In a muted end to a choppy session during a holiday-shortened week, benchmark domestic equity indices closed almost unchanged today, reflecting cautious investor sentiment ahead of key global and domestic cues.
The BSE Sensex inched up by just 58 points to settle at 80,598, while the NSE Nifty added 12 points to end at 24,631. Despite the marginal gains in headline indices, broader markets underperformed — the BSE Mid-Cap index slipped 0.2%, and the Small-Cap index fell 0.6%, indicating profit-booking in mid- and small-sized counters.
Stock Movers
Out of the 30 Sensex constituents, 16 stocks ended in the red.
- Top Laggards: Tata Steel plunged over 3% as global commodity prices softened; Tech Mahindra dropped more than 1.5% on weak IT sector outlook; Adani Ports fell over 1.3% on profit-taking after recent gains.
- Top Gainers: Eternal rallied nearly 1.9%, Infosys climbed 1.5% supported by strong institutional buying, and Asian Paints gained over 1.1% amid improved demand outlook in the festive season build-up.
Sectoral Snapshot
Out of 21 sectoral indices on the BSE, 13 closed in the red:
- Laggards: Metal index slid 1.4%, Oil & Gas fell 1.2%, and Energy declined 1%.
- Gainers: Consumer Durables rose over 0.8%, while Focused IT and Tech indices advanced around 0.4% each.
Market Breadth & Participation
The market breadth remained weak — 2,320 stocks declined against 1,742 that advanced, while 153 remained unchanged. Analysts noted that the subdued action was driven by low volumes, typical of a truncated trading week, and investors staying on the sidelines ahead of global economic data releases, including U.S. inflation figures and China’s trade data.
Outlook
Market experts say near-term volatility is likely to persist, with traders eyeing corporate earnings announcements and foreign institutional investor (FII) flows. “While frontline indices are consolidating at record highs, the underperformance of mid- and small-caps signals selective profit booking. Broader market participation will be key for the next leg of the rally,” said a Mumbai-based market strategist.
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