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.

Continue Reading


Nifty ends above 10,300; SBI up 6% post Q2; GST council cuts rates


The benchmark indices ended positive on Friday after index heavyweight SBI rallied 6% post its September quarter numbers. Gains were, however, capped as refiners such as Reliance Industries tumbled after oil prices gained overnight and Tata Motors slipped after the auto major said its British unit faced intensifying competition.

Investors also took cues from the Goods & Services Tax (GST) Council meeting. The Council decided to trim the 28% slab to just 50 items, as against 227 items currently. High-end items, including automobiles, washing machine, refrigerator, sin goods like paan masala and cigar are among these 50 items. This is the biggest reduction seen since the GST implementation on July 1.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 33,314, up 63 points, while the broader Nifty50 was ruling at 10,321, up 12 points.

About 1,480 shares declined against 1,197 advancing shares on the BSE.

State Bank of India’s second quarter standalone profit missed analyst expectations, falling 37 percent year-on-year to Rs 1,581.55 crore from Rs 2,538.32 crore crore. Net interest income grew by 27.3 percent to Rs 18,585.9 crore from Rs 14,600.2 crore YoY, which was slightly higher than CNBC-TV18 poll estimates of Rs 19,088.7 crore. Gross NPAs were lower at 9.83 percent against 9.97 percent QoQ.

Continue Reading


Sensex snaps 2-day losing streak; Nifty ends week above 10,050; IOC, HPCL zoom


The benchmark indices erased entire losses to settle near day’s high thanks to gains in metal, oil & gas and banking stocks, while the pharma index was the sole sectoral loser. Almost all constituents of the Nifty pharma index, which shed as much as 2.5% intraday, were in red.

The Sensex ended at 32,325, up 87 points, while the Nifty50 closed at 10,066, up 52 points. Both indices settled the week marginally higher.

Metals and oil marketing companies also led support to the market but the correction in Reliance Industries and healthcare stocks capped gains. Equity benchmarks opened lower and remained range bound till recovery in later part of the session.

In the broader market, the BSE Midcap outperformed to gain 0.6%, while the BSE Smallcap index settled little changed.

The breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was negative. On the BSE, 1,388 shares fell and 1,198 shares rose. A total of 172 shares remained unchanged.

Continue Reading


Nifty ends marginally lower but holds above 10,000 , up 1% for week


The benchmark Nifty50 pared losses in the last leg of trade to end the first day of August series above 10,000-mark, up 1% for the week. Sensex, on the other hand, also ended marginally lower for the day but up 1% for the week. The street was dragged down by after Dr. Reddy’s extended fall for the second straight day post weaker Q1 quarterly earnings. Negative cues from Asian markets after US tech shares pulled Wall Street slightly lower also contributed to the losses.

Broader markets outperformed benchmark indices with BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap, up 0.5% and 0.4% respectively.

Focus now shifts to Reserve Bank of India’s two-day monetary policy meeting, which is set to begin next week on Tuesday, while the outcome is expected on Wednesday.

HDFC, Infosys, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Adani Ports and ONGC gained the most on BSE Sensex while Dr Reddy’s, Sun Pharma, Lupin, ICICI Bank and HeroMoto Corp lost the most on the index

Continue Reading


Stock specific moves push Sensex up for 5th straight week


It was a week of stock specific moves. The market ended positive for the fifth consecutive week thanks to a smart rally in stocks like TCS, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Reliance Industries in an otherwise a holiday-truncated expiry week. Globally, low probability of US Federal Reserve hiking interest rates in US in its March policy meeting also contributed to the buoyant sentiment.

During the week ended February 10, the S&P BSE Sensex added 1.5% or 424 points to settle at 28893, while Nifty50 gained 1.3% or 118 points to close at 8939.

Midcap and Smallcap stocks also mirrored the gains in the frontline indices to rise nearly 1% each.

Continue Reading


Benchmark indices settle on Friday near 5-month high; HDFC Bank up 3.6%


Benchmark indices settled the day higher, gaining for the fourth straight week driven by financials even after RBI put HDFC Bank back in the FII ban list.

The Central Bank said the private bank has crossed overall limit of 74% of its paid-up capital and no further purchases of shares the bank would be allowed via exchanges for FIIs. It had allowed allowed foreign investors to resume buying in the private bank earlier.

Nifty50 rose as much as 1.3% during the early morning trade led by HDFC Bank after it gained 9.5% to a record high of Rs 1,454.

The S&P BSE Sensex settled the day at 28,469, up 167 points, while the broader Nifty50 ended at 8,822, up 44 points.

In the broader market, BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap gained 0.5% and 0.4% respectively.

Continue Reading


Rupee, IT stocks, global cues take the Sensex 456 points higher on Friday


Snapping previous session’s losses, the benchmark indices on Friday staged a smart recovery led by gains in IT and pharma stocks after the rupee on Thursday hit its all-time low against dollar. Positive global cues as dollar retreated from 14-year high mark also added to the gains.

The S&P BSE Sensex settled the day at 26,316, up 456 points, while the broader Nifty closed at 8,114, up 149 points. In broader markets, BSE Midcap was up 1.3% while smallcap ended 2% higher.

Export-driven businesses like information technology (IT) and pharmaceutical rallied on the index today after rupee touched its record low on Thursday. These stocks earn more revenues on rupee depreciation as every dollar earned through exports means more rupees added to their bottom line.