of the consumer, who props up about 70% of U.S. GDP, has dimmed considerably in February, according to The Conference Board s consumer confidence index, which registered its steepest monthly drop since August 2021.

The sales decline underscores Tesla s challenges following a dip in global deliveries last year that has raised pressure on CEO Elon Musk to roll out lower-priced models as well as the autonomous cars that he says underpin Tesla s future.

U.S. crude stocks fell 640,000 barrels in the week ended February 21, market sources said on Tuesday citing American Petroleum Institute data. Official U.S. stockpiles data is due later on Wednesday.

The BSE Realty index has declined 19% year-to-date, compared to a 7% drop in the benchmark Sensex. In contrast, the index had surged 79.5% in 2022 and 33.1% in 2023, significantly outperforming the benchmark returns of 18.7% and 8.2%, respectively.

Data on Tuesday showed U.S. consumer confidence deteriorated at its sharpest pace in 3-1/2 years in February - the latest in a string of surveys suggesting that businesses and consumers were becoming increasingly rattled by the Trump administration s policies.