Investors lightened their portfolios and decided to sit on cash on Friday as they await Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s third Union Budget presentation due on Monday, February 1. In a sea-saw trade today, stock specific moves swayed markets even as overall mood remained subdued.
At the index level, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex swung 1,260 points in the intra-day trade and hit an intra-day high and low of 47,424 and 46,160. The index eventually settled 588 points, or 1.26 per cent, lower at 46,286 levels. Dr Reddy’s Labs (down 5.5 per cent) was the top loser on the index after the pharmaceutical major’s consolidated net profit came in at Rs 19.8 crore for the quarter ended December, sharply lower than analysts’ estimate of Rs 726.5 crore.
That apart, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Auto, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, and Bajaj Finserv, down between 5 per cent and 2.5 per cent, were the top drags. On the flipside, IndusInd Bank (up nearly 6 per cent), Sun Pharma, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank were the only gainers on the Sensex.
On the NSE, the Nifty50 index closed at 13,635 levels, down 183 points or 1.32 per cent. The index hit an intra-day low of 13,597.
Both the benchmarks have erased around 5 per cent during the week.
The broader market, however, remained relatively stable with the S&P BSE MidCap and S&P BSE SmallCap index down 0.69 per cent and 0.25 per cent, respectively at close.
On the sectoral front, financial and realty stocks held their ground with the Nifty PSU Bank and Realty indices settling 1.7 per cent and 0.7 per cent higher, respectively. On the downside, Nifty Auto index tumbled around 3 per cent, while Nifty Pharma and Metal indices declined around 2 per cent each.
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Amid thin-trading in Asia, Indian equities clinched fresh record highs in the intra-day session on Friday on sustained bullish momentum in the markets. Frontline S&P BSE Sensex nearly kissed the 48,000-mark when it hit a fresh lifetime high of 47,980 levels. Its NSE counterpart, Nifty50, on the other hand touched a new peak of 14,050.
The indices, however, climbed-off record highs and settled the day around 0.2 per cent higher. The Sensex index ended the day at 47,869 levels, up 118 points or 0.25 per cent. ITC (up 2.3 per cent), TCS, M&M, and State Bank of India (SBI) were the top index gainers, while ICICI Bank (down 1.3 per cent), HDFC Bank, and Titan were the top drags on the index.
The broader Nifty50 closed the day at fresh closing high, above the 14,000-mark, at 14,018.5 levels, up 37 points or 0.26 per cent.
Among individual stocks, shares of Antony Waste Handling Cell debuted at the bourses at Rs 430 apiece, commanding a 36 per cent premium against the issue price of Rs 315. At close, the stock erased gains and settled 5 per cent lower than the listing price, at Rs 408 per share. It was, however, still up around 30 per cent compared to the issue price.
Besides, auto stocks remained in focus on Friday as firms reported their December sales. Maruti Suzuki ended the day 0.5 per cent higher after it reported a 20 per cent YoY rise in December sales. Meanwhile, M&M’s total sales slipped 10 per cent; Escorts total sales grew 88 per cent YoY; and Ashok Leyland’s total sales improved by 14 per cent on a yearly basis. All the stocks settled higher in the range of 2.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent.
Sectorally, largely all the NSE indices ended the day in the green barring Nifty Bank, Nifty Private Bank, and Nifty Financial Services indices. On the upside, Nifty PSB index ended over 3 per cent higher.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap and S&P BSE SmallCap index ended the day 1.24 per cent and 0.9 per cent higher, respectively.
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Frontline indices ended the session near record highs on Thursday as investors went on Christmas holiday in a festive mood. Reports that Britain and the European Union have closed in on a free-trade deal, while short covering in banking counters back home lifted the indices.
That apart, hopes for more fiscal spending and expectations that coronavirus vaccines will become more available next year also supported global sentiment.
The S&P BSE Sensex gained 529 points, or 1.14 per cent, to settle the day at 46,973.5 levels. Sun Pharmaceuticals, Axis Bank, Reliance Industries, HDFC, and Bajaj Finance, up between 2 per cent and 3 per cent, closed the day as top gainers on the Sensex. On the downside, profit-booking in IT and FMCG stocks resulted in Infosys, Nestle, and HCL Tech ending the day as top drags.
