Sensex falls 664 points from day’s high, ends 49 points down; RIL up 2%, autos dip


A firm trading session witnessed an anti-climatic end with almost all the sectors giving up their gains. The Nifty Auto index was the worst hit as it shed around 1.8 per cent, while the Nifty Bank, Metal, PSU/Private Banks, and Realty indices fell up to 1 per cent each. The Nifty IT index was the only gainer, up 0.45 per cent.

Overall, the BSE Sensex index fell 664 points from the day’s high to close at 55,769, down 49 points or 0.09 per cent. The Nifty50, too, shut shop at 16,584, down 44 points or 0.26 per cent. It hit an intra-day high of 16,794.

In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices fell 1.45 per cent and 1.16 per cent, respectively.

Shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) gained 3 per cent to Rs 2,816.35 on the BSE in Friday’s intra-day trade, having rallied 7 per cent in the past two trading days amid heavy volumes. RIL has seen addition of Rs 1.25 trillion in its total market capitalisation of Rs 19.05 trillion during this period.

Continue Reading


Sensex down 153 points, Nifty below 12,100; Asian Paints falls 2%


After a one-day blip, benchmark indices once again slipped into the negative territory on Thursday, pulled down by heavyweights such as Reliance Industries (RIL), HDFC Bank, TCS, HUL and Asian Paints. Further, investors awaited more clarity on US President Donald Trump’s statement ahead of his visit to India that the two countries were working on a major trade deal.

The S&P BSE Sensex lost 153 points or 0.37 per cent to settle at 41,170, with Asian Paints (down over 2 per cent) being the top loser and IndusInd Bank (up over 3.5 per cent) the biggest gainer.

NSE’s Nifty50 index ended the session at 12,081, down 45 points or 0.37 per cent.

Among individual stocks, IRCTC gained over 5 per cent to end at 1,928 . Adani Gas rallied 13 per cent to Rs 185.50 apiece on the BSE after media reports said Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) disposed November 29 showcause notice to the company and the regulator has approved TOTAL’s 37 per cent stake buy in the company.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Midcap index added 62.5 points or 0.4 per cent to 15,694 while the S&P BSE SmallCap index rallied 0.5 per cent to settle at 14,747.

On the sectoral front, IT stocks bled the most, followed by FMCG and media counters. On the other hand, PSU bank stocks advanced the most. The Nifty PSU Bank index climbed 1 per cent to 2,169 levels.

Markets remained shut on Friday on account of Mahashivratri.

Continue Reading


Sensex ends 289 points higher ahead of Karnataka polls


The markets ended higher on Friday ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections. The southern state will vote on Saturday and the poll outcome will be known on May 15.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 35,536, up 289 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,807, up 90 points.

Among individual stocks, Asian Paints hit a record high on strong March-quarter results and was among the top contributors to index gains. Stock was the top gainer of the broader Nifty50 index.

Shares of Fortis Healthcare ended 3% lower at Rs 148 on the BSE, after the company said the board chooses the Hero Enterprises-Burman Family Office offer as the best for the hospital and diagnostic chain.

Shares of select pharmaceutical companies were under pressure, falling by up to 6% ahead of US President Donald Trump speech today about controlling prescription drug prices. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries slipped 6% to Rs 468 on the BSE in noon deal on back of heavy volumes. Novartis India, Marksans Pharma, Ajanta Pharma, Morepen Laboratories, Alkem Laboratories, Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company (SPARC) and Aarti Drugs were down in the range 3% to 4% on the BSE.

PC Jeweller on Thursday announced its board has approved buy-back of shares worth Rs 4.24 billion amid a sharp plunge in stock price in recent weeks. The shares will be bought back at Rs 350 per unit, which is 67 per cent higher than the closing price of Rs 209 apiece on the BSE on Thursday. Promoters will not participate in the buy-back process. In a regulatory filing, the jeweller said the board at its meeting held on Thursday considered and approved the buy-back of up to 1,21,14,286 fully paid-up equity shares of Rs 10 each.

Continue Reading