Sensex adds 138 points; Zomato ends 65% up over issue price at Rs 126 on BSE
After a volatile start, benchmark indices swiftly rose in noon deals to end near the day’s high level on Friday. ICICI Bank and ITC (up 3 per cent each), followed by Axis Bank, Kotak Bank, SBI, and HCL Tech were the top contributors towards the indices’ rally.
At close, the S&P BSE Sensex quoted at 52,976 levels, up 138.5 points, or 0.26 per cent. The broader Nifty50, meanwhile, settled above the psychological level of 15,850 at 15,856, up 32 points or 0.2 per cent. The BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices, however, underperformed the benchmarks with the former slipping 0.07 per cent while the latter added 0.11 per cent.
Shares of ITC moved higher by 3 per cent at Rs 213.60 on the BSE in the intra-day trade on Friday, on back of heavy volumes, ahead of its April-June quarter (Q1FY22) earnings on Saturday, July 24. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 0.39 per cent at 53,041 levels at 02:20 pm. Trading volumes on the counter more-than-doubled with a combined 36 million equity shares having changed hands on the NSE and BSE till the time of writing of this report.