Asian Paints shares surge nearly 6%, the most since March on oil drop, festive season

Shares of Asian Paints Ltd

., India's largest paints manufacturer, surged up to 6% on Friday, October 17, marking the stock's biggest single-day gain since March this year.

The rally was driven by a combination of global and domestic factors. Oil prices dropped over 1% on Thursday after US President Donald Trump announced that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to meet in Hungary soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, creating expectations of reduced geopolitical risk and uncertainty in global energy markets.

The meeting date was not disclosed, and this announcement came a day before Trump was scheduled to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Domestically, positive signals emerged from Asian Paints' Managing Director and CEO, Amit Syngle, who, in a recent interaction with CNBC-TV18, spoke about early signs of demand recovery.

He said, "In Q1, we observed early recovery in urban centres, while the rural economy has been performing well. We've had a good monsoon overall. Though the festive season is shorter this year, we're optimistic due to new finishes, launches, and marketing campaigns. We expect this to drive a focused but strong recovery."

For the festive season, Asian Paints is focusing on reviving urban demand, particularly in the premium and luxury segments.

Investors are also positioning themselves ahead of the company's Q2 FY26 earnings announcement on November 12, 2025. On the same day, the board will review the declaration of an interim dividend, further fueling market interest.

Earlier, brokerage firm ICICI Securities had said that the paint industry is expected to witness a cyclical recovery in H2 FY26 and FY27. The brokerage maintained a positive outlook, retaining an 'Add' rating on all five paint companies under its coverage.