Sensex soars 900 points, Nifty ends near 17,600; PSBs, Adani Group stocks sizzle


Domestic markets rallied smartly in trades on Friday, as positive global cues coupled with the Rs 15,446 crore stake buy by GQG Partners in Adani Group boosted sentiment. The Group shares along with PSU Banks and select index heavyweights were the major gainers.

The S&P BSE Sensex soared to a high of 59,967, and ended with a gain of 900 points at 59,809. In the process, the BSE benchmark was up 345 points for the week.

The NSE Nifty 50 touched a high of 17,645, before signing-off at 17,594 – up 272 points. The Nifty was up 128 points for the week.

The positive sentiment had a spillover effect on PSU Banks. The Nifty PSU Bank index soared 5.4 per cent to 3,970. UCO Bank and Union Bank galloped over 8 per cent each. Maharashtra Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India and Indian Bank rallied over 6 per cent each. SBI and Canara Bank vaulted over 5 per cent each.

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Sensex slumps 981 points, Nifty ends near 17,800; PSU index crashes 6%


Bears crawled on Dalal Street on Friday as wobbly global sentiment as Covid-19 scare in China triggered slowdown fears. With this, equity markets have settled lower for a fourth consecutive day.

The S&P BSE Sensex slumped 981 points or 1.6 per cent to end at 59,845, which is its lowest level since October 28. The index hit an intra-day low of 59,766 during the day dragged by Tata Steel, Tata Motors, SBI, Bajaj Finserv, Wipro, IndusInd Bank, Reliance, L&T, which shed 2-5 per cent.

The Nifty50, meanwhile, ended at 17,807, down 321 points or 1.8 per cent. The index sank to a low of 17,779 during the day.

The pain was even more severe in the broader market space where the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices fell 3 and 4 per cent, respectively.

The broad-based selling was led by public sector banks with the Nifty PSU Bank index tumbling nearly 6 per cent. This was followed by the Nifty Metal index (down over 4 per cent), and the Nifty Realty index (down 3 per cent).

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Sensex tanks 461 points, Nifty below 18,300 amid global rout; all sectors fall


Selling pressure intensified in late noon deals on Friday after reports emerged of fresh Russian onslaught on Ukrainian soil. According to media reports, at least three cities in Ukraine faced major missile attack on energy facilities and infrastructure. Meanwhile, recession fears in the US and Euro region, coupled with growth slowdown concerns back home, weighed on the sentiment.

Against this backdrop, the S&P BSE Sensex dropped 461 points, or 0.75 per cent, to settle at 61,338. The Nifty50, too, slumped 146 points or 0.79 per cent to end at 18,269.

Dr Reddy’s Labs, M&M, Asian Paints, SBI, TCS, Titan, Power Grid, and Ultratech Cement fell the most among the 27 losers within the Sensex pack. Adani Ports, BPCL, Bajaj Auto, and Hero MotoCorp were the additional laggards on the Nifty.

Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, HUL, and Tata Steel were the only large-cap gainers on the benchmark indices.

Meanwhile, in the broader markets, the BSE MidCap index declined 1.4 per cent, while the BSE SmallCap index dipped 0.9 per cent.

Among sectors, the Nifty PSU Bank index sunk the most, down nearly 3 per cent. This was followd by losses in the Nifty Realty, Pharma, and Media indices, down over 1 per cent each.

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Sensex sinks 769 points, Nifty below 16,250; Titan, Maruti fall 5%, IT stocks up


Equity markets see-sawed in trade on Friday as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine escalated, with Russian forces attacking and seizing control over Europe’s largest nuclear power plant earlier today.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex opened with a 450-point cut and extended the losses to hit a low of 53,888, down 1,215 points intra-day. It, however, recovered partially and closed 769 points, or 1.4 per cent, down at 54,334.

The NSE Nifty, on the other hand, hit an intra-day low of 16,134 but recouped losses to end at 16,243, down 255 points or 1.5 per cent.

Maruti Suzuki tumbled another 4.7 per cent today, falling over 10 per cent in two days. The stock was the second biggest laggard on the Nifty50 index. Titan Company, Hero MotoCorp, Asian Paints, Tata Motors, HUL, Coal India, M&M, Hindalco, JSW Steel, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finance, and Eicher Motors were the other draggers, cracking between 3 and 5 per cent.

On the upside, Dr Reddy’s Labs, ITC, Tech M, BPCL, Sun Pharma, Ultratech Cement, and Wipro gained in the range of 1 to 3 per cent.

In the broader market, the BSE MidCap index declined 2.3 per cent with individual stocks such as Vodafone Idea, IRCTC, Jubilant Food, Info Edge, Zee Entertainment, Varun Beverages, and Indian Hotel falling up to 7 per cent.

The BSE SmallCap index, meanwhile, settled 1.3 per cent lower dragged by Power India, Vadilal Industries, MCX, Carborundum Universal, and KBC Global.

