Fag-end buying drives Sensex higher after two-day hiatus, up 55 points


Last minute buying helped benchmark indices eke out gains and close in the green one a gap of two days, with Airtel, Nestle India, TCS and ITC contributing the most to gains. Meanwhile, privtae banks, RIL and Infosys were among the top drags.

The BSE Sensex settled the volatile session on the day of weekly F&O expiry at 58,305, up 55 points while Nifty closed 4 points higher at 17,357. In the 50-pack index, 30 stocks closed in the green and 20 in the red.

Buying momentum remained high in midcap and smallcap stocks as the BSE Midcap ended up 0.56 per cent and the BSE smallcap 0.52 per cent. Both indices also hit their respective all-time highs in today’s session.

In sectoral space, Nifty Realty followed by Financial Services, Pharma and Bank were the top losers. On the other hand, Nifty Media, with a gain of 2.97 per cent was the best performing index. Nearly 20 per cent rally in Dish TV helped the media index put up a strong show. Other sectoral gainers were Metal, FMCG, IT and PSU Bank.

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Indices snap 4-day losing run; Sensex up 166 points; small-caps outperform


Equity markets snapped their four-day losing run and ended near day’s high on Friday as gains in pharma and banking counters, and select heavyweights lent support to the indices. Breaking away from a lackluster trade, the frontline indices picked pace in the second half of the session as ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, SBI, and HDFC gained between 0.7 per cent and 1.6 per cent.

The S&P BSE Sensex closed with gains of 166 points, or 0.32 per cent, at 52,485 levels while the NSE’s Nifty50 settled at 15,722 levels, up 42 points or 0.27 per cent.

However, trading action was skewed towards small-cap stocks as hefty buying in Mangalam Cement, Omaxe, OnMobile Global, Route Mobile, and Indoco Remedies, pushed the BSE SmallCap index up 1 per cent. Gains in mid-cap index remained capped amid sell-off in Adani Transmission, Adani Enterprises, Adani Green Energy, JSW Energy, SAIL, and Vodafone Idea. The BSE MidCap index ended little changed.

Sectorally, the Nifty Pharma index was the top gainer, up 0.6 per cent, followed by the Nifty Bank index, up 0.4 per cent. Conversely, the Nifty Metal index was the top sectoral loser on the NSE, down 1.5 per cent.

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Sensex dips 132 points as RBI cuts FY22 GDP growth; Nifty ends below 15,700


Benchmark indices succumbed to profit booking, even as healthy buying continued in the broader market space, after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept repo rate unchanged for the sixth consecutive time at 4 per cent and maintained the policy stance as Accommodative.

The six-member monetary policy committee (MPC), however, revised the growth projection downward to 9.5 per cent from 10.5 per cent for the current financial year and revised the inflation projection upward to 5.1 per cent.

Furthermore, it announced the third tranche of bond buying worth Rs 40,000 crore under G-SAP 1.0. It also announced G-SAP 2.0, under which it will buy bonds worth Rs 1.2 trillion. The central bank will also buy bonds issued by state governments, unlike G-SAP 1.0 that was only for central government securities.

Post the announcement, 10-year government bond yields hardened by 0.4 per cent to top 6 per cent-mark while the equity markets gave up their gains.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex tumbled 436 points from the day’s high and hit a low of 51,953. It, however, trimmed losses marginally to settle the day at 52,100 levels, down 132 points or 0.25 per cent.

On the NSE, the Nifty50 index dropped 64 points from the record high level of 15,734, touched earlier in the day, to close at 15,670 levels.

The benchmark indices were dragged down largely by banking and FMCG counters such as Nestle India, SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, HUL, Axis Bank, and Titan.

Overall, the Nifty Bank index ended 1 per cent lower, followed by the Nifty Private Bank and FMCG indices, down 0.8 per cent and 0.4 per cent, respectively. On the upside, the Nifty Metal and Realty indices clocked gains up to 1.3 per cent.

That said, market participants continued to buy stocks in the broader markets after the RBI announced a special, Rs 15,000 crore-liquidity window for sectors like travel and toursim, tour operators, hotels, restaurants, aviation and related companies, spa clinics and beauty parlours.

The BSE MidCap index advanced 0.63 per cent while the BSE SmallCap index added 0.78 per cent. Both the indices hit record peak levels of 22,540 and 24,280, respectively in intra-day trade.

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Indices end lower for 2nd day; Sensex drops 441 points but up 2.5% this week


Domestic markets snapped the streak of weekly losses even as sombre global mood butchered bulls at the bourses for two days straight. A rise in Brent crude prices along with a jump in bond yields acted as the double whammy on stocks on Friday, pushing benchmark equity indices down by nearly a per cent. However, a tilt towards defensives towards the fag-end of the session lifted markets off-lows.

Among headline indices, the S&P BSE Sensex ended at 50,405 levels today, erasing 441 points or 0.87 per cent. From the day’s high of 50,886, the index tumbled 726 points to hit a low of 50,160. Financial, pharma, and IT counters were the top drags on the index today with IndusInd Bank, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HCL Tech, Bajaj Finserv, Infosys, Dr Reddy’s Labs, Sun Pharma, and HDFC leading the list of losers. All these stocks were down in the range of 1.7 per cent to 5 per cent.

On the upside, ONGC, Maruti Suzuki, Nestle India, Titan, Reliance Industries, and L&T supported the markets with up to 2.5 per cent gains.

