New Delhi, 5 December (H.S.): The domestic equity market closed higher for the second consecutive session on Friday, with benchmark indices extending gains after the Reserve Bank of India’s monetary policy announcement. Trading had opened on a weak note, but sentiment turned sharply positive once the central bank cut policy interest rates, a move that equity investors welcomed enthusiastically.

Despite intermittent bouts of profit-booking during the session, both the Sensex and Nifty managed to sustain their upward momentum, ending the day firmly in the green. The Sensex closed with a gain of 0.52 percent, while the Nifty advanced 0.59 percent.

Throughout the day, banking, financial, and IT stocks led the rally, posting sustained gains. Indices representing automobiles, consumer durables, metals, oil and gas, public sector enterprises, and technology also ended in positive territory.

In contrast, shares in defence, healthcare, FMCG, and capital goods sectors came under pressure and closed with losses. Overall, the broader market witnessed mixed trends. The BSE Midcap index ended 0.21 percent higher, whereas the Smallcap index slipped 0.67 percent by the close of trade.

The strong upmove in equities translated into a sharp jump in investor wealth. The market capitalisation of companies listed on the BSE rose by nearly ₹1 lakh crore in a single session. The combined market cap climbed to an estimated ₹470.80 lakh crore at the end of Friday’s trade, compared to ₹469.85 lakh crore on Thursday, implying a one-day notional gain of about ₹95,000 crore for investors.

Active trading was recorded in 4,328 stocks on the BSE. Of these, 1,816 shares closed with gains, 2,326 ended with losses, and 186 remained unchanged. On the NSE, 2,834 stocks witnessed active trading; 1,152 finished in the green, while 1,682 closed in the red.

Among the 30 Sensex constituents, 24 stocks ended higher and 6 declined. On the Nifty, 38 of the 50 index components closed with gains and 12 settled lower.The BSE Sensex opened 139.84 points weaker at 85,125.48 and slipped shortly thereafter to an intraday low of 85,078.12. Until about 10 a.m., the index moved in a narrow, choppy range.

Following the RBI’s decision to cut interest rates, buying interest intensified across sectors. Supported by sustained inflows, the Sensex surged 718.60 points from the day’s low and, at one point, traded 531.40 points higher at 85,796.72. Some late profit-booking linked to intraday settlement trimmed gains slightly, and the index finally closed 447.05 points up at 85,712.37.

Mirroring the Sensex, the NSE Nifty began the session on a soft note, opening 33.95 points lower at 25,999.80 and quickly slipping to 25,985.35. Until 10 a.m., the index oscillated with mild volatility. After the monetary policy decision, the Nifty staged a robust rebound, jumping 217.25 points from the intraday low and touching 26,202.60, up 168.85 points at the day’s high.

By the close, the index had eased slightly from the peak but still ended with a strong gain of 152.70 points at 26,186.45.Among the large-cap counters, Shriram Finance climbed 3.23 percent, State Bank of India 2.47 percent, Bajaj Finserv 2.31 percent, Adani Enterprises 2.14 percent, and Bajaj Finance 1.84 percent, making them the top five gainers of the session.

On the downside, InterGlobe Aviation fell 1.21 percent, Aether Industries (Aether) 1.13 percent, TMPV 0.80 percent, Trent Ltd 0.78 percent, and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries 0.71 percent, placing them among the day’s top five losers.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar