Sensex surges 580 points on Friday on strong Asian cues; auto, banks rally


The benchmark indices settled over 1.5 per cent higher on Friday led by a sharp rise in automobile stocks amid a jump in the Asian markets which rose as China and the United States expressed optimism about resolving their bruising trade war.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 35,012, up 580 points (up 1.8 per cent), while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,553, up 173 points (up 1.7 per cent). The indices ended over 5 per cent higher this week, making it the biggest weekly gain since May 2016.

Among the sectoral indices, Nifty Auto index rose 4.2 per cent led by a rise in Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Hero MotoCorp. The Nifty Bank index, too, ended 1.5 per cent led by IndusInd Bank and Axis Bank.

In stocks, the oil and gas companies rallied led by BPCL which rose 6.4 per cent to Rs 301 on the BSE while IOC ended nearly 5 per cent higher at Rs 148.

The rupee firmed against the US dollar, reclaiming the 72-per-dollar levels. The Indian currency rose to 72.53 against the greenback in intra-day trade, up from its previous close of 73.45 per dollar.

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Stocks slide to 5-month lows, Nifty ends below 10,000 on trade war fears


The BSE Sensex plunged by about 410 points to close at a five-month low while the broader Nifty crashed below the 10,000 mark for the first time this year following a global sell-off due to fears of a trade war as US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on Chinese goods.

The 30-share Sensex tumbled by 409.73 points or 1.24 per cent to close at a five-month low of 32,596.54, a level last seen on October 23 last year.

The 50-issue Nifty ended below the psychological 10,000-level by dropping 116.70 points or 1.15 per cent to 9,998.05, the lowest closing level in five months. The level was last seen on October 11 last year, when it had closed at 9,984.80.

Investors lost around Rs 1.57 trillion in market valuation on Friday.

For the fourth straight week, the flagship Sensex recorded a fall of 579.46 points, or 1.75 per cent, while the NSE Nifty lost 197.10 points, or 1.93 per cent.

Realty, metal, bankex, capital goods, healthcare, PSU, auto and oil & gas stocks recorded widespread losses.

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Demonetisation, Trump’s election lead to chaotic swings in the sensex


Benchmark indices slumped by almost 3% tracking weak global cues after US bond yields soared on expectations US President-elect Donald Trump’s policies would stoke inflation. Further, demonetisation move by the government dampened investor sentiment especially with fast moving consumer goods and consumer discretionary sectors to have an impact in the short term. In an effort to curb black money and counterfeiting the government in a surprising move announced the demonetisation of Rs 500 and 1,000 currency notes with effect from midnight Tuesday.

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