Sensex, Nifty end flat on a choppy day; IT stocks drag


Benchmark indices ended Friday’s session with marginal cuts after erasing its intraday gains in the final hour. IT stocks remained subdued throughout the day after the US-based IT services company Cognizant nearly halved its 2019 growth guidance.

The intra-day rise in the indices was spurred by a slip in oil prices with financial stocks gaining the most, before the indices retreated to trade flat in the end.

S&P BSE Sensex settled 18 points lower for the day at 38,963, with TCS, Hindustan Unilever, TATA Steel, HCL Tech and Infosys being the top drags. Twelve out of the 30 constituents of the BSE ended the day in red.

The broader Nifty50 was also down 12.5 points, or 0.11 per cent, to end at 11,712 levels. The market breadth was tilted in favour of declines. About 1,031 stocks fell and 702 shares advanced on National Stock Exchange.

Among sectoral indices, the Nifty IT index was the biggest loser, down almost 1.9 per cent while the Nifty FMCG index also slipped 1.13 per cent. On the other hand, Nifty Realty index and Nifty PSU Bank index gained 1.57 per cent and 1.09 per cent, respectively.

On a weekly basis, the S&P BSE Sensex closed 0.27 per cent lower while and the NSE Nifty50 slipped 0.36 per cent. This was the indices’ biggest weekly loss since February 11.

The volatility index, VIX, ended the day 4.35 percent higher at 23.98.

The broader market took the cue from benchmark indices to end flat. The S&P BSE MidCap index slipped 15 points, or 0.10 per cent, at 14,783, while the S&P BSE SmallCap index ended the day at 14,548, down 45 points, or 0.31 per cent.

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Indices end flat, Nifty holds 10,900; Sun Pharma tanks 9%


Continuing with their lacklustre performance for the third straight day, the equity benchmark indices settled on a flat note on Friday. While the day witnessed solid buying in bluechips such as Reliance Industries (RIL), HCL Tech, HDFC Bank and TCS, the gains in the index were capped by drubbing in counters including Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel and L&T.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended just 13 points higher at 36,387, while NSE’s Nifty50 index held the crucial 10,900 level to close at 10,907, up 2 points. On a weekly basis, both the indices ended 1 per cent higher.

Sectorally, barring IT, all other indices ended in the red with the pharma stocks bleeding the most. The Nifty Pharma pack lost nearly 3 per cent to end the day at 8,690.

Shares of pharma bellwether Sun Pharma crashed to their six year- low of Rs 375.40 apiece in the early trade on Friday after news reports suggested fresh whistleblower documents were sent to Sebi. The stock plunged as much as 12 per cent on BSE. The company, however, in a BSE filing clarified that it was not privy to the news reported by MoneyLife. The stock, eventually, ended nearly 9 per cent lower at Rs 390.75.

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Sensex slips 97 points on Friday, Nifty ends at 10,795; TCS falls over 2%


The benchmark indices settled marginally lower on Friday weighed by IT bellwether Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and select banking and automobile stocks.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 36,010, down 97 points or 0.27 per cent, while the broader Nifty50 index ended at 10,795, down 27 points or 0.25 per cent. On a weekly basis, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 0.88 per cent, while Nifty50 rose 0.63 per cent.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index ended at 15,177, down 19 points or 0.13 per cent, while S&P BSE SmallCap index slipped 28 points or 0.19 per cent to 14,600.

Shares of Eveready Industries India (EIIL) jumped 13 per cent to settle at Rs 205 per share on the BSE on reports that promoter BM Khaitan is likely to sell the flagship company, a leader in dry cell batteries and flashlights.

IT bellwether Infosys gained 0.58 per cent to settle at Rs 684 on the BSE ahead of the board meeting today to consider the financial results for the third quarter of the financial year 2018-19 (FY19). Its peer Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) declined 2.45 per cent to Rs 1,842 even as it earned its highest-ever net profit of Rs 8,105 crore in the seasonally weak third quarter (Q3) of 2018-19 (FY19).

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Sensex gains 24 points, Nifty ends at 10,877 led by IT, Pharma


The domestic equity market signed off the first day of December F&O series on a positive note on Friday amid buying in pharmaceutical, information technology (IT) and automobile counters.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 36,194, up 24 points, or 0.1 per cent, while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,877, up 18 points, or 0.2 per cent.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap rose 0.6 per cent to settle at 15,039 levels, while the S&P BSE SmallCap settled 0.5 per cent higher at 14,427 levels.

The rupee traded on a firm note on Friday, rising to 69.59 against the US dollar in intra-day trade on the back of free fall in crude prices and heavy buying by foreign institutional investors (FIIs). The domestic unit on Thursday had breached the 70-mark for the first time since August 27 to end at a three-month high of 69.85 per US dollar.

Reliance Communications (RCom) rose 13 per cent to Rs 14.40 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Friday after the Supreme Court asked RCom to furnish a corporate guarantee of Rs 14 billion within two days to get the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the government. The corporate guarantee will be issued by Reliance Realty Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RCom.

The Nifty Pharma index rose 2 per cent led by a rise in shares of Biocon and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. The Nifty IT index gained 1.2 per cent led by Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

YES Bank ended 6.3 per cent higher at Rs 170.50 after a TV report said that the private bank’s promotor Rana Kapoor doesn’t have any ownership in Morgan Credits or Yes Capital.

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Sensex ends 373 points up as rupee recovers; PM eco meet eyed


The equity markets settled 1 per cent higher on Friday as the rupee recovered against the dollar.

The S&P BSE Sensex reclaimed the 38,000 mark to end at 38,091, up 373 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 11,515, up 145 points.

In the broader markets, the S&P BSE MidCap settled 1.6 per cent higher and the S&P BSE SmallCap rose 1.4 per cent.