On the NSE, the Nifty50 settled above the 14,900-mark at 14,938, down 143 points or 0.95 per cent. 38 of the 50 stocks declined on the Nifty today, while 12 advanced.

All the sectoral indices were painted red amid across-the-board sell-off. The Nifty PSU index plunged 4 per cent on the NSE, followed by the Nifty Metal index (down 3 per cent), and the Nifty IT and Realty indices (down 2 per cent each). The Nifty Bank, Auto, FMCG, and Financial Services indices slipped between 0.5 per cent and 1.7 per cent.

In the broader markets, the S&P BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices dropped 1.9 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively.

The overall market breadth favoured bears with 1,904 stocks ending the day in the red, compared with around 1,083 stocks that advanced on the BSE.

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Indices end on Christmas eve near records; Sensex gains 529 points; RIL up 2.5%, Infy dips 1%


Frontline indices ended the session near record highs on Thursday as investors went on Christmas holiday in a festive mood. Reports that Britain and the European Union have closed in on a free-trade deal, while short covering in banking counters back home lifted the indices.

That apart, hopes for more fiscal spending and expectations that coronavirus vaccines will become more available next year also supported global sentiment.

The S&P BSE Sensex gained 529 points, or 1.14 per cent, to settle the day at 46,973.5 levels. Sun Pharmaceuticals, Axis Bank, Reliance Industries, HDFC, and Bajaj Finance, up between 2 per cent and 3 per cent, closed the day as top gainers on the Sensex. On the downside, profit-booking in IT and FMCG stocks resulted in Infosys, Nestle, and HCL Tech ending the day as top drags.

The broader Nifty50 closed at 13,749-mark, up 148 points or 1 per cent.

Among other sectoral indices on the NSE, Nifty Bank and Nifty Financial indices ended Thursday’s session nearly 2 per cent higher each, while Nifty Pharma was up 1 per cent at close. Nifty IT index closed 0.65 per cent down.

Markets will remain shut on Friday on account of Christmas.

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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 dips 162 points on US-Iran tensions; PSBs, Autos top drags


Following the global sell-off, Indian equity markets, too, settled lower on Friday after US military killed Iran Revolutionary Guards’ commander Qasem Soleimani in a surprise air-strike. The middle-east tensions sent Brent Crude Futures soaring, while market sentiment turned sour at D-Street.

Brent crude futures jumped nearly $3 on Friday after a US air strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian and Iraqi military commanders, sparking concerns of disruption to Middle East oil supplies. At 3:10 pm, Brent Crude Futures were at $68.62 per barrel-mark, up 3.5 per cent.

The S&P BSE Sensex, which hit an intra-day low of 41,348.68, recovered slightly in the fag-end of the session and settled 162.03 points, or 0.39 per cent, lower at 41,464.61 level. 20 of the 30 constituents ending the day in the red. Oil-linked stocks, such as paints, aviation, oil-marketing companies (OMCs), and financial counters remained under pressure.

In the intra-day trade, Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), for instance, declined 2.9 per cent each on the BSE. Reliance Industries, Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL), and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), too, slumped up to 0.7 per cent.

On the NSE, the Nifty50 lost 55.50 points, or 0.45 per cent, to settle at 12,226.65-mark. Sectorally, Nifty PSU Bank index slipped the most, down 2 per cent at close. Besides, Nifty Bank, Auto, Private Bank indices slipped over 1 per cent. On the upside, Nifty IT index advanced 1.3 per cent on the back of a weaker rupee.

In the broader market, small-caps traded in the green territory, while mid-caps followed benchmarks. The S&P BSE mid-cap index was down 0.44 per cent, while the S&P BSE small-cap index was up 0.01 per cent at close.

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Indices end volatile session in the red; metal, IT stocks drag


Benchmark indices ended Friday’s volatile session in the red, thus recording fall for the eighth straight day and third consecutive week, as investors remained cautious ahead of the US-China trade negotiation outcome.

India VIX was up almost 4 per cent to 26.49

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex ended the day 96 points, or 0.26 per cent, lower at 37,463, with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HCL Tech, Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank and Infosys contributing the most to the indices’ fall. Twenty-one of the 30 constituents of BSE ended the session with losses.

The broader index Nifty50 gave up the crucial 11,300 mark and slipped 23 points, or 0.20 per cent, at 11,279. About 1,187 shares advanced, 1,270 shares declined, and 162 shares were unchanged.

Among sectoral indices, both Nifty IT and Nifty Metal dipped more than 1 per cent. However, Nifty PSU Bank gained 2.5 per cent, the highest among the gainers.

The broader indices fared better than their benchmark peers with the S&P BSE MidCap index ending 34 points, or 0.24 per cent, higher at 14,390, while the S&P BSE SmallCap index was ruling at 14,106, up 29 points or 0.21 per cent.

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The week ended May 27, 2016


The market ended with super gains boosted by index heavyweights. The Sensex closed up 286.92 points or 1 percent at 26653.60, and the Nifty was up 79.90 points or 0.9 percent at 8149.55. About 1401 shares have advanced, 1173 shares declined, and 189 shares are unchanged.

SBI gained 9 percent while Sun Pharma was up 6 percent. Adani Ports, Reliance and Bajaj Auto were other gainers in the Sensex. Among losers were ONGC, Axis Bank, ITC, GAIL and NTPC.Here are some picks from the week gone by.

Here are some picks from the week gone by.

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