New Delhi, 17 April (H.S.): India’s benchmark stock indices finished in solid positive territory after a volatile start to the day, with the BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 both closing about 0.65% higher and reversing early‑session losses. The rally translated into a gain of roughly ₹4.79 lakh crore in investor wealth, as the combined market capitalisation of listed companies on the BSE crossed ₹465.59 lakh crore by the end of trading.

The Sensex opened at 77,976.13, down a modest 12.55 points, and gyrated in the first 30 minutes as buyers and sellers each sought to gain the upper hand. At one point, profit‑booking and selling pressure dragged the index down by 262.45 points to 77,726.23.

However, sustained buying later in the day hoisted the index by 827.22 points from that intraday low, and it eventually settled at 78,493.54—up 504.86 points (+0.65%).

Similarly, the Nifty 50 started at 24,165.90, slipped by 100.70 points to 24,096.05 under selling pressure, and then climbed more than 275 points from that low.

In the final minutes, intra‑day settlement‑related offloading pared some of the gains, but the index still closed at 24,353.55, up 156.80 points (+0.65%).

The recovery was supported by broad‑based buying, with most sectoral indices ending in the green. The FMCG and Capital Goods segments stood out, with the BSE FMCG index rising 2.57% and the Capital Goods index adding 2.19%.

Other bright spots included Banking, Auto, Consumer Durables, Healthcare, Metals, Oil & Gas, Public Sector Enterprises, Realty, and Technology, all of which registered gains by trade‑end. Midcaps and smallcaps also outperformed, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices closing up 1.27% and 1.48%, respectively, underscoring confidence in the broader market.

Tech sees selling while sentiment remains positive

Only the IT sector came under consistent selling pressure, posting relatively weak performance compared with the rest of the market.

Across the board, 2,985 stocks traded on the National Stock Exchange, of which 2,200 ended in the green and 785 in the red, indicating a clear tilt toward buying on the day.

On the headline indices, 24 of 30 Sensex components and 39 of 50 Nifty 50 stocks closed higher, reinforcing the view that the upside was driven not by a few names but by a wider‑based rally.

Top gainers and losers

Among the major gainers were Hindustan Unilever (+4.75%), Nestlé India (+2.24%), JSW Steel (+2.09%), Apollo Hospitals (+1.93%), and Power Grid Corporation (+1.87%), which were among the top contributors to the day’s upswing.

On the downside, Wipro, HDFC Life, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Larsen & Toubro were among the relatively weaker performers, with declines ranging from about 0.58% to 2.83%.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar