Indices gain for 6th day as financials zoom; Sensex ends 354 points higher


The bulls continued to dominate markets on Friday, thanks to a healthy buying in financial counters. The S&P BSE Sensex gained for the sixth consecutive session to settle at 39,467 levels, up 354 points, or 0.9 per cent.

NSE’s Nifty ended at 11,648, up 88 points or 0.76 per cent. Volatility index, India VIX, continued to decline and ended at 18.24 levels, down nearly 3.5 per cent.

Sun Pharma surges 4%, hits 52-week high; stock rallies 76% from March-low. For the quarter ended June 2020, Sun Pharma had reported a surprise loss due to one-time charges. The company’s US business posted a 33.5 per cent decline during the quarter, while India sales were up 3.2 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis. Consolidated sales from operations at Rs 7,467 crore, a decline of about 9.6 per cent over the same quarter last year.

Shares of Edelweiss Financial Services rose as much as 3.16 per cent to Rs 86.50 on the BSE on Friday after Hong-Kong based private equity group PAG picked up 51 per cent stake in Edelweiss Wealth Management (EWM) for Rs 2,200 crore. The Edelweiss Group runs corporate and retail credit, wealth management, asset management and life and general insurance businesses.

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Sensex ends 214 points higher amid broad-based buying; Asian Paints gains 4%


The Indian markets ended over half a per cent higher on Friday, lifted by financial stocks, while volatility index, India VIX, dipped 4 per cent to below 20 levels.

The S&P BSE Sensex gained 214 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 38,435 levels, and the Nifty50 index ended above the 11,350-mark at 11,372, up 59 points or 0.53 per cent. NTPC (up over 4.5 per cent), Asian Paints (up over 4 per cent) and Power Grid (up over 4 per cent) were the top Sensex gainers. Asian Paints hit a record high of Rs 1,971 during the day. The stock settled at Rs 1,958.35 on the BSE.

On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 1.47 per cent while Nifty added 1.72 per cent.

On the flip side, ONGC (down over 1 per cent), Bharti Airtel (down 1 per cent), and Tata Steel (down nearly 1 per cent) were the biggest losers on the index.

Among other individual stocks, GMM Pfaudler surged over 8 per cent in early deals after it said it has acquired a 54 per cent stake in its parent firm Pfaudler Group for a consideration of around $27.4 million.

The trend among Nifty sectoral indices was positive, led by Nifty PSU Bank index, up 1.8 per cent.

Meanwhile, the broader markets kept up their outperformance. The S&P BSE MidCap index ended at 14,954, up 0.57 per cent while the S&P BSE SmallCap index ended at 14,625.19, up nearly 1.5 per cent.

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Sensex slips 129 points, Nifty ends at 11,073; RIL declines 2%


The domestic stock market ended Friday’s volatile session in the negative territory, weighed down by heavyweights Reliance Industries (RIL) and the HDFC twins. Weak global markets following disappointing US gross domestic product (GDP) data, too, dented investor sentiment.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended 129 points or 0.34 per cent lower at 37,607 while the Nifty50 index gave up the 11,100-mark to settle at 11,073, down 29 points or 0.26 per cent. India VIX declined nearly 3 per cent to 24 levels.

On a weekly basis, Sensex fell 1.36 per cent while NSE’s Nifty slipped 1 per cent.

Among individual stocks, shares of RIL ended 2 per cent lower at Rs 2,067 apiece on the BSE after the company reported a profit before tax (PBT) of Rs 8,542 crore against Rs 14,366 crore reported during the same quarter last year. The company’s net profit, however, rose about 31 per cent to Rs 13,233 crore against Rs 10,104 crore in the same quarter last year.

State Bank of India (SBI) ended over 2.6 per cent up at Rs 191.45 after the lender posted 36.8 cent rise in profit before tax (PBT) at Rs 5,559.7 crore for the quarter ended June 2020 (Q1FY21) on robust growth in net interest income.

The sectoral trend on the NSE was mixed. While pharma, PSU banks, and realty counters advanced, auto and private banks ended flat with negative bias. Nifty Pharma index gained the most – up 3.6 per cent to 11,148.90 levels.

In the broader market, the Nifty Smallcap 100 index gained over 0.8 per cent to 5,011 while the Nifty Midcap 100 closed 0.4 per cent higher at 15,471 points.

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F&O expiry: Sensex soars 997 points on Covid-19 drug hopes; auto, IT stocks gain


Indian equity market soared on Thursday, the last day of the futures & options (F&O) contracts of April series, as encouraging early results from a Covid-19 treatment trial boosted investor sentiment. Buying was witnessed across the board with stocks such as Tata Motors, Vedanta, and Hindalco leading the charge.

