The shares of Yes Bank jumped around 3% to hit a fresh 52-week high on Thursday, as the stock extended a 16% rally over five straight sessions.

The sharp surge in Yes Bank shares over the past five days has added more than Rs 8,662 crore to the company’s market capitalisation, bringing it to nearly Rs 80,912 crore on Thursday. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 25.78 apiece today, skyrocketing 50% in less than three months after hitting a 52-week low of Rs 17.20 apiece in March this year.

The sharp rally in Yes Bank’s share price began after the lender announced a strategic partnership with Northern Arc Capital aimed at expanding access to credit, scaling digital lending and offering debt investment opportunities to customers. The stock has gained 15% in one week, 17% in one month and 19% in 2026 so far. In the longer term, the stock gained 56% in three years and 85% in five years.

Also read: Yes Bank partners with Northern Arc to extend lending offerings

Technical view on Yes Bank

Analysts hold a ‘Sell’ call on the shares of Yes Bank, according to LSEG data on the mean recommendation of 11 analysts. The stock currently has a P/E ratio of around 23x and is trading as one of the top gainers on the Nifty Bank index today.

Yes Bank’s technical setup has improved, but the risk-reward is no longer as comfortable as it was near the lower end of the range, said Harshal Dasani, Business Head, INVasset PMS. “The stock has seen a sharp short-term move, supported by stronger volumes and a breakout above the earlier supply zone around Rs 24. That confirms better momentum and suggests that the market is no longer treating the stock as purely range-bound. The RSI moving into the stronger zone also shows that buyers have control for now,” he said.
The issue is that the stock is already approaching an important resistance band around Rs 26, where supply can re-emerge, according to the analyst, who added that a clean close above this zone would strengthen the breakout structure and may extend the recovery, but failure to sustain there could lead to consolidation or profit-taking. “The Rs 23 to Rs 24 band is now the key support area. As long as the stock holds above it, the short-term structure remains constructive. A breach of that band would weaken the move and suggest that this was more of a momentum-led bounce than a durable trend reversal. The honest view is balanced: the chart has improved, but the next leg needs confirmation, not assumption,” he said.Also read: Vedanta Aluminium vs Power vs Oil & Gas vs Iron & Steel; which stock should you buy?

Yes Bank Q4 snapshot

Yes Bank reported a 45% year-on-year (YoY) rise in net profit to Rs 1,068 crore for the January-March quarter of FY26. Its net interest income during the quarter under review grew 16% YoY to Rs 2,638 crore.

Net interest margin (NIM) gained 20 bps to 2.7% while asset quality improved. Gross non-performing assets (NPA) ratio declined 30 bps YoY to 1.3%, while net NPA ratio declined 10 bps to 0.2%.

Also read: Yes Bank Q4 Results

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

SAN FRANCISCO — Anthropic’s popular Claude AI chatbot faced intermittent service disruptions affecting users worldwide, with reports of elevated error rates across its platforms prompting questions about infrastructure capacity amid surging demand.

Users attempting to access Claude via claude.ai and associated services encountered issues ranging from slow responses to complete unavailability. Downdetector and social media platforms saw spikes in complaints, with many noting problems specifically with models like Claude Opus.

Anthropic’s official status page confirmed investigations into elevated errors, marking one of several incidents reported in recent weeks. The company has attributed such disruptions to demand outpacing current infrastructure capabilities as adoption of the AI assistant grows rapidly.

The latest reported problems affected core services including the web interface, API and Claude Code. While some outages resolved relatively quickly after fixes were deployed, the frequency has raised concerns among developers and enterprise users reliant on the platform for daily workflows.

Anthropic has not issued a detailed public statement on the most recent incidents beyond status updates. Previous outages have been resolved within hours, with the company monitoring systems and implementing adjustments.

The disruptions come as Claude continues gaining traction as a competitor to other leading AI models. Anthropic has positioned the chatbot as a helpful and reliable assistant, but repeated service interruptions have tested user patience and highlighted challenges in scaling large language models.

Industry analysts point to the “success tax” faced by popular AI services, where rapid user growth strains backend systems. Similar issues have affected other providers during peak demand periods.

For individual users, outages mean temporary inability to generate text, analyze data or engage in conversations with the AI. Enterprise customers with API integrations have reported workflow interruptions, particularly in coding and content creation tasks.

Anthropic has expanded capacity in recent months but faces ongoing pressure to match demand. The company has invested heavily in compute resources while emphasizing responsible development practices.

