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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Sensex surges 1,266 points, Nifty ends at 9,112; auto stocks jump


The domestic equity market ended with over 4 per cent gains on Thursday, in line with global peers that gained on hopes that the coronavirus pandemic was nearing its peak globally. That apart, hopes of more stimulus measures by the government also kept the investor sentiment upbeat.

The S&P BSE Sensex jumped 1,266 points or 4.23 per cent to settle at 31,160 amid heavy buying in index heavyweights such as HDFC, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries (RIL), and Maruti. NSE’s Nifty reclaimed the crucial 9,000 levels to end at 9,112, up 363 points or 4 per cent.

On a weekly basis, both Sensex and Nifty added around 13 per cent.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index ended over 3.63 per cent higher at 11,374 and the S&P BSE SmallCap index added over 3 per cent to 10,294.

On the sectoral front, all the indices on the NSE ended in the green with the Nifty Auto index jumping over 10.5 per cent to 5,569 levels. Volatility index India VIX declined over 5 per cent to 49.56 levels.

Among individual stocks, Sun Pharma regained the market-capitalisation of Rs 1 trillion after a sharp rally in its stock price. The stock ended at Rs 455.20 on the BSE, up over 4 per cent.

Shares of Cipla jumped 16 per cent at Rs 595, also its 52-week high on the BSE after the drug firm received United States Food and Drug Administration’s (USFDA) nod for the first generic Proventil HFA (albuterol sulfate) metered-dose inhaler, used for conditions such as asthma. It ended at Rs 579.50, up 13 per cent.

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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 falls 202 points post AGR verdict; Voda-Idea tanks 23%


Equity market came under pressure on Friday after the Supreme Court (SC) rejected the telecom companies’ plea seeking new schedule of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) payments and directed them to clear their dues to the government by March 17.

The S&P BSE Sensex slid 202 points or 0.49 per cent to settle at 41,258, with IndusInd Bank (down 4 per cent) being the top loser and Bharti Airtel (up nearly 5 per cent) the biggest gainer.

On the NSE, the benchmark Nifty50 index ended at 12,113, down 61 points or 0.5 per cent.

Among telcos, Vodafone Idea tumbled over 23 per cent to Rs 3.44 apiece on the BSE post the AGR verdict. Bharti Infratel settled nearly 6 per cent lower at Rs 231. On the other hand, Bharti Airtel jumped 5 per cent to a fresh lifetime high of Rs 565 on the BSE as investors bet on a potential duopoly in the Indian telephony market after the Supreme Court today rejected the telcos’ review plea on adjusted gross revenues (AGR) payments. The stock settled at Rs 564, up around 4.5 per cent.

Financial and banking stocks, too, took a beating following the decision as, according to reports, they have high exposure to Vodafone Idea’s debt. Nifty Bank tumbled 395 points or over 1 per cent to 30,835 points.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index slipped 0.8 per cent while the S&P BSE SmallCap index settled 0.4 per cent lower at 14,683.

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Sensex halts 4-day gaining streak, slips 164 points; realty falls


Halting its four-day gaining streak, equity market ended in the negative territory on Friday amid worries over economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak and profit-booking in some of the recent outperformers.

The S&P BSE Sensex today slipped 164 points or 0.4 per cent to settle at 41,142, with NTPC (up over 3 per cent) being the top gainer and IndusInd Bank (down nearly 3 per cent) the biggest loser.

Reliance Industries (RIL), HDFC, ICICI Bank and L&T contributed the most to the index’s losses.

The NSE’s Nifty50 index ended at 12,086, down 51.55 points or 0.42 per cent.

On a weekly basis, both Sensex and Nifty gained nearly 4 per cent each.

Sectorally, realty stocks bled the most while media and pharma counters advanced the most. The Nifty Realty index fell around 2 per cent to Rs 320.55. On the other hand, Nifty Media climbed nearly 2 per cent to 1,823 points and the Nifty Pharma settled over 1 per cent higher at 8,335-mark.

In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 0.57 per cent to 18,350 points while the Nifty SmallCap 100 ended flat at 6,236 levels, down 0.07 per cent.

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Sensex slips 334 points, Nifty holds 11,900; YES Bank tumbles 11%


Investors turned to profit-booking on Friday as weak growth concerns dampened sentiment at D-Street. Financials slipped the most on the index with heavyweights such as State Bank of India, HDFC, and ICICI Bank declining up to 5 per cent.

