New Delhi, 30 June (H.S.): The domestic equity market ended lower on Tuesday despite opening on a strong note, as heavy selling in information technology (IT) stocks and a rise in the India Volatility Index weighed on investor sentiment. The benchmark indices witnessed sharp fluctuations throughout the session amid a tug-of-war between buyers and sellers. At the close, the BSE Sensex declined 0.33 percent, while the NSE Nifty ended 0.34 percent lower.
IT stocks remained under sustained selling pressure throughout the trading session, with the Nifty IT index closing down 2.73 percent. Banking, FMCG, media, and metal indices also settled in the red. In contrast, consumer durables, realty, automobile, and capital goods stocks attracted steady buying. Healthcare, oil and gas, and public sector enterprise indices also ended with gains.
The broader market outperformed the benchmark indices. The Nifty Midcap index closed 0.37 percent higher, while the Nifty Smallcap index advanced 1.02 percent.
Despite the weakness in the benchmark indices, strong buying in small-cap stocks helped investors add more than Rs 1.51 lakh crore to their wealth. The combined market capitalisation of companies listed on the BSE rose to Rs 474.25 lakh crore (provisional) at the close of trade, compared with Rs 472.74 lakh crore in the previous session, resulting in a gain of approximately Rs 1.51 lakh crore.
A total of 4,421 stocks were actively traded on the BSE during the session. Of these, 2,332 advanced, 1,904 declined, and 185 remained unchanged. On the NSE, 2,991 stocks witnessed active trading, with 1,634 closing higher and 1,357 ending lower.
Among the 30 Sensex constituents, 11 stocks advanced while 19 declined. Of the 50 Nifty stocks, 22 ended in the green and 28 finished lower.
The Sensex opened 277.14 points higher at 77,005.51. Soon after the opening, buying and selling pressure kept the index volatile throughout the day. It touched an intraday high of 77,037.36, up 308.99 points, before slipping to an intraday low of 76,329.39, down 398.98 points. From its day's high, the Sensex lost as much as 707 points before settling 249.70 points lower at 76,478.67.
Similarly, the Nifty opened 85.80 points higher at 24,032.05. The benchmark moved in a wide range throughout the session as bulls and bears battled for control. It rose to an intraday high of 24,035.55 before falling 206.35 points from that level to an intraday low of 23,829.20. The index eventually closed 80.50 points lower at 23,865.75.
Among the market heavyweights, Maruti Suzuki gained 5.24 percent, Titan Company rose 2.96 percent, Adani Enterprises advanced 2.48 percent, Bajaj Finance climbed 2.31 percent, and Trent Ltd. gained 2.07 percent, emerging as the top five gainers of the session.
On the losing side, Eicher Motors fell 4.75 percent, Infosys declined 3.50 percent, Tata Consumer Products dropped 3.34 percent, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) lost 3.17 percent, and Wipro slipped 2.90 percent, making them the top five losers for the day.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
