New Delhi, August 19(HS):
Domestic equity markets continued their bullish run for the fourth consecutive session on Tuesday, closing with solid gains amid broad-based buying. After a choppy start, strong investor appetite in key sectors like banking, oil & gas, FMCG, and automobiles propelled indices higher through the day. By close, the Sensex advanced 0.46% while the Nifty rose 0.42%.
Broader markets also mirrored the momentum with the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices outperforming, ending 0.97% higher. Except for selective pressure in defence and pharma counters, most sectoral indices closed in the green, with notable strength visible across metals, energy, IT, capital goods, consumer durables, and PSU stocks.
The sustained rally translated into a sharp jump in investors’ wealth. The total market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms swelled to ₹454.48 lakh crore at day’s end from Monday’s ₹450.96 lakh crore — a single-day wealth addition of nearly ₹3.52 lakh crore.
In the day’s action, 4,232 stocks traded on the BSE, of which 2,630 closed higher, 1,437 ended lower, and 165 remained unchanged. On the NSE, 1,862 stocks advanced against 862 declines, underscoring the breadth of bullish sentiment.
Index Action:
The Sensex opened mildly higher at 81,319.11 and quickly gathered steam to hit an intraday high of 81,755.88, before paring some gains on profit booking. It finally settled at 81,644.39, up 370.64 points.
The Nifty opened at 24,891.35, briefly slipped into the red at 24,873.95, but rebounded strongly to touch 25,012.65 intraday. It ended the day at 24,980.65, up 103.70 points.
Top Gainers:
Tata Motors (+3.59%), Adani Ports (+3.18%), Reliance Industries (+2.78%), Hero MotoCorp (+2.69%), and Bajaj Auto (+2.41%) led today’s rally.
Top Losers:
On the downside, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (-1.47%), Bajaj Finserv (-1.07%), Hindalco Industries (-1.04%), Cipla (-1.04%), and Mahindra & Mahindra (-0.86%) were among the main laggards.
Takeaway:
With four straight sessions of gains and a hefty addition to investor wealth, markets are riding high on strong buying interest across sectors. However, selective selling in defensives like pharma hints at sectoral churn, as traders rotate into high-growth and cyclical themes.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
