Sensex slips 143 points amid weak global cues; financials decline


The Indian stock market ended Friday’s volatile session in the negative territory amid weak global cues. The relentless rise in Covid-19 cases both in India as well as on the global front weighed on investor sentiment. The S&P BSE Sensex slipped 143 points or 0.39 per cent to settle at 36,594 levels while NSE’s Nifty ended at 10,768, down 45 points or 0.42 per cent.

HDFC, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank contributed the most to the Sensex’s fall. Axis Bank ended as the top loser on the index while Reliance Industries (RIL) ended as the biggest gainer – up around 3 per cent. RIL hit a fresh lifetime high of Rs 1,884.40 during the day before settling at Rs 1,878.50 on the BSE.

On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 1.6 per cent while Nifty rose 1.5 per cent.

The sectoral trends on the NSE remained mixed. While financials, metals and auto stocks declined in the trade, pharma, FMCG, and realty counters rallied. The Nifty Pharma gained 0.85 per cent to 10,072.25 levels. On the other hand, Nifty Bank slipped over 2 per cent to 22,398.45 points.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index fell 0.72 per cent while the S&P BSE SmallCap index declined 0.35 per cent.

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Indices extend gains, Sensex up 524 points as RIL surges over 6%


Extending their rally into the second straight day, the benchmark indices ended Friday’s session with around 1.5 per cent gains, led by Reliance Industries (RIL) as the company announced it has become net debt-free, much before its original schedule of March 31, 2021. The stock rallied 6.5 per cent to end at Rs 1,764. In the process, the company scaled the market capitalisation of Rs 11 trillion.

The S&P BSE Sensex today gained 524 points or 1.53 per cent to settle at 34,732. Of 30 stocks on the index, 18 ended in the green and rest 12 in the red. Besides RIL, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, and Bharti Airtel were the major contributors to the index’s gains.

NSE’s Nifty50 ended at 10,244, up 153 points or 1.5 per cent with 33 constituents advancing, 16 declining and 1 remaining unchanged. Volatility index, India VIX, dipped over 5 per cent to 29.78 levels.

On a weekly basis, Sensex gained nearly 3 per cent while Nifty added 2.7 per cent.

Sectorally, all the indices except Nifty IT and Nifty Metal ended in the green. Nifty Realty index zoomed over 6 per cent to 29.78 levels. On the other hand, Nifty IT slipped 0.35 per cent to 14,500.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index gained 1.37 per cent to 12,804 while the S&P BSE SmallCap index rallied around 1.4 per cent to 12,277.

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Sensex gains 307 points as financials, metals rally; Nifty PSU Bank jumps 7%


After a one day blip, equity market once again edged higher on Friday, led by buying in financial, metal and auto stocks. PSU bank stocks advanced the most in trade after state-owned lender, State Bank of India, posted a net profit of Rs 3,581 crore for the March quarter of FY20 (Q4FY20). The profit grew 326.93 per cent from Rs 838 crore clocked in the year-ago quarter (Q4FY19). Sequentially, the profit declined by 35.85 per cent.

The S&P BSE Sensex gained 307 points or 0.9 per cent to settle at 34,287.24 while NSE’s Nifty ended at 10,142.15, up 113 points or 1.13 per cent. Volatility index, India VIX, slipped dropped nearly 4 per cent to 28.51 levels.

On a weekly basis, Sensex rallied 5.7 per cent and Nifty added 5.86 per cent.

On the sectoral front, the Nifty PSU Bank index gained around 7 per cent to 1,386.75 levels with all the 13 constituents advancing. Nifty Metal index rallied nearly 4 per cent to 2,049.70 levels. On the other hand, Nifty FMCG was the only index that ended in the red. The index settled 0.27 per cent lower at 29,542 levels.

In the broader market, both the mid and smallcap indices outperformed the benchmarks. The S&P BSE MidCap index climbed 1.8 per cent to 12,554.16 while the S&P BSE SmallCap index surged 2.51 per cent to 11,855 levels.

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Sensex recovers 600 points from day’s low, ends 223 points up; FMCG, Pharma rally


Supported by buying in FMCG, pharma, and auto counters, the domestic equity market ended in the positive territory on Friday, ahead of the release of GDP data for January-March quarter of 2019-20 (Q4FY20).

