Sensex sheds 867 points, Nifty 272 points; IT, financials crack; ITC bucks trend


The key benchmark indices ended with significant losses amid a global market rout as record high inflation fueled fears of a faster rate hike, threatening the world economies.

The S&P BSE Sensex tumbled to a low of 54,587, and finally settled 867 points lower at 54,835. In the process, the BSE index was down 3.9 per cent (2,226 points) for the week. Similarly, the NSE Nifty plunged 272 points to 16,411, ending the week with a huge loss of 4 per cent.

Financial and IT shares bore the brunt of the selling pressure. Bajaj Finance slumped 4.8 per cent, while Bajaj Finserv tanked 3.5 per cent. Axis Bank shed 4 per cent. Nestle India too declined over 3 per cent.

Wipro, HDFC, Infosys, HDFC Bank, UltraTech Cement, Titan, TCS, IndusInd Bank and Asian Paints were the other major losers. Reliance Industries was down 0.6 per cent ahead of its Q4 numbers.

On the positive front, Tech Mahindra and PowerGrid Corporation rallied over 2 per cent each. ITC, SBI and NTPC were the other notable gainers.

The broader markets also ended with steep losses. The BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices were down over 2 per cent each. The overall breadth too was fairly bearish, with more than 2,500 declining stocks versus 850 advancing shares on the BSE.

Sectorally, the BSE metal and realty indices slumped over 3 per cent each. The IT and Consumer Durables indices were the other major losers, down over 2 per cent each. The Auto, Bankex and Healthcare indices declined 1.7 per cent each.

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Sensex drops 715 points, Nifty holds 17150 in broad-based sell-off; banks sink


Benchmark indices, which seemed to be recovering from morning losses, lost ground yet again in the fag-end of the session as investors dumped stocks across the board. Sentiment remained tepid throughout the day after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said overnight that a half-percentage point rate hike is “on the table” for next month.

While Bank, Financial Services, Pharma, and Metal indices were the worst hit (down around 2 per cent each), Auto, FMCG, and IT indices were the least hit sectors, down 0.6 per cent each.

Overall, the S&P BSE Sensex index shed 714.5 points to end at 57,197, and the Nifty50 index tumbled 221 points to shut shop at 17,172. Both the indices hit intra-day lows of 57,135 and 17,149, respectively.

In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap index and Smallcap index slipped 0.7 per cent and 0.4 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, in the money market, 10-year government bond yield hardened by 0.46 percent to hit 7.17 per cent-mark in India. Globally, the 5-year US Treasury yield topped the 3 per cent-mark in early deals.

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Sensex falls 884 points from day’s high, ends 77 points down; Nifty holds 17,100


Benchmark indices ended a week of extreme volatility marginally in the red note on Friday, following the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting.

The S&P BSE Sensex index had started gap-up and had extended its rally to hit a high of 58,084-mark, up 807 points intra-day. However, a sharp sell-off in the last hour of trade dragged the index in the negative zone, settling 77 points, or 0.13 per cent, lower at 57,200.

The Nifty50 shut shop at 17,102, down 8 points or 0.05 per cent. It was 271 points lower from its intra-day high of 17,373.

The indices’ breadth was slightly skewed towards buyers as 14 of the 30 constituents on the Sensex and 19 of the 50 constituents on the Nifty ended in the red. The losses were led by Maruti Suzuki, Tech M, Power Grid, Hero MotoCorp, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, SBI, and Bajaj Finserv. All these stocks were down in the range of 1 to 3 per cent.

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Sensex gains 127 pts, Nifty ends at 11,624 on last day of FY19


The benchmark indices ended on a positive note for the second straight day on Friday, the last trading day of the financial year (FY19) 2018-19 amid buying in metals, pharma, and auto stocks.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 38,673, up 127 points or 0.33 per cent with Vedanta being the top gainer and IndusInd Bank the biggest loser.

The NSE’s Nifty50 index closed above the crucial 11,600 level at 11,624, up 54 points or 0.47 per cent.

On a weekly basis, Sensex gained around 1.30 per cent while Nifty added 1.45 per cent.

During the financial year, Sensex climbed 16 per cent and Nifty50 index gained around 14 per cent.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Midcap index surged 151 points or 0.99 per cent to close at 15,480. The S&P BSE SmallCap rose 109 points or 0.73 per cent to end at 15,027.

Shares of Ipca Laboratories, Varun Beverages, Merck, Adani Gas, Future Lifestyle, Gujarat Fluorochemicals and Muthoot Finance were among 14 stocks hitting their respective all-time highs on the BSE on Friday.

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