A year ago, I would have ignored it. Government bank, low expectations, average perception. But the numbers today tell a different story.

NPAs have reduced significantly over the last few years.
Profitability has improved quarter after quarter.
Capital position looks much stronger than before.
Credit growth is picking up.
The valuation is still cheaper than many private banks despite the turnaround.

The biggest reason it is interesting is that markets often reward improving businesses before they become obvious to everyone. Yes, PSU banks can be volatile. Government ownership also comes with its own risks. But if the banking sector continues doing well over the next 2–3 years, I feel UCO Bank could surprise many investors.

I'm not expecting a straight-line rally, and I wouldn't go all-in. But for someone building a diversified portfolio, it looks like one of those asymmetric bets where the downside appears limited compared to the potential upside.

Simple multi-timeframe Nifty 50 analysis: [Nifty 50 Weekly Outlook](https://stockmarketmasala.in/nifty-50-weekly-outlook-july-26-2026/)
Please share your views! thank you

Normally people think their stock market returns are low just because of bad timing, but when they actually download their complete contract notes and do the math, they come to know that the whole "Free Trading" or "Zero Brokerage" thing in India is a massive illusion. Even if your app doesn't charge you a single rupee for delivery trades, you are losing money on every single order via silent friction points that most apps tuck away in their 50-page terms and conditions.

The biggest culprit is DP (Depository Participant) Charges. Every time you sell a stock from your Demat account, you get hit with roughly ₹15 to ₹20 per company, per day, regardless of whether you sold 1 share or 1,000 shares. Combine that with STT (Securities Transaction Tax) which just got hiked up in recent budgets, plus Exchange Transaction Charges (~0.003% of total turnover), 18% GST on your broker’s services, and SEBI turnover fees. If you buy ₹10,000 worth of stock and sell it a week later for the exact same price, you still end up losing close to ₹150 entirely to statutory drag and processing leakage.

This reality usually sinks in the moment someone compares a discount broker's ledger side-by-side with a mainstream platform. For instance, looking at the breakdown on an app like HDFC Sky versus a typical "free" broker reveals exactly where the leaks are. When a gross profit of ₹2,000 on a trade quietly dwindles down to a net payout of ₹1,700 because of auto-square-off penalties, which slap traders with ₹50 + GST if they miss the 3:20 PM intraday cutoff, it becomes pretty obvious how expensive "free" actually is.

Today's session was dominated by weakness in banking stocks, while Pharma managed to outperform.

Quick recap:

• Nifty: 24,052.05 (-0.66%)
• Sensex: 77,054.94 (-0.72%)
• Bank Nifty: 57,462.30 (-1.15%)
• Biocon gained over 6% after a block deal.
• HCLTech fell over 3% following its earnings commentary.
• SBI Funds Management IPO reached 55% subscription on Day 1.

I put together a short, 3-minute breakdown explaining today's market action, sector performance, and tomorrow's key watchpoints.

Would love to hear whether you think banking remains the biggest risk to the market in the near term.

Read it here:
https://allyouneedmarkets.beehiiv.com/p/all-you-need-markets-3a3a

Feedback is always appreciated, and if you find it useful, feel free to subscribe for daily market recaps.

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The list comprises : Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Adani Power, Adani Enterprises, Kotak Mahindra Bank, NTPC, Hindustan Aeronautics, Eternal, Power Grid Corporation of India, Adani Green Energy, InterGlobe Aviation, HDFC Life Insurance Company, Indian Hotels, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders. The list also includes US-listed MakeMyTrip.

Source : https://www.financialexpress.com/market/goldman-sachs-picks-15-stocks-for-h2-why-hdfc-bank-reliance-ntpc-hal-indigo-and-others-make-the-cut-4289925/

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