India’s benchmark stock indices closed higher on Wednesday, driven by gains in the realty sector, which rose by 1.39%. The BSE Sensex ended at 76,724.08, gaining 224.45 points or 0.29%, while the NSE Nifty closed at 23,213.20, up by 37.15 points or 0.16%.

The Nifty Bank index recorded a marginal increase, ending at 48,751.70 with a gain of 22.55 points or 0.05%. Broader indices showed stronger performance, with the Nifty Midcap 100 climbing 222.50 points or 0.41% to close at 53,899, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 adding 96.15 points or 0.56% to finish at 17,353.95.

Market sentiment remained cautious amid volatility triggered by elevated U.S. bond yields, a strengthening dollar, and continued outflows by foreign institutional investors (FIIs).

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) witnessed a mixed trend with 2,152 shares advancing, 1,802 declining, and 110 remaining unchanged.

Top performers in the Sensex pack included Zomato, NTPC, Power Grid, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Tech Mahindra, L&T, Adani Ports, SBI, HCL Tech, UltraTech Cement, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, and Hindustan Unilever Limited. Meanwhile, M&M, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Tata Motors, Nestle India, Sun Pharma, and Asian Paints emerged as the top losers.

Market analysts highlighted the lack of clear direction in Wednesday’s trading session. Rupak De of LKP Securities said, “Another day of choppy trades was witnessed as the market lacked direction. However, sentiment is likely to favour a recovery in the short term, with the potential to reach 23,400 on the higher end.”

Data showed FIIs selling equities worth ₹8,132.26 crore on January 14, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) made net purchases of ₹7,901.06 crore, helping to offset the outflows to some extent.