Indian benchmark equity indices concluded a volatile trading session with modest gains, as investors navigated a cautious environment ahead of the looming July 9 deadline for the potential imposition of tariffs by US President Donald Trump.
The BSE Sensex advanced by 193.42 points, or 0.23%, to close at 83,432.89. Similarly, the Nifty 50 rose by 55.7 points, or 0.22%, settling at 25,461.
In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap 100 ended relatively flat with a slight negative bias, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 registered a marginal gain of 0.03%.
Sectoral performance was largely positive, with most indices closing higher, notable exceptions being Nifty Auto and Metal. The Nifty Oil & Gas sector emerged as the top performer, gaining 1.05%, driven by strong performances from companies such as Bharat Petroleum, IGL, Indian Oil, Mahanagar Gas, and Hindustan Petroleum. Other sectors that saw gains of up to 1% included Nifty Realty, Pharma, IT, Bank, Media, and Consumer Durables.
Among the 30 constituents of the Sensex, 20 stocks closed in positive territory. Leading the pack of gainers were Bajaj Finance, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, HCL Tech, Ultratech Cement, and Bajaj Finserv. Conversely, Trent, Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, and Adani Ports were among the top decliners.
In a sign of easing market apprehension, the India VIX, which serves as a gauge of market volatility, concluded the session lower by 0.57% at 12.32 points.
