Sensex ends choppy day 234 points down; Nifty holds 17,150; IT, FMCG weigh


Lack of directional cues kept benchmark S&P BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty50 range-bound in the negative territory for better part of the day on Friday. However, the indices turned choppy and ended mildly off lows as energy prices, including crude oil futures, eased after the US and European Union signed agreement to share energy needs.

The 30-pack Sensex index had touched a low of 57,100 during the day but bounced back mildly to end at 57,362, down 233.5 points or 0.4 per cent. On NSE, the Nifty50 ended at 17,153, down 70 points or 0.4 per cent, climbing off from the day’s low of 17,0.76.

22 of the 30 Sensex stocks and 37 of the 50 Nifty50 stocks settled the day in the red. Titan Company, Tech M, Maruti Suzuki, Cipla, IOC, Nestle India, Hero MotoCorp, Eicher Motors, L&T, TCS, Wipro, and Tata Steel were the top laggards, losing upwards of a per cent each.

On the upside, Bajaj Auto, Adani Ports, SBI, Dr Reddy’s Labs, JSW Steel, Asian Paints, RIL, and SBI were the major gainers, up between 0.7 per cent and 2 per cent.

The broader markets, too, closed in the negative zone. The BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices dipped 0.3 per cent each.

Among sectors, the Nifty Realty index was the top gainer, up 1.2 per cent. On the flipside, the Nifty Consumer Durable index was the worst hit, down over 2 per cent, followed by the Nifty IT and FMCG indices, down up to 1 per cent.

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Sensex snaps 3-day rally, ends 191 points lower; Data Patterns up 28% on debut


The key benchmark indices snapped their 3-day winning run as traders preferred to book profits following the recent smart gains, given the unpredictable news flow around the Omicron threat.

The BSE benchmark index had touched a high of 57,624 in opening trades helped positive overseas cues, but soon dipped into red and dropped to a low of 56,813 – down 810 points from the day’s high. The BSE index, thereafter, did recoup losses in intraday deals but eventually ended 191 points lower at 57,124.

In the process, the BSE Sensex ended the week with a marginal gain of 84 points.

The NSE Nifty moved in a range of 246 points, from a high of 17,156, the index tested a low of low of 16,910 and finally finished with a loss of 69 points at 17,004.

HCL Technologies was the top gainer among the Sensex 30 stocks, it gained 3 per cent at 1,265 on the back of heavy volumes amid buzz that the promoters were suppose to buyback shares from the open market at a 5 per cent premium.

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Sensex, Nifty end flat; Star Health settles at issue price; PSBs shine


The key benchmark indices languished in the negative zone, exhibiting lackluster movement for the major part of the trading, before recouping losses at close led by fresh buying in auto and financial shares.

The BSE benchmark index, the Sensex, opened 110-odd points lower at 58,697, and after briefing sneaking into the positive zone, fell to a low of 58,415 – down nearly 400 points. However, the Sensex eventually ended the day with a minor loss of 20 points at 58,787. In the process, it did snap its three-day winning streak. For the week, the BSE index was up 1.9 per cent (1,091 points).

The NSE Nifty declined to a low of 17,405, before settling six points lower at 17,511.

Asian Paints was the major gainer among the Sensex 30 stock, it surged 3 per cent to Rs 3,277. SBI, Mahindra & Mahindra and TCS were the other notable gainers. On the flip side, Titan, HDFC, Axis Bank and Kotak Bank were the notable losers in trade on Friday.

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New Covid variant spooks markets; Sensex ends 1,688-pts lower at 57,107


Fears that a new strain could fuel outbreaks in many countries, straining health systems, potentially evading vaccines and complicating efforts to reopen economies and borders, sent a wave of risk aversion across global markets Friday.

Falling in-line with all global peers, the BSE Sensex plunged 1,688 points, or 2.9 per cent, to end today’s bloodbath at 57,107 levels. The index hit a high and low of 58,255 and 56,994, respectively.
The Nifty50, too, erased 510 points, or 2.9 per cent, to close at 17,026. During the day, the index slipped below the 17,000-mark (at 16,986), a first since August this year.

The stocks witnessed their biggest intra-day fall since April 12, 2021, and also their biggest weekly fall since January 29, 2021.

The meltdown was equally bad in the broader markets, where the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices fell 3.2 per cent and 2.6 per cent, respectively.

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Sensex soars 593 points, ends above 55,400; Nifty at 16,529; IT stocks dazzle


Large-cap stocks staged a spectacular rally on Friday, and lifted benchmark indices to fresh all-time highs. Tata Consumer Products (up 4 per cent) emerged as the top gainer, followed by TCS, LT, HCL Tech, Tata Steel, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, Infosys, Wipro, HDFC, RIL, and ITC.

