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On Tuesday, 15 July, the Indian stock market showed remarkable resilience as it clawed back intraday losses to close on a stronger note. Despite early weakness and broad-based volatility, the market gradually stabilized, buoyed by gains in defensive and auto sectors, reflecting selective buying and investor confidence in quality counters.

The Nifty 50 closed at 25,195.80, trimming earlier losses and settling just 113.50 points or 0.45% lower. The BSE Sensex too recovered from deeper intraday cuts to end at 82,570.91, down 317.45 points or 0.39%, as investors rotated into stable and value-led stocks. The Bank Nifty also pared its earlier decline, closing at 57,006.65, down 241.30 points or 0.43%, with support emerging in select financial names.

Here are three auto stocks to buy today, as recommended by Ankush Bajaj for 16 July.

Why Hero MotoCorp is recommended: Hero MotoCorp is showing a strong bullish setup with clear confirmation across major technical indicators. The stock has broken out from the upper channel of a falling wedge pattern on lower timeframes, which is a classic bullish reversal signal pointing to further upside. On the daily chart, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is trading above 60, indicating healthy bullish momentum without being overbought—leaving room for the rally to extend.

The breakout is supported by decisive price action and sustained buying interest, confirming that the stock is attracting fresh momentum traders. Hero MotoCorp is also holding firmly above key moving averages on both daily and lower timeframes, which reinforces the validity of this breakout. Given the strong technical setup and pattern confirmation, Hero MotoCorp remains a solid candidate for a short-term swing trade.

Technical analysis: The overall structure remains technically sound, backed by decisive price action and alignment with moving averages. The immediate upside target lies in the ₹4,580-4,600 zone as the breakout plays out. Traders can expect continuation towards this level if the broader market stays supportive and the stock holds above its near-term support levels

Risk factors: A close below ₹4,395 would invalidate this breakout setup and indicate a potential short-term pullback. Any sudden reversal or sharp profit-booking near the breakout zone should be watched closely, and traders must maintain strict stop-loss discipline to protect gains.

Buy at: ₹4,454.00

Target price: ₹4,580-4,600

Stop-loss: ₹4,395.00

Why TVS Motor is recommended: TVS Motor is showing a strong bullish setup with confirmation across key technical indicators. On the daily chart, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is holding at 63, indicating healthy bullish momentum with more room for upside before hitting overbought levels. On lower timeframes, the stock has broken out of a well-formed triangle pattern, which is a classic continuation signal suggesting a fresh upward leg in the short term.

The breakout is backed by strong price action and sustained buying interest, indicating that momentum traders are actively participating. The stock is trading firmly above key moving averages on both daily and intraday charts, reinforcing the strength of the breakout. Given the clear pattern breakout and supportive momentum indicators, TVS Motor remains a good candidate for a short-term swing trade targeting higher levels.

Technical analysis: The overall structure remains technically strong with decisive price action and alignment of moving averages supporting the move. The immediate upside target lies in the  ₹2,955-2,960 zone as the stock continues its momentum-driven breakout. Traders can expect continuation towards this level if the broader market remains supportive and the stock stays above its near-term support levels.

Risk factors: A close below ₹2,845 would invalidate this breakout setup and indicate a potential short-term pullback. Any sudden reversal or profit-booking near the target zone should be watched closely, and traders must maintain strict stop-loss discipline to protect gains.

Buy at: ₹2,885.00

Target price: ₹2,955-2,960

Stop-loss: ₹2,845.00

Why Mahindra and Mahindra is recommended: Mahindra and Mahindra is trading in a large consolidation range between ₹3,135 and ₹2,650, showing strong base-building activity over a significant time period. The stock is currently positioned near the higher end of this consolidation band, indicating potential for a breakout above the range. If the price sustains above the upper band, it is expected to trigger fresh buying interest and push the stock towards new highs.

The consolidation structure provides a well-defined support and resistance zone, giving traders a clear breakout level to watch. The overall price action remains positive with the stock respecting key support levels and showing signs of accumulation. With the broader market supportive, M&M is well placed to break out of this multi-month range and target higher levels in the short term.

Technical analysis: The overall structure remains technically solid with a strong consolidation base and clear resistance at the upper band. A sustained move above the range should open the path to the next target zone near ₹3,230. Traders can expect momentum to pick up once the breakout is confirmed, with the stock likely to make new highs if near-term supports hold.

