Sensex Ends With Gains; Nifty Faces Losses
Benchmark domestic equity indices ended on a mixed note today. The Sensex rose 64 points to close at 73 thousand 983, while the Nifty dropped 27 points to settle at 23 thousand and 215. In the broader market on the National Stock Exchange, the Midcap 100 index shed one and a half per cent and Smallcap 100 index fell over 1.3 per cent.
Earlier today, markets opened in positive zone, defying weakness across major global peers. Both the indices remained in the positive territory for most of the session; however, profit booking in the final hour of trading erased a significant portion of the gains, leading to a subdued close.
In the Sensex pack, shares of 18 out of 30 companies registered losses. Among the top underperformers, Eternal plunged nearly 2.5 per cent, Tata Steel dipped two per cent, and Bajaj Finserv lost over 1.6 per cent. In contrast, Hindustan Unilever as well as Axis bank jumped 1.7 per cent, Kotak Mahindra Bank climbed over 1.6 per cent, and ICICI Bank advanced 1.4 per cent.
In the sectoral indices at the BSE, 22 out of 25 sectors ended in negative territory. Among the top laggards, MidSmall Private Banks Quality Tilt index shed 2.2 per cent, Telecommunication fell by two per cent, and Metal dropped 1.9 per cent. Among the top gainers, FMCG rose over 0.8 per cent, Top 10 Bank index climbed 0.6 three per cent, and Private Bank index advanced by 0.2 per cent.
The overall market breadth at the BSE was negative, as shares of 2 thousand 748 companies declined, 1 thousand 472 advanced, and 149 remained unchanged.
