The Indian stock market continued its upward movement for the fourth consecutive session on Friday as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey 2024-25 in Parliament ahead of the Union Budget 2025-26.
The Economic Survey projects India’s GDP growth at 6.3-6.8 percent for 2025-26.
The BSE Sensex reached an intra-day high of 77,549.92 before closing at 77,500.57, gaining 740.76 points or 0.97 percent. The NSE Nifty ended at 23,508.40, rising 258.90 points or 1.11 percent. The index fluctuated between 23,530.70 and 23,277.40 during the session.
The week began with selling pressure, followed by a brief recovery, and ended with a cautious approach ahead of the budget, according to market analysts.
On the 30-share BSE Sensex, ITC Hotels, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, and TCS closed lower. Adani Ports & SEZ, Titan, Mahindra & Mahindra, and IndusInd Bank were among the top gainers.
On the NSE Nifty, 45 out of 50 stocks closed higher. Trent, BEL, Tata Consumer Products, and Titan were among the leading gainers, while Bharti Airtel, ITC Hotels, and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the stocks that declined.
Consumer durables led sectoral performance, followed by auto, realty, oil, and FMCG. IT, metal, and media stocks also gained, while the Nifty Bank index remained largely unchanged.
In the broader market, the BSE Midcap index rose by 1.14 percent, while the BSE Smallcap index gained 1.24 percent. On the NSE, 1,933 stocks advanced, 636 stocks declined, 18 stocks reached their 52-week highs, and 46 stocks touched their 52-week lows.
The Economic Survey states that the government will continue to focus on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and agricultural production to support economic growth and employment.
