Market Expert Reveals Top Trading Opportunities
Indian equity markets continue their upward trajectory as market expert Raja Venkatraman, co-founder of NeoTrader, has identified three promising stocks for traders on 18 November 2025. The recommendations come amid sustained bullish sentiment in domestic markets, with benchmarks extending gains for the second consecutive session.
The Nifty showed remarkable resilience, climbing 109.75 points to reach 26,019.80, while the Sensex gained 386.43 points to settle at 84,949.21 during the previous trading session. This positive momentum has created an environment ripe for selective stock picking, according to Venkatraman's analysis.
Detailed Stock Analysis and Trading Strategy
Ashapura Minechem Ltd (CMP: ₹710.55) emerges as Venkatraman's multi-day pick with significant upside potential. The prominent Indian mining and minerals company has demonstrated technical strength by holding steady at key support levels. "After generating support around the ₹630 region, the prices are steadily heading higher with revival in momentum supported by steady volumes," notes the expert.
Technical indicators suggest the stock could target ₹780, representing approximately 10% upside from current levels. Traders are advised to enter long positions above ₹711 with a stop loss at ₹687. However, investors should note the company's high P/E ratio of 48.44 and monitor risk factors including elevated debt levels and inconsistent profitability.
Indian Bank (CMP: ₹890.15) presents an intra-day trading opportunity following its strong performance on Monday. The public sector bank has maintained its upward trajectory after a brief consolidation phase. "The strong showing on Monday has rekindled buying interest once again, with technical levels holding firm in the last two days," observes Venkatraman.
With a relatively attractive P/E of 10.16 and trading near its 52-week high of ₹887, the stock offers a targeted upside to ₹908. The trading strategy involves buying above ₹891 with a tight stop loss at ₹879, making it suitable for risk-aware intraday traders.
Max Financial Services Ltd (CMP: ₹1,698.30), India's largest non-bank private life insurer, completes the trio of recommendations. The stock has shown impressive momentum following recent consolidation, with Friday's strong upward move signaling renewed buyer interest. "The rise is witnessing steady buy at every dip into technical bands, generating demand in lower timeframes," explains the NeoTrader co-founder.
Robust quarterly results have fueled the upward movement, with the stock targeting ₹1,755. Traders should consider long positions above ₹1,700 with a stop loss at ₹1,665. The high P/E ratio of 166.12 warrants caution, though the technical setup remains promising.
Market Context and Technical Outlook
The broader market environment appears conducive for these trading recommendations. Market breadth remained positive with 2,056 advancing stocks against 1,542 declines, while broader indices also participated in the rally. The Nifty Midcap100 index climbed over 0.5%, and the Nifty Smallcap100 rose 0.62%, indicating widespread investor optimism.
From a technical perspective, the Nifty has maintained its position above 60 on the RSI in daily timeframes, suggesting continued upward momentum. Open Interest data climbing to 0.93 indicates strong put writing at lower levels, effectively absorbing any emerging sell-off pressure.
Venkatraman maintains that dips should be viewed as buying opportunities, with the 25,850-25,900 zone acting as crucial support for the Nifty. The expert advises traders to adopt a range breakout approach in the first 30 minutes of trading for confident long entries, particularly relevant given the weekly expiry context.
While the immediate resistance at 26,100 continues to pose a challenge, the overall market structure suggests the possibility of testing new highs. Domestic institutional support and resilient corporate earnings for the September quarter have underpinned the current bullish sentiment, even as global cues remain mixed.
All investment recommendations come with the standard disclaimer that securities market investments are subject to market risks. Investors should carefully read all related documents before investing, and registration with SEBI provides no guarantee of returns or performance assurance.
