IndusInd Bank, Airtel & RIL: What Gaurang Shah of Geojit Financial says on these 3 stocks

Gaurang Shah, Senior VP at Geojit Financial, said investors need to have an elevated risk appetite in the present situation. "My advice would be to avoid these external noises (tariff-centric) and focus and domestic events which are more positive for our economy and our stock market. What US President Donald Trump is doing in terms of tariffs, that particular impact on the negative side has also started to reflect on the US stock market and its economy," the market expert told Business Today on Wednesday.

When asked to share his view on crisis-hit IndusInd Bank Ltd, which recently flagged lapses worth over Rs 1,530 crore in its forex derivatives portfolio, Shah said, "It is not a small amount. They (the bank) are saying that it will be felt only in the fourth quarter. However, there will be an impact on the balance sheet, not only for the Q4 FY25 but in the coming quarters. The situation is still evolving with justifications and counter-justifications. In this kind of a situation, there are better banks to look at."

In response to a query on Bharti Airtel Ltd and Reliance Industries Ltd's (RIL)'s telecom arm Jio, the market veteran said, "We've been positive on both largest cellular providers, i.e. Airtel and Jio, which is a part of Reliance Industries. How this Starlink is going to work up that only future will tell us. With increasing subscriber database, consumption is going up. Last year, we saw one tariff hike and this year we may see one more hike."

Airtel has announced an agreement with Elon Musk-led SpaceX to bring Starlink's high-speed internet services to its customers in India. "This is the first agreement to be signed in India, which is subject to SpaceX receiving its own authorizations to sell Starlink in India. It enables Airtel and SpaceX to further explore how Starlink can complement and expand Airtel’s offerings, and how Airtel’s expertise in the Indian market complements SpaceX's direct offerings to consumers and businesses," Airtel stated.

Keeping up with the development, RIL's Jio Platforms Ltd today declared an agreement with SpaceX to offer Starlink's broadband internet services to its customers.

"This agreement, which is subject to SpaceX receiving its own authorizations to sell Starlink in India, enables Jio and SpaceX to explore how Starlink can extend Jio’s offerings and how Jio can complement SpaceX's direct offerings to consumers and businesses. Jio will make Starlink solutions available through its retail outlets as well as through its online storefronts," the Mukesh Ambani-led company said in a BSE filing.