Sectorally, only the Nifty IT index eked out gain on the NSE, rising 0.14 per cent. The Nifty Auto index was the worst hit index today for a second straight day as it ended 3.3 per cent down today. All other remaining indices fell between 1 and 3 per cent.

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Sensex ends 466 points off low, down 12 points; Nifty holds 18,250; IT stocks shine


Benchmark indices staged a smart-recovery during the second half of the trading session, led by healthy buying in metal and PSU bank stocks, to end the day around flat line on Friday. The markets, however, snapped their four-day winning run and ended lower amid weak global cues.

The BSE Sensex index opened gap-down and hit a low of 60,757 in early deals today. It staged a smart come-back and bounced 567 points intra-day to hit a high of 61,324.5. However, losses in private banks and select heavyweights such as HUL and Bharti Airtel held it from ending in the green zone. By close, the BSE 30-pack index stood at 61,223, down 12 points or 0.02 per cent.

Following a similar trajectory, the NSE Nifty hit a low of 18,120 in early deals but recouped losses to hit a high of 18,287. It, eventually, pared gains and ended 2 points down at 18,256 level.

TCS, Infosys, L&T, Tech M, and HDFC Bank were the top gainers on the Sensex today, while Tata Consumer Products, IOC, BPCL, and Adani Ports were the additional gainers on the Nifty. All these stocks gained between 1 and 4 per cent.

On the downside, Asian Paints, Axis Bank, UPL, HUL, ONGC, M&M, and Nestle India were the top laggards.

The broader market, however, outperformed the benchmarks and ended higher on Friday. The BSE MidCap index eked out 0.24 per cent gains while the BSe SmallCap advanced 0.5 per cent.

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Sensex tanks 720 points from day’s high, ends 125 down; Nifty PSB drops 3%


In a volatile session on Dalal Street, the benchmark indices tumbled from record high levels to snap their three-day winning run amid losses in RIL, IT stocks and select banking counters. Despite a firm global market sentiment, the Indian indices settled in the red as profit taking ensued following a steep rally in the indices which saw them hitting significant landmarks.

After touching a record high of 59,737, the BSE barometer Sensex plunged 721 points from the high to end at 59,016, down 125 points. At the same time, its NSE counterpart Nifty50 settled the day 44 points down at 17,585. The 50-pack index had touched record peak of 17,793 in morning session. However, on the weekly basis, the benchmark indices gained, thus taking their winning run to the fourth straight week.

The fall was more pronounced in the broader markets. The BSE Midcap index sank 1.14 per cent and BSE Smallcap index 1.06 per cent, thus, underperforming benchmark Sensex. Overall, the advance-decline ratio on BSE stood at nearly 1:2, indicating that for every one share that rose, two declined.

Sectorally, PSU Bank index tanked the most among all sectors, reversing strong gains that were seen on Thursday amid expectations that FM Nirmala Sitharaman would announce National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) that would acquire bad loans in an attempt to resolve them. While the announcement did come, investors preffered to take profits off the table, pushing the index 2.96 per cent lower.

It was closely trailed by Nifty Media & Realty that shed 2.38 per cent and 2.35 per cent, respectively. On the other hand, Nifty Media, Nifty Financial Services, Nifty Bank and Nifty Private Bank were the gainers. Nifty Auto setlled the day unchanged.

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Bulls beat bears after 2 days; Sensex gains 568 points, Nifty tops 14,500


Breaking away from two-straight sessions of bear hammering, bulls were back in action on Dalal Street. Parked near day’s high, the benchmark indices ended Friday’s session with over one per cent gains amid healthy buying in metal, financial, and auto stocks.

The Nifty Metal index ended nearly 4 per cent higher, while the Nifty Financial Services, FMCG, and Auto indices ended with around 2 per cent gains. Realty, bank, pharma and IT indices, meanwhile, advanced up to 1.5 per cent.

Among the benchmark indices, the frontline S&P BSE Sensex closed with gains of 568 points, or 1.17 per cent, at 49,008 level. The broader Nifty, on the other hand, reclaimed the 14,500-mark on a closing basis and settled at 14,507 level, up 182.4 points or 1.27 per cent.

Bajaj Finserv, Asian Paints, HUL, Titan Company, Bajaj Auto, and HDFC were leading the list of gainers on the Sensex, up between 2.7 per cent and 4.4 per cent. Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Bharti Airtel, and Adani Ports were the additional gainers on the Nifty with up to 6 per cent returns today.

On the downside, PowerGrid, IndusInd Bank, ITC, Maruti Suzuki, UPL, and TCS declined the most on the benchmark indices, down up to 2 per cent.

Overall, the S&P BSE MidCap index ended 1.66 per cent higher, while the SmallCap counterpart closed with a per cent gain.

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Indices log biggest 1-day fall in 9 mths; Sensex sinks 1,939 points, holds 49K


A steep hike in US treasury yields took the global markets by surprise on Friday as investors dumped equities for bonds. That apart, an air strike by the United States in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border, further dented trading sentiment.