Social media reactions reflected a mix of frustration and understanding. Users shared screenshots of error messages, with hashtags like #ClaudeDown trending during peak disruption times. Some expressed sympathy for the engineering challenges involved.

The outages have renewed discussions about AI reliability and the need for redundancy in critical applications. Businesses increasingly depend on these tools for productivity, making consistent uptime essential.

Anthropic’s status page remains the primary source for real-time updates. Users experiencing problems are advised to check there before reporting issues through other channels.

This is not the first time Claude has encountered widespread problems. Earlier incidents in June followed patterns of elevated errors during high-traffic periods, often resolving after targeted fixes.

Experts suggest that as AI adoption accelerates, service providers will need robust failover systems and transparent communication to maintain trust. Anthropic has committed to improving stability while continuing model development.

For now, affected users may need to rely on alternative AI tools or wait for resolution. The company typically provides follow-up reports once normal operations resume.

The situation underscores broader challenges in the AI industry as it balances innovation with operational reliability. Companies like Anthropic are navigating unprecedented demand while upholding safety and performance standards.

An extended summer and the possibility of hotter-than-usual weather due to El Niño are expected to provide a boost to India’s room air conditioner (RAC) market. However, the industry is unlikely to witness the 20-25% growth that many had anticipated at the beginning of the season, primarily because dealers have remained conservative in stocking inventory.

According to Praveen Sahay, PL Capital while consumer demand at the secondary level has been encouraging since mid-April, weak primary sales have prevented the industry from fully capitalising on the seasonal opportunity.

Secondary Demand Strong, But Primary Sales Lag
Sahay noted that channel checks indicate healthy off-take at the retail level throughout May, but manufacturers have not seen a proportional increase in shipments to dealers.”On the RAC, we did a channel check recently, and definitely the secondary demand has been very good post-15th April throughout May. That led to good traction at the secondary level. However, we also got to know that the primary sales have not been as expected, even though the summer is continuing. Expectations were for nearly 20-25% growth, but that is not happening at the primary level because inventory in the channel was lower. Dealers were not very enthusiastic about the extended or harsh summer in terms of building inventories.”

He added that the industry’s volume growth has remained below expectations.
“Nearly around 15% growth is what we had envisaged based on our channel checks as well as data published by secondary sources, so that is below expectations.”
El Niño Could Extend the Seasonal Boost
Although the first quarter may not deliver the anticipated growth, Sahay believes the extended summer could benefit the industry during the traditionally weaker second quarter.

He expects RAC sales to recover to around 58 lakh units in the first quarter, compared with approximately 51 lakh units last year, but does not foresee volumes exceeding that level.

“Coming to the El Niño impact, it may extend the summer, especially into July. Q2 is usually a lean quarter for RACs. In good years, the industry sold nearly 17-18 lakh RAC units in the secondary market, while last year it was around 15 lakh. We expect that, with the El Niño impact, sales may reach 18 lakh. Altogether, Q1 and Q2 growth would be nearly around 17% plus, not the 20-25% that was expected.”

He also pointed out that performance differs significantly across brands.

“Brand-to-brand, these numbers are varying. Some companies are very aggressive and are doing very well in terms of volumes, and one of them is Voltas right now.”

Partial Price Hikes Could Squeeze Margins
While inflationary pressures and rising commodity costs prompted manufacturers to announce price increases, Sahay said only part of those hikes has been implemented because of intense competition and soft consumer sentiment.

“The first price hike was taken in January to adjust to the BE norms, and all brands absorbed it because the GST reduction gave them some leeway. Ultimately, consumers did not face any price hike. In April, the announced price hike was around 10% to 11%. In our channel checks, we found that only 5% to 6% has been implemented so far. Some discounting and rollbacks have also happened.”

He believes companies have struggled to fully pass on higher costs.

“Competitive intensity has increased. Maybe consumer demand is also getting impacted because of inflation. Those are the reasons why the entire price hike has not been taken, and that will definitely lead to some margin pressure for all the players because they are not able to pass on the entire commodity cost increase.”

Dealers Playing It Safe
The industry’s biggest challenge this year has been the cautious approach adopted by dealers despite favourable weather conditions.

Sahay said dealer inventory levels remain significantly lower than in previous years.

“Our channel checks show that secondary demand has been good, but primary demand is still lower. Earlier, dealers were carrying inventories of more than 30 days. Right now, what we get to know is that inventory is nearly 10 days lower, at around 20 days. That has led to softness in primary sales. Expectations were for 20-25% growth, looking at the harsh summer, extended summer and El Niño impact, but dealers were quite cautious in building inventory. That has led to softer demand. Nearly around 15% growth is what we are estimating so far.”