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex recovered a good 600 points from day’s low to settle at 32,424.10, up 223.15 points or 0.7 per cent. ONGC (up 5.5 per cent) was the top gainer on the index while IT major Infosys (down 2 per cent) ended as the biggest loser.

NSE’s Nifty settled at 9,580, up 90 points or 1 per cent, with 36 of 50 constituents advancing and 14 declining.

On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 5.7 per cent and the Nifty added 6 per cent.

The broader market, too, participated in the rally. The Nifty Midcap 100 index gained over 1 per cent to 13,273 and the Nifty SmallCap 100 index rose nearly a per cent to 4,002.80.

Among individual stocks, Vodafone Idea rallied 35 per cent to Rs 7.85 in the intra-day deals on the BSE, after reports said that the global technology giant Google is in talks to buy a 5 per cent stake in the company, owned by Vodafone Plc of the UK and Aditya Birla Group. The stock, however, pared gains and ended around 13 per cent higher at Rs 6.56 after the company clarified on the report, saying there is no proposal as reported by the media that is being considered at the Board.

IT services firm Wipro surged 6.65 per cent to Rs 212.55 after the company named Thierry Delaporte as the new chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) of the company, replacing Abidali Neemuchwala. Delaporte was most recently the chief operating officer of French consulting and technology firm Capgemini Group.

Shares of pharmaceutical companies were in focus with Nifty Pharma index gaining over 3 per cent on the expectation of strong demand scenario from both the domestic and export market.

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Sensex slips 260 points; financials dip as RBI extends loan moratorium


The domestic equity market ended in the negative territory on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to cut the policy rate by 40 basis points from 4.4 per cent to 4 per cent to trim the impact of coronavirus on the economy. That apart, the central bank also extended the moratorium on loan repayments by three more months, resulting in sell-off in financial stocks.

Nifty Bank today tumbled nearly over 2.5 per cent to 17,279 levels while Nifty Private Bank declined around 3 per cent to 9,421.55 points, with 8 out of 10 constituents ending in the red.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex shed 260 points or 0.84 per cent to settle at 30,672.59. HDFC, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank contributed the most to the Sensex’s fall. On the other hand, IT majors, Infosys and TCS, supported the index.

NSE’s Nifty ended at 9,039, down 67 points or 0.74 per cent.

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Indices end flat, Sensex slips 25 points; financials, autos fall


After remaining range-bound for the most part of the session, benchmark indices turned highly volatile in the last hour of the trade on Friday with the indices briefly swinging into positive territory, before settling flat with negative bias. Except for metal stocks, selling was witnessed across the board.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 31,098, down 25 points or 0.08 per cent. Of 30 constituents, 20 declined and 10 advanced. Mahindra & Mahindra (down around 5 per cent) ended as the top loser on the index while telecom major Bharti Airtel (up nearly 3 per cent) was the biggest gainer.

ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, and Infosys contributed the most to the index’s loss.

On the NSE, Nifty ended at 9,137, down 6 points or 0.06 per cent.

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RIL, HUL help Sensex end 199 points up; Nifty settles at 9,251


Benchmark indices once again failed to hold on to the day’s high levels on Friday and pared most of its gains at the end of the session, amid selling in financial, auto and metal stocks. However, oil-to-telecom behemoth Reliance Industries (RIL) and FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever (HUL) helped the indices to settle in the positive territory.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 31,642.70, up 199 points or 0.63 percent, with HUL (up nearly 5 percent) being the top gainer and NTPC (down nearly 4 percent) the biggest loser.

On the NSE, the benchmark Nifty ended at 9,251.50, up 52 points or 0.57 percent. Volatility index, India VIX, declined nearly 3.5 percent to 38.53 levels.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index ended flat at 11,423.81 while the S&P BSE SmallCap index slipped 0.45 percent to 10,638.70 levels.

Shares of Cyient were locked in a 10% lower circuit on lower-than-expected Q4 results. A combined 2.65 million equity shares had changed hands on the counter and there were pending sell orders for around 82,000 shares on the NSE and BSE. The stock of the IT consulting and software firm was trading close to its 52-week low of Rs 200 touched on April 28, 2020.