US Treasury yields vaulted to their highest levels, of about 1.5 per cent, since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic on expectations of a strong economic expansion and related inflation. Back home, the 10-year goverment bond firmed up to 6.23 per cent on Friday mirrowing similar trends. Effectively, fear of reversal in rate cut cycle, spooked investors who off-loaded equities worth Rs 5 trillion.

Additionally, the US air strike in retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month, and caution ahead of the release of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the December quarter made investors sit on the fence.

In the intra-day trade, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex tumbled 2,149 points while the Nifty50 index slumped 629 points. The indices ended near the lowest point of the day, at 49,100 and 14,529 levels, respectively, down 1,939 points and 568 points.

All the 30 constituents on the Sensex index and 50 stocks on the Nifty ended the day in the red. ONGC, JSW Steel, GAIL, M&M, Bajaj Finance, Grasim, and Hero MotoCorp were the top Nifty losers, down up to 8 per cent; Axis Bank, HDFC, Power Grid, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank were the top drags on the Sensex.

In the broader markets, small-cap stocks held their ground relatively better as the S&P BSE SmallCap index settled only 0.7 per cent down. The S&P BSE MidCap index, on the the hand, ended 1.75 per cent lower.

On the sectoral front, banking counters got butchered as yield concerns soured sentiment in the sector. Expectations that banks may have to show yield-induced fall in G-sec value as losses, investors pushed the sell button for banks. The Nifty Bank, and Private bank indices closed 5 per cent down, followed by losses in the Nifty PSU Bank index, down 4.5 per cent.

The Nifty Metal and Auto indices dropped 3 per cent while the Nifty FMCG, IT, and Pharma indices slipped 2 per cent each.

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Sensex ends 588 points lower at 46,285, down 5% in a week ahead of Budget 2021


Investors lightened their portfolios and decided to sit on cash on Friday as they await Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s third Union Budget presentation due on Monday, February 1. In a sea-saw trade today, stock specific moves swayed markets even as overall mood remained subdued.

At the index level, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex swung 1,260 points in the intra-day trade and hit an intra-day high and low of 47,424 and 46,160. The index eventually settled 588 points, or 1.26 per cent, lower at 46,286 levels. Dr Reddy’s Labs (down 5.5 per cent) was the top loser on the index after the pharmaceutical major’s consolidated net profit came in at Rs 19.8 crore for the quarter ended December, sharply lower than analysts’ estimate of Rs 726.5 crore.

That apart, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Auto, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, and Bajaj Finserv, down between 5 per cent and 2.5 per cent, were the top drags. On the flipside, IndusInd Bank (up nearly 6 per cent), Sun Pharma, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank were the only gainers on the Sensex.

On the NSE, the Nifty50 index closed at 13,635 levels, down 183 points or 1.32 per cent. The index hit an intra-day low of 13,597.

Both the benchmarks have erased around 5 per cent during the week.

The broader market, however, remained relatively stable with the S&P BSE MidCap and S&P BSE SmallCap index down 0.69 per cent and 0.25 per cent, respectively at close.

On the sectoral front, financial and realty stocks held their ground with the Nifty PSU Bank and Realty indices settling 1.7 per cent and 0.7 per cent higher, respectively. On the downside, Nifty Auto index tumbled around 3 per cent, while Nifty Pharma and Metal indices declined around 2 per cent each.

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Sensex ends at day’s low, down 746 points ; Bajaj Auto jumps 11%; RIL down 2%


Investors took some profit off the table on Friday after markets scaled historic levels a day before, when the S&P BSE Sensex surpassing the 50,000-mark for the first time. That said, investors rewarded stocks of the firms that delivered strong Q3FY21 results.

In the intra-day trade, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex plunged 790 points and hit a low of 48,835 levels. The index settled around day’s low level of 48,878 levels, down 746 points or 1.5 per cent. Financial bore the maximum brunt with Axis Bank declining 4.4 per cent on the Sensex, followed by SBI (3.5 per cent), ICICI Bank (3.7 per cent), and IndusInd Bank (3.5 per cent).

On the flipside, Bajaj Auto, HUL, TCS, Ultratech Cement, and Bajaj Finserv were the only gainers on the Sensex.

On the NSE, the Nifty50 settled at 14,372 levels, down 218 points or 1.5 per cent.

The broader markets, however, fared slightly better. The S&P BSE MidCap index ended 1.1 per cent lower at 18,777.46 levels while the S&P BSE SmallCap index closed at 18,442 levels, down 0.93 per cent.

Sectorally, most of the key indices settled lower. The Nifty Metal index underperformed the benchmark and closed 4 per cent lower. Among individual stocks, SAIL fell 14 per cent, JSPL slipped 8 per cent, and Hindustan Copper declined over 4 per cent.

That apart, Nifty Bank index tanked over 1,000 points, or 3.25 per cent, to close at 31,176 levels.

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