Q1 Growth Seen at Around 15%, Margins Remain Under Pressure
Looking ahead, Sahay expects the industry to deliver around 15% volume growth in the first quarter of FY27, while profitability is likely to remain under pressure because companies have not been able to fully recover rising input costs through pricing.

“Earlier expectations for volume growth were higher. So far, for Q1, we are estimating around 15% growth. On the margin front, as I highlighted earlier, commodity inflation required a price hike of around 10-11%. The players announced it, but the absorption has been only 5% to 6% so far. There is a gap of nearly 5%, which will definitely impact the margin profile for all the players.”

While the extended summer could provide additional support in the coming months, the industry’s overall performance will largely depend on whether dealers become more confident in rebuilding inventories and whether manufacturers can protect margins amid competitive pricing.

Northern Trust Asset Management is a global investment manager that helps investors navigate changing market environments in efforts to realize their long-term objectives.

Entrusted with $1.2 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2024, we understand that investing ultimately serves a greater purpose and believe investors should be compensated for the risks they take — in all market environments and any investment strategy. That’s why we combine robust capital markets research, expert portfolio construction and comprehensive risk management in an effort to craft innovative and efficient solutions that seek to deliver targeted investment outcomes.

As engaged contributors to our communities, we consider it a great privilege to serve our investors and our communities with integrity, respect and transparency.

Northern Trust Asset Management is composed of Northern Trust Investments, Inc., Northern Trust Global Investments Limited, Northern Trust Fund Managers (Ireland) Limited, Northern Trust Global Investments Japan, K.K., NT Global Advisors, Inc., 50 South Capital Advisors, LLC, Northern Trust Asset Management Australia Pty Ltd, and investment personnel of The Northern Trust Company of Hong Kong Limited and The Northern Trust Company. Note: This account is not managed or monitored by Northern Trust Asset Management, and any messages sent via Seeking Alpha will not receive a response. For inquiries or communication, please use Northern Trust Asset Management’s official channels.

The sharp decline in crude oil prices has eased one of the biggest concerns weighing on Indian equities, improving sentiment among both domestic and foreign investors. According to market expert Neeraj Dewan, the recent fall in oil prices has strengthened the case for accumulating quality stocks, with financials, defence, infrastructure and metals continuing to offer attractive long-term opportunities.

Speaking to ET Now, Dewan said investors should avoid trying to perfectly time the market and instead use periods of uncertainty to gradually build positions in fundamentally strong companies.

“Oil was the biggest worry for us, and I think that was also one of the reasons why FIIs were not looking at India. Now that oil has come down considerably and we are at very good levels already, it may come down further if things remain alright in the Middle East.”

He said his investment approach over the past several days has remained consistent despite geopolitical uncertainties.

“Like I recommended earlier on the show, we have been accumulating stocks because no one really knows when things will turn around or when a deal will happen. We have to keep those things in perspective and keep accumulating good stocks while we are getting good opportunities.”

Dewan noted that many mid- and small-cap stocks had corrected after the sharp sell-off earlier this year and are now witnessing renewed buying interest.
“Financials is one sector where we have accumulated, and we are getting some returns as well. Defence has also started moving up after a period of consolidation. For long-term investors, there is still good scope. Railway and infrastructure-related stocks are also available at decent valuations.”While he acknowledged that concerns around inflation, the monsoon and global economic developments will continue to create volatility, he believes such phases should be viewed as buying opportunities.

“There will still be worries because of inflation data, both here and in the US, and monsoon-related developments will be tracked closely. These kinds of events will keep giving opportunities. If someone is investing for the next one to two years, they will get these opportunities over the next couple of months.”

BSE Correction Could Be a Buying Opportunity
With the anticipated NSE IPO drawing investor attention, Dewan expects some short-term pressure on BSE shares but does not see it as a structural concern.

“In the short term, there may be some correction because people may feel BSE is already expensive, and there will be speculation about the valuation at which NSE will come. But demand for NSE will be really strong, and the listing can also be strong.”

He believes any meaningful correction in BSE could present an attractive entry point.

“If you see a 10%, 12% or even 15% correction in BSE, I think that would be an opportunity. Once the NSE pricing is known and we see the kind of demand and listing performance, money will again start coming into BSE.”

Addressing concerns that investors could shift capital from BSE to the upcoming NSE issue, Dewan said any such movement is likely to be temporary.

“From now till the issue comes, there can be some correction in BSE and some money may flow to NSE. But that correction would be an opportunity because there is enough demand for capital market-related themes.”

