Market Overview
India's equity markets closed higher on Thursday, with the NSE Nifty 50 rising 0.18% to a six‑month high, while the BSE Sensex 30 edged up 0.04%.
Sector and Stock Performance
Real Estate, Banking and Capital Goods sectors led the rally. On the Nifty 50, HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd advanced 3.76% (21.55 points) to 595.10, Bajaj Finance Ltd climbed 3.27% (35.30 points) to 1,114.10, and Shriram Finance Ltd rose 3.23% (31.30 points) to 1,000.45 in late trade. The biggest decliners were Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd, down 4.37% (10.26 points) to 224.54, Hindustan Unilever Ltd falling 2.54% (51.40 points) to 1,971.00 on NSE and 2.92% (90.90 points) to 1,961.10 on BSE, and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd decreasing 2.16% (75.00 points) to 3,390.00.
On the BSE Sensex 30, top gainers included Bajaj Finance Ltd gaining 3.32% to close at 1,110.70, IndusInd Bank Ltd up 2.99% at 930.00, and State Bank of India up 2.34% to 1,085.00. The worst performers were Hindustan Unilever Ltd down 2.92% to 1,961.10, Nestle India Ltd down 1.71% to 1,263.00, and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd down 1.65% to 258.80.
Breadth of Market Moves
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones by 1,743 to 1,300 on the NSE, with 64 stocks unchanged; on the BSE, 2,348 stocks rose, 1,840 fell and 198 were unchanged.
Volatility Indicator
The India VIX, reflecting implied volatility of Nifty 50 options, fell 5.47% to 16.60.
Commodity and Currency Markets
Gold futures for December delivery slipped 1.24% (49.70 points) to $3,950.80 per troy ounce. Crude oil for December delivery declined 0.79% (0.68 dollars) to $85.85 per barrel, while the January Brent contract fell 0.83% (0.77 dollars) to $91.99 per barrel. The USD/INR exchange rate rose 0.39% to 94.06, and the EUR/INR moved up 0.42% to 104.36. The US Dollar Index Futures were marginally down 0.04% at 102.78.