The Indian benchmark indices closed on a volatile note on Thursday as the Sensex fell 21 points to settle trade at 82,254.42 while the Nifty gained over 10 points to close trade at 25,493.35 at 3:30 PM.
In the 30-share BSE Sensex, among the top gainers were stocks such as Bharat Electronics, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Adani Ports, Bharti Airtel and Maruti. Meanwhile, the laggards included stocks like Infosys, Kotak Bank, L&T, IndiGo and Mahindra and Mahindra.
In the broader markets, the Nifty Midcap 100 rose 0.69 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 50 fell 0.09 per cent, as volatility remained high. Sectorally, ther Nifty Healthcare index jumped 1.24 per cent and the Nifty Media index fell 0.68 per cent.
Previously, during the early morning session, the BSE Sensex rang the opening bell above 82,500, soaring close to 250 points, while the NSE Nifty50 inched closer to 25,550, rising 60 points, around 9:15 AM.
Foreign Institutional Investors
Robust institutional participation lifted investor confidence in the previous session, with both foreign and domestic investors remaining net buyers. Exchange data showed Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 2,991.64 crore on Wednesday. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) also added to the momentum, buying shares worth Rs 5,118.57 crore.
“Strong buying by both FPIs (Rs 2,991 crore) and DIIs (Rs 5,118 crore) in the previous session is likely to provide added comfort to investors. Domestic fundamentals remain stable, and ongoing sectoral rotation is helping the indices absorb periodic profit-booking at higher levels,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.
Mixed Global Signals From Asian Markets
Global market cues remained mixed but broadly supportive. US equities ended higher on Wednesday, strengthening investor sentiment.
In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei 225 traded in positive territory. However, China’s Shanghai SSE Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were quoted lower.
Meanwhile, Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rose 0.25 per cent to USD 71.03 per barrel.
Benchmarks End Marginally Higher After Volatile Session
Indian benchmark indices ended with modest gains after a volatile trading day marked by sharp intra-day swings.
The BSE benchmark closed 50.15 points, or 0.06 per cent, higher at 82,276.07. During the session, it had climbed as much as 731.99 points, or 0.89 per cent, to reach an intra-day high of 82,957.91 before surrendering most of the gains.
Similarly, the NSE Nifty settled 57.85 points, or 0.23 per cent, higher at 25,482.50, reflecting early strength followed by profit-booking at elevated levels.
Market participants noted that the cautious finish indicated investor hesitation to take aggressive positions in the absence of strong domestic triggers.
Early Gains Fade Amid Trade Concerns and Currency Weakness
Markets had opened higher on Wednesday, supported by positive global cues and a rebound in US technology stocks after easing uncertainty around artificial intelligence. Dovish signals from the Bank of Japan also helped sustain regional sentiment in early trade.
However, the upward momentum weakened later in the day after renewed tariff-related remarks from the US President revived concerns about global trade. Weakness in the Indian rupee further weighed on sentiment, limiting additional gains, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited.