Overall, the S&P BSE Sensex went past the 55,400-mark for the first time and hit a new milestone of 55,488 in the intra-day trade. Meanwhile, the broader 50-share index on the NSE surpassed the 16,450-mark and rallied ahead to hit an all-time high of 16,543.6.

By close, both the indices were quoting at 55,437 and 16,529 levels, up 593 and 165 points, respectively.

On the contrary, broader indices underperformed and ended mildly lower. The MidCap and SmallCap indices slipped 0.06 per cent and 0.01 per cent, respectively.

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Indices end choppy day in the green; Sensex up 28 points; Wipro soars 9%


The benchmark indices witnessed a see-saw trade on Friday as markets failed to breach crucial resistance zones at the higher levels. As per technical charts, if the frontline S&P BSE Sensex and the Nifty surpass their psychological levels of 50,000 and 15,000 levels, respectively, then the indices may log a 4-per cent rally in the short-term.

However, with the Covid-19 situation in the country getting grimmer day by day, market participants have stayed on the sidelines. During Friday’s session, the Sensex index dropped 250 points from day’s high of 49,089 to settle 28 points, or 0.06 per cent higher at 48,832.

The NSE’s Nifty50, on the other hand, ended at 14,618 levels, up 36 points or 0.25 per cent. The index had reached an intra-day high of 14,698.

Wipro, which jumped 10 per cent in the intra-day trade and hit a record high of Rs 474 on the NSE, ended as the top gainer (up 9 per cent) on the Nifty after clocking its best performance in the March quarter in a decade. ICICI Securities said that the key highlights of the quarter were healthy deal wins, up 16.7 per cent QoQ, to $1.4 billion, healthy net addition of 7,404 employees, higher offshore up 180 bps to 54.5 per cent. READ MORE

That apart, Hindalco, Asian Paints, Cipla, BPCL, HCL Tech, and UltraTech Cement were the other best performing stocks on the Nifty, up in the range of 2 per cent to 4 per cent. On the downside, Tata Steel, L&T, ICICI Bank, SBI, Bajaj Finance, and JSW Steel slipped up to 2 per cent to end as top drags on the index.

Investor participation in the broader markets, however, remained strong with the S&P BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices settling 1.2 per cent and 1.05 per cent higher, respectively.

Sectorally, the Nifty Pharma index ended 2 per cent higher while the Nifty Auto, IT, Metal, and FMCG indices gained between 0.6 per cent and 1.2 per cent. On the downside, the Nifty Bank, PSU Bank, and Realty indices slipped up to 0.6 per cent.

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Sensex dips 155 points as record Covid cases weigh on indices; Pharma stocks up


Snapping their 3-day winning streak, domestic equity markets traded range-bound in the negative territory on Friday, with a few episodes of gains. Amid mixed global cues and record Covid-19 cases back home, coupled with reports of a vaccine supply crunch, the benchmark indices dropped 0.3 per cent today.

Among headline indices, the S&P BSE Sensex ended the day at 49,591 level, down 155 points. 50 per cent of the constituents ended the day in the red with Bajaj Finance (down 3 per cent), Ultratech Cement, NTPC, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, and Reliance Industries leading the list of losers. On the upside, Sun Pharma, HUL, Tech Mahindra, Titan Company, Dr Reddy’s Labs, and HCL Tech were the top gainers on the index, up in the range of 1 per cent to 3.5 per cent.

On the NSE, the 50-share barometer settled at 14,835 levels, down 39 points dragged down by UPL, Tata Steel, Coal India, and Axis Bank.

Trends in the broader markets were mixed as the S&P BSE SmallCap index closed 0.7 per cent higher while the S&P BSE MidCap index dipped 0.07 per cent.

The SmallCap index hit fresh record peak of 21,667, for second day in a row on the back of gains in Srei Infra, Butterfly Gandhimathi, Kilitch Drugs, Subex, Bank of Maharashtra, Aarti Surfactants, Vimta Labs, and Sasken Technologies.

Sectorally, investors appeared to be defensive with the Nifty Pharma index ending over 3 per cent up. The Nifty IT and FMCG indices, meanwhile, settled 0.8 per cent higher each.

On the downside, the Nifty Bank, Private Bank, and Auto indices slipped up to 1 per cent.

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Rising bond yields, Covid-19 cases spoil D-St party; Sensex slides 487 points


An across-the-board sell-off dragged the benchmark indices around a per cent lower on Friday as sombre global mood hit markets during the second-half of the trading session. US 10-year Treasury yields rose again on Friday, back above 1.6 per cent, and were on track to rise for the seventh straight week. Add to it, the dollar index rose 0.4 per cent denting sentiment further.

Against this backdrop, gains in Asian stock markets proved tough to match for most of European peers, after they hit a 1-year high in the prior session. Nasdaq Futures, which tumbled over 1.5 per cent, or 200 points, also suggested a lower start for Wall Street later in the day.

