Equity markets logged solid gains on Friday, the last trading day of the financial year 2022-23, as fears of contagion risk from the US banking crisis receded. Index heavyweights – Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and Infosys accounted for almost 60 per cent of the gains on the BSE benchmark.
The S&P BSE Sensex rallied to a high of 59,068, before ending with a solid gain of 1,031 points at 58,992. In the process, the BSE 30-share index edged 0.1 per cent up for the month, and finished FY23 0.7 per cent higher.
The NSE Nifty 50 hit a high of 17,382, and settled 279 points higher at 17,360. The 50-share index advanced 0.3 per cent in March, but was down 0.6 per cent for the fiscal year 2022-23.
The broader indices also logged smart gains. The BSE Midcap index was up a per cent, while the Smallcap index vaulted 1.4 per cent. The overall breadth too was fairly positive, with two advancing shares for every declining stock on the BSE.
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Despite a range-bound trade, domestic markets hit fresh lifetime highs for the third consecutive day on Friday. Investment sentiment remained in check in the absence of any key global and domestic cues.
The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex closed at 41,681.54-level, up 7.62 points or 0.018 per cent. Tata Steel, YES Bank, SBI, and Hero MotoCorp were the top gainers at the 30-share index, while Vedanta, Tata Motors, ITC, and M&M were the top drags for the day. On the NSE, the broader Nifty50 settled little changed at 12,271.8-mark, up 12.1 points or 0.09 per cent. Markets ended at record closing highs for the fourth straight session.
The benchmark Sensex and Nifty hit fresh highs of 41,809.96 and 12,293.90, respectively.
On the sectoral front, public sector banks gained the most on Friday fter the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to buy and sell bonds worth Rs 10,000 crore via open market operations. At close, the Nifty PSU bank index was the top performer on the NSE, up over 2 per cent. On the downside, Nifty Auto index slipped 0.45 per cent.
For the week, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex gained 1.6 per cent, while the Nifty50 added 1.5 per cent registering their biggest weekly gains in nearly two months. Besides, Nifty Bank index advanced 1 per cent this week.
In the broader markets, the S&P BSE mid-cap index ended 0.15 per cent higher at 14,835.97 level, while the S&P BSE small-cap index ended unchanged at 13,391.03 level, down 0.03 per cent.
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Indices remained buoyed on Friday, ahead of the government’s meeting with foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and representatives from the financial sector, which was scheduled later in the day. Sentiment was further strengthened on reports that government could approach the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council to relieve the auto-industry from tax payment for three-six months along with measures to relieve real estate sector.
The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex soared 480 points intra-day to 37,807.5 level, while the Nifty50 zoomed 149 points to 11,181 mark.
At close, the Sensex settled 255 points, or 0.68 per cent, higher at 37,582 levels lifted by gains in auto and banking counters. Maruti Suzuki, Vedanta, Bajaj Finance, and HDFC Bank were the top gainers while YES Bank, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, and ITC were the top laggards. The broader Nifty50, too, ended at 11,110 mark, up 77 points, or 0.7 per cent.
Sectorally, metal, information technology (IT), pharma and public sector bank (PSBs) indices ended in the red while auto, private bank, realty, and FMCG scrips ended with gains. Nifty auto index was the top gainers, up 2 per cent, while Nifty metal index slipped 0.68 per cent.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE mid-cap index ended 104 points, or 0.77 per cent, higher at 13,670 level. The S&P BSE small-cap index, on the other hand, settled 125 points, or 1 per cent, higher at 12,699 level.
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This is an interview with Saurabh Mukherjea, author of the book ‘The Unusual Billionaires’. The original post appears here on moneycontrol.com.
Saurabh feels the buy-and-hold approach to investing holds true even as volatile financial markets and disruptive changes across sectors are questioning its validity.
Consistent revenue growth combined with a consistent return on capital employed: if a company has been delivering on these two parameters for over ten years, then look no further. That, in effect, is the theme of Saurabh Mukherjea’s second book ‘The Unusual Billionaires’. The book says that a portfolio of companies which satisfies both these criteria will invariably beat the market over the next decade and more.
Mukherjea, whose day job is CEO, Institutional Equities at Ambit Capital, feels the buy-and-hold strategy for stock investing holds true even as volatile financial markets and disruptive changes across sectors are questioning its validity.
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