On Thursday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sharply lowered its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for financial year 2019-20 (FY20) further by 110bps to 5 per cent from 6.1 per cent on substantially weaker growth in Q2FY20, and incremental data on Q3 which suggests that the slowdown is still persisting. Besides, the central bank retained status quo on rates, against expectation for a 25bps cut, on inflationary concerns. The accommodative stance was maintained on rising output gap.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex closed 334 points, or 0.82 per cent, lower at 40,445.15 level. YES Bank, SBI, Tata Motors, HDFC, and IndusInd Bank were the top laggards at the 30-share index. Loses were, however, trimmed by gains in Reliance Industries, and HDFC Bank. In the intra-day trade, the Sensex hit a low of 40,337.53.

On the NSE, the Nifty50 slipped below the 11,900-mark in the intra-day trade to hit a low of 11,888.85. At close, the index was at 11,921.5 level, down 97 points, or 0.81 per cent. All the sectoral indices ended the day in the red. Nifty PSU Bank index was the top loser, down over 4 per cent.

In the broader market, mid-caps tumbled the most. The S&P BSE mid-cap index ended the day 1.27 per cent lower at 14,668.31, while the S&P BSE small-cap index closed at 0.85 per cent lower at 13,341.39.

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HDFC twins, banks lift Sensex 86 pts, Nifty over 11,850 in volatile session


Benchmark indices ended Friday’s volatile session with marginal gains, lifted by HDFC twins and bank stocks amid weakness in pharma counters.

The S&P BSE Sensex rose 86 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 39,616, with IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, and ICICI Bank being the top gainers. Only 12 of the 30 BSE constituents ended the day in the green.

The broader Nifty50 index added 27 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 11,871. About 1058 shares advanced, 1390 shares declined, and 146 shares remained unchanged on the NSE.

The Nifty sectoral indices traded mixed, with Nifty Fin Service index gaining the most 0.9 per cent, while the Nifty Pharma index slipped the most 1.2 per cent.

In the broader markets, the S&P BSE MidCap index dipped 25 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 14,906, while the S&P BSE SmallCap index was down 16 points , or 0.1 per cent, to 14,657.

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Sensex gains 196 points, Nifty tops 10,850; PSBs jump up to 12%


Heavy buying in financials, autos, metals and pharma counters and positive global cues lifted the equity markets on Friday.

The S&P BSE Sensex added 196 points or 0.55 per cent to settle at 36,064, while the NSE’s Nifty50 index closed at 10,863.50, up 71 points or 0.66 per cent.

On a weekly basis, the 30-share index Sensex rose 0.53 per cent while Nifty gained 0.66 per cent.

Among individual stocks, shares of SBI Life Insurance climbed 5.47 per cent to Rs 612.25 on the BSE after CA Emerald Investments (“Emerald”) acquired 9 per cent stake in the company through open market on Friday. The stock made a sharp rebound after falling over 12 per cent in the early trade.

Shares of SML Isuzu were locked in upper circuit of 20 per cent at Rs 682 on the BSE after the company reported strong 33 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in total sales at 1,282 units in February.

On the contrary, Bharti Airtel ended over 3 per cent lower at Rs 307.75 apiece on BSE after the company said its board of directors approved a fund raising plan of up to Rs 32,000 crore through a mix of rights issue and bond.

Sectorally, all the indices ended in the green, with media stocks advancing the most, followed by PSU banks and metals. The Nifty PSU Bank index ended over 2.50 per cent higher at 2,832 levels with all the 12 constituents ending in the positive territory.

In the broader market, S&P BSE MidCap index gained 184 points or over 1 per cent to settle at 14,503 while S&P BSE SmallCap surged over 2 per cent to end at 13,982.

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Indices end flat on Friday, Nifty holds 10,800; Max India rallies 20%


After witnessing a rangebound session throughout the day, the domestic equity market ended with marginal gains on Friday, led by buying in telecom, IT and energy stocks. The S&P BSE Sensex added 33 points or 0.1 per cent to settle at 35,963, with Bharti Airtel (up 5 per cent) being the top gainer and HDFC (down nearly 2 per cent) the worst laggard. The broader Nifty50 index of National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed the day at 10,805, up 14 points or 0.13 per cent. Out of 50 constituents, 29 ended in the green while 21 in the red.

A total of 2,704 companies traded on BSE, out of which 1,260 advanced and 1,300 declined while 144 stocks remained unchanged.

Among the sectoral indices, the Nifty Pharma index is trading around 0.5 per cent lower weighed by Aurobindo Pharma and Divi’s Laboratories.

The broader market indices are moving in line with benchmarks. S&P BSE Midcap index is trading 0.16 per cent lower at 15,139 levels, while S&P BSE SmallCap is ruling 0.1 per cent lower at 14,483 levels.

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