The S&P BSE Sensex rallied an impressive 997 points or 3 per cent to 33,718 levels. Of 30 constituents, 26 ended in the green and rest 4 in the red. ONGC (up over 13 per cent) emerged as the biggest gainer on the index, followed by HCL Tech (up 11 per cent), Hero MotoCorp (up 9 per cent), and NTPC (up 6 per cent).

On the contrary, Sun Pharma (down nearly 3 per cent) ended as the top loser. HUL, too, ended over 1.6 per cent lower at Rs 2,195.70 ahead of its March quarter results due later in the day.

Reliance Industries (RIL) stock ended nearly 3 per cent higher at Rs 1,467.05 apiece on the BSE. The company is slated to announce March quarter results and consider rights issue later in the day. Further, it has announced that it will reduce the salaries of some of its employees in the hydrocarbon division by 10 per cent in view of the “adverse impact” of the coronavirus pandemic on fuel demand.

NSE’s headline index Nifty surged 307 points or over 3 per cent to settle at 9,860.

On a weekly basis, Sensex zoomed 7.6 per cent and Nifty jumped 7.7 per cent.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index rallied 1.46 per cent to 12,013 levels and the S&P BSE SmallCap index gained over 1 per cent to 11,102-mark.

On the sectoral front, metal stocks advanced the most with the Nifty Metal index surging 8 per cent to 1,859.90 levels. The Nifty Auto index was second on the list – up 6.45 per cent to 5,901 levels.

Markets were closed on Friday on account of Maharashtra Day.

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Sensex ends 986 points higher on Friday; financials rally post RBI measures


The domestic stock market witnessed a sharp rally on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das announced a slew of measures to support the economy in the wake of Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. The central bank slashed reverse repo rate by 25 basis points to 3.75 per cent. It also announced special refinance facility of Rs 15,000 crore to SIDBI; Rs 25,000 crore to NABARD, and Rs 10,000 cr to HFCs to support liquidity.

Reacting to it, financials stocks made solid gains, thus aiding the benchmark indices to settle over 3 per cent higher. The S&P BSE Sensex surged 986 points or 3.22 per cent to end at 31,588.72, with Axis Bank (up nearly 13.5 per cent) being the top gainer. ICICI Bank (up 10 per cent), IndusInd Bank (up 9 per cent), and Maruti (up 7 per cent) were next on the list.

On the NSE, the Nifty gained 274 points or 3.05 per cent to end at 9,266.75. Volatility index, India VIX, continued to cool-off. It slipped 7.71 per cent to 42.54 levels.

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Sensex slips 674 points on Friday, financials hit; Nifty settles at 8084


Continuing their downward trend, the benchmark indices settled with over 2 per cent loss on Friday as coronavirus (Covid-19) cases showed no signs of abating. Global confirmed cases surpassed 1 million on Thursday with more than 52,000 deaths. Back home, an ongoing 21- day lockdown has already brought the economy to a standstill.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 27,591, down 674 points or 2.39 per cent amid heavy selling in financial stocks such as ICICI Bank (down 7.5 per cent), HDFC (over 5 per cent), HDFC Bank (down 2 per cent), and Axis Bank (down over 9 per cent). The other major contributors to the index’s loss were Infosys, TCS, and Asian Paints. They all fell in the range of 3-5 per cent.

India VIX cooled-off over 8 per cent to 55.01 levels. On the other hand, the Nifty50 index ended at 8,084, down 170 points or over 2 per cent. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index declined over 1 per cent lower at 10,219 whereas the S&P BSE SmallCap closed at 9,409, down over 1 per cent.

Among sectors, pharma stocks continued to rally. The Nifty Pharma index rose around 5 per cent to 7,362 levels with 8 out of 10 constituents advancing. Nifty FMCG index, too, ended in the green, up 0.7 per cent at 26,538 levels.

On a weekly basis, the S&P BSE Sensex lost 7.46 per cent, while the Nifty50 slipped 6.65 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut timing for money market operations from 9am to 5pm to 10am till 2pm. Truncated hours will be in operational till April 14.

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Rate cut fails to hold up markets; Sensex dips 1,310 points from day’s high


Equity market ended Friday’s highly volatile session on a subdued note even as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in an emergency move, slashed the repo rate by a huge 75 basis points (bps) to arrest the potential downturn in the economy due to coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. In addition, the RBI imposed a moratorium on principal and interest payments for three months and told banks and non-banking finance companies that that non-payment won’t be considered as non-performing assets (NPA).

The S&P BSE Sensex closed at 29,816, down 131 points or 0.44 per cent, with Axis Bank (up 5 per cent) being the top gainer and Bajaj Finance (down 9 per cent) the worst performer. Besides Bajaj Finance, stocks that contributed the most to the Sensex’s fall were Bharti Airtel (down 6 per cent), HUL (down 3 per cent), and HDFC Bank (down 1 per cent).

