$SAIL

Next week’s focus is India’s Q1 earnings season and upcoming CPI and WPI inflation releases. The article cites BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 gains and highlights stocks to watch: HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank, Central Bank of India, Punjab & Sind Bank, Dabur, Godrej Consumer Products, Tata Steel, Coal India, SAIL, Sobha, Oberoi Realty, Brigade, DLF, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, and HCL Tech.

India’s Nifty Metal index fell for a second straight session, down about 1% on Friday and 2.7% over two days, after a near 1.7% intraday drop. Losers included NALCO, SAIL, Hindalco, Hindustan Copper and Hindustan Zinc, down roughly 4% to 10%. NALCO slid to ₹377.15, down 10.2% in two sessions, amid reports Norsk Hydro’s Alunorte output rose. Analysts attributed the move to profit-taking.

India’s Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, after Lok Sabha approval, with Rajya Sabha passage on Thursday. The law limits states’ ability to impose mineral-right taxes and bars recovery of unpaid or unrecovered retrospective levies after a 2024 Supreme Court ruling. Coal India and SAIL subsidiaries face reduced retrospective tax risk; mineral-rich states like Jharkhand may lose potential revenue.

Steel Authority of India (SAIL) shares fell near Rs 170 after the NSE placed the stock on the F&O ban list, limiting new futures and options positions. Reports said SAIL may consider raising capital via an FPO or QIP, with exchange queries pending management confirmation. For FY ending Mar 2026, SAIL reported Rs 110,810.84 crore revenue and Rs 2,947.41 crore net profit.

Deutsche Bank upgraded Palantir (PLTR) to Buy, keeping a $200 target, citing an “exceptional” Q2. Oppenheimer upgraded Inspire Medical (INSP) to Outperform with an $85 target. UBS upgraded BBB Foods (TBBB) to Buy, $51 target. Several others were upgraded or downgraded ahead of earnings or on guidance, including Walmart (WMT) to Perform and Apple (AAPL) to Hold.

SailPoint (Nasdaq: SAIL) announced a unified “Identity Security” offering for human, non-human, and AI agent identities. It combines generally available SailPoint Agentic Fabric and SailPoint Human Fabric, aiming for continuous discovery, governance, and protection. SailPoint cites research that 97% of AI agents access sensitive data. The solution is available in Agentic Business and Plus suites.

According to SAIL, its Rourkela Steel Plant’s Hot Strip Mill-2 achieved a record monthly rolling of 248,500 tonnes in coil weight in July 2026, up from 247,994 tonnes in March 2026. The Sheet Shearing Line also set a record 32,434 tonnes in July 2026. SAIL said conversion improved to 89% in the last quarter from 86% a year earlier.

Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) will auction 7,210 tonnes of crude coal tar in early August. IISCO Steel Plant offers 4,260 t on 4 Aug, Bokaro 960 t on 5 Aug, and Bhilai 1,990 t on 7 Aug. A 27 July Bhilai auction failed to conclude, with a base price of INR 56,000/t. NMDC Nagarnar sold 1,000 t on 23 July at INR 55,000/t WAP. Market expects prices to soften due to weak monsoon demand and cautious buying.

Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) reported a sharp year-on-year profit rise in Q1 FY27, citing financial discipline, operational efficiency and strategic investments. The company said it invested Rs 2,575 crore versus Rs 2,306 crore planned, improved finished steel mix to 89% and raised iron ore sales 269% y/y.

SailPoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: SAIL) announced a new SailPoint Cursor Enterprise connector to integrate with Cursor’s coding agent platform. The connector is intended to let organizations govern both human engineers and autonomous AI background agents via SailPoint Atlas, aiming to apply least-privilege access policies to AI-driven software development. The connector is available now.