New Delhi, May 20 -- The benchmark Nifty 50 index ended 19 May at 24,945.45, declining by 74.35 points or 0.30%. This slight pullback comes on the heels of a strong uptrend in recent weeks and signals that the market may be in the midst of a healthy consolidation phase before its next directional move. The BSE Sensex lost 271.17 points to close at 82,059.42, down by 0.33%.

However, Moody's decision to downgrade the US's credit rating further dampened sentiment, triggering caution across global markets. The India VIX fear gauge rose nearly 5%, indicating increased volatility in domestic markets.

On to stock recommendations for today by some of India's top market experts.

ITC announced the acquisition of ABREL's pulp and paper business, ...