NSE’s frontline index Nifty50 ended at 8,660, up 19 points or 0.22 per cent.

On a weekly basis, Sensex slipped 0.33 per cent while Nifty fell 0.97 per cent.

On the sectoral front, auto stocks slipped the most, thus snapping their three-day gaining streak. The Nifty Auto index ended around 2.5 per cent lower at 4,939 levels. On the other hand, private banks gained the most with the Nifty Private Bank index ending 1.72 per cent higher at 10,738 levels.

Volatility index India VIX eased 0.77 per cent to 70.97 levels.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index ended at 10,538, up 0.29 per cent while the S&P BSE SmallCap index ended 0.28 per cent higher at 9,497 levels.

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Sensex takes a breather, gains 1,628 points; Nifty ends at 8,745


After days of brutal sell-off, the domestic equity market witnessed a sharp rebound on Friday and ended with around 6 per cent gains as positive global cues and coordinated efforts by countries across the globe to fight coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic soothed investors’ nerves.

The S&P BSE Sensex rallied 1,628 points or 5.75 per cent to settle at 29,916. Of 30 constituents, 28 advanced and just 2 declined. Reliance Industries (RIL), HDFC and TCS contributed the most to the index’s gains. ONGC jumped over 18.5 per cent to Rs 72.45 apiece. It ended as the top gainer on the index. Other heavyweights such as RIL, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), and TCS gained in the range of 10-12 per cent.

On the downside, HDFC Bank slipped over 1 per cent to Rs 882 after global brokerage house Bernstein downgraded the stock to ‘underperform’ and sharply slashed the target price to Rs 750 from Rs 1,400 earlier.

On the NSE, headline index Nifty gained 482 points or 5.83 per cent to settle at 8,745 levels.

On a weekly basis, both Sensex and Nifty slipped over 12 per cent.

All the sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the green. Nifty FMCG advanced the most – up around 9 per cent to 26,073 levels while Nifty IT surged over 8.5 per cent to 12,306 points. Metal stocks, too, witnessed solid buying as the Nifty Metal index ended 7.7 per cent higher at 1,695 levels.

In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap 100 index jumped around 5 per cent to 12,642 levels while the Nifty SmallCap index gained over 2 per cent to 3,874 points.

Market breadth was in favour of buyers as out of 2,605 companies traded on the BSE, 1,447 advanced and 1,008 declined while 150 remained unchanged. Volatility index India VIX declined over 7 per cent to 66.92 levels.

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Sensex tanks 1,448 points on Friday on Coronavirus jitters; Nifty ends at 11,219


Equity market witnessed one of the steepest falls in the recent years on Friday as the fears of coronavirus turning into a pandemic triggered all-round sell-off at the bourses. Hopes that the epidemic that started in China would be over in a few months and economic activity would return to normal have been shattered, as new infections reported around the world now surpass those in China.

As a result, the S&P BSE Sensex nosedived 1,448 points or 3.64 per cent to end the session at 38,297. All 30 constituents ended in the red. Tech Mahindra (down around 9 per cent) took the biggest knock on the index. Other major contributors to the index were Reliance Industries (RIL), Infosys, HDFC, ICICI Bank, and TCS.

On the NSE, the 50-share index Nifty plunged 432 points or 3.7 per cent to end at 11,202.

Volatility index India VIX zoomed 29 per cent to 22.87 levels.

Sector wise, all the indices on the NSE ended deep in the red. Nifty IT index dropped over 5 per cent to 15,274 levels while Nifty Metal index cracked over 7 per cent to 2,233 levels.

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Sensex halts 4-day gaining streak, slips 164 points; realty falls


Halting its four-day gaining streak, equity market ended in the negative territory on Friday amid worries over economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak and profit-booking in some of the recent outperformers.

The S&P BSE Sensex today slipped 164 points or 0.4 per cent to settle at 41,142, with NTPC (up over 3 per cent) being the top gainer and IndusInd Bank (down nearly 3 per cent) the biggest loser.

Reliance Industries (RIL), HDFC, ICICI Bank and L&T contributed the most to the index’s losses.

The NSE’s Nifty50 index ended at 12,086, down 51.55 points or 0.42 per cent.

On a weekly basis, both Sensex and Nifty gained nearly 4 per cent each.

Sectorally, realty stocks bled the most while media and pharma counters advanced the most. The Nifty Realty index fell around 2 per cent to Rs 320.55. On the other hand, Nifty Media climbed nearly 2 per cent to 1,823 points and the Nifty Pharma settled over 1 per cent higher at 8,335-mark.

In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 0.57 per cent to 18,350 points while the Nifty SmallCap 100 ended flat at 6,236 levels, down 0.07 per cent.

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