Cement stocks lose ground:Jamna Auto Industries Ltd hits the buyer freeze. Those who are holding Jai Parabolic Springs Ltd must be rejoicing: Ranbaxy Laboratoreis Ltd was asked to accumulate at around Rs.340-Rs.355, only some days back, the stock moved more than 7% today in the early trade, on the news of some important developments in the company: Today, I recommend a scrip in dying hours of the market, in the chemical space, at around Rs.12.8--Rs.13, range and which shot up more than 4%: Keep adding Ansal Builwell Ltd on all declines, as this is a gem, in the construction/engineering/real estate, space:Those who are holding RTS Power Ltd from Rs.92--Rs.98, range should book some profits at the current price:Those who are holding Sanguine Media Ltd, should continue to hold with a SL of Rs.39: Those who are holding Cummins (I) Ltd from Rs.169--Rs.172, range should book 80% of the profits and keep holding the rest with a SL of Rs.350: MSK Projects Ltd recommended to the Premium Group Members, at around Rs.81--Rs.82, range, almost near its first resistance of Rs.93; keep holding with a SL of Rs.89:

Cement stocks edged lower for the second straight day on fresh selling following reports that the government is easing cement import norms in an attempt to rein in cement prices. Meanwhile, the market was just about in the green in late-afternoon trade on mixed trend in pivotals. It was firm in the earlier part of the day following healthy rollover of derivative positions from the July 2007 series to the August 2007 series so far. At 14:27 IST, the BSE 30-share Sensex was up 4.36 points to 15,701.28. It opened higher at 15,768.28 and jumped to a high of 15,812.27. The index also slipped to a low of 15,654.40 at 13:01 IST The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, held firm as small-cap and mid-cap stocks saw continued buying interest. On BSE, there were a little under 1.5 gainers for every loser: 1,542 shares advanced as compared to 1,069 that declined, while 75 remained unchanged The total turnover on BSE amounted to Rs 4,276 crore by 14:30 IST as compared to Rs 3,400 crore by 13:30 IST Among the Sensex pack, 15 gained and an equal number of stocks declined India’s largest drug manufacturer by sales Ranbaxy Laboratories jumped 8.62% to Rs 370.45 on 17.31 lakh shares. It was the top gainer from the Sensex pack. The stock rose after Ranbaxy today, 26 July 2007, reached an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to end their litigation in the US on Valtrex (valacyclovir hydrochloride tablets), used in the treatment of herpes. Cipla (up 3.81% to Rs 193.25) and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (up 0.77% to Rs 670) edged higher. Auto stocks advanced on fresh buying interest in anticipation that sales will pick up after monsoon, generally a slack season. Bajaj Auto (up 2.06% to Rs 2403), Mahindra & Mahindra (up 1% to Rs 789.70), and Tata Motors (up 2.53% to Rs 744.30) advanced. Maruti Udyog rose 4.82% to Rs 848.35 after India’s biggest small car maker today, 26 July 2007, reported a 35.1% growth to Rs 499.60 crore in net profit in Q1 June 2007 over Q1 June 2006. Net sales were up 26% at Rs 3,930.82 crore. Maruti Udyog will be renamed as Maruti Suzuki India. India’s second largest software services exporter Infosys Technologies gained 1.66% to Rs 2,023 after it bagged a $250-million (around Rs 1,010 crore) contract from Royal Philips Electronics. It is one of the largest acquisition-cum-outsourcing deal by an Indian information technology firm. Cement shares declined for the second straight day on fresh selling following reports that the goverment is easing cement import norms in an attempt to rein in prices. India’s second largest cement manufacturer ACC plunged 5% to Rs 1,017 on 2.95 lakh shares. It was the top loser from the Sensex pack. Ambuja Cements (down 2.75% to Rs 124.85), Grasim (down 1.31% to Rs 2,933) and Shree Cement (down 1% to Rs 1301) slipped. Cement prices had fallen yesterday, Wednesday, 25 July 2007, following reports that the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTCP) had on Tuesday, 24 July 2007, ordered a probe into the business practices of 14 leading cement manufacturers. The country’s biggest private sector company Reliance Industries (RIL) advanced 2.16% to Rs 