Sensex up 144 points, Nifty nears 17,600 as RBI pauses hike; realty stocks jump


Equity markets turned volatile on Thursday after the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent during its bi-monthly policy meeting. This was against Markets’ expectations of a 25-basis point hike. The dovish decision lifted investors’ spirits marginally as governor Shaktikanta Das said the move was only “a pause and not a pivot”.

Given this, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex swung 430 points during the day, before ending 144 points, or 0.24 per cent, higher at 59,833. The Nifty50, too, settled near 17,600-mark at 17,599, up 42 points or 0.24 per cent.

The broader markets, meanwhile, outran the frontline indices with 0.7 per cent gain each on the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices.

Among sectors, rate-sensitive Realty index surged nearly 3 per cent, followed by the Nifty Auto index (up 0.9 per cent), and the Nifty PSU Bank index (up 0.33 per cent). The Nifty IT index, however, capped gains as it fell 0.75 per cent.

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Sensex ends 303 points higher fuelled by Infosys, ICICI Bank; Nifty near 17950


Equity markets staged a firm turnaround intra-day to close Friday’s session with nominal gains powered by select index heavyweights such as Infosys, ICICI Bank, TCS and HUL, which gained over 1 per cent each.

Gradual easing in domestic and US retail inflation also aided sentiment and helped narrow the gap-down start. The BSE Sensex recovered 633 points from the day’s low and eventually ended 303 points higher at 60,261.

The NSE Nifty closed 98 points up at 17,957 level after bouncing back from the day’s lowest level of 17,774.

Other frontline stocks that supported the recovery included Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, Ultratech Cement, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, Airtel, Adani Enterprises, Eicher Motors and BPCL, which gained 1-2 per cent.

On the flip side, top losers across the two benchmark indices included Titan, Nestle, ITC, L&T, Reliance and Apollo Hospitals.

The broader markets closed with slimmer gains. The BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices ended 0.09 and 0.2 per cent higher, respectively.

Within sectors, barring consumer durables, PSB and Metal indices on the Nifty logged in most gains, up over 1 per cent each, followed by IT and financial pockets.

Among stocks, HCL Tech firmly recovered the day’s losses and ended with a 0.4 per cent gain.

L&T Technology Services slumped 5.3 per cent on its plan to buy the smart world & communications business (SWC) from its parent L&T.

Banking stocks will be in the spotlight ahead of their Q3 earnings, particularly when the stock market is going through extreme volatility. HDFC Bank will declare its Q3FY23 results on Saturday, followed by Federal Bank on Monday.

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Sensex up 4.4% in 2022; ends last trading day 293 points lower at 60,841


After starting on an optimistic note, given the positive mood in global markets, the S&P BSE Sensex rallied to a high of 61393 in Friday’s morning trades. The benchmark index, thereafter, pared gains and slipped into the negative zone as the day progressed owing to weakness in index heavyweights ICICI Bank and HDFC twins.

A heavy bout of selling in late trade, saw the BSE index plunge to a low of 60,744 – down 293 points from the day’s high. The Sensex finally ended the day with a loss of 293 points at 60,841.

Despite the day’s loss, the BSE benchmark managed to gain 1.7 per cent this week, and also signed off the year 2022 on a winning note – 4.4 per cent higher.

The NSE Nifty 50 settled 86 points lower on the last trading day of the year, but was up 1.7 per cent this week and 4.3 per cent in 2022.

The broader markets outperformed the benchmark indices in trade today. The BSE Midcap index gained 0.4 per cent, while the Smallcap index advanced 0.8 per cent. The overall market breadth too was fairly positive, with nearly 2,200 advancing shares versus 1,300-odd declining stocks on the BSE.

In contrast the day’s performance, the broader indices were underperformers in the year 2022. The BSE Midcap index finished with a gain of 1.4 per cent as against the Sensex gain of 4.4 per cent. The Smallcap index was down 1.8 per cent for the year.

Sectorally, the BSE Consumer Durables index moved 0.8 per cent higher in trades on Friday. The Metal and Realty indices were the ofther notable gainers. On the other hand, FMCG, Power and Bankex finished in the negative zone.

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Sensex, Nifty end flat after choppy day; Titan up 5%, Varroc Engg tanks 7%


Equity markets were volatile on Friday, swinging rapidly during the day, as every bargain buying witnessed selling pressure on the top. The S&P BSE Sensex hit a high of 58,269, and a low of 57,851 during the day before closing at 58,191. It slipped 31 points, or 0.05 percent, compared to Thursday’s close.

The NSE Nifty50, on the other hand, shut shop at 17,315, down 17 points or 0.1 percent. The benchmark indices were weighed down by energy, IT, FMCG, and financial stocks with Tata Consumer Products, M&M, Coal India, BPCL, SBI, TCS, JSW Steel, Adani Ports, HCL Tech, and ITC being the top laggards. On the upside, Titan Company, IndusInd Bank, PowerGrid, Grasim, and Maruti Suzuki trimmed losses, rising over 1 percent each.

In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap index fell 0.15 percent, while the BSE SmallCap index added 0.3 percent.

The rupee weakened to a new low against the US dollar on Friday as Federal Reserve officials in the US outlined a large quantum of rate hikes going ahead, leading to a stronger greenback globally. The rupee, which weakened past the 82 per dollar mark for the first time, hit a low of 82.42 per dollar during the day. Its previous low was 81.95 per dollar. Meanwhile, yields on 10-year government bonds were back above 7.5 percent during the day.

