New Delhi, 22 June (H.S.): The domestic stock market closed on a strong note on Monday, buoyed by signs of easing tensions in West Asia and a decline in crude oil prices. The benchmark indices had also opened higher, but trading remained volatile throughout the session. Despite repeated bouts of selling pressure during the day, both the Sensex and the Nifty managed to remain in positive territory throughout the trading session. At the close, the Sensex ended 0.38 percent higher, while the Nifty gained 0.37 percent.

Most sectoral indices on the stock market ended in the green after a day of active trading. Healthcare, Capital Goods, and Information Technology (IT) stocks witnessed robust buying interest. Banking, Automobile, Metal, Oil & Gas, Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs), and Technology indices also closed with gains. However, FMCG and Consumer Durables stocks remained under selling pressure throughout the session. The broader market also witnessed buying momentum, with the Nifty Midcap Index closing 0.34 percent higher.

Similarly, the Nifty Smallcap Index ended the day with a gain of 0.60 percent. The rally in the stock market added approximately Rs 3.54 lakh crore to investors' wealth in a single trading session. The total market capitalization of companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) rose to an estimated Rs 480.50 lakh crore at the close of trading, compared to Rs 476.96 lakh crore on Friday, the previous trading session. As a result, investors earned an estimated profit of around Rs 3.54 lakh crore during Monday's trade.

A total of 4,586 stocks were actively traded on the BSE during the session. Of these, 2,635 stocks advanced, while 1,754 declined and 197 remained unchanged. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 3,031 stocks witnessed active trading, with 1,929 ending in the green and 1,102 closing in the red. Among the 30 Sensex constituents, 18 stocks closed higher while 12 declined. Similarly, out of the 50 Nifty stocks, 30 ended with gains and 20 settled lower.

The BSE Sensex opened at 77,160.67, up 357.77 points from its previous close.

As trading commenced, intense tug-of-war between bulls and bears led to sharp fluctuations in the benchmark index. Supported by buying, the Sensex climbed 522.66 points to touch an intraday high of 77,325.56. However, renewed selling pressure dragged it down to an intraday low of 77,008.02. After a volatile trading session, the Sensex settled 291.17 points higher at 77,094.07.

The NSE Nifty also opened strongly, rising 93.50 points to 24,106.60. Soon after the opening bell, aggressive buying and selling resulted in considerable fluctuations. Buying support pushed the index up by 154.95 points to an intraday high of 24,168.05. Later, selling pressure pulled it down to an intraday low of 24,073.15. At the close, the Nifty finished 89.80 points higher at 24,102.90.

Among the blue-chip stocks, Cipla emerged as the top gainer, rising 4.73 percent. It was followed by Tech Mahindra (1.82 percent), Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (1.46 percent), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (1.34 percent), and Infosys (1.33 percent).

On the losing side, Asian Paints declined 2.16 percent, followed by Titan Company (1.07 percent), Nestlé India (0.91 percent), Shriram Finance (0.90 percent), and Power Grid Corporation of India (0.86 percent), making them the top five losers of the day.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar