WEEK AHEAD · PLAYBOOK

Sunday Brief: The Week Ahead — Markets, Policy & Data Playbook

What to watch from Monday morning: macro signposts, sector triggers, portfolio tilts, and ops checklists.
By bataSutra Editorial · October 5, 2025
In this piece:
  • The short — 60-second brief
  • Macro & market map
  • Sector triggers & setups
  • Positioning tilts & risk bands
  • Ops checklists you can ship

The short

  • Rates: Policy pause is in; watch money-market liquidity prints and deposit pricing chatter.
  • Prices: Brent hovered mid-$60s last week; retail petrol/diesel bands steady; ATF/commercial LPG recently reset.
  • FX: INR stayed range-bound; importers hedge near payables, exporters ladder receivables.
  • Flows: Domestic SIPs remain the ballast; FPI appetite selective in financials/industrials.

Macro & market map

ThemeWatchWhy it mattersActionable
LiquidityShort-tenor rates, call/CBLO spreadsSignals funding cost for NBFCsFavor lenders with low wholesale mix
EnergyBrent trend, OMC pricing windowsDrives OMC marketing marginsBlend refining and marketing exposure
ExportsUSD/INR bands, freight indicesOrder profitability, realizationHedge ladders tied to shipments
Breadth% stocks above 50-DMA; A/D lineRisk appetite & rotationsFade froth in illiquid microcaps

Sector triggers & setups

Banks/Financials

  • Deposit repricing vs CASA stability; retail credit momentum into festival season.
  • Setup: Prefer lenders with OCF/EBITDA > 0.8 and low wholesale funding.

Capital Goods/Industrials

  • Orderbook conversion cadence; input spreads.
  • Setup: Diversified orderbooks with visibility > 1.5× revenue.

Autos

  • Festive dispatches, dealer inventory weeks, discount intensity.
  • Setup: Trim if inventory > 6 weeks; track mix shift to higher-margin variants.

FMCG

  • Input cost pass-through vs elasticity; rural recovery signs.
  • Setup: Favor staples with gross-margin buffers and D2C pilots.

IT Services

  • Large-deal TCV visibility; onsite mix and wage resets.
  • Setup: Stick to cost-takeout leaders; avoid premium without TCV proof.

Energy/OMCs

  • Marketing margin bands, GRMs, and timing of retail moves.
  • Setup: Balanced refining/marketing names; avoid chasing post-headline spikes.

Positioning tilts & risk bands

Tilt Overweight: Banks, Capital Goods. Neutral: Autos, Power, FMCG. Underweight: frothy discretionary mid/smallcaps, high-beta microcaps with weak OCF.
  • Cut exposure if a leader underperforms the Nifty by 5–7% over 4 weeks or net earnings revisions turn negative.
  • Size positions by float and daily turnover; avoid crowded, event-driven illiquidity.

Ops checklists you can ship

Procurement

  • Stagger buys in commodities with rising vol; use 30/60/90 ladders.
  • Insert fuel/freight pass-through clauses in vendor contracts.

Treasury

  • Map FX hedges to shipment/payment dates; avoid single-maturity bulges.
  • Keep liquidity buffers for quarter-end working capital spikes.