Sensex up 228 points on reports that Govt. may rollback higher tax on FPIs

Indices settled higher on Friday ahead of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s media address, scheduled later in the day, wherein measures to revive the economy, clarity on the possible rollback of super-rich tax on FPIs, and implementation of direct tax code (DTC) are expected.

That apart, investors were also eyeing Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole, Wyoming for clarification on whether the US central bank remains on course to deliver another interest rate cut in next month.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex settled 228 points, or 0.63 per cent, higher at 36,701 levels lifted by gains in metals, and public sector banks’ stocks. Vedanta, YES Bank, ONGC, and M&M were the top gainers at the 30-share index, while IndusInd Bank, ITC, ICICI Bank, and Power Grid ended as top laggards. The broader Nifty50, too, closed at 10,829-mark, up 88 points or 0.82 per cent.

The Sensex and Nifty50 settled nearly 600 and 192 points higher, respectively from the day’s low.

For the week, both Sensex and Nifty50 settled in the negative territory for second week in a row, down 2 per cent each. Further, Nifty Bank index slipped 4.5 per cent this week, registering the biggest weekly fall in 11 months, while Nifty mid-cap index settled 3 per cent lower, its biggest monthly fall.

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