Japan’s Nikkei added 1.7 per cent – but this faded out as Europe opened for business. Britain’s FTSE 100 and the STOXX Europe 600 slipped around 0.5 per cent each, weighing on the MSCI World Index, which was down 0.1 per cent.

Back home, the equity indices snapped their three-day winning streak and settled 0.9 per cent lower. The frontline S&P BSE Sensex dropped 487 points, or 0.95 per cent, to end the day at 50,792 levels. From the intra-day high of 51,822, the index plunged 1,284 points to hit an intra-day low of 50,538.

On the NSE, the Nifty index held the 15,000-mark to close at 15,031 levels, down 144 points, or 0.95 per cent. In the intra-day trade, the index hit a low of 14,954.

26 of the 30 constituents on the Sensex and 42 of the 50 constituents on the Nifty ended the day in the red. Hindalco, Bajaj Auto, HDFC Life, SBI Life, Maruti Suzuki, Adani Ports, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, Hero MotoCorp, SBI, and Reliance Industries, all down between 2 per cent and 3 per cent, were the top laggards on the indices.

On the flipside, PowerGrid, Titan Company, Infosys, ONGC, Indian Oil Corp, BPCL, and JSW Steel remained the top gainers on the benchmark indices.

In the broader markets, the S&P BSE SmallCap index fended the fall and settled 0.14 per cent higher supported by gains in Apollo Pipes, Jindal Poly Firms, MTNL, BGR Energy Systems, Delta Corp, and Meghmani Organics.

The MidCap counterpart, however, fell 0.45 per cent.

Sectorally, all the NSE indices were painted red with the Nifty Auto and PSU Bank indices down around 2 per cent each. The Nifty Bank, Financial Services, FMCG, Metal, and Private Bank indices, on the other hand, slipped nearly 1 per cent.

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Sensex gives up 51K amid broad-based sell-off, dips 435 points; PSBs, auto hit


Extending their decline into fourth straight day, benchmark indices ended the week with over 1 per cent cut on the back of losses in Eicher Motors (7 per cent), Nestle India (5.3 per cent), Divis Labs (5.4 per cent), and Cipla (5 per cent).

On Friday, though, the frontline S&P BSE Sensex nurses losses of 435 points, or 0.85 per cent, to end the day at 50,890 levels. In the intra-day trade, the index tanked 800 points from the day’s high to hit a low of 50,624. Only 11 of the 30 constituents ended the day in green with ONGC (down 5 per cent), SBI and Axis Bank (down 3.5 per cent each), ICICI Bank (3 per cent), Baja Auto (2.6 per cent), and Maruti Suzuki (2 per cent) being the top losers.

Gains in Dr Reddy’s Labs (2.3 per cent), IndusInd Bank (2 per cent), HUL (1.7 per cent), and RIL (0.7 per cent) trimmed losses.

On the NSE, the Nifty50 index gave up the 15,000-mark and settled at 14,982 levels, down 137 points or 0.9 per cent. It hit an intra-day low of 14,898.

The broader markets, too, gave up their winning ways today and ended in the red. The S&P BSE MidCap index underperformed on the BSE and 1.7 per cent down today. The SamllCap counterpart, meanwhile, settled at 0.7 per cent down.

Sectorally, none of the indices ended in the green zone today. The Nifty PSU bank index ended as the top laggard on the NSE, down 4.7 per cent, after surging nearly 6 per cent each over the past two days. That apart, Nifty Metal, Bankm and Auto indices skid 2 per cent each.

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Sensex ends volatile trade 12 points up; RIL jumps 6% this week, ITC down 7%


Domestic markets ended a tumultuous week on a flat note amid subdued trade in Asia and bleak UK economic data. The Office for National Statistics said on Friday that the UK’s gross domestic product shrank 9.9 per cent in 2020, its biggest decline on record.

Indices turned sharply lower in the fag-end of the session but recovered marginally to end mildly higher. The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex tumbled 543 points from the day’s high to hit an intra-day low of 51,261. At close, the index was at 51,544 levels, up 13 points or 0.02 per cent. The NSE’s Nifty50, meanwhile, ended at 15,163 level, down 10 points or 0.07 per cent.

ICICI Bank, Infosys, HDFC, and Axis Bank were the top gainers on the Sensex index while Adani Ports, ICICI Bank, Infosys, and Wipro were the top performing stocks on the Nifty. ITC, Sun Pharma, ONGC, and Bharti Airtel were the top drags on both the indices.

Broader markets, too, ended mixed today. The S&P BSE MidCap index was up 0.06 per cent at close while the S&P BSE SmallCap index settled 0.02 per cent lower.

On the sectoral front, the Nifty Metal index skid 1.7 per cent, followed by the Nifty FMCG index declined 1.5 per cent. At the other end of the spectrum, Nifty Private Bank and the Nifty Bank indices gained 1 per cent each.

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