Sensex ends flat on Friday, Nifty holds 10,300; PSU banks gain
Benchmark indices ended flat on Friday, as investors remained cautious after sentiment soured on renewed fears of a trade war after US President Donald Trump proposed more tariffs on China.
Back home, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday adopted a remarkably dovish tone, surprising analysts who were expecting the firming up of rates in the medium term, even as one of the six members in the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted for a hike in an otherwise status quo policy.
The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 33,627, up 30 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,331, up 6 points.
Reliance Communications Ltd (RCom) said on Friday it received the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s (NCLAT) approval to proceed with the sale of its tower and fibre business.
Shares of public sector bank were in focus for the second straight day with Nifty PSU Bank index nearly 1%, extending its Thursday’s 5% surge, after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) maintained status quo on the key short-term borrowing rate in its first bi-monthly monetary policy for the financial year 2018-19 (FY19) on Thursday.
Punjab National Bank (PNB), Allahabad Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, Bank of India and Canara Bank were up in the range of 1% to 4% on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).