Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has witnessed a significant erosion of Rs 1.45 lakh crore in its equity holdings in the first two months of 2025. This sharp decline reflects the broader market downturn, impacting major holdings such as ITC, TCS, and SBI, among others.

Christopher Wood, of Jefferies, remains bullish on India s long-term growth despite recent tactical portfolio adjustments due to high valuations and liquidity tightening. He highlights factors such as increased equity supply and tighter monetary policies contributing to the recent market correction.

Mayuresh Joshi from William O’Neil India highlights a selective market recovery, with rural-focused sectors, hospitals, and certain banks leading. Agrochemicals and rural themes, along with Kotak Mahindra Bank, are identified as potential early winners. He emphasizes earnings performance as a key recovery driver, especially for fertilizer companies and tractor manufacturers showing strong sales.

Mayuresh Joshi from Marketsmith India sees potential in rural themes, hospitals, and selective banks like Kotak Bank. IRCTC has growth prospects with increased travel activity, despite past financial underperformance. Aviation and hotel sectors are also expected to perform well, with stable crude prices benefiting aviation stocks and hotels adopting asset-light models to enhance growth and profitability.

Chakri Lokapriya highlights opportunities in the defence sector due to increased European defence budgets and recommends Bharat Electronics and Hindustan Aeronautics. He sees potential in UltraTech and Ambuja in the cement sector and suggests investing in PSU banks, with optimism for a recovery in urban consumption and capex in financials. He advises caution in the metal sector.

Axis Securities recommends a buy on Hero MotoCorp, targeting Rs 5,285 from its current price of Rs 3,690. Hero s 2030 strategy focuses on core business, premium segment, EVs, and revenue diversification. Recent product launches and a richer product mix have boosted EBITDA. Promoters hold 34.74% stake as of December 2024, while FIIs own 27.95%.

RBL Bank share price: RBL Bank has reshuffled its leadership team, appointing Narendra Agrawal as President & Head of Branch Banking and Retail Liabilities, and T.S. Pari as Chief Operations Officer (COO). This restructuring aims to bolster its retail banking business and streamline operations.

Our disciplined stock selection—prioritizing management strength, strong balance sheets and sustainable earnings—helped generate substantial alpha

Ashish Gupta of Axis Mutual Fund emphasizes the need for confidence in order book to revenue conversion for select companies. He mentions increased allocation to financial services and healthcare and highlights attractive valuations in PSU utilities while advising caution on sectors affected by potential tariff changes.