Benchmark indices ended Wednesday’s session on a mixed note, with the Sensex gaining over 100 points while the Nifty 50 closed in the red. Gains in select heavyweight stocks and broader market segments helped counter weakness across financial, metal and energy stocks.
The BSE Sensex climbed 113.61 points, or 0.15%, to finish at 78,079.96. In contrast, the NSE Nifty 50 slipped 40.10 points, or 0.16%, to settle at 24,395.85.
Trading remained range-bound as investors assessed softer inflation figures from India and the US against elevated crude oil prices and persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
INDIGO, NTPC TOP SENSEX GAINERS
IndiGo emerged as the biggest Sensex gainer, rising 2.86%, while NTPC advanced 2.01%. Bharat Electronics gained 1.98% and Larsen & Toubro climbed 1.95%.
Hindustan Unilever rose 1.72%, Eternal gained 1.60% and Tech Mahindra added 1.54%. Bajaj Finance, Asian Paints, Trent and HCLTech also ended the session higher.
Among the laggards, UltraTech Cement fell 1.68%, making it the biggest Sensex loser. Titan declined 1.08%, while ICICI Bank dropped 1.26%. Reliance Industries slipped 0.80%, Infosys lost 0.50% and Power Grid declined 0.76%.
IT, FMCG AND REALTY HELP BROADER MARKET
Sectoral performance remained mixed. Nifty Chemicals led the gainers with a 1.25% rise, followed by Nifty Realty, which advanced 0.97%, and Nifty FMCG, which gained 0.84%.
Nifty IT increased 0.39%, Nifty Media rose 0.37% and Nifty Auto edged up 0.10%. Nifty Financial Services ex-Bank and Nifty Midcap Financial Services also ended slightly higher.
Meanwhile, Nifty Metal declined 1.05% and Nifty Pharma fell 0.28%. Nifty PSU Bank slipped 0.32%, while Nifty Private Bank dropped 0.54%. Nifty Financial Services 25/50 declined 0.44% and Nifty Oil & Gas fell 0.37%.
Nifty Healthcare lost 0.30% and Nifty Consumer Durables declined 0.47%. Nifty Midcap Healthcare slipped 0.12%, while Nifty Midcap IT & Telecom gained 0.82%.
Broader markets outperformed the headline indices. Nifty Smallcap 100 gained 0.27%, Nifty Midcap 50 advanced 0.22% and Nifty Midcap 100 rose 0.15%.
The Nifty 100 declined 0.14%, Nifty 200 fell 0.08% and Nifty 500 slipped 0.06%.
The India VIX, which tracks expected market volatility, dropped 2.33% to 11.42, indicating that near-term volatility remained relatively subdued.
INFLATION AND CRUDE OIL REMAIN KEY FACTORS
Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited, said softer-than-expected inflation data from both the US and India supported investor sentiment and strengthened expectations that the US Federal Reserve and Reserve Bank of India could maintain a patient policy stance in the near term.
However, he noted that elevated crude oil prices remained a major concern, with geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East limiting a stronger risk-on move.
The ongoing earnings season has also broadly strengthened confidence in India’s underlying demand and corporate resilience, helping offset external pressures.
In the near term, market movements are expected to depend on developments in energy markets, geopolitical risks and the sustainability of foreign capital inflows.
Overall, investors balanced favourable inflation trends and resilient corporate earnings against elevated crude prices and geopolitical uncertainty. Global market trends, foreign fund flows and developments in the energy sector are likely to remain key triggers for Indian equities.