The broader Nifty50 closed at 13,749-mark, up 148 points or 1 per cent.
Among other sectoral indices on the NSE, Nifty Bank and Nifty Financial indices ended Thursday’s session nearly 2 per cent higher each, while Nifty Pharma was up 1 per cent at close. Nifty IT index closed 0.65 per cent down.
Markets will remain shut on Friday on account of Christmas.
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Subdued global sentiment weighed on domestic equity markets on Friday as investors booked profits across the board, barring information technology (IT) sector. However, last hour buying in select pharma and bank stocks helped indices to settle the day in the green.
The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex settled the day at 46,961 levels, up 70 points or 0.15 per cent. The index hit a record high of 47,026 in the opening deals but erased gains on sell-off in large private banks, metals and realty stocks.
At close, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, State Bank of India (SBI), and Titan (up between 1.4 per cent and 2.4 per cent) were the top gainers while IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, ONGC, and Maruti Suzuki ended the day as top laggards.
The Nifty50 index, on the other hand, ended at 13,760.5 levels, up 20 points or 0.14 per cent.
The broader markets ended in the red for the second straight day. The S&P BSE MidCap index closed at 63 points, or 0.35 per cent, lower at 17,801 level. The S&P BSE SmallCap index, too, dipped 42 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 17,769 levels.
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The domestic equity market ended Friday’s volatile session on a positive note amid healthy buying in financial, oil and gas, metal, and FMCG stocks.
The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex ended at 46,099, up 139 points, or 0.3 per cent while NSE’s Nifty ended at 13,514, up 36 points, or 0.26 per cent.
During the day, Sensex hit a record high of 46,309.63 while Nifty scaled an all-time high of 13,579.35.
Shares of Hinduja Global Solutions soared 17 per cent to Rs 1,148 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Thursday after the company’s subsidiary, HGS AxisPoint Health, partnered with Parkland Community Health Plan (PCHP) to provide disease management services to approximately 195,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in a seven-county area in North Texas.
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Extending their gaining streak into the fifth straight session, the benchmark indices ended over 1 per cent higher on Friday, lifted mainly by index heavyweight Reliance Industries and financials. Further, firm global cues, too, boosted investor sentiment.
The S&P BSE Sensex added 553 points, or 1.34 per cent to settle at 41,893 levels and the Nifty50 index ended above the crucial 12,250 level at 12,264, up 143 points, or 1.18 per cent.
On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 5.75 per cent while Nifty added 5.33 per cent.
Reliance Industries today ended nearly 4 per cent higher at Rs 2,029 on the BSE after the conglomerate said that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will invest Rs 9,555 crore for a 2.04 per cent equity stake in Reliance Retail.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index rose 0.36 per cent while the S&P BSE SmallCap index ended 0.54 per cent higher.
On the sectoral front, Nifty Bank rallied 486 points, or 1.85 per cent to 26,799 levels while Nifty IT gained 0.5 per cent. Nifty Pharma, on the other hand, lost 0.7 per cent.
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Continuing their gaining streak for the seventh session in a row, the benchmark indices ended nearly a per cent higher on Friday after the monetary policy committee (MPC) of the RBI left the repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent but announced a slew of liquidity measures to support the economy.
Further, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the stance of the policy would remain “accommodative,” for “as long as necessary – at least during the current financial year and into the next year – to revive growth. READ MORE
The S&P BSE Sensex today ended 327 points, or 0.81 per cent higher at 40,509 levels while the Nifty50 index settled above the 11,900-mark at 11,914, up 80 points, or 0.67 per cent. On a weekly basis, Sensex rallied 4.6 per cent and Nifty gained 4.3 per cent.
ICICI Bank and Axis Bank (both up 3.64 per cent) were the top Sensex gainers, followed by SBI, and HDFC Bank (both up 3.5 per cent).
