Market analysts and brokerage firms have identified high-conviction trading ideas for the upcoming session, focusing heavily on the banking and metal sectors. While the consensus points to buying opportunities in state-owned lenders and steel majors, analysts have also flagged a selling opportunity in the credit card segment.

Banking Sector Recommendations

Indian Bank

Indian Bank emerged as a consensus top pick with two analysts recommending a buy. The stock attracted positive attention from multiple research houses with varying target prices and risk management levels.

Raja Venkatraman, Co-Founder of NeoTrader, advised buying the stock at ₹809.00 with a target of ₹825.00 and a stop loss of ₹798.00. Ruchit Jain, Vice President of Equity Technical Research at Motilal Oswal, was even more bullish, recommending a buy with a higher target of ₹840.00 and a stop loss placed at ₹787.00.

Bank of Baroda

Rajesh Palviya, SVP - Technical and Derivatives Research at Axis Securities, placed a buy rating on another public sector lender, Bank of Baroda. He recommended entering at ₹293.00 for a target of ₹300.00, with a stop loss maintained at ₹288.00.

Metal Sector Opportunities

SAIL

Palviya also identified value in the metal space, suggesting a buy on SAIL. He set a target price of ₹148.00, advising a stop loss at ₹137.00 for an entry price of ₹141.00.

JSW Steel

Continuing the bullish sentiment on metals, Vinay Rajani, Senior Technical & Derivative Analyst at HDFC Securities, recommended buying JSW Steel at ₹1,111.00. He set a target of ₹1,140.00, with a stop loss placed at ₹1,090.00.

Credit Card Sector Caution

SBI Cards

Bucking the trend of buy calls, Raja Venkatraman suggested a short position on SBI Cards. He recommended selling the stock at ₹846.00 for a target of ₹830.00, placing a stop loss at ₹855.00.

Trading Summary

The analyst recommendations span across key sectors with a clear preference for banking and metal stocks. The recommendations provide specific entry points, target prices, and risk management levels through stop-loss orders, offering traders structured approaches for the upcoming session.

South Indian Bank has announced the allotment of 1,06,226 equity shares under its SIBESOS Scheme-2008 on December 24, 2025. The allotment was made to eligible employees following the exercise of stock options, in compliance with SEBI regulations and the bank's employee stock option scheme.

Stock Option Exercise Details

The allotment comprised shares from four different tranches of the SIBESOS Scheme-2008, each with varying exercise prices and grant dates. The exercise generated a total consideration of ₹24,48,697.05 for the bank.

Impact on Share Capital

Following this allotment, South Indian Bank's issued and subscribed capital has increased to ₹261,71,54,187.00. The total number of outstanding equity shares now stands at 261,71,54,187 shares, each with a face value of ₹1.

Regulatory Compliance

The allotment was conducted under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. The bank has also complied with the provisions of the SEBI (Share Based Employee Benefit and Sweat Equity) Regulations, 2021. The Nomination and Remuneration Committee of the Board approved the allotment after receiving appropriate consideration from the eligible grantees.

Scheme Background

The SIBESOS Scheme-2008 is South Indian Bank's employee stock option scheme designed to incentivize and retain key personnel. The scheme allows eligible employees to purchase shares at predetermined exercise prices, typically set at the time of grant. The recent allotment represents the exercise of options granted across multiple tranches between 2023 and 2024, with exercise prices ranging from ₹20.00 to ₹27.14 per share.