Buy or sell: Gift Nifty signals gap-up start | Vaishali Parekh recommends three stocks to buy today — 24 August 2026

Buy or sell indicator, 24 August 2026: The key benchmark indices of the Indian stock market are set to begin the week on a cautious note as persistent tensions in the Middle East and elevated crude oil prices continue to temper risk appetite. Early indications from GIFT Nifty futures, trading around 24,350 range against the Nifty's previous close of 24,252, suggest a largely flat to marginally positive start for domestic equities.

Gift Nifty signals a gap-up start

The Gift Nifty live index is trading around 24,350 after opening at 24.283. The index has been trading at higher levels after hitting an intraday high of 24,373.

Vaishali Parekh, Vice President — Technical Research at Prabhudas Lilladher, believes the Indian stock market may have a positive start on Monday, as the Gift Nifty live index is trading upside by around 75 points against its previous close. She said the index is trading nearly 100 points higher than Friday's spot Nifty 50 close of 24,252.

Stock market today

Speaking on the outlook for the Nifty 50 today, Vaishali Parekh said the 50-stock index witnessed a range-bound session, hovering near the 24,250 level and sustaining above the important 50-EMA in the 24,200 zone, with a cautiously positive bias maintained as of now.

“The Nifty 50 index would have the important resistance hurdle of the 24,400 zone, which needs to be breached decisively to establish conviction and thereafter, expect a fresh upward move in the coming days. The 24000 level shall be the near-term important support which needs to be sustained to maintain the overall bias intact,” said Parekh.

On the outlook of the Bank Nifty today, Prabhudas Lilladher said, the key benchmark index witnessed some revival, sustaining above the important 200-period MA at the 57,500 zone and closed above the 57,700 level with bias slightly improving and would need a decisive breakthrough above the tough resistance hurdle of the 58,500 zone to establish conviction and thereafter, anticipate a fresh upward move in the coming days.

Vaishali Parekh's stock recommendations for today

Explaining the buy-or-sell indicator for the intraday traders, Vaishali Parekh recommended three stocks to buy today: Wockhardt, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Power Grid Corporation.

1] Wockhardt: Buy at ₹1886, Target ₹1970, Stop Loss ₹1850;

2] Kotak Mahindra Bank: Buy at ₹402.80, Target ₹416, Stop Loss ₹395; and

3] Power Grid Corporation: Buy at ₹272.40, Target ₹287, Stop Loss ₹266.

Disclaimer: This story is for educational and informational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified financial experts before making any investment decisions.