He pointed to the strong performance of listed brokerages and asset management companies as evidence that investor appetite for the capital markets theme remains intact.

“The demand is there and the appetite is there. There may be an initial hiccup because of valuation speculation, but after that, the pickup in BSE volumes, especially in futures and options, will again create opportunities if the stock corrects.”

Metals Continue to Look Attractive
Dewan also remains constructive on the metals sector, expecting demand to stay healthy across multiple geographies.

“Metals should do well because demand is going to continue from the domestic market, the US, and now some demand will also come from the Middle East due to construction and rebuilding activities.”

While he expects aluminium stocks could witness near-term corrections, his broader outlook remains positive.

“There can be some correction in aluminium in the near term, but over the medium term, I am quite positive on the metal space.”

Realty Recovery Still Depends on Rates and Demand
On real estate, Dewan believes the recent gains are largely driven by value buying rather than a broad-based improvement in demand.

He observed that Mumbai’s property market has shown stronger momentum than the National Capital Region (NCR), where demand remains relatively subdued.

“Till now, the buying in the realty space is more because of value buying. The stocks did not do that well over the last one to one-and-a-half years. Mumbai and nearby areas started moving earlier, but in NCR, demand is still a little sluggish.”

He added that developers in NCR are proceeding cautiously, with fewer launches than expected.

“The kind of launches we were expecting are not coming because people are still waiting to see whether demand is going to be good or not.”

Looking ahead, Dewan said inflation, interest rates and the monsoon will determine the sector’s next move.

“A close watch has to be kept on inflation and how interest rates are going to pan out. If we get a better monsoon than expected and interest rate hikes do not happen in the near future, then realty stocks would have bottomed and could start doing well again.”

LOS ANGELES — With NBA free agency approaching in two weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers face critical decisions regarding the future of LeBron James, who has signaled his intention to continue playing and is focused on finalizing a new contract with the team.

James, entering what could be his 24th NBA season, exercised his player option for the current year but now navigates free agency as one of the league’s most prominent available players. Recent reports indicate active discussions between James and the Lakers, with both sides working toward an agreement.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst provided the latest insight into the situation, noting James’ clear preference to remain in Los Angeles while acknowledging the complexities involved. “I think LeBron’s intention is to play. I think the focus now is on finalizing a deal with the Lakers,” Windhorst said. “Right now, he’s allowed to negotiate with them, and I believe they are negotiating. They are going back and forth.”

The timing adds pressure, as free agency opens soon and other teams could enter the picture if talks stall. Windhorst suggested the Cleveland Cavaliers might show interest as a fallback, but the prevailing view around the league points toward a Lakers resolution.

Financial considerations will play a central role. James’ previous deal carried a substantial cap hit, and any new agreement could influence the Lakers’ ability to pursue additional free agents. The team must balance retaining its veteran superstar with building a competitive roster around him.

James has spent the bulk of his recent career with the Lakers, leading them to a championship in 2020. At 41, he continues to perform at a high level, averaging strong numbers while adapting his game to support younger teammates. His presence remains a major draw for fans and a foundational element for the franchise.

The Lakers’ front office, led by Rob Pelinka, faces a delicate balancing act. Retaining James provides continuity and star power, but salary constraints could limit flexibility in addressing roster needs. Recent seasons have highlighted the importance of complementary pieces around the aging superstar.

Speculation has included potential contract structures, such as shorter deals with player options that offer mutual flexibility. James has historically prioritized winning opportunities alongside financial security, factors likely influencing his decision-making.

Other teams monitoring the situation include those with cap space and contention aspirations. However, James’ deep ties to Los Angeles and the Lakers’ Bird rights advantage make a return the most straightforward path.

The broader NBA landscape adds context. Several star players are expected to hit free agency, creating a competitive market for talent. Teams like the Lakers must move decisively to secure their priorities.

James has evolved into more than just a player, serving as a mentor and leader while maintaining elite performance standards. His potential return would anchor the Lakers’ efforts to build around Anthony Davis and a mix of veterans and young talent.

Fan sentiment remains strongly in favor of keeping James in purple and gold. Social media and sports talk shows have buzzed with discussions about his legacy and the impact of his decision on the franchise’s future trajectory.

As negotiations progress, both sides will weigh short-term roster construction against long-term flexibility. The outcome could shape the Lakers’ competitiveness for years to come.

The coming days will prove pivotal. With free agency looming, resolution on James’ status would allow the Lakers to pivot toward other moves aimed at bolstering their roster. For James, the focus remains on continuing his storied career on his terms.