India’s benchmark indices continued their upward momentum on Thursday, marking the third consecutive session of gains ahead of the Union Budget 2025-26. Both the Sensex and Nifty ended in positive territory, buoyed by investor optimism.
At the close, the Sensex climbed 226.85 points, or 0.3 percent, to settle at 76,759.81. The Nifty rose 86.40 points, or 0.37 percent, to finish at 23,249.50.
Of the Nifty’s 50 stocks, 35 closed in the green, led by strong performances from Bharat Electronics, Power Grid Corporation, Cipla, Hero MotoCorp, and Bharti Airtel, with the latter surging 4.87 percent.
On the losing side, Tata Motors, ITC Hotels, Shriram Finance, and Bajaj Finserv were among the 17 stocks that closed lower.
The broader market showed a mixed picture. The Nifty Smallcap 100 index edged up 0.12 percent, while the Nifty Midcap 100 remained virtually flat, dipping by just 0.01 percent.
Sectorally, Nifty FMCG, Healthcare, Financial Services, Pharma, and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) indices gained up to 1.55 percent. However, the Nifty IT index dropped by 1.14 percent to 42,426.65, weighed down by losses in Coforge and Mphasis.
The India VIX, which tracks market volatility, surged 6.7 percent to 17.39, signaling increased market fluctuations.
(With IANS inputs)
