Sensex ends at fresh closing high, up 251 pts, Nifty settles near 10,900

Benchmark indices ended at fresh closing highs for a third straight session on Friday, led by financial stocks amid improved investor sentiment after the government decided to cut tax rates on certain products and services.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 35,511, up 251 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,894, up 77 points.

ICICI Prudential Life said profit in Q3 grew by 0.5 percent to Rs 452.1 crore against Rs 450 crore reported in year-ago. Net premium income jumped 19.3 percent to Rs 6,795 crore from Rs 5,697 crore YoY.

PC Jeweller today reported 52 percent increase in its net profit at Rs 162.71 crore for the quarter ended December on higher sales and profit margins. The company, which has 84 retail jewelry stores across the country, had posted a net profit of Rs 106.97 crore in the year-ago period, the company said in a regulatory filing.

Private sector lender IDFC Bank said its profit for the quarter ended December 2017 declined 23.6 percent to Rs 146.1 crore, compared to Rs 191.3 crore in year-ago. Profitability was hit by lower net interest income, other income and operating income; but was largely supported lower provisions. Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and interest expended, fell 5 percent to Rs 495 crore compared to Rs 521 crore in year-ago. Asset quality worsened during the quarter. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) as a percentage of gross advances were sharply higher at 5.62 percent against 3.92 percent in previous quarter and net NPA was also higher at 3.52 percent in Q3 against 1.61 percent in Q2FY18.

Kirloskar Oil Engines shares gained 3 percent after profit in Q3 increased 40.5 percent to Rs 39.5 crore from Rs 28.1 crore YoY. Revenue from operations rose 6.8 percent to Rs 684.6 crore while operating profit grew by 10.7 percent to Rs 64.1 crore and margin expanded 40 basis points to 9.4 percent.

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