1,944.50, after striking an all-time high of Rs 1,948. RIL results are due on Saturday, 28 July 2007, which marketmen opine will surprise the market on the positive side. Top cellular services provider Bharti Airtel dropped 2.80% to Rs 920.50 on profit taking even as it reported robust Q1 June 2007 results. Bharti Airtel’s consolidated net profit as per US GAAP jumped 100% to Rs 1,511.60 crore in Q1 June 2007 over Q1 June 2006, exceeding market expectations. Revenue rose 53% to Rs 5,904.60 crore in Q1 June 2007 over Q1 June 2006. Revenue growth was within market expectations. The stock had hit an all-time high of Rs 960 in early trade. India’s biggest cigarette maker ITC lost 1% to Rs 164. The stock had surged almost 9% on Wednesday, 25 July 2007, on market talks it may announce demerger of its agri business. ITC announces Q1 June 2007 results tomorrow, 27 July 2007. NDTV (up 4% to Rs 399) and IFCI (up 8% to Rs 57.25 ) rose on build-up of fresh positions after the ban was lifted on buying futures and options contracts with these underlying securities. IDFC rose 3.30% to Rs 136.20 after 74.32 lakh shares changed hands at Rs 134 per share on BSE in early trade. IDFC’s net profit rose 38.42% to Rs 167.81 crore in Q1 June 2007 over Q1 June 2006. Total income surged 73.19% to Rs 556.8 crore . The company announced the Q1 results after trding hours yesterday, 25 July 2007. Cummins India gained 1% to Rs 387 after its net profit rose 26.07% to Rs 64.02 crore in Q1 June 2007 over Q1 June 2006. Total income was up 38.7% to Rs 565.49 crore in Q1 June 2007 over Q1 June 2006. 3i Infotech rose jumped 5.20% to Rs 306.35 after its net profit rose 39.09% to Rs 21.42 crore in Q1 June 2007 over Q4 march 2007. Sales were up 25.43% to Rs 118.81 crore in Q1 June 2007 over Q4 March 2007. The market is expected to see high volatility today, 26 July 2007, on the expiry of the futures & options (F&O) contracts. As per latest data, marketwide rollover from the July 2007 contracts to August 2007 contracts stood at 60%, while Nifty rollover was 61%. The total open interest in NSE’s futures and option (F&O) segment vaulted to an all-time record of Rs 1,02,247.50 crore on 25 July 2007, from Rs 94,285.34 crore on the previous day. Japanese shares fell today, 26 July 2007, on decline in stocks of exporters such as Canon Inc. and Advantest Corp., although strong earnings reports lifted shares of Honda Motor Co. and Nintendo Co. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.88% at 17,702.09, while Hang Seng declined 0.64% to 23,211.69. China's main stock index reached a new high on opening today, 26 July 2007, on strong corporate earnings. The Shanghai Composite Index opened higher and hit 4,357.796, breaching the previous high of 4,335.96 set on 29 May 2007. It was now up 0.52% to 4,346.51 European markets were trading on a mixed note today, 26 July 2007 Wall Street rose yesterday, 25 July 2007, on some strong earnings and new deals, but not without a struggle, as mounting signs of a tougher lending climate again dogged investors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 68.12 points, or 0.50%, to 13,785.07. Broader stock indicators also rose in shaky trading. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 7.05 points, or 0.47%, to 1,518.09, and the Nasdaq Composite index advanced 8.31 points, or 0.31%, to 2,648.17. As per provisional data, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 35.47 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of shares worth Rs 149.82 crore on Wednesday, 25 July 2007. Crude oil rose today, 26 July 2007, for the second day in New York after a report showed US oil inventories fell for a third week and gasoline demand was near a one-year high. Crude oil for September 2007 delivery gained as much as 50 cents, or 0.7%, to $76.38 in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $76.17 in Singapore. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday, 25 July 2007, revised upwards its growth projections for the global economy, citing accelerating growth in China, India and Russia, while the United States appears to be regaining momentum. The IMF's updated World Economic Outlook forecast global growth of 5.2% for both calendar year 2007 and 2008, up from its earlier forecast of 4.9% growth for both years.