MAM
Six key market trends to watch during the festive season
Mumbai: Elevated spirits, general optimism, and an auspicious period arrive with India’s festive season. Characterized by gift-giving and robust spending on travel and other discretionary items, the festive season marks a crucial period of the year where economic activity surges. Ever wondered what impact this time of the year may have on the country’s financial markets? With the advent of online trading platforms like Zerodha, Shoonya by Finvasia, Groww, Upstox, and many more, share market experiences have increasingly become accessible, and each day, more and more people take to the world of trading in hopes of generating wealth and building towards a financially secure future. Here, we take a look at six stock market trends that investors should watch out for, this festive season:
1. Increased Demand For Consumer Discretionary Stocks
Consumer discretionary stocks are those of companies that sell products and services that are not essential for everyday life, but are still in high demand during the festive season. Examples include companies that sell clothing, electronics, and home appliances.
Stocks of companies that sell products and services which may not be essential for everyday life, but still witness high demand during the festive season, are known as consumer discretionary stocks. These companies may be fashion clothing brands, electronic goods retailers, or retailers of other durables. Investors can expect to see increased demand for these stocks during the festive season, as consumers look to purchase new items for themselves and their loved ones.
2. Strong Performance By Small And Mid-Cap Stocks
Small and mid-cap stocks are often more undervalued than large-cap stocks and can offer better returns. During the festive season, small and mid-cap stocks can outperform large-cap stocks as institutional investors tend to focus on large-cap stocks. Investors should consider investing in a basket of small and mid-cap stocks during the festive season to maximize their returns. Platforms like Shoonya by Finvasia, a true-blue zero-brokerage trading platform, offer advanced AI-powered tools to help investors make enhanced trading decisions, increasing their chances of achieving long-term success.
3. Increased liquidity
Increased economic activity may lead to higher trading volumes during the festive season, further resulting in more liquidity in the financial markets. This means that it is easier for investors to buy and sell stocks, as there are more buyers and sellers in the market. This can be beneficial for investors who are looking to enter or exit positions quickly.
4. Sectoral rotation
During the festive season, investors may rotate from one sector to another, depending on their expectations for performance. For example, investors may shift from defensive sectors such as healthcare and utilities to more cyclical sectors such as consumer discretionary and industrials. Investors should carefully consider their investment goals and risk tolerance before making any sector bets.
5. Increased volatility
The increased trading volume and liquidity during the festive season can also lead to increased volatility in the stock market. This is because investors are more likely to react to news and events during this time, and there is more potential for price swings. Investors should be prepared for increased volatility during the festive season and use risk management strategies to protect their portfolios.
6. Special dividend announcements
Some companies may announce special dividends during the festive season to reward their shareholders. This can lead to a spike in the price of these stocks, as investors look to buy in before the dividend is paid out. Investors should be on the lookout for special dividend announcements during the festive season, but they should also carefully consider the company’s financial health and dividend payout history before making any investment decisions.
Conclusion
Before going all in on the festive season rush in hopes of lucrative returns, investors must take steps to ensure that they make well-informed decisions. Thorough research into the fundamentals of companies is imperative for investors, and they must diversify their portfolios to mitigate risks. Stop-loss orders and position sizing can be used through online trading platforms like Zerodha, Shoonya by Finvasia, Upstox, Angel One, etc. to deploy effective risk management strategies. As the festive season progresses, India’s financial markets present investors with opportunities like never before. With these trends in mind, investors can better position themselves to take advantage of opportunities and mitigate risks during the festive season in India.
MAM
India’s financial sector spent less on TV ads in 2025 but flooded the internet
Banks, insurers and lenders cut tv ads as digital jumps, LIC and Muthoot lead tv and Axis Bank tops online
MUMBAI: India’s banking, financial services and insurance sector, one of the most prolific advertisers in the country, delivered a split verdict on media in 2025. It spent less on television, held its nerve in print, turned up the volume on radio and deluged the internet with a ferocity that left every other medium looking pedestrian. The picture that emerges from TAM AdEx’s cross-media report for the BFSI sector is of an industry in transition, still wedded to the news bulletin but increasingly seduced by the algorithm.
Television: a retreat with caveats
TV ad volumes for the BFSI sector fell 16 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024, a sharp reversal after two years of consistent growth that had pushed volumes 16 per cent above 2021 levels by 2023 and a further 7 per cent higher by 2024. Within 2025 itself, the drop was concentrated in the middle of the year: the second and third quarters saw ad volumes slide 35 per cent each against the first quarter, with a partial recovery of 13 per cent in the fourth.
