Copper rally lifts Hindustan Copper, Russia-Ukraine peace talks gain traction, top 2026 stock calls & more

Hindustan Copper market cap crosses ₹50,000 crore as stock gains for seventh day
Shares of Hindustan Copper Ltd. gained for the seventh straight day on Monday, December 29, as copper prices continued to scale new peaks in the global markets. Global Copper prices are now near the $13,000 mark on the London Metals Exchange as trading resumed after the Christmas holiday. Copper prices also rose 7% in early trade.

There is a fear that US will impose import tariffs on Copper soon, sparking a possible rush of the metal to the US. This, along with unplanned mine outages are driving prices higher. Shares of Hindustan Copper are now trading 8.5% higher on Monday at ₹516.3. The stock is trading at levels last seen in March 2010.

Silver rally driven by physical shortage, not speculation: Peter McGuire
The most compelling signal behind silver’s explosive rally is not speculative frenzy but a genuine physical shortage, according to Peter McGuire, Chief Executive Officer of trading.com.

McGuire pointed to a striking imbalance at the London Bullion Market, which holds around $700 billion worth of gold for liquidity purposes but has “not a single ounce” of silver available for similar events. He attributed the shortage to decades of underinvestment in capital expenditure. He said the recent 10–15% rally in precious metals has caught many by surprise, with silver already up nearly 175–180% year-to-date.

Trump meets Zelenskyy after 60-minute Putin call, says Russia and Ukraine want peace
Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Mar-a-Lago, saying both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin want the war to end. Trump said he spoke with Putin by phone for more than an hour before the meeting and planned another call afterwards, adding that both leaders ultimately seek peace, however difficult the path appears.

Zelenskyy said territorial concessions, long considered a red line, would be discussed, noting negotiators from both sides had mapped out step-by-step ideas to move talks forward. He said discussions would continue during the meeting in Florida

, aiming to bring peace closer through practical sequencing. Russia intensified strikes ahead of the talks. Officials reported three guided aerial bombs hit private homes in Sloviansk, injuring three and killing one resident.

Shareholder Lock-In: 13 Companies to see shares worth $6 billion free up for trade this week
As many as 13 companies will see their respective shareholder lock-in period end in the upcoming week, which will be the final three days of 2025 and the first two days of the new year. The 13 companies will see shares worth nearly ₹55,000 crore or $6 billion, free up for trade, according to Nuvama Alternative & Quantitative Research, of which, a majority share is from one company, HDB Financial Services.

Other companies that are a part of this list, include Ventive Hospitality, Glottis, Ellenbarrie Industrial Gases, Akme Fintrade, Kalpataru, Allied Blenders & Distillers, Epack Prefab, Pace Digiteck, Jain Resource Recycling, Jinkushal Industries, TruAlt Bioenergy, and All Time Plastics.

Morgan Stanley says these are top stock picks in 2026, including Nvidia
Morgan Stanley named several stocks that are best positioned going in to 2026. The Wall Street investment bank said companies such as Nvidia are its top ideas for next year.

Other overweight-rated names screened by CNBC Pro include: Western Digital, Spotify and Palo Alto Networks. Spotify is firing on all cylinders, Morgan Stanley said. Analyst Benjamin Swinburne said the audio streamer and podcast platform has a unique combination of AI usage and growth upside.

Bank of Japan hints at further hikes in interest rates, say real rate 'lowest globally'
During a meeting earlier this month where officials hiked the benchmark rate, some members of the Bank of Japan's board indicated that the country's real interest rate is still very low and that more hikes are probably in store.

One of the nine board members stated during the two-day meeting that ended on December 19 that "Japan's real policy interest rate is by far at the lowest level globally," according to a report of the talks made public on Monday. Citing the effect of currency fluctuations on prices, the member stated, "It is appropriate for the Bank to adjust the degree of monetary accommodation."

DAC likely to approve ₹80,000-crore defence procurement proposals today
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is likely to take up and approve defence procurement proposals worth around ₹80,000 crore when it meets on Monday, December 29. The meeting, to be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is expected to consider emergency procurement of key weapons and military equipment, potentially expediting fresh orders for the defence sector.

Among the key items on the agenda are proposals for Embraer-based Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems and the integration of the indigenous NETRA AEW system, reports said.

Gold prices near all-time high: Factors shaping the next rally
Gold prices remained near all-time high levels amid sustained expectations of interest rate cuts by major central banks, particularly the US Federal Reserve, even as short-term volatility persists across global markets.

Internationally, gold eased nearly 1% an ounce in the latest session but continued to trade close to all-time high, supported by a weaker dollar, safe-haven demand and growing confidence that the Federal Reserve will begin easing monetary policy in 2026. The dollar has hovered near a three-month low, reinforcing bullion’s appeal as a non-yielding asset.

Louis Gerstner, CEO credited with turning around IBM, dies at 83
Louis Gerstner, who took over International Business Machines Corp. when it was on its deathbed and resuscitated it as a technology industry leader, died Saturday. He was 83.

IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna announced Gerstner’s death in an email sent Sunday to its employees but didn’t provide a cause of death. Gerstner’s nine-year tenure as chairman and CEO of the company known as “Big Blue” is often used as a case study in corporate leadership.

Auto demand holds firm in December as four-wheelers drive growth
Domestic auto demand remained healthy in December 2025, with the VAHAN registration data pointing to another month of broad-based strength across segments.

Registrations for the December 1–28, 2025 period, rose 9% year-on-year, led by strong performance in passenger vehicles (PV), commercial vehicles (CV) and three-wheelers, while two-wheelers continued to lag. The divergence between four-wheelers and two-wheelers became more pronounced in December.

Passenger vehicle registrations have seen a 15% growth from the previous year, while commercial vehicle registrations may report a growth in registration of nearly 16%.

Coforge shares see sharp swings on Encora acquisition; Analysts stay skeptical
Shares of Coforge Ltd., which had declined 11% in the last three sessions, gained over 2% in early trading on Monday, December 29, in response to the mega Encora acquisition that the company announced after market hours on Friday. However, the stock gave up gains soon after, only to recover those losses and see gains again.

Coforge will fund the $1.89 billion equity portion via preferential allotment of shares, giving Encora shareholders (including Advent International and Warburg Pincus) about 20% stake in the expanded company. Additional funding may include a bridge loan or QIP up to $550 million.