Indian equities were under heavy selling pressure around midday on March 13 as geopolitical conflict across West Asia continued to rattle investor confidence. The Nifty 50 was hovering below 23,200 while the Sensex had plunged as much as 1,400 points intra-day. 

While the fall is broad-based and huge, several individual counters have seen even larger fall. 

Here are the top movers and shakers at this hour:

Metal stocks

Nifty Metal declined 4.57% to 11,321.65, down 542.25 points. Irrespective of the surge in global risk and escalation in the Hormuz conflict, key metal stocks saw a sharp decline. Starting from precious metals like gold and silver to base metals like copper, aluminium, and zinc, they have seen sharp corrections. Concerns about the next Fed chairman and the dollar’s rebound have kept sentiment muted globally.

Surya Roshni fell 6.49%, Sunflag Iron & Steel Company 6.46%, Jindal Steel 6.33%, Welspun Corp 5.88%, Jai Balaji Industries 5.76%, Godawari Power & Ispat 5.25%, Lloyds Metals & Energy 5.11%, Shree Precoated Steels 5.00%, Prakash Industries 4.89%, Tata Steel 4.78%, Steel Authority of India (SAIL) 4.65%, Kalyani Steels 4.63%, KIOCL 4.57%, APL Apollo Tubes 4.56%, Vardhman Special Steels 4.18%, Jindal Saw 4.17%, JTL Industries 4.15%, Rama Steel Tubes 4.06%, Lloyds Engineering Works 4.01%, Man Industries (India) 4.00%, JSW Steel 3.86%, Venus Pipes & Tubes 3.86%, Bharat Wire Ropes 3.75%, Jindal Stainless 3.68%, Rajratan Global Wire 3.60%, Aeroflex Enterprises 3.25%, Usha Martin 3.14%, NMDC Steel 3.11%, Sarda Energy & Minerals 2.88%, Gallantt Ispat 2.84%, Aeroflex Industries 2.66%, Goodluck India 2.66%, Kirloskar Ferrous Industries 2.38%, and Maharashtra Seamless 2.12%.

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Auto stocks

Auto stocks extended their decline for a third straight session on Friday, dragged by concerns over a spike in crude oil prices and disruptions in liquefied natural gas supplies amid escalating geopolitical tensions. 

The Nifty Auto index fell 3.6 per cent during the session and was trading at around 24,188.

Force Motors 4.61%, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles 4.58%, Ashok Leyland 4.26%, BEML 4.20%, Sanghvi Movers and Atul Auto 3.98% each, Escorts Kubota 3.87%, Hero MotoCorp 3.62%, TVS Motor Company 3.57%, BSE Auto 3.45%, Eicher Motors 3.43%, Tube Investments of India 3.32%, Maruti Suzuki India 3.29%, Bajaj Auto 3.28%, Mahindra & Mahindra 3.13%, VST Tillers Tractors 3.09%, Action Construction Equipment 2.64%, and SML Mahindra 2.63%.

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ACME Solar Holdings

ACME Solar share price rose about 6.43% by midday in a falling market after the company announced the commissioning of a battery energy storage system in Rajasthan.

The project involves a 142.67 MW battery energy storage system that forms part of the company’s broader plan to build about 585 MW of storage capacity through multiple special purpose vehicles. These facilities will be connected to the Inter-State Transmission System and will operate on a merchant basis, generating revenue during peak and off-peak demand periods.

The company has issued several operational updates in recent days, including commissioning of a 4 MW wind project on March 9, the third phase of a 19 MW battery storage plant on March 11, and the second phase of another 33.335 MW storage facility in Rajasthan. ACME Solar also signed a 450 MW power purchase agreement with SJVN.

Power generation stocks: NTPC Green Energy, Adani Power

Shares of power producers are under pressure after the recent surge. NTPC Green Energy share price declined about 2.55% by midday. Adani Power share price was down around 1.07%%.

Heatwave conditions have begun appearing across several regions. The India Meteorological Department has issued heatwave warnings for isolated pockets in Mumbai and expects temperatures in Delhi to reach around 36°C, above the seasonal average. Rajkot in Gujarat recorded temperatures of about 42°C earlier this week.

