Sensex soars 1,031 points, ends FY23 0.7% up; Nifty regains 17,350; RIL shines


Equity markets logged solid gains on Friday, the last trading day of the financial year 2022-23, as fears of contagion risk from the US banking crisis receded. Index heavyweights – Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and Infosys accounted for almost 60 per cent of the gains on the BSE benchmark.

The S&P BSE Sensex rallied to a high of 59,068, before ending with a solid gain of 1,031 points at 58,992. In the process, the BSE 30-share index edged 0.1 per cent up for the month, and finished FY23 0.7 per cent higher.

The NSE Nifty 50 hit a high of 17,382, and settled 279 points higher at 17,360. The 50-share index advanced 0.3 per cent in March, but was down 0.6 per cent for the fiscal year 2022-23.

The broader indices also logged smart gains. The BSE Midcap index was up a per cent, while the Smallcap index vaulted 1.4 per cent. The overall breadth too was fairly positive, with two advancing shares for every declining stock on the BSE.

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Sensex soars 900 points, Nifty ends near 17,600; PSBs, Adani Group stocks sizzle


Domestic markets rallied smartly in trades on Friday, as positive global cues coupled with the Rs 15,446 crore stake buy by GQG Partners in Adani Group boosted sentiment. The Group shares along with PSU Banks and select index heavyweights were the major gainers.

The S&P BSE Sensex soared to a high of 59,967, and ended with a gain of 900 points at 59,809. In the process, the BSE benchmark was up 345 points for the week.

The NSE Nifty 50 touched a high of 17,645, before signing-off at 17,594 – up 272 points. The Nifty was up 128 points for the week.

The positive sentiment had a spillover effect on PSU Banks. The Nifty PSU Bank index soared 5.4 per cent to 3,970. UCO Bank and Union Bank galloped over 8 per cent each. Maharashtra Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India and Indian Bank rallied over 6 per cent each. SBI and Canara Bank vaulted over 5 per cent each.

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Bear run enters sixth day as Sensex fall 142 points, Nifty near 17,450


Domestic equities’ losing run entered sixth straight session on Friday as growth concerns, amid fears of elevated interest rates, hurt sentiment. The S&P BSE Sensex fell 142 points, or 0.24 per cent, to close at 59,464, while the Nifty50 declined 45 points, or 0.26 per cent, to end at 17,466.

Adani Enterprises (down 5 per cent), Hindalco, JSW Steel, M&M, Tata Steel, SBI Life, L&T, Tata Motors, BPCL, HDFC Life, HDFC, and HDFC Bank were the top laggards. On the flipside, ONGC, Divis Labs, Asian Paints, Coal India, Adani Ports, Bajaj Auto, Power Grid, and NTPC eked out gains.

In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap index dipped 0.17 per cent, and the BSE SmallCap index eased 0.15 per cent. Sectorally, the Nifty Metal index plunged 3 per cent, followed by the Nifty PSU Bank index (down 0.8 per cent).

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Sensex zooms 910 points as financials defy Adani rout; Nifty ends above 17,850


Bulls roared on Dalal Street Friday as benchmark indices ended with strong gains led by financial stocks. The BSE Sensex zoomed 910 points to end at 60,842, while the Nifty50 index climbed to 17,854 level with a gain of 254 points as select Adani group stocks saw an impressive pullback from days of relentless selling.

On the Nifty, Adani Ports closed in green after two days with a firm gain of 6 per cent., while Adani Enterprises erased over 50 per cent of its day’s losses to close 2 per cent down. Titan, Bajaj twins, HDFC twins, SBI, IndusInd Bank, Eicher Motors, M&M, Airtel and SBI Life were the other frontline winners, which ended 3-7 per cent higher.

IT majors Tech M, Wipro, HCL Tech were the only losers on the Sensex, while Divi’s Lab, BPCL, Tata Consumer, HDFC Life and Hindalco ended in red on Nifty.

The frontline gains did not seep into the broader markets with the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices ending up to 0.5 per cent lower.

Within sectors, the PSB index on the NSE soared 3 per cent led by the strong Q3 result of Bank of Baroda. Nifty Bank also gained 2 per cent, while pharma, oil & gas and realty indices closed up to 1 per cent lower.

