Benchmark Indian equity indices, the Sensex and Nifty, closed with modest gains today, buoyed by a strong recovery in the final half-hour of trading. Both indices had largely remained range-bound throughout the session as investors awaited clearer signals on the evolving US-India trade deal.
The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced by 270 points (0.32%) to settle at 83,713, while the National Stock Exchange Nifty-50 added 61 points (0.24%) to close at 25,523. In the broader market, the BSE Mid-Cap index remained unchanged, and the Small-Cap index saw a slight decline of over 0.1%.
Out of the 30 companies in the Sensex pack, 18 ended in positive territory. Leading the gains were Kotak Bank, surging 3.6%, Eternal, climbing almost 1.9%, and Asian Paints, which advanced nearly 1.7%. Conversely, top laggards included Titan, shedding over 6.1%, Trent, dropping more than 1.1%, and Axis Bank, which dipped over 0.8%.
Among the 21 sectoral indices at the BSE, 14 closed higher. Realty emerged as a top gainer, surging one percent, followed by Bankex, which climbed over 0.7%, and Power, increasing 0.7%. In contrast, Consumer Durables dipped almost 1.7%, Healthcare slipped 0.8%, and Telecommunication fell nearly half a percent.
Market breadth at the BSE was negative, with 2,081 companies declining, 1,948 advancing, and 138 remaining unchanged. On the National Stock Exchange, 56 companies hit their 52-week high, while 40 reached their 52-week low.
From the Sensex firms, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Eternal, Asian Paints, NTPC, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Adani Ports, Infosys and State Bank of India were among the major gainers. However, Titan tumbled over 6 per cent. Trent, Axis Bank, Maruti and Hindustan Unilever were also among the laggards. The US is close to making a trade deal with India, President Donald Trump has said.