IPO Market was buzzing with the three-day issue of Electronics Mart India, the consumer durables company was subscribed 62 times till 3:30 PM. The QIB portion subscribed at 138 times, NII at 60.4 times, and Retail at 19 times.

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Recession fears hits equities; Sensex sinks 1,093 points, Nifty gives up 17,600


Bears prowled on Dalal Street on Friday as recession fears hammered global equities. Key indices crumbled under heavy selling pressure today with banks (especially in the public sector), auto, IT, metal, and realty stocks plunging the most on the bourses. Their respective indices on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) declined around 2-4 per cent.

At the headline level, the S&P BSE Sensex crashed 1,247 points intra-day before ending at 58,841, down 1,093 points or 1.82 per cent. The NSE Nifty50, too, sunk to a low of 17,505 before shutting shop at 17,551, down 326 points or 1.82 per cent.

The broader markets witnessed an equally brutal on-slaught with the Nifty MidCap 100 and SmallCap 100 falling in the range of 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent. Volatility index — India VIX — surged 8 per cent today to settle near 20-odd level.

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Sensex tanks 1,017 points; Nifty holds 16,200; Bajaj Finance sinks 4%, RIL 3%


Global doom rocked Indian equities on Friday as investors fretted over longer-than-expected sticky inflation, coupled with aggressive monetary policy tightening. Tracking losses in global peers, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex plunged 1,114 points intra-day, before settling at 54,303, down 1,017 points or 1.84 per cent.

The NSE Nifty50, meanwhile, held the 16,200-mark to close at 16,202, down 276 points or 1.68 per cent. The index had hit a low of 16,173 during the day. In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap 100 and SmallCap100 fell up to 1 per cent.

Over 35 Nifty stocks ended the session in the red with Bajaj Finance, HDFC, Kotak Bank, Hindalco, Wipro, Reliance Industries, Tech M, and Infosys falling between 2.5-4 per cent. The losses were trimmed by gains in Grasim Industries, Asian Paints, Apollo Hospitals, Divis Labs, and Dr Reddy’s Labs, that gained over 0.5 per cent each.

Sectorally, all but Nifty FMCG ended the session in the red. The losses were led by the Nifty IT, Oil & gas, Private Bank, and Financial Services indices as they fell 2 per cent each.

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Sensex snaps 7-day losing run, soars 1,329 points; Nifty tops 16650; PSBs zoom


Equities clocked a resounding comeback on the bourses as investors rushed to bargain buying at lower level on Friday. After a nearly 5-per cent fall on Thursday, benchmark indices jumped 2.4 per cent amid a broad-based buying. Volatility gauge, India VIX, cooled off 16.4 per cent to 26.7 levels.

The frontline BSE Sensex settled a range-bound trade 1,329 points higher at 55,858.5 with Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, Tech M, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank and TCS ending as top gainers on the index. The stocks zoomed between 3.5 per cent and 6.5 per cent.

On the NSE, the 50 share index rose 410 points to end at 16,658. Britannia, Nestle India, and HUL were the only losers on the index, down 0.5 per cent, 0.2 per cent, and 0.01 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, in the broader markets, the MidCap and Smallcap indices on the BSe outperformed the benchmarks and closed a little over 4 per cent higher each.

Sectorally, the Nifty Realty and PSB indices logged the sharpest rebound today with 5 per cent gain each on the NSE. This was followed by the Nifty Private Bank index (4 per cent), Nifty Bank index (3.5 per cent), and the Nifty Pharma, Auto, and Financial Services indices (3 per cent each).

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Sensex slumps 765pts, Nifty ends below 17,200; Reliance, FMCG, banks weigh


The key benchmark indices reversed their two-day winning streak with losses in excess of a per cent. Index heavweight Reliance Industries, banking and FMCG shares were responsible for a significant amount of the losses.

The BSE benchmark index, the Sensex, had started trade on a positive note and soon rallied to a high of 57,757 (up almost 300 points from the previous close). Selling emerged towards the end of the first-hour of trades, and thereafter it accentuated in noon deals. The BSE 30 index slumped to a low 56,641 in late trade – down 1,116 points from the day’s high. The Sensex finally ended with a loss of 765 points at 57,696.

The NSE Nifty tumbled 309 points from the day’s high of 17,490 to a low of 17,181, and eventually settled 205 points lower at 17,197.

The broader indices, however, outperformed the key benchmark indices. The BSE Midcap index ended almost flat, while the Smallcap index added 0.3 per cent. The overall market breadth was also positive, with 1,778 advancing shares versus 1,475 declining stocks on the BSE.

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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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Muhurat Trading: Sensex reclaims 60k, up 296pts, Nifty ends above 17,900


The markets started Samvat 2078 on an upbeat note in the backdrop of a sharp cut in excise duty on fuel prices and a scale down in its bond-buying program by the US Federal stimulus as per expected.

At the end of its two-day meeting, the US Fed said monthly $120 billion purchases of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities would be trimmed by $15 billion a month.

The BSE Sensex opened at the day’s high of 60,208 and ended 296 points higher at 60,068. The NSE Nifty gained 88 points at 17,917.

The broader markets also ended on a firm note. The BSE Midcap index was up 0.7 per cent at 25,992, and the Smallcap index added 1.4 per cent to 28,901.

“After a great year for equity markets, investors are looking forward to markets continue rising though not at the same pace,” said Dhiraj Relli, MD & CEO, HDFC Securities.

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