Will Nifty hit 25,000 this month? Key levels to watch in the week ahead

Technical analysts see Nifty trading in a 24,300-24,600 range next week with 23,800 as the downside caution level, noting a hammer candle formation but no clear path to 25,000 this month. The Nifty IT index fell to 3-year lows after Accenture's weak FY26 growth guidance, with the outlook remaining range-bound with a weak bias for Monday's session. The Defence index hit a fresh 52-week high with strong momentum and is targeting the 9,880-10,000 region, led by stocks like Paras Defence, MTAR Tech, Data Patterns, BEL, BDL, Mazagon Dock, Cochin Shipyard and GRSE. Transformers and Rectifiers surged 10 percent after an inverted Head and Shoulder pattern breakout, signalling a potential large sustained upmove.