The retreat did not reshuffle the deck. Life insurance retained first place among TV categories with 19 per cent of ad volumes, mortgage loans held second with 16 per cent, and the top ten categories together accounted for 82 per cent of all BFSI television advertising. The dominance of news channels was equally pronounced: news claimed 68 per cent of ad volumes, general entertainment channels a distant 14 per cent and movies 12 per cent. Together, news and GEC captured 82 per cent of the sector’s television spend. News bulletins alone took 48 per cent of programme-genre volumes, with feature films second at 12 per cent. Prime time, between 6pm and 11pm, drew 34 per cent of ad volumes, followed by afternoon at 22 per cent and morning at 20 per cent. A full 82 per cent of all ads ran between 20 and 40 seconds.
Life Insurance Corporation of India was the sector’s biggest TV spender with 11 per cent of ad volumes. Muthoot Financial Enterprises came second with 9 per cent, followed by National Payments Corporation of India at 6 per cent, Tata AIG General Insurance at 5 per cent and State Bank of India at 5 per cent. The top ten advertisers together accounted for 51 per cent of total TV volumes. Three names were new to the top ten in 2025: Tata AIG General Insurance, IIFL Finance and Tata Capital. At brand level, Muthoot Finance Loan Against Gold led with 9 per cent share, Tata AIG Health Insurance entered the top ten for the first time, and the top ten brands together contributed 35 per cent of ad volumes.
Print: the long climb continues
Print told a different story. Ad space for the BFSI sector has grown every year since 2021, rising 16 per cent in 2022, 30 per cent in 2023, 51 per cent in 2024 and 64 per cent in 2025, all measured against a 2021 baseline. Within 2025, ad space was flat in the second quarter but surged 46 per cent in the third and 33 per cent in the fourth compared with the first. Life insurance led print categories with 21 per cent of ad space, followed by mutual funds and banking services and products at 13 per cent each, and corporate financial institutes at 11 per cent. The top ten categories together took 82 per cent of print ad space. LIC led print advertisers with 6 per cent share, and the top ten together covered just 19 per cent of ad space, a reflection of how fragmented print spending remains. Three new entrants joined the top ten in 2025, with Billion Brains Garage Ventures the only exclusive presence not seen in 2024’s list. In the top ten brands, LIC dominated with a 2 per cent share, while Nippon India Mutual Fund rose to third position from fourth in 2024. English accounted for 62 per cent of print ad space, Hindi for 20 per cent. Business and finance publications took 59 per cent of the genre split. The south zone led regional spending with 33 per cent of print ad space, Bangalore topping that zone, while New Delhi and Mumbai were the leading cities nationally.
Radio: louder than ever
Radio ad volumes for the BFSI sector have climbed steadily, rising 12 per cent above 2021 levels in 2023, 36 per cent in 2024 and 45 per cent in 2025. The quarterly pattern within 2025 was volatile: a sharp drop of 43 per cent in the second quarter and 42 per cent in the third, followed by a near-full recovery in the fourth. Life insurance led radio categories with 22 per cent of volumes, banking services and products second at 14 per cent and corporate NBFCs third at 11 per cent. LIC of India held its position as the leading radio advertiser with 20 per cent of ad volumes; the top ten radio advertisers together covered 69 per cent. Muthoot Financial Enterprises led radio brands with 10 per cent share, five of the top ten brands belonged to LIC alone, and SBI Mutual Fund made a remarkable leap to fifth position from 272nd in 2024. Evening and morning time-bands together captured 84 per cent of radio ad volumes, with evenings at 44 per cent and mornings at 40 per cent. Maharashtra was the leading state for radio BFSI advertising with 18 per cent share; Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh together accounted for 43 per cent.
Digital: the five-times surge
If one number defines the 2025 BFSI advertising story, it is five. Digital ad impressions for the sector multiplied fivefold between 2021 and 2025, having already doubled in 2023 and doubled again in 2024 before the 2025 leap. Within the year, impressions dipped 19 per cent in the second quarter and 12 per cent in the third before recovering 8 per cent above the first quarter by the fourth. Banking services and products led digital categories with 27 per cent of impressions, life insurance and credit cards tied at 19 per cent each, and securities and sharebroking organisations fell from first place in 2024 to fourth in 2025. Axis Bank was the runaway leader among digital advertisers with 12 per cent of impressions, followed by ICICI Bank at 9 per cent, IDFC First Bank at 7 per cent and Kotak Mahindra Bank at 6 per cent. The top ten digital advertisers covered 59 per cent of impressions, and seven of them were new entrants compared with 2024, signalling rapid churn in the digital spending hierarchy. At brand level, Axis Bank led with 9 per cent, ICICI HPCL Super Saver Credit Card vaulted to third place from 921st in 2024, and six of the top ten digital brands were new to the list. Programmatic buying accounted for 91 per cent of all digital BFSI transactions; combined with ad networks, it captured 96 per cent.
The data from TAM AdEx paints the portrait of a sector that still believes in the power of the television news bulletin to sell insurance to the masses, but increasingly knows that the next generation of borrowers, investors and cardholders is scrolling, not watching. The race is now on to reach them before the algorithm serves up someone else’s loan offer first.