Avenue Supermarts (DMart)

Avenue Supermarts share price was down about 1.34% by midday. Despite the decline during the session, the stock has remained resilient in recent weeks compared with the broader market.

Data show that the company’s shares have risen more than 3% over the past five sessions and about 2% over the past month, even as the benchmark NIFTY 50 index has dropped roughly 1.6% during the past week and more than 8% over the past 30 days.

The stock has been supported by continued store expansion. The retailer recently announced the opening of two new stores at Bavdhan in Pune and at Chilakaluripeta in Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh, taking the total store count to 463. Earlier this month the company opened another outlet in Ullal, Karnataka and added eight stores across locations including Gujarat, Goa, Punjab, Telangana, Karnataka, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

In its latest financial update, Avenue Supermarts reported consolidated net profit of Rs 855.78 crore for the December quarter, up 18.28% from Rs 723.54 crore a year earlier. Revenue from operations rose to Rs 18,100.88 crore compared with Rs 15,972.55 crore in the same period last year. The board has also approved the appointment of Anshul Asawa as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director from April 1, 2026.

Smart meter companies: Genus Power, HPL Electric, ITI, Adani Energy Solutions

Shares of smart meter companies were in focus after a parliamentary panel called for urgent steps to accelerate the rollout of smart electricity meters across the country.

Genus Power Infrastructures share price was down about 2.93% by midday.

HPL Electric & Power share price fell around 3.43%.

ITI share price declined about 4.98%.

Adani Energy Solutions share price slipped roughly 0.64%.

The Eleventh Report of the Parliamentary Committee on Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Power pointed out that the government’s target of installing 25 crore smart meters by March 2025 remains far from being achieved. As of February 15, 2026, only 5.83 crore meters had been installed.

Although the installation pace has reached roughly 1,35,000 units per day, the committee noted that the current rate may still be insufficient to bridge the gap before the revised timeline of March 2028. The panel also highlighted consumer complaints related to billing inaccuracies, data migration errors, privacy concerns and frequent meter replacements.

Kitchen appliance makers: Stove Kraft, TTK Prestige, Butterfly Gandhimathi

Kitchen appliance companies remained in focus amid continued disruptions in LPG supply linked to tensions in the Gulf region.

Stove Kraft share price was down about 3.04% by midday after a sharp rally in earlier sessions.

TTK Prestige share price was up roughly 5.91%.

Butterfly Gandhimathi share price gained around 5.45%.

Supply constraints in natural gas and LPG have intensified after the escalation of the United States–Iran conflict and concerns surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy trade route. India imports nearly 85–90% of its LPG requirements from Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The supply disruption has prompted households and commercial establishments to look for alternatives such as induction cooktops and pressure cookers. Induction stoves operate on electricity, while pressure cookers reduce cooking time and gas consumption, which can lower reliance on LPG when availability becomes uncertain.

Government officials have said there is no need for panic booking of LPG cylinders, noting that deliveries are continuing through alternative shipping routes.

Oil marketing companies: Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum

Oil marketing companies remained under pressure as crude oil prices surged amid fears of prolonged disruption in global energy supply.

Indian Oil Corporation share price fell about 2.60% by midday.

Bharat Petroleum share price declined around 2.05%.

Oil prices have risen sharply after military strikes involving the United States and Israel against Iran led to retaliatory action from Tehran. Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has warned that the Strait of Hormuz could remain closed, describing it as a strategic pressure point. The waterway is a crucial channel for global oil trade, and any prolonged disruption could have major implications for supply.

IFCI

IFCI share price was up about 5.49% by midday following news related to the National Stock Exchange’s upcoming initial public offering.

The exchange has reportedly appointed 20 merchant bankers and eight law firms to work on the IPO. IFCI holds a 52.86% stake in Stock Holding Corporation of India, which in turn owns around 4.4% of NSE. The development has triggered renewed interest in IFCI shares, as investors reassessed the potential value linked to the exchange’s public listing.