New Delhi, 17 September (H.S.):
The domestic stock market ended on a largely flat note with mixed results on Thursday, the weekly expiry day for the Sensex, after witnessing considerable volatility throughout the trading session. The market opened on a weak note, and buying and selling pressures remained in constant conflict throughout the day, causing both the Sensex and Nifty to fluctuate repeatedly. At the close of trading, the Sensex slipped marginally by 0.03 percent, while the Nifty ended 0.23 percent higher.
The BSE Sensex opened at 74,182.62, down 153.83 points, or 0.21 percent, from the previous close. Soon after the opening, the bulls and bears engaged in a tussle for control, leading to sharp fluctuations in the index. Under selling pressure, the Sensex declined by 172.50 points, or 0.23 percent, to touch an intraday low of 74,163.95.
Subsequently, renewed buying pushed the index 513.61 points above its intraday low, taking it to 74,677.56, a gain of 341.11 points, or 0.46 percent. However, after 1 p.m., selling pressure once again emerged in the market. As a result, the index slipped 362.97 points from its intraday high and closed at 74,314.59, down 21.86 points, or 0.03 percent.
Like the Sensex, the NSE Nifty also opened lower, declining 22.35 points, or 0.10 percent, to 23,195.25. Volatility continued immediately after the opening as buyers and sellers competed for control. Supported by buying activity, the index climbed 145.95 points, or 0.63 percent, to an intraday high of 23,363.55. It subsequently fell 23.95 points, or 0.10 percent, to an intraday low of 23,193.65 amid selling pressure. At the end of the session, the Nifty gained 53 points, or 0.23 percent, to close at 23,270.60.
During the day, shares of the capital goods, automobile and metal sectors witnessed sustained buying interest. Supported by the buying activity, the BSE Capital Goods Index advanced 1.96 percent. Similarly, the BSE Metal Index gained 1.12 percent, while the Nifty Auto Index rose 0.99 percent. The Realty, IT, Consumer Durables, FMCG, Healthcare and Public Sector Enterprises indices also ended higher.
On the other hand, banking and oil and gas stocks witnessed sustained selling pressure. The Nifty Bank Index declined 0.42 percent, while the BSE Oil and Gas Index ended 0.25 percent lower. The broader market maintained a positive trend, with the Nifty Midcap Index rising 0.92 percent and the Smallcap Index gaining 0.76 percent.
The rise in mid-cap and small-cap stocks led to an increase of more than Rs 1.75 lakh crore in the wealth of stock market investors. The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies rose to Rs 476.11 lakh crore (provisional) at the close of Thursday’s trading, compared with Rs 474.24 lakh crore on the previous trading day, Wednesday. Consequently, investors gained approximately Rs 1.87 lakh crore during Thursday’s session.
A total of 4,535 stocks were actively traded on the BSE during the day. Of these, 2,686 stocks closed higher, while 1,642 declined and 207 ended unchanged. On the NSE, 3,234 stocks saw active trading, with 2,071 closing in positive territory and 1,163 ending lower.
Among the 30 Sensex constituents, 20 stocks closed with gains, nine declined and one remained unchanged. Of the 50 Nifty constituents, 36 closed in the green, while 14 ended in the red.
Among the major stocks, HDFC Life rose 5.05 percent, TMPV gained 4.49 percent, SBI Life Insurance advanced 4.06 percent, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories climbed 3.07 percent and Bharat Electronics increased 2.51 percent, placing them among the top five gainers of the day.
On the other hand, ONGC declined 1.85 percent, Titan Company fell 1.38 percent, HDFC Bank slipped 1.18 percent, Hindustan Unilever declined 1.01 percent and Coal India fell 1.01 percent, making them the top five laggards of the session.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
