New Delhi, 18 March (H.S.): India’s benchmark stock indices extended their gains for a third consecutive session, closing 0.83% higher on Wednesday as global cues, easing crude‑oil prices, strong buying in the IT sector and a fall in the India VIX kept sentiment upbeat. The Sensex and Nifty 50 ended the day near session highs, with broad participation across sectors adding to the rally’s momentum.
The session opened on a firm note, with both indices hovering in positive territory almost throughout the day. After initial choppy movement in the first hour, buyers re‑entered the market with vigour, pushing the Sensex and Nifty higher. By the final hour, the BSE Sensex stood 633.29 points higher at 76,704.13, while the Nifty 50 settled at 23,777.80, up 196.65 points (0.83%).
Sector‑wise actionbuying gathered strength in the IT, real estate, and auto sectors, with the IT index leading the pack as investors piled into software and technology names. The telecom, infrastructure, media, capital goods, consumer durables, banking, FMCG, pharma, oil & gas, public‑sector enterprises and broader “tech” indices also ended in the green, reflecting broad‑based optimism.
The midcap and smallcap indices outpaced the benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 100 gaining about 2.02% and the Nifty Smallcap 100 rising around 1.67%, underscoring strong risk‑appetite in the market.
Only the metals sector traded under pressure, as weakening commodity outlook and profit‑booking triggered a slide in metal stocks. Overall, the breadth of the rally remained healthy: on the BSE, 3,796 stocks ended higher against 1,096 decliners, while the broader NSE saw 2,391 gainers versus 582 losers. Among the 30 Sensex constituents, 24 closed in the green, and of the 50 Nifty firms, 38 ended higher.
The day‑long rally pushed the combined market capitalisation of BSE‑listed companies to about ₹438.81 lakh crore (preliminary), up from roughly ₹433.30 lakh crore on Tuesday, adding over ₹5.5 lakh crore to investors’ equity wealth. Analysts pointed to strong domestic‑and‑foreign buying flows, coupled with softer oil prices and a lower India VIX, as key factors reinforcing the positive bias on Dalal Street.
Top gainers and losers
Among heavyweight stocks, Jio Financial (up 4.46%), Eicher Motors (+3.37%), Tech Mahindra (+3.23%), Infosys (+2.77%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (+2.74%) were among the top gainers on the Sensex‑50 universe.
On the flip side, Coal India (‑1.53%), NTPC (‑1.27%), Hindustan Unilever (‑1.06%), Cipla (‑1.05%) and Sun Pharmaceutical (‑0.90%) ranked among the leading decliners, reflecting profit‑taking in select defensive and PSU names.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
