Sensex, Nifty End Higher For Fifth Day Led By HDFC Twins

Indian equity markets managed to register yet another record high in today's session, led by private financials and pharma stocks.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended 0.48% higher at 46,890. The 30-stock gauge fell 8 points short of scaling the 47,000 mark in today's session, reversing from an intra-day high of 46,992.

The NSE Nifty 50 index ended 0.42% higher at 13,740, witnessing a reversal of around 30 points from the day's high of 13,773. Both benchmark indices ended higher for the fifth straight day.

It was the HDFC twins, private financials like Bajaj Finance along with Divi's Laboratories that ensured markets remained in the green, even as 33 out of the 50 Nifty constituents ended with losses.

The weekly options expiry session was not a good one for most sectoral indices. The Nifty Media index was the top laggard, ending 2% lower, while other indices like the PSU Bank index and the Nifty Metal index ended 1.4% lower.

Gainers today were the Nifty Bank, which ended 0.5% higher courtesy HDFC Bank and Nifty Realty, which gained 0.6%. The Nifty Pharma, which outperformed for most parts of the trading session, cooled off from its day's high to end with gains of 0.4%.

Broader markets underperformed in today's session. The Midcap index ended 0.3% lower while the Smallcap index rose 0.15% at the close of trade.

India Volatility Index ended flat at 19.18.

1,068 stocks on the NSE ended with losses while 846 registered gains.

• Benchmark indices continue to trade in a narrow range
• Nifty up 0.3% at 13,719
• Sensex up 0.25% at 46,783
• Nifty Bank up 0.2% at 30,766
• Nifty Midcap index up 0.7%
• Nifty Smallcap index up 0.8%
• India Volatility Index down 0.2% to 19.16
• Nifty Pharma and Nifty Media are the top sectoral gainers; up 1.3%
• Nifty Realty is the other major sectoral gainer; up 0.7%
• Nifty Metal, I.T., FMCG and Auto index trade with a negative bias
• Divi's Laboratories remains the top Nifty gainer; up 2.8%
• Coal India is the top Nifty laggard; down 1.2%
• 1,095 stocks on the NSE trade with gains while 720 are declining

• Top gainer on the Nifty Midcap index
• Gains as much as 8.6% to Rs 393.6
• Trading at a record high
• Up for the third straight day
• Has gained close to 20% in the last three trading sessions
• Today's volumes are more than quadruple its 20-day average
• Stock in overbought territory with Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 80
• Out of the 39 analysts tracking the stock, 36 have a buy recommendation; 2 sell calls
• The stock is trading 9% higher than its 12-month Bloomberg consensus price target of Rs 349.6

• Benchmark indices trade with a positive bias
• Nifty up 0.25% at 13,718
• Sensex up 0.24% at 46,779
• Nifty Bank up 0.2% at 30,745
• Nifty Midcap index up 0.5%
• Nifty Smallcap index up 0.9%
• India Volatility Index up 0.4% to 19.28
• Nifty Pharma index is the top sectoral gainer; up 1.1%
• Nifty Media index is the other sectoral gainer; up 0.6%
• Nifty FMCG, Nifty Metal and Nifty Realty trade with a negative bias
• Divi's Laboratories is the top Nifty gainer; up 2.6%
• Adani Ports & SEZ is the top Nifty laggard; down 1.2%
• 1,123 stocks on the NSE trade with gains while 614 are declining

Indian equity markets have opened flat but with a positive bias on the Weekly Options Expiry session.

The S&P BSE Sensex is up 0.2% to 46,774 at the start of trade while the NSE Nifty 50 has opened above the mark of 13,700 - up 0.23% at 13,713. This is a new record high for both benchmark indices.

Sectoral indices too have opened flat. The Nifty Bank index is up 0.3% along with the Nifty Pharma index. Other sectoral indices are seeing modest gains or are little changed.

Broader markets have opened higher in today's session. The Nifty Midcap index is up 0.2% while the Smallcap index is outperforming, trading 0.6% higher at the start of trade.

1,088 stocks on the NSE are trading with gains while 626 are declining.

Good Morning!

Indian equity markets saw healthy gains on Wednesday after three days of sideways consolidation. Both the S&P BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 scaled new record highs.

The Nifty Realty Index was the top sectoral performer, with the 10-stock gauge ending at a 10-month high.

Futures, however, are indicating a tepid start to today’s trading session. The Singapore-traded SGX Nifty, an early indicator of the Nifty 50 Index’s performance in India, was little changed at 13,668 as of 8:15 a.m. on Thursday.

For today’s weekly options expiry, the maximum open interest on the call side is at the 13,800 strike, while that on the put side is on the 13,000 strike. Canara Bank and Punjab National Bank are in the F&O ban for today’s session.

Globally, Asian markets have edged higher this morning on speculation that the U.S. lawmakers are edging closer to a deal over a stimulus package. Futures on the Dow Jones are trading with gains of 24 points. The index ended little changed on Wednesday.

West Texas Intermediate crude gained 0.4% to $48.03 per barrel after an unexpected decline in the U.S. crude inventories. Bitcoin crossed the $20,000-mark for the first time ever.

Short on time? Well, then listen to this podcast for a quick summary of All You Need To Know before the opening bell.