Among sectoral indices, the Nifty Pharma index settled 2.5 per cent higher led by a rise in the share prices of Divi’s Laboratories and Piramal Enterprises. On the other hand, the Nifty Bank index rose 1.3 per cent led by YES Bank and IDFC Bank.

The rupee strengthened by over 60 paise to 71.58 against the US dollar in intra-day trade. On Wednesday, the domestic currency rebounded from its historic low of 72.91 to end higher by 51 paise at 72.18 against the dollar.

This apart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with finance ministry officials later in the day to discuss the fall in the rupee and other economic issues. Rupee is Asia’s weakest currency in 2018, down more than 12 percent on a widening current account deficit and higher oil prices.

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Sensex slips 85 points as private banks drag, Yes Bank falls 3.5%


The benchmark indices settled marginally lower on Friday weighed by financials and consumer stocks amid caution in global markets.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 38,252, down 85 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 11,557, down 26 points.

Among key stocks, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank were among the top losers on the BSE, falling 3.5 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively.

On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the Nifty Bank index settled 0.7 per cent lower weighed by Yes Bank, Bank of Baroda and ICICI Bank.

Shares of selected pharmaceutical companies were in focus with Amrutanjan Health Care, Pfizer, Merck and Novartis India rallying up to 18% on the BSE in otherwise subdued market. All these stocks were trading at their respective all-time highs.

Analysts remain bullish on Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and have maintained a ‘buy’ rating on the stock despite the company’s buyback proposal. The company, at its meeting on Thursday, approved a proposal to buy back up to 60 million equity shares at a maximum price of Rs 1,500 per equity share for an amount of Rs 90 billion.

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Sensex settles 284 points higher as banks, FMCG stocks rally


The benchmark indices settled higher on Friday taking cues from their Asian peers.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 37,948, up 284 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 11,471, up 86 points.

Among key stocks, the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) major ITC rose over 2 per cent to end at Rs 313 levels on the BSE. The stock hit a fresh 52-week high of Rs 315 earlier today. ICICI Bank and State Bank of India also ended higher in a range of 1.8 to 3.0 per cent on the BSE.

Among sectors, the Nifty Pharma index ended higher for the fourth straight day, hitting an over six-month high on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Lupin, Aurobindo Pharma and Cadila Healthcare from the index, were up in the range of 1 per cent to 4 per cent on the NSE.

Shares of paper companies were trading higher on the bourses on expectations of a positive outlook for the current July-September quarter.

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Indices end higher as PM Modi likely to win no-trust vote


Benchmark indices gained on Friday, as the Modi government is expected to win the no-confidence vote, to be held at 6 pm today. In the 545-member (including the Speaker) Lok Sabha, the BJP-led NDA can bank on around 311 members.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended the day at 36,496, up 145 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 11,010, up 53 points.

IT and pharma stocks gained as the rupee hit an all-time low. The Nifty IT index was trading up by 1.5 per cent with Infosys, Tech Mahindra and HCL Tech up between 1.6 per cent to 2.6 per cent. Meanwhile, in the pharma sector, Sun Pharma and Cipla gained over 2.5 per cent each.

Among individual stocks, Bajaj Finserv hit a record high, after the Bajaj Group-owned asset & wealth management firm posted a 41 per cent surge in its first-quarter profit on Thursday.

Bajaj Auto, on the other hand, dipped 9 per cent after the company reported a lower than expected 21% year on year (YoY) growth in standalone net profit Rs 11.15 billion in June quarter (Q1FY19). Analysts on an average had expected a profit of around Rs 13 billion for the quarter

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Sensex ends on Friday 19 pts down, Nifty at 10,768; Sun Pharma up 8%


Benchmark indices trimmed their morning losses and ended flat on Friday even as yields on the 10-year government bonds hit over 8% in the opening session today, first time since May 2015, but soon declined.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 35,444, down 19 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,768, down 1 points.

Among individual stocks, Sun Pharma surged over 8%, while Dr. Reddy ended nearly 5% higher on the BSE.

Among sectoral indices, the Nifty Pharma index rose 4.26% today led by a rise in the shares of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Lupin and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.

Investors also continued to react to Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) first rate hike since 2014, while maintaining a neutral stance.

Shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) have moved higher by 1.5% to Rs 986 per share, rebounding 2.6% from their intra-day low of Rs 961 on the BSE.

Shares of select public sector undertaking (PSU) banks were quoting higher for the third straight trading day ahead of Finance Minister Piyush Goyal’s meeting on Friday with the chief executives of 15 public sector banks (PSBs) in Mumbai. Dena Bank, Uco Bank and Corporation Bank were up 5% each, while Punjab National Bank (PNB), Bank of Maharashtra, Indian Overseas Bank, Andhra Bank and Allahabad Bank were up in the range of 3% to 4%. Shares of State Bank of India (SBI) however, trading 0.17% lower at Rs 269 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

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Indices decline for 4th session on Friday, Sensex down 301 points


Benchmark indices declined for a fourth straight session on Friday, amid caution over uncertainty over the formation of government in Karnataka, developments in US-China trade negotiations and firm crude prices.

In a major political development, the Supreme Court held a hearing in the Karnataka government formation matter, directing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the state’s new chief minister, BS Yeddyurappa, must conduct the floor test on Saturday at 4 pm.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 34,848, down 301 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,605, down 78 points

Among sectoral indices, the Nifty Bank index fell as much as 0.6%, extending its drop into a third session. ICICI Bank declined 2.9%, while HDFC Bank slipped 0.8%.

The Nifty PSU Bank Index also shed 1.6%, in what could be its fourth consecutive session of fall, on continued concerns about disappointing quarterly results due to a jump in bad-loan provisions.
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