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Sensex slips 674 points on Friday, financials hit; Nifty settles at 8084


Continuing their downward trend, the benchmark indices settled with over 2 per cent loss on Friday as coronavirus (Covid-19) cases showed no signs of abating. Global confirmed cases surpassed 1 million on Thursday with more than 52,000 deaths. Back home, an ongoing 21- day lockdown has already brought the economy to a standstill.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 27,591, down 674 points or 2.39 per cent amid heavy selling in financial stocks such as ICICI Bank (down 7.5 per cent), HDFC (over 5 per cent), HDFC Bank (down 2 per cent), and Axis Bank (down over 9 per cent). The other major contributors to the index’s loss were Infosys, TCS, and Asian Paints. They all fell in the range of 3-5 per cent.

India VIX cooled-off over 8 per cent to 55.01 levels. On the other hand, the Nifty50 index ended at 8,084, down 170 points or over 2 per cent. In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index declined over 1 per cent lower at 10,219 whereas the S&P BSE SmallCap closed at 9,409, down over 1 per cent.

Among sectors, pharma stocks continued to rally. The Nifty Pharma index rose around 5 per cent to 7,362 levels with 8 out of 10 constituents advancing. Nifty FMCG index, too, ended in the green, up 0.7 per cent at 26,538 levels.

On a weekly basis, the S&P BSE Sensex lost 7.46 per cent, while the Nifty50 slipped 6.65 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut timing for money market operations from 9am to 5pm to 10am till 2pm. Truncated hours will be in operational till April 14.

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Sensex tanks 190 points, Nifty below 12K ahead of Budget


Investors were up for a volatile trading session on Friday as expectations from the Union Budget 2020-21, and December quarter earnings kept investors jittery. That apart, concerns over the outbreak of Coronavirus, too, weighed on investor sentiment.

Markets closed at their lowest level in 2020 ahead of the Budget presentation tomorrow. The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex ended the day near day’s low, at 40,723 level, down 190 points or 0.47 per cent, while the Nifty50 breached below the crucial 12,000-mark and settled at 11,962 level, down 74 points or 0.61 per cent.

During the day, the Sensex and Nifty fell 483 and 158 points, respectively from the day’s high.

In the broader markets, the S&P BSE mid-cap index closed at 15,463.46 level, down 0.6 per cent, while the S&P BSE small-cap index was at 14,671.53, down 0.22 per cent.

Most domestic and foreign brokerages are looking forward to credible steps to prop-up growth and provide some relief to the individual income-tax payers when the government tables the Union Budget on Feb 1.

In the Economy Survey tabled today in the Parliament, the government said it expects a pick-up in economic activity in the second half of the fiscal on the back of improved foreign direct investment flows, a build-up of demand pressure, positive outlook for rural consumption, and rebound of industrial activity.

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Sensex pares some gains, ends 269 points up, Nifty above 11,400


After surging 500 points in the intra-day trade, the S&P BSE Sensex witnessed a sharp fall at the fag-end of the session, mainly due to profit-booking to end at 38,024, up 269 points or 0.71 per cent. Financial stocks such as HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank contributed the most to the index’s gains while Reliance Industries (RIL), ITC and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) emerged as the biggest drags.

The NSE’s benchmark index Nifty50 closed above 11,400 level at 11,427, up 84 points or 0.74 per cent. The index hit a high of 11,487 levels during the day.

Both Sensex and Nifty reclaimed their crucial levels of 38,000 and 11,400 levels, respectively in the intra-day trade after a gap of six months.

On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 3.68 per cent and Nifty added 3.54 per cent.

Market breadth remained in favour of declines as out 2,860 companies traded on BSE, 1,476 declined and 1,209 advanced while 175 remained unchanged. A total of 59 securities hit their 52-week highs while 111 scrips hit their one-year lows.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index ended 83 points, or 0.55 per cent higher at 15,172, while the S&P BSE SmallCap index settled at 14,837, up 51 points or 0.34 per cent.

Banking barometer Nifty Bank, too hit a fresh record high of 29,520.70 during the day. It ended at 29,381.45, up over 1.50 per cent with 10 out of 12 constituents ending in the green.

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