Indian equity indices finished higher on Thursday, with information technology, broader technology and consumer durables stocks pushing benchmarks up at the close.
On the National Stock Exchange, the Nifty 50 added 0.71% to end at a one-month high, while the BSE Sensex 30 rose 0.75% at the close. The session saw pronounced strength among several IT names and sector-related peers.
The leading advancers on the Nifty 50 were Infosys Ltd (NSE:INFY), which jumped 5.96% or 58.70 points to finish at 1,044.00; Tech Mahindra Ltd (NSE:TEML), which gained 4.57% or 62.20 points to close at 1,424.40; and HCL Technologies Ltd (NSE:HCLT), which rose 4.56% or 47.20 points to 1,081.40 in late trade.
On the downside, Larsen & Toubro Ltd (NSE:LART) was the largest decliner among the listed names cited, slipping 0.87% or 35.60 points to close at 4,057.00. Axis Bank Ltd (NSE:AXBK) fell 0.69% or 9.50 points to 1,359.20, and Nestle India Ltd (NSE:NEST) was down 0.56% or 8.10 points to 1,445.70.
The BSE Sensex mirrored these moves. Infosys Ltd (BO:INFY) rose 5.84% to 1,043.00 on that gauge, Tech Mahindra Ltd (BO:TEML) was up 4.61% to settle at 1,425.00, and HCL Technologies Ltd (BO:HCLT) gained 4.44% to close at 1,080.90. The weakest names on the Sensex included Larsen & Toubro Ltd (BO:LART), down 0.87% to 4,057.00; Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (BO:MRTI), which lost 0.74% to settle at 14,306.15; and Nestle India Ltd (BO:NEST), down 0.61% to 1,444.60 at the close.
Market breadth on the National Stock Exchange was positive, with 1,645 stocks rising, 911 declining and 44 unchanged. The Bombay Stock Exchange also recorded more advancers than decliners, with 2,348 stocks up, 1,655 down and 172 unchanged.
Volatility, as measured by the India VIX for Nifty 50 options, declined 7.80% to 12.21, marking a new three-month low for the gauge.
Commodities showed mixed movement in late trade. Gold Futures for August delivery decreased 0.10% or 4.03 to $4,078.37 a troy ounce. Crude oil futures were lower: the August crude contract fell 1.36% or 0.93 to $67.65 a barrel, and the September Brent oil contract slipped 1.24% or 0.89 to trade at $70.68 a barrel.
In currency markets, USD/INR rose 0.26% to 95.50 while EUR/INR gained 0.42% to 108.82. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.30% at 100.85.
Even as headline indices advanced, performance was uneven across sectors and individual names: information technology and technology-related stocks were the primary drivers, while certain financials and consumer staples underperformed. The drop in implied volatility accompanied the market rally, and commodity prices moved lower for gold and crude in the reported contracts.
This trading-day snapshot captures closing levels, percent changes and market breadth for major Indian exchanges, along with related commodity and foreign exchange readings reported at the close.