Indian equity benchmarks ended higher for the sixth consecutive session on Thursday, August 21, though gains were capped by weak global cues, concerns over Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, and stretched valuations.
The Sensex rose 143 points, or 0.17 per cent, to close at 82,000.71, while the Nifty 50 ended at 25,083.75, up 33 points, or 0.13 per cent. Mid- and small-cap segments underperformed, with the BSE Midcap index slipping 0.12 per cent and the Smallcap index closing almost flat.
Gains in heavyweight stocks such as ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, L&T, Bajaj Finance and HDFC Bank supported the benchmarks.
Proposed GST reforms, a recent S&P upgrade and favourable growth-inflation dynamics remain long-term drivers, though sentiment has been weighed down by looming tariff risks ahead of the August 27 secondary tariff deadline.
“Indian equities ended mixed, as investors turned to profit booking after a recent rally and concerns over the premium valuation due to the subdued end of Q1 earnings,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments.
He added that India’s record-high composite PMI in August, reflecting strong expansion in both manufacturing and services, may provide some stability in the near term. Investors, however, remain cautious ahead of the Jackson Hole symposium on Friday, alongside rising domestic bond yields amid fiscal concerns linked to GST rationalisation.
Also Read : GST slabs may shrink to two as GoM clears new structure
Market highlights
Top gainers in the Nifty 50: Cipla rose 3.09 per cent, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories gained 2.61 per cent, and Bajaj Finserv added 1.03 per cent.
Top losers in the Nifty 50: Tata Consumer fell 1.57 per cent, Bajaj Auto slipped 1.56 per cent, and Eternal was down 1.55 per cent. Overall, 28 stocks in the index ended lower, while 22 advanced.
Sectoral indices: Nifty Pharma and Healthcare rose by nearly 1 per cent each. Auto, FMCG and PSU Bank indices closed lower, while Nifty Bank posted a modest gain of 0.10 per cent and Financial Services rose 0.32 per cent.
Most active stocks by volume: Ola Electric Mobility led the trade with 56.43 crore shares, followed by Vodafone Idea with 35.27 crore shares and PC Jeweller with 15.44 crore shares on the NSE.
Stocks with sharp gains: Sixteen stocks on the BSE, including D.P. Wires, Filtron Engineers, Prospect Consumer Products, IZMO and Disha Resources, jumped more than 15 per cent.
Advance-decline ratio: Out of 4,248 stocks traded on the BSE, 2,098 advanced, 1,995 declined and 155 remained unchanged.
52-week highs and lows: A total of 143 stocks, including Maruti Suzuki India, TVS Motor Company, Marico, HDFC Asset Management Company and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, hit 52-week highs.
Meanwhile, 49 stocks, such as Hindusthan National Glass, Indogulf Cropsciences, Regaal Resources, Sharika Enterprises and U.Y. Fincorp, touched 52-week lows.
Follow us
