Domestic markets snapped the streak of weekly losses even as sombre global mood butchered bulls at the bourses for two days straight. A rise in Brent crude prices along with a jump in bond yields acted as the double whammy on stocks on Friday, pushing benchmark equity indices down by nearly a per cent. However, a tilt towards defensives towards the fag-end of the session lifted markets off-lows.
Among headline indices, the S&P BSE Sensex ended at 50,405 levels today, erasing 441 points or 0.87 per cent. From the day’s high of 50,886, the index tumbled 726 points to hit a low of 50,160. Financial, pharma, and IT counters were the top drags on the index today with IndusInd Bank, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HCL Tech, Bajaj Finserv, Infosys, Dr Reddy’s Labs, Sun Pharma, and HDFC leading the list of losers. All these stocks were down in the range of 1.7 per cent to 5 per cent.
On the upside, ONGC, Maruti Suzuki, Nestle India, Titan, Reliance Industries, and L&T supported the markets with up to 2.5 per cent gains.
On the NSE, the Nifty50 settled above the 14,900-mark at 14,938, down 143 points or 0.95 per cent. 38 of the 50 stocks declined on the Nifty today, while 12 advanced.
All the sectoral indices were painted red amid across-the-board sell-off. The Nifty PSU index plunged 4 per cent on the NSE, followed by the Nifty Metal index (down 3 per cent), and the Nifty IT and Realty indices (down 2 per cent each). The Nifty Bank, Auto, FMCG, and Financial Services indices slipped between 0.5 per cent and 1.7 per cent.
In the broader markets, the S&P BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices dropped 1.9 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively.
The overall market breadth favoured bears with 1,904 stocks ending the day in the red, compared with around 1,083 stocks that advanced on the BSE.
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A steep hike in US treasury yields took the global markets by surprise on Friday as investors dumped equities for bonds. That apart, an air strike by the United States in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border, further dented trading sentiment.
US Treasury yields vaulted to their highest levels, of about 1.5 per cent, since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic on expectations of a strong economic expansion and related inflation. Back home, the 10-year goverment bond firmed up to 6.23 per cent on Friday mirrowing similar trends. Effectively, fear of reversal in rate cut cycle, spooked investors who off-loaded equities worth Rs 5 trillion.
Additionally, the US air strike in retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month, and caution ahead of the release of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the December quarter made investors sit on the fence.
In the intra-day trade, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex tumbled 2,149 points while the Nifty50 index slumped 629 points. The indices ended near the lowest point of the day, at 49,100 and 14,529 levels, respectively, down 1,939 points and 568 points.
All the 30 constituents on the Sensex index and 50 stocks on the Nifty ended the day in the red. ONGC, JSW Steel, GAIL, M&M, Bajaj Finance, Grasim, and Hero MotoCorp were the top Nifty losers, down up to 8 per cent; Axis Bank, HDFC, Power Grid, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank were the top drags on the Sensex.
In the broader markets, small-cap stocks held their ground relatively better as the S&P BSE SmallCap index settled only 0.7 per cent down. The S&P BSE MidCap index, on the the hand, ended 1.75 per cent lower.
On the sectoral front, banking counters got butchered as yield concerns soured sentiment in the sector. Expectations that banks may have to show yield-induced fall in G-sec value as losses, investors pushed the sell button for banks. The Nifty Bank, and Private bank indices closed 5 per cent down, followed by losses in the Nifty PSU Bank index, down 4.5 per cent.
The Nifty Metal and Auto indices dropped 3 per cent while the Nifty FMCG, IT, and Pharma indices slipped 2 per cent each.
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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 markets ended over half a per cent higher on Friday, lifted by financial stocks, while volatility index, India VIX, dipped 4 per cent to below 20 levels.
The S&P BSE Sensex gained 214 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 38,435 levels, and the Nifty50 index ended above the 11,350-mark at 11,372, up 59 points or 0.53 per cent. NTPC (up over 4.5 per cent), Asian Paints (up over 4 per cent) and Power Grid (up over 4 per cent) were the top Sensex gainers. Asian Paints hit a record high of Rs 1,971 during the day. The stock settled at Rs 1,958.35 on the BSE.
On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 1.47 per cent while Nifty added 1.72 per cent.
On the flip side, ONGC (down over 1 per cent), Bharti Airtel (down 1 per cent), and Tata Steel (down nearly 1 per cent) were the biggest losers on the index.
Among other individual stocks, GMM Pfaudler surged over 8 per cent in early deals after it said it has acquired a 54 per cent stake in its parent firm Pfaudler Group for a consideration of around $27.4 million.
The trend among Nifty sectoral indices was positive, led by Nifty PSU Bank index, up 1.8 per cent.
Meanwhile, the broader markets kept up their outperformance. The S&P BSE MidCap index ended at 14,954, up 0.57 per cent while the S&P BSE SmallCap index ended at 14,625.19, up nearly 1.5 per cent.
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It was a topsy-turvy session for the domestic equity market on Friday. After tumbling over 3.5 per cent in the early deals, the benchmark indices made a sharp comeback to end 0.7 per cent higher.
