Indian equities finished the trading session in positive territory on Thursday as buying interest in Real Estate, Capital Goods and Consumer Durables stocks helped push headline indices up.
At the National Stock Exchange close, the Nifty 50 advanced 0.34%. The BSE Sensex 30 also closed higher, up 0.31%.
Top movers on the Nifty
- Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NSE:SUN) was the session's top gainer on the Nifty, rising 2.58% - a move of 48.80 points - to finish at 1,937.00.
- Bharti Airtel Ltd. (NSE:BRTI) added 2.49%, gaining 47.00 points to close at 1,935.10.
- Bajaj Finserv Ltd (NSE:BJFS) climbed 2.38%, up 44.10 points to 1,899.00 at the close.
Laggers on the Nifty
- Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd (NSE:REDY) fell 5.74%, a drop of 77.50 points, to end at 1,271.50.
- Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (NSE:MRTI) declined 1.73%, slipping 241.00 points to close at 13,710.00.
- Oil And Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (NSE:ONGC) retreated 1.42%, down 3.51 points to 243.49.
BSE Sensex movers
- On the BSE, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (BO:SUN) rose 2.65% to 1,938.00.
- IndusInd Bank Ltd. (BO:INBK) gained 2.47% to settle at 1,018.70.
- Bajaj Finserv Ltd (BO:BJFS) added 2.39% to close at 1,899.00.
BSE decliners
- Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (BO:MRTI) was down 1.65% to 13,714.50 in late trade.
- NTPC Ltd (BO:NTPC) lost 1.18% to settle at 344.65.
- Infosys Ltd (BO:INFY) declined 1.18% to 1,056.75 at the close.
Market breadth on the India National Stock Exchange showed rising stocks outnumbering decliners by a wide margin: 1,945 advances versus 594 declines, with 59 stocks unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,720 issues gained while 1,255 fell and 165 were unchanged.
Shares of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. reached fresh 52-week highs in the session. On the NSE the stock was reported at 1,937.00, up 2.58% (48.80), and on the BSE it was quoted at 1,938.00, up 2.65% (50.05).
The India VIX, which measures implied volatility in Nifty 50 options, eased 9.62% to 13.27, indicating a decline in near-term implied volatility.
Commodities and currencies
- Gold Futures for August delivery rose 0.77% - gaining 31.42 - to $4,113.82 a troy ounce.
- Crude oil for August delivery increased 0.41% (0.30) to $73.82 a barrel, while the September Brent contract climbed 0.53% (0.41) to $78.43 a barrel.
- USD/INR was unchanged at 95.55 (0.00%). EUR/INR slipped 0.08% to 109.02.
- The US Dollar Index Futures ticked up 0.01% to 100.77.
Overall, the session was characterized by selective sector strength that was sufficient to nudge benchmark indices modestly higher, coupled with a notable drop in market-implied volatility and mixed movements across commodities and currency pairs.
Data snapshot
- Nifty 50: +0.34%
- BSE Sensex 30: +0.31%
- India VIX: -9.62% to 13.27
- Gold (Aug futures): +0.77% to $4,113.82/oz
- Brent (Sep): +0.53% to $78.43/bbl
- USD/INR: 95.55