Indian markets finished the trading session with a split performance on Thursday as sectoral winners and losers largely canceled each other out. At the National Stock Exchange, the Nifty 50 slipped 0.02% at the close, while the BSE Sensex 30 was flat, registering a 0.00% change.
Stocks in Consumer Durables, Information Technology and Technology posted gains, lifting several large-cap names. Conversely, Real Estate, Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Healthcare sectors weighed on the market, producing a number of notable declines by session end.
Leading movers on the Nifty 50
- HCL Technologies Ltd (NSE:HCLT) was the top Nifty 50 performer, rising 1.82% - up 21.30 points - to close at 1,189.30.
- Wipro Ltd (NSE:WIPR) advanced 1.75%, gaining 3.05 points to finish at 177.70.
- Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (NSE:MRTI) climbed 1.59%, a rise of 216.00 points, ending the session at 13,799.00.
Largest decliners on the Nifty 50
- Eternal Ltd (NSE:ETEA) recorded the steepest drop among Nifty names, falling 3.00% or 8.85 points to 285.95 at the close.
- SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd (NSE:SBIL) declined 2.27%, down 42.30 points to 1,824.10.
- Bajaj Finserv Ltd (NSE:BJFS) slipped 1.06%, a decrease of 19.60 points, to close at 1,830.00.
Performance highlights on the BSE Sensex 30
- HCL Technologies Ltd (BO:HCLT) led gains on the BSE, up 1.90% to 1,190.00.
- Bajaj Finance Ltd (BO:BJFN) added 1.52% to settle at 1,037.00.
- Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (BO:MRTI) rose 1.42% to close at 13,773.10.
Largest drops on the BSE
- Eternal Ltd (BO:ETEA) fell 3.05% to 285.75 in late trade.
- Bajaj Finserv Ltd (BO:BJFS) lost 0.96%, ending at 1,832.35.
- HDFC Bank Ltd (BO:HDBK) declined 0.82% to 808.65 at the close.
Market breadth favored declines. On the National Stock Exchange, 1,408 stocks fell and 1,145 advanced, while 52 were unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,081 issues closed lower, 1,899 gained and 194 finished flat.
The India VIX, a gauge of implied volatility for Nifty 50 options, eased 3.01% to 12.87, indicating a reduction in near-term implied volatility compared with the previous session.
Commodities and currencies
- Gold Futures for August delivery were down 0.31% - a drop of 12.65 - to $4,039.15 a troy ounce.
- Crude oil for August delivery ticked up 0.01% or $0.01 to $79.61 a barrel.
- The September Brent contract slipped 0.22%, down $0.19 to $84.76 a barrel.
- USD/INR rose 0.24% to 96.48, while EUR/INR inched up 0.01% to 110.36.
The US Dollar Index Futures traded 0.08% higher at 100.35.
Thursday's session underscored a market environment where sector-specific momentum mattered more than a broad market trend. While IT and consumer-related segments provided upward thrust to select large caps, weakness in real estate, consumer staples and healthcare capped gains and produced a mildly negative close for the Nifty 50.