New Delhi, August 20(HS): Indian stock markets closed in the green for the fifth straight session on Tuesday, with investors wealth soaring by over ₹1.79 lakh crore. Sentiment was buoyed by expectations of easing geo-political tensions, improving India-China relations, and strong buying in IT and FMCG stocks, despite some pressure in banking and oil & gas counters.
Indices End Firm
The BSE Sensex opened at 81,671.47, slipped briefly to 81,494.50, but later surged to an intra-day high of 81,985.62 before settling at 81,857.84, up 213.45 points (0.26%).
The NSE Nifty opened weaker at 24,965.80, dipped to 24,929.70, then rallied to 25,088.70 before ending at 25,050.55, up 69.90 points (0.28%).
Sectoral & Broader Market Performance
Gainers: FMCG, IT, Tech, Realty, Infra, Auto, Metal, Energy, Capital Goods, Consumer Durables, and PSU indices.
Laggards: Banking, Pharma, and Oil & Gas stocks came under selling pressure.
Midcap Index rose 0.39%, Smallcap Index gained 0.30%.
Investor Wealth Surge
With the rally, market capitalization of listed companies on the BSE rose to ₹456.19 lakh crore, compared to ₹454.40 lakh crore on the previous day, reflecting a gain of ₹1.79 lakh crore in investor wealth.
Market Breadth
On the BSE, out of 4,235 traded shares, 2,340 advanced, 1,725 declined, and 170 remained unchanged.
On the NSE, out of 2,717 traded securities, 1,553 closed higher and 1,164 ended in the red.
Top Movers
Top Gainers (Sensex):
Infosys (+3.90%), TCS (+2.73%), HUL (+2.50%), Nestle (+2.49%), NTPC (+2.07%).
Top Losers (Sensex):
BEL (-2.16%), Bajaj Finance (-1.61%), Shriram Finance (-1.60%), Tata Motors (-1.52%), IndusInd Bank (-0.93%).
Takeaway: Markets maintained their upward momentum despite global uncertainties, as strong earnings optimism in IT & FMCG fueled buying. Analysts say sentiment could remain supported if macro signals and foreign inflows continue to improve.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
