Mumbai, May 7: In the midst of rising market volatility sparked by geopolitical tensions, experts on Wednesday urged investors to remain calm and take a calculated approach, especially while buying defence stocks.

Indian defence stocks traded flat amid heightened tensions with Pakistan after India successfully carried out ‘Operation Sindoor’.

Analysts suggested investors to adopt a wait-and-watch approach due to geopolitical risks.

“This is a time for careful planning rather than rushed decisions or panic buying,” said Dr Vikas Gupta, CEO and Chief Investment Strategist at OmniScience Capital.

Long-term investment opportunities continue to exist, especially in the defence sector.

He advised investors to avoid falling into fear or FOMO (fear of missing out) and, instead, maintain a watchlist of sectors and stocks that show strong long-term promise.

The key, according to Gupta, is to allocate capital gradually and rationally, rather than reacting emotionally to market noise.

However, Gupta emphasised that the defence sector stands out as a key area of focus.

“Defence companies, already holding strong order books, are likely to see further growth in orders due to Operation Sindoor,” he added.

“The attention now shifts to the pace of project execution, which could become more aggressive,” he stated.

According to market experts, defence stocks have already witnessed a significant run-up in recent sessions, particularly following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Gupta suggests that the results of this push may start reflecting in financials over the next few quarters to a couple of years, potentially driving revenue and profit growth.

Beyond conventional arms and ammunition, other critical defence-related areas are poised for growth, including cyber security, strategic minerals, rare earths, oil and gas, military EPC and defence logistics.

Meanwhile, shares of Bharat Dynamics, Hindustan Aeronautics, Bharat Electronics, and BEML remained largely unchanged.

Shipbuilding stocks such as Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Garden Reach Shipbuilders, and Cochin Shipyard also reflected a similar flat trend.

Mumbai, May 6: Indian stock markets ended lower on Tuesday, as escalating geopolitical tensions dampened investor sentiment and triggered broad-based selling across sectors.

The Sensex slipped by 155.77 points, or 0.19 per cent, to settle at 80,641.07. Meanwhile, the Nifty dropped more sharply by 81.55 points, or 0.33 per cent, closing at 24,379.60.

Several major stocks weighed on the indices. Eternal (formerly Zomato), State Bank of India (SBI), Tata Motors and NTPC were the top losers on the Sensex, falling between 1.94 per cent and 3.15 per cent.

On the other hand, some stocks managed to buck the trend. Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Mahindra and Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, and Nestle India were among the ten Sensex gainers, rising by 1.66 per cent.

The selling pressure was even stronger in the broader market. The Nifty Midcap100 index fell by 2.27 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap100 index dropped by 2.50 per cent — reflecting deeper losses beyond the frontline stocks.

Except for Nifty Auto, all sectoral indices on the NSE ended lower, with Nifty PSU Bank taking the biggest hit.

Out of 12 stocks, 11 in the PSU Bank index closed lower, pushing the index down by 1.18 per cent to close the session at 54,271.40.

Major drags included Bank of Baroda, which plunged 10.91 per cent, followed by Union Bank of India and Bank of India, which fell 6.19 per cent and 6.33 per cent, respectively.

The real estate sector also saw heavy losses. The Nifty Realty index declined by 3.58 per cent, led by a 6.36 per cent drop in Godrej Properties and a 4.96 per cent fall in Sobha Limited.

Adding to the nervousness in the market, the India VIX, often referred to as the fear index, rose by 3.58 per cent to 19 points — indicating increased market volatility.

The decline suggests investor caution across sectors, with profit booking and global cues possibly weighing on sentiment, market experts noted.

Mumbai, May 6: UPI QR codes have recorded the fastest growth in digital payments infrastructure in the financial year 2024-25, with a 91.5 per cent jump over the previous financial year to 657.9 million, according to the latest RBI data.

The surge in UPI QR codes was accompanied by a slowdown in the growth rate of credit card transactions to 7.94 per cent year-on-year, while debit card additions registered a mere 2.7 per cent growth to 991 million.

The growth in the number of UPI QR codes has been accelerating with the increasing deployment by platforms like Google Pay, Paytm, and PhonePe.

The number of banks going live on UPI continues to increase, and the total touched 668 in April, which is expected to increase the value of such transactions, according to bank officials.

March saw a record Rs 24.77 lakh crore in UPI transactions, marking a 25 per cent increase in value and a 36 per cent increase in volume compared to the previous year.

UPI has become the dominant method for digital transactions in India. Nearly four out of five digital payments in the country were conducted on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in the financial year 2024 (FY24), according to the Reserve Bank of India’s annual report.

UPI’s share, compared to the cumulative volume of digital payments in the country, has grown steadily from 73.4 per cent in FY23 to 79.7 per cent in FY24. In FY20, UPI’s share as compared to the volume of total digital payments in India was pegged at 36.8 per cent.

The RBI is actively promoting digital payments through various initiatives, including the “Har Payment Digital” campaign, which aims to make every person in India aware of digital payments.

RBI also allows flexibility in revising transaction limits for UPI in-person merchant payments, allowing NPCI to adjust limits based on user needs, with safeguards in place which has made the mode of payment more convenient.