Risk factors: A close below ₹3,082 would invalidate this breakout expectation and signal a potential failure of the range breakout. Any sudden reversal near the upper band should be watched closely, and traders must maintain strict stop-loss discipline to protect capital.

Buy at: ₹3,128.00

Target price: ₹3,230.00

Stop loss: ₹3,082.00

Sectorally, Tuesday turned out to be balanced as no major sector ended in the red. Instead, defensives and autos led the recovery with the auto sector surging 1.50%, healthcare climbing 1.23%, and pharma gaining 1.14%, providing much-needed support to the broader indices.

Among standout performers, Hero MotoCorp rallied an impressive 4.76%, while Bajaj Auto and Sun Pharma advanced 2.76% and 2.67%, respectively, driven by sustained institutional demand and sectoral strength.

On the flip side, select heavyweights continued to face profit-booking. HCLTech slipped 3.30%, Eternal dropped 1.53%, and SBI Life Insurance fell 1.43%, reflecting caution in high-beta and previously overbought counters

The Nifty ended Tuesday’s session on a mildly positive note, closing at 25,195.80, up by 113.50 points or about 0.45%. The index opened flat but staged a steady intraday recovery, pushing back above the psychological 25,200 mark. 

Despite this rebound, the index continues to hover below its key 20-day simple moving average (SMA) at 25,289 and remains sandwiched between the 20-DMA and the 40-day exponential moving average (EMA) at 25,029. 

This positioning suggests that while immediate downside momentum has paused, the broader structure is still under pressure and the bounce must sustain above the 20-DMA to shift the bias back to neutral.

On the hourly chart, the index has reclaimed levels above its short-term 20-hour SMA at 25,139 but is yet to clear the 40-hour EMA at 25,252 decisively. This zone of 25,200–25,250 now acts as an immediate supply area. 

The fact that intraday rallies are still encountering overhead resistance implies that a firm close above the 40-HEMA and 20-DMA is required for bulls to regain control in the very near term.

Momentum signals are currently mixed and reflect this indecision. On the daily timeframe, the RSI is at 50, marking a neutral zone with no clear directional bias. The daily MACD remains positive at +100, indicating that the broader medium-term trend has not turned outright negative. 

On the hourly timeframe, however, the RSI is also at 50 while the hourly MACD stays at -34, pointing to intraday hesitation despite the modest rebound.

Options data shows a slight improvement in near-term sentiment but still carries an overall cautious undertone. Total Call Open Interest (OI) stands at 168.4 million while Put OI is at 127.8 million, leaving a net difference of about 40.6 million—maintaining a bearish slant.

However, the intraday OI changes flip the tone, with Put OI rising by 29.3 million and Call OI falling by 13.5 million, resulting in a positive net OI change difference of 42.7 million.

This shift shows fresh Put writing at support levels and some unwinding of Calls, hinting that traders are hedging less aggressively for further downside—a sign of short-term stabilisation.

The maximum Call OI remains concentrated at the 26,000 strike, implying a strong resistance ceiling overhead, while the largest addition was at the 25,200 strike, underlining that this zone is now a near-term hurdle. On the downside, the maximum Put OI is still at the 25,000 strike with the highest Put additions also near 25,200, reinforcing this area as a key support to watch.

India VIX fell 4.17% to 11.48, showing that the bounce was orderly and volatility remains contained for now. Meanwhile, the Put-Call Ratio (PCR) stands at 0.76, still below 1, which reflects an overall cautious stance among option writers but a slight improvement versus last session’s readings.

In summary, the short-term structure remains vulnerable to downside tests until the Nifty decisively closes above the 20-DMA (25,289) and the 40-HEMA (25,252). Any sustained move above these levels could trigger further short covering and push the index toward the upper end of the broken range near 25,350. Until then, the bounce is likely to face selling near resistance. 

On the lower side, 25,000 and 24,800 continue to act as crucial support levels—a break below these could open room for another leg down. Traders should watch for rejection or acceptance near the 25,250–25,300 zone and maintain strict stop-losses if attempting counter-trend trades.

Ankush Bajaj is a Sebi-registered research analyst. His registration number is INH000010441.

Investments in securities are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing.

Registration granted by Sebi and certification from NISM in no way guarantee performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.

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