The Nifty sectoral indices were mixed. While Nifty Bank gained nearly 3 per cent to 23,847 levels, Nifty Pharma ended as the biggest loser – down over 1.3 per cent.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index slipped 0.42 per cent while the S&P BSE SmallCap ended 0.29 per cent lower at 14,966 levels.
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The Indian stock market ended over 2 per cent higher on Friday due to across-the-board buying.
The S&P BSE Sensex ended 835 points, or 2.28 per cent higher at 37,389 levels with all the 30 constituents ending in the green. Bajaj Finserv (up 6.6 per cent) was the top gainer on the index, followed by HCL Tech (up over 5 per cent), and Bharti Airtel (up 5 per cent).
NSE’s Nifty, meanwhile, reclaimed the crucial 11,000 level to settle at 11,050, up 245 points, or 2.26 per cent. India VIX dropped nearly 12 per cent to 20.76 levels.
On a weekly basis, both Sensex and Nifty declined nearly 4 per cent.
All the Nifty sectoral indices ended in the green, led by Nifty IT and FMCG indexes, both up nearly 3.5 per cent, each.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index gained around 3 per cent to 14,337 levels while the S&P BSE SmallCap index added 2.31 per cent to 14,496 levels.
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Erasing all their morning gains, the benchmark indices ended in the negative territory on Friday due to selling in the financial counters.
The S&P BSE Sensex ended 134 points, or 0.34 per cent lower at 38,846 with HDFC Bank (down over 2 per cent) being the biggest loser and Bharti Airtel (up around 4 per cent) the top gainer. HDFC Bank, HDFC, Infosys, and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) were among the major contributors to the index’s loss.
NSE’s Nifty settled at 11,505, up 11 points, or 0.10 per cent. India VIX fell nearly a per cent to 19.93 levels.
Meanwhile, pharma stocks gained big in the trade. The Nifty Pharma index jumped 5 per cent to 12,321 levels with all the 10 constituents advancing. Dr Reddy’s hit a record high of Rs 5,496.95 during the trade after the company said it has settled its patent litigation with Celgene for the latter’s cancer drug capsules. The stock settled at Rs 5,306, up 10 per cent on the NSE.
Nifty Bank index fell 2%; RBL, Bandhan, HDFC Bank down over 3%. Bandhan Bank, RBL Bank, HDFC Bank, and IDFC First Bank were down 3 per cent, while Federal Bank, State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank, and IndusInd Bank from the index were down in the range of 1 per cent to 2 per cent on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
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The domestic stock market ended Friday’s volatile session in the negative territory, weighed down by heavyweights Reliance Industries (RIL) and the HDFC twins. Weak global markets following disappointing US gross domestic product (GDP) data, too, dented investor sentiment.
The S&P BSE Sensex ended 129 points or 0.34 per cent lower at 37,607 while the Nifty50 index gave up the 11,100-mark to settle at 11,073, down 29 points or 0.26 per cent. India VIX declined nearly 3 per cent to 24 levels.
On a weekly basis, Sensex fell 1.36 per cent while NSE’s Nifty slipped 1 per cent.
Among individual stocks, shares of RIL ended 2 per cent lower at Rs 2,067 apiece on the BSE after the company reported a profit before tax (PBT) of Rs 8,542 crore against Rs 14,366 crore reported during the same quarter last year. The company’s net profit, however, rose about 31 per cent to Rs 13,233 crore against Rs 10,104 crore in the same quarter last year.
State Bank of India (SBI) ended over 2.6 per cent up at Rs 191.45 after the lender posted 36.8 cent rise in profit before tax (PBT) at Rs 5,559.7 crore for the quarter ended June 2020 (Q1FY21) on robust growth in net interest income.
The sectoral trend on the NSE was mixed. While pharma, PSU banks, and realty counters advanced, auto and private banks ended flat with negative bias. Nifty Pharma index gained the most – up 3.6 per cent to 11,148.90 levels.
In the broader market, the Nifty Smallcap 100 index gained over 0.8 per cent to 5,011 while the Nifty Midcap 100 closed 0.4 per cent higher at 15,471 points.
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