Market bulls rode the global momentum on Dalal Street on Friday, hitting new lifetime highs on the way. Bond yields in the US and Euro zone fell, with German 10-year yields set for their biggest fall this year, as investors bet on ultra-lose monetary policy to stay in place.
Backed by firm global cues, the frontline S&P BSE Sensex hit an all-time-high of 52,641.5 while the broader Nifty50 index claimed 15,835.5-mark in morning deals. In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices, too, touched new peaks of 23,045 and 25,249 levels, respectively.
That said, a fag-end weakness in banking, realty, and FMCG counters dragged the markets off highs. By close, the BSE barometer was at 52,475 levels, up 174 points or 0.33 per cent while the 50-share Nifty index ended at 15,799 levels, up 62 points or 0.39 per cent.
The BSE MidCap index, on the other hand, closed 0.14 per cent up while the BSE SmallCap index ended 0.4 per cent higher.
Sectorally, the Nifty Metal index zoomed nearly 3 per cent on the NSE, followed by the Nifty IT and Pharma indices, up over 1 per cent higher each. On the downside, the Nifty Realty and PSU Bank indices slipped up to 1 per cent.
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A healthy buying in auto, technology, and select bank stocks helped benchmark indices settle in the green on Friday.
The S&P BSE Sensex settled 127 points, or 0.31 per cent higher at 40,686 levels while NSE’s Nifty ended at 11,930, up 34 points, or 0.28 per cent. The volatility index, India Vix, slipped over 3.5 per cent to 21.82 levels.
On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 1.75 per cent while Nifty added 1.42 per cent.
Auto major Maruti (up over 4 per cent) ended as the biggest gainer on Sensex while UltraTech Cement (down over 2 per cent) was the top loser.
The broader market continued to outperform frontline indices. The S&P BSE MidCap index gained 0.59 per cent while the S&P BSE SmallCap index rallied 0.7 per cent to 15,135 levels.
Among sectoral indices, Nifty Auto gained nearly 3 per cent to 8,095 levels.
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Benchmark indices fell on Thursday, snapping a six-day record-setting rally, as profit-taking hit IT stocks while large state-run lenders slid as they stood to receive less money than expected from a government recapitalisation plan.
The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 36,050, up 111 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 11,069, up 16 points.
The government’s Rs 881.39 billion capital infusion in struggling public sector banks should help in part to mitigate risks but resolution of bad assets and continued high credit costs hinder the sector’s near-term performance, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday. While the capital infusion plan was less than half of its estimate of $65 billion needed for the sector, Fitch said yesterday’s announcement will encourage banks to resolve their non-performing loan (NPL) stock faster as improved capital buffers bolster their ability to absorb potential large haircuts.
Jindal Saw dipped 8% to Rs 154, extending Wednesday’s 4% decline on BSE after the company reported 19% growth in net profit at Rs 963 million for the quarter ended December 2017 (Q3FY18). It had a profit of Rs 807 million in the same quarter last fiscal. Total income increased 49% to Rs 21,807 million from Rs 14,666 million in the corresponding quarter of previous year.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd posted a 38.5 percent slump in quarterly net profit as sales declined due to pricing pressure in the United States, its biggest market. Net profit was Rs 3.03 billion ($47.7 million) in the third quarter ended December 31, compared with Rs 4.92 billion a year earlier, the company said.
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Benchmark indices rose for the second straight session on Friday amid hopes the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would win critical state elections in Gujarat beginning this weekend, while automakers gained on reports of an expected price hike next year.
The election in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state is a key test for the BJP, ahead of general elections in 2019. The results will be out later this month.
According to polls, the BJP could win, but with a reduced majority – an outcome that would still soothe investors, who are hoping for more political stability and have largely welcomed Modi’s reform agenda.
The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 33,250, up 301 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,265, up 98 points. Broader markets were in line with the frontline indices with BSE Midcap up 0.9% and BSE smallcap up 1%
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