The S&P BSE Sensex witnessed 1,508-point swing during the day before settling at 33,781 points, up 243 points or 0.72 per cent. Of 30 constituents, 17 advanced and 13 declined.
NSE’s Nifty ended at 9,973, up 71 points or 0.72 per cent.
On a weekly basis, Sensex slipped 1.47 per cent while Nifty shed 1.66 per cent.
Volatility index, India VIX, jumped nearly 4 per cent to 30.82 levels.
Among individual stocks, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) ended over 7 per cent higher at Rs 508.70 apiece on the BSE after the company reported a consolidated loss of Rs 3,255 crore for the March quarter of 2019-20 (Q4FY20), which it attributed to “impairment provision for certain long-term investments”.
Financial stocks bounced back 13 per cent from the day’s low on the BSE after the Supreme Court gave three days to Finance Ministry, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to decide on moratorium period interest.
Reliance Industries (RIL) ended over 3 per cent higher at Rs 1,588.80. Its partly paid-up rights shares are set to debut on the bourses on Monday, June 15.
On the sectoral front, barring IT and media stocks, all the other sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the green. The Nifty IT index declined nearly 1.5 per cent to 14,403 levels after media reports said the US President Donald Trump is considering suspending a number of employment visas including the H-1B, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, in view of the massive unemployment in America due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the broader market, the Nifty SmallCap 100 index ended at 4,393.50, down 0.11 per cent and the Nifty Midcap 100 index rallied over a per cent to 14,339.35 points.
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The domestic stock market witnessed a sharp rally on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das announced a slew of measures to support the economy in the wake of Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. The central bank slashed reverse repo rate by 25 basis points to 3.75 per cent. It also announced special refinance facility of Rs 15,000 crore to SIDBI; Rs 25,000 crore to NABARD, and Rs 10,000 cr to HFCs to support liquidity.
Reacting to it, financials stocks made solid gains, thus aiding the benchmark indices to settle over 3 per cent higher. The S&P BSE Sensex surged 986 points or 3.22 per cent to end at 31,588.72, with Axis Bank (up nearly 13.5 per cent) being the top gainer. ICICI Bank (up 10 per cent), IndusInd Bank (up 9 per cent), and Maruti (up 7 per cent) were next on the list.
On the NSE, the Nifty gained 274 points or 3.05 per cent to end at 9,266.75. Volatility index, India VIX, continued to cool-off. It slipped 7.71 per cent to 42.54 levels.
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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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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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Following the global sell-off, Indian equity markets, too, settled lower on Friday after US military killed Iran Revolutionary Guards’ commander Qasem Soleimani in a surprise air-strike. The middle-east tensions sent Brent Crude Futures soaring, while market sentiment turned sour at D-Street.
Brent crude futures jumped nearly $3 on Friday after a US air strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian and Iraqi military commanders, sparking concerns of disruption to Middle East oil supplies. At 3:10 pm, Brent Crude Futures were at $68.62 per barrel-mark, up 3.5 per cent.
The S&P BSE Sensex, which hit an intra-day low of 41,348.68, recovered slightly in the fag-end of the session and settled 162.03 points, or 0.39 per cent, lower at 41,464.61 level. 20 of the 30 constituents ending the day in the red. Oil-linked stocks, such as paints, aviation, oil-marketing companies (OMCs), and financial counters remained under pressure.
In the intra-day trade, Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), for instance, declined 2.9 per cent each on the BSE. Reliance Industries, Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL), and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), too, slumped up to 0.7 per cent.
On the NSE, the Nifty50 lost 55.50 points, or 0.45 per cent, to settle at 12,226.65-mark. Sectorally, Nifty PSU Bank index slipped the most, down 2 per cent at close. Besides, Nifty Bank, Auto, Private Bank indices slipped over 1 per cent. On the upside, Nifty IT index advanced 1.3 per cent on the back of a weaker rupee.
In the broader market, small-caps traded in the green territory, while mid-caps followed benchmarks. The S&P BSE mid-cap index was down 0.44 per cent, while the S&P BSE small-cap index was up 0.01 per cent at close.
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Snapping three-day losing streak, buying sentiment was back at D-Street with benchmark indices edging a per cent higher on Friday lifted by gains in financial counters.
The S&P BSE Sensex gained 411.38 points, or 1 per cent, to close at 41,575.14 level, with Axis Bank (up 3 per cent), Power Grid (2.2 per cent), SBI (2 per cent), and Bharti Airtel (1.89 per cent) settling as the top gainers on the index. On the flipside, UltraTech Cement (0.22 per cent), and Titan (0.17 per cent) were the top drags.
On the NSE, the Nifty50 ended 124.15 points, or 1.02 per cent highet at 12,250.70-mark.
The Sensex and Nifty50 hit an intra-day high/low of 41,611.27/41,264.92 and 12,258.45/12,157.90, respectively.
On the sectoral front, all the key indices on the NSE settled the day in the positive territory. Nifty PSU Bank index was the best performing index, up 3 per cent, at close, followed by gains in Nifty Realty index (1.6 per cent), and Nifty Bank index (1.3 per cent).
The broader markets, too, followed headlines indices with the S&P BSE mid and small-cap indices gaining 0.86 per cent each.
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