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Rout in Adani group shares, banks drag Sensex 874 points, Nifty ends at 17,600


Equity markets buckled under severe selling pressure to close at 3-month lows on Friday driven by an extended slump in Adani group stocks that soured overall market sentiment.

Banking stocks were the top laggards as claims of high debt of Adani firms made by Hindenburg in its recent report had a sentimentally negative impact on the banking space, especially PSU banks, analysts said.

The BSE Sensex cracked 874 points to close at 59,331, its lowest level since Oct 21, 2022 when it ended at 59,307. The NSE Nifty dropped to 17,604 with a massive loss of 288 points.

Adani Enterprises and Adani Ports were the leading Nifty losers, which ended 18 and 15 per cent lower, respectively. SBI, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank were next in line dropping up to 5 per cent.

Shares of other Adani firms–Adani Wilmar, Adani Transmission, Adani Green, Adani Total Gas, Adani Power, Ambuja Cement and ACC– closed with losses of 5-20 per cent on top of Wednesday’s decline, which came as short-seller Hindenburg Research said it held short positions in Adani Group companies through US-traded bonds and non-Indian-traded derivative instruments and accused the group of stock manipulation and accounting fraud.

Four Adani group stocks listed in the F&O (Futures & Options) segment – Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, ACC and Ambuja Cement witnessed a build-up of Open Interest (OI) on the short-side since the beginning of this week, which is a couple of days prior to the release of Hindenburg report.

As per Reuters, SEBI has increased scrutiny of deals by the Adani Group over the past year and will also study the report issued by Hindenburg Research to add to its own ongoing preliminary investigation into the group’s foreign portfolio investors. Read more

Shares of Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto and Dr Reddy’s firmly resisted Friday’s market crash on strong Q3 earnings. Besides, auto, pharma, FMCG indices were the only outperformers in a broad-based selloff, while the Nifty PSB and oil & gas indices were the worst hit with cuts of 5 per cent each.

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Sensex ends 303 points higher fuelled by Infosys, ICICI Bank; Nifty near 17950


Equity markets staged a firm turnaround intra-day to close Friday’s session with nominal gains powered by select index heavyweights such as Infosys, ICICI Bank, TCS and HUL, which gained over 1 per cent each.

Gradual easing in domestic and US retail inflation also aided sentiment and helped narrow the gap-down start. The BSE Sensex recovered 633 points from the day’s low and eventually ended 303 points higher at 60,261.

The NSE Nifty closed 98 points up at 17,957 level after bouncing back from the day’s lowest level of 17,774.

Other frontline stocks that supported the recovery included Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, Ultratech Cement, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, Airtel, Adani Enterprises, Eicher Motors and BPCL, which gained 1-2 per cent.

On the flip side, top losers across the two benchmark indices included Titan, Nestle, ITC, L&T, Reliance and Apollo Hospitals.

The broader markets closed with slimmer gains. The BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices ended 0.09 and 0.2 per cent higher, respectively.

Within sectors, barring consumer durables, PSB and Metal indices on the Nifty logged in most gains, up over 1 per cent each, followed by IT and financial pockets.

Among stocks, HCL Tech firmly recovered the day’s losses and ended with a 0.4 per cent gain.

L&T Technology Services slumped 5.3 per cent on its plan to buy the smart world & communications business (SWC) from its parent L&T.

Banking stocks will be in the spotlight ahead of their Q3 earnings, particularly when the stock market is going through extreme volatility. HDFC Bank will declare its Q3FY23 results on Saturday, followed by Federal Bank on Monday.

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Sensex up 4.4% in 2022; ends last trading day 293 points lower at 60,841


After starting on an optimistic note, given the positive mood in global markets, the S&P BSE Sensex rallied to a high of 61393 in Friday’s morning trades. The benchmark index, thereafter, pared gains and slipped into the negative zone as the day progressed owing to weakness in index heavyweights ICICI Bank and HDFC twins.

A heavy bout of selling in late trade, saw the BSE index plunge to a low of 60,744 – down 293 points from the day’s high. The Sensex finally ended the day with a loss of 293 points at 60,841.

Despite the day’s loss, the BSE benchmark managed to gain 1.7 per cent this week, and also signed off the year 2022 on a winning note – 4.4 per cent higher.

The NSE Nifty 50 settled 86 points lower on the last trading day of the year, but was up 1.7 per cent this week and 4.3 per cent in 2022.

The broader markets outperformed the benchmark indices in trade today. The BSE Midcap index gained 0.4 per cent, while the Smallcap index advanced 0.8 per cent. The overall market breadth too was fairly positive, with nearly 2,200 advancing shares versus 1,300-odd declining stocks on the BSE.

In contrast the day’s performance, the broader indices were underperformers in the year 2022. The BSE Midcap index finished with a gain of 1.4 per cent as against the Sensex gain of 4.4 per cent. The Smallcap index was down 1.8 per cent for the year.

Sectorally, the BSE Consumer Durables index moved 0.8 per cent higher in trades on Friday. The Metal and Realty indices were the ofther notable gainers. On the other hand, FMCG, Power and Bankex finished in the negative zone.

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Sensex tanks 461 points, Nifty below 18,300 amid global rout; all sectors fall


Selling pressure intensified in late noon deals on Friday after reports emerged of fresh Russian onslaught on Ukrainian soil. According to media reports, at least three cities in Ukraine faced major missile attack on energy facilities and infrastructure. Meanwhile, recession fears in the US and Euro region, coupled with growth slowdown concerns back home, weighed on the sentiment.

Against this backdrop, the S&P BSE Sensex dropped 461 points, or 0.75 per cent, to settle at 61,338. The Nifty50, too, slumped 146 points or 0.79 per cent to end at 18,269.

Dr Reddy’s Labs, M&M, Asian Paints, SBI, TCS, Titan, Power Grid, and Ultratech Cement fell the most among the 27 losers within the Sensex pack. Adani Ports, BPCL, Bajaj Auto, and Hero MotoCorp were the additional laggards on the Nifty.

Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, HUL, and Tata Steel were the only large-cap gainers on the benchmark indices.

Meanwhile, in the broader markets, the BSE MidCap index declined 1.4 per cent, while the BSE SmallCap index dipped 0.9 per cent.

Among sectors, the Nifty PSU Bank index sunk the most, down nearly 3 per cent. This was followd by losses in the Nifty Realty, Pharma, and Media indices, down over 1 per cent each.

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Sensex sinks 389 points, Nifty below 18,500; IT, PSBs crack; HCL Tech down 7%


Bucking the global trend, domestic equity markets fell on Friday bogged down by profit booking in IT stocks, and heavyweights like Reliance Industries, L&T, and financials. The S&P BSE Sensex, which started about 100 points higher, erased gains and dropped over 700 points from the day’s high to hit a low of 61,889.

The index, eventually, closed at 62,182, down 389 points or 0.62 per cent. The Nifty50, meanwhile, breached below the 18,500-mark and ended at 18,497, down 113 points or 0.61 per cent. It hit a low of 18,410 during the day.

In the broader markets, the MidCap and SmallCap indices shed 0.45 per cent and 1 per cent, respectively.

Sectorally, defensive indices like the Nifty FMCG and Pharma held gains as they rose 0.8 per cent and 0.4 per cent. On the downside, the Nifty IT index crashed 3.16 per cent. Credit Suisse has warned of a 10 – 27 per cent valuation-led correction in tech-related stocks amid US macro headwinds.

The Nifty PSU Bank and Realty indices were other top laggards that tumbled 1.7 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively.

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Sensex, Nifty end flat after listless trade; auto stocks rally, banks fall


Domestic benchmark indices remained listless on Friday as record high levels in indices triggered minor profit booking. The S&P BSE Sensex, which hit a new lifetime high of 62,448 earlier today, ended at 62,294, up 21 points or 0.03 per cent. The NSE Nifty50, meanwhile, ended at 18,513, up 29 points or 0.15 per cent. The index claimed new 52-week high of 18,535.

Reliance Industries, Wipro, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, Tech M, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki, and M&M were the top Sensex gainers, rising between 0.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent. HDFC Life, Tata Motors, Divis Labs, Hero MotoCorp, Coal India, Eocher Motors, and BPCL were the additional gainers on the Nifty50 index.

On the downside, Nestle India, ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, Titan, HDFC Bank, HUL, and Bajaj Finance were the top laggards, down up to 1.4 per cent. Sectorally, the Nifty Realty index added 1.2 per cent, while the Nifty FMCG index fell 0.3 per cent.

In the broader market, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices rallied 0.77 per cent, and 0.67 per cent, respectively.

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