Benchmarks flat, mid-caps rally; RIL up 3% ahead of Q3 numbers

After bouts of volatility in the last two trading sessions, markets took a breather on Friday and traded flat for better part of the day. While financial and banking counters traded in the sea of red throughout the day, index heavyweights like Reliance Industries and Bharti Airtel, that surged 3 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively in the intra-day trade today, provided the necessary support.

In the intra-day trade, the S&P BSE Sensex hit a record high of 42063.93. At close, the 30-share index was at 41,945.37 level, up 12.81 points or 0.031 per cent. Bharti Airtel, that gained over 6 per cent today, was the top gainer at close. The stock hit an over 2-year high of Rs 503.60 on the BSE amid expectations that the telecom company is poised for strong market share gain if payment due to AGR makes Vodafone Idea exit the industry. On the downside, IndusInd Bank was the top loser, down 2 per cent, due to its high exposure towards telecom companies.

On the NSE, the Nifty50 settled 3.15 points, or 0.025 per cent, lower at 12,352.35-mark. Nifty Bank, financial services, metals and IT indices settled the day in the negative territory. On the other hand, Nifty Pharma gained nearly 2 per cent.

For the week, the Sensex has advanced 0.9 per cent, while the broader Nifty50 has gained 0.8 per cent. Nifty mid-cap index, meanwhile, has risen 4 per cent during the week.

The party in the broader markets continued for the ninth straight session. The S&P BSE mid-cap index was up 0.5 per cent at 15,703 level. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE small-cap index ended at 14,708.70 level, up 0.42 per cent.

Shares of Piramal Enterprises (PEL) rallied 7 per cent to hit 52-week high of Rs 1,656 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), after the company announced divestment of its Decision Resource Group (DRG) business for $950 million.

Shares of Dishman Carbogen Amcis were locked in 5 per cent lower circuit at Rs 84.30 on the BSE on Friday despite board approval’s for a share buyback at a price not exceeding Rs 150 per share. The stock of pharmaceuticals slipped 9 per cent from its intra-day high level of Rs 92.40 on the BSE. “The board approved the buy-back of equity shares by the Company from open market through stock exchange mechanism for amount not exceeding Rs 72 crore at a price not exceeding Rs 150 per share,” Dishman Carbogen Amcis said in an exchange filing.

Shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) climbed over 2.5 per cent in the intra-day session on Friday ahead of its December quarter (Q3FY20) results which is scheduled to be released later in the day. At 12:54 pm, the stock was trading 2.42 per cent higher at Rs 1575 apiece on the BSE. During the day, it hit a high of Rs 1577.45 levels.

Bharti Airtel’s stock price surged 5 per cent to hit 26-month high of Rs 499 on the BSE on Friday amid expectations that the telecom company is poised for strong market share gain. The stock of the country’s largest integrated telecommunications company was trading at its highest level since November 2017. It is 6 per cent away from its all-time high level of Rs 527, touched on October 2007.

Shares of telecom companies, including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea and banking firms such as IndusInd bank and Yes Bank, were trading actively at the bourses on Friday after the Supreme Court Thursday rejected the review petitions moved by Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Tata Teleservices against its October 2019 order on payment of dues linked to adjusted gross revenue (AGR). With this, the telcos will have to together pay an estimated Rs 1.47 trillion in AGR dues that include penalties and interest on penalties by January 23.

Shares of Rallis India soared 15 per cent to Rs 222, also its 52-week high, on the BSE on Friday, after company’s profit before tax, before exceptional items, more-than-doubled at Rs 48 crore in December quarter (Q3FY20). The Tata Group agrochemicals company had PBT of Rs 20 crore in same quarter last fiscal. The company recorded consolidated revenues of Rs 534 crore for Q3FY20, a growth of 28 per cent over previous year’s quarter of Rs 417 crore.

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