BIZ DESK
Indian equity benchmarks snapped a four-session losing streak on Friday, tracking strong global cues after lower-than-expected US CPI inflation for November boosted optimism around further interest rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve. Improved risk appetite, coupled with fresh foreign institutional investor (FII) inflows, lifted sentiment across domestic equities.
The BSE Sensex advanced 447.55 points (0.53%) to close at 84,929.36, after touching an intraday high of 85,067.50. Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty 50 gained 150.85 points (0.58%) to settle at 25,966.40, comfortably reclaiming the 25,900 mark.
Index Performance
- Sensex: +0.53%
- Nifty 50: +0.58%
- BSE MidCap: +1.3%
- BSE SmallCap: +1.3%
The broader market outperformed frontline indices, reflecting renewed buying interest in mid- and small-cap stocks. Market breadth remained firmly positive, with nearly two advancing stocks for every decliner on the BSE.
Top Gainers & Laggards (Sensex)
Top Gainers:
- Bharat Electronics
- Power Grid Corporation
- Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles
(all rising over 2%)
Other notable gainers included Asian Paints, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Reliance Industries, and Infosys, each climbing around 1%.
Laggards:
- HCL Technologies (down ~1%)
- Kotak Mahindra Bank
- ICICI Bank
- TCS
- Sun Pharma
Sector-wise Performance
- Capital Goods & Infrastructure: Strong gains led by L&T and Power Grid, supported by expectations of sustained government capex.
- Defence: Bharat Electronics outperformed on continued order inflow optimism.
- Automobiles: Tata Motors PV rallied on demand stability and margin visibility.
- FMCG & Consumer Paints: Asian Paints gained on easing input cost concerns.
- Financials: Mixed trend—Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Finserv advanced, while private banks like Kotak Mahindra Bank and ICICI Bank underperformed.
- IT Services: Largely subdued; HCL Tech and TCS faced mild profit booking amid valuation concerns.
- Pharma: Weak, with Sun Pharma among the key drags.
Currency & Global Cues
The Indian rupee strengthened to close at 89.25 against the US dollar, aided by late-session dollar selling and positive equity inflows. Globally, equity markets rallied after US inflation data reinforced expectations of monetary easing in 2025, improving sentiment across emerging markets.
Market Outlook
With inflation concerns easing globally and FIIs showing signs of returning, near-term sentiment remains constructive. However, investors are expected to stay selective ahead of upcoming global central bank signals and domestic macro data, with sector rotation likely to continue in favour of capital goods, defence, and consumption-linked stocks.