Continuing the previous session’s upward trend, Indian equities ended Wednesday on a positive note, driven by buying in heavyweights such as SBI, BEL, and Maruti Suzuki.
The market remained steady as investors stayed cautiously optimistic following ongoing discussions between India and the United States on tariff-related issues.
The Sensex closed at 82,693.71, up 313 points or 0.38 per cent, after opening at 82,506.40 against the previous session’s close of 82,380.69. It extended early gains to hit an intraday high of 82,741.95. The Nifty 50 ended at 25,330.25, up 91.15 points or 0.36 per cent.
“Markets edged higher in a subdued session, reflecting a positive yet cautious undertone. After a firm start, the Nifty traded in a narrow range before settling at 25,330.25,” said Ajit Mishra of Religare Broking.
Sectoral performance was mixed, with IT, banking, and auto emerging as top gainers, while metals, FMCG, and pharma saw profit-taking. Despite the range-bound movement, sentiment was supported by optimism around policy reforms and robust domestic flows. However, persistent FII selling and caution ahead of the U.S. Fed policy outcome capped gains.
Top gainers from the Sensex included SBI, BEL, Kotak Bank, Maruti, Trent, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Infosys, Asian Paints, Sun Pharma, and L&T. Laggards included Bajaj FinServ, Titan, ITC, Tata Steel, and Hindustan Unilever.
Among sectoral indices, Nifty Fin Services rose 68 points (0.26%), Nifty Bank jumped 345 points (0.63%), Nifty Auto gained 148 points (0.55%), and Nifty IT increased 235 points (0.65%). Nifty FMCG declined. Broader markets were buoyed by value buying in small-cap stocks, with Nifty Small Cap 100 up 124 points (0.68%), Nifty 100 up 86.90 points (0.34%), and Nifty Midcap 